Guilt weighed heavy in Lucifer’s heart for him. He barely knew this Angel and look at what they were now doing together. His guilt wasn’t for that fact that Raphael had sacrificed himself to help – because this wasn’t the first time Raphael had done such a thing with Lucifer in the mix. And the guilt wasn’t for tricking the other three who made up the Scourge into thinking they were all in this together only to strip them of their curse and laying it all on Raphael.
No. This guilt had little to do with this morphed, fucked Angel, and everything to do with the brothers he’d left behind on neutral ground.
Gabriel was never going to forgive Lucifer for this. And that hurt like a sonofabitch.
Raphael’s fingernails had lengthened and turned into claws that bit down on Lucy’s shoulder. Bound in Raphael’s heavily magicked chains – both around his wrists and his neck – Lucifer was limited. If he moved his arms more than an inch or so, the chain around his neck would squeeze – a clever trick Michael used often on Lucifer.
“Where is he?” Raphael’s lips glistened black in the moonlight. Fresh blood oozed from his ears and slipped down his neck. “Where’s our master, Rave?”
Every Angel, including Rave, stood stock-still, completely enthralled by Raphael. Closing his eyes, Lucifer sucked in a lung full of air, tipped his head back, and howled. His voice carried throughout the sky like a sharp wind and he kept that howl going hard and long until his voice died out.
“What is the meaning of all this?” Michael stepped out with his sword in hand. He stopped fifty feet ahead of them and froze. His eyes flashed and a cruel smile slid across his face. “What did I tell you, female? Why chase them down when they can be delivered unto you.”
Merri approached cautiously from behind him. Her head tilted to the side as she looked Lucifer and Raphael over. “What did you do to him?” Her voice was flat and bored. Her eyes, however, were curious and hungry.
Michael laughed and started forward. “I told you I had the Scourge in my arsenal, Merri.”
“Then where are the others?” She observed Lucifer and Raphael like they were weapons to inspect and test out. “You said there were four. I only see this hideous one.”
Lucifer’s nostrils flared. Raphael’s claws dug so deep in his flesh that they hit bone. Blood poured and slid down Lucifer’s arm, but he didn’t move a fucking inch.
“I did what I had to, sire.” Raphael’s voice was clipped and deep.
Michael stayed about ten feet away. “You took it all from them?” There was humor in his voice. “Impressive.”
“You made me unstoppable. This one,” Raphael jerked Lucifer’s shoulder, “was not easy to hunt and capture. In order to not fail you, sire, I killed the others and took their power for myself. It was the only way to bring this abomination back to you so swiftly.”
Michael stared at Raphael for several heartbeats. “Where are the others?”
“I do not know.”
“Very well,” Michael headed in the direction of his underground chamber of fuckery. “Bring him this way.” The bastard’s pride practically glowed like a halo around his body.
Merri didn’t proceed with him, “Now that we know the beast will no longer be an issue, we shall leave.”
“Are you sure? The fun hasn’t even begun,” Michael tempted.
“No. I’ve seen enough. And my sisters,” Merri tipped her head towards a brunette and blonde Angel covered in cloaks, “need rest. I’ll be in touch.”
“Looking forward to it,” Michael said with sarcasm. “Move,” he barked at the Angels in his way.
Raphael shoved Lucifer forward and the sea of warriors split down the middle again. Some spat on Lucifer as he passed them. Others said prayers. Lucifer ignored all of it and kept his gaze locked on Merri until she disappeared out of his sight. If she was heading back to the Purity Sect, was she going to hunt for Eve next?
Lucifer’s heart plummeted. His instincts screamed in alarm. The hair on the back of his neck raised. The feathers in his locked down and chained up wings prickled.
He needed to get this over with so he could go after Merri next.
Rave joined the ranks with Lucifer and Raphael, but kept a safe distance from both of them. “Where are the others,” he whispered through gritted teeth.
Raphael’s answer was a long, deep growl of warning to back the fuck up.
Rave didn’t heed him. “Where. Are. The. Others.”
Lucifer licked his dry lips, “Gone. Dead.”
“Bullshit,” Rave hissed. He grabbed Lucifer’s neck and squeezed, “Eve is still alive and everyone fucking knows she’s the reason for the souls. Lilith was already taken. The others must be fucking warned.”
Michael came up behind Rave, “Warned of what?”
Rave’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Michael stabbed Rave in the back. Lucifer could smell the fresh blood. He could smell the terror too.
A rancid, putrid stench filled the air. Raphael vibrated with aggression. Keeping his hand locked on Lucifer seemed to ground the Angel. Hoping that was the case, Luce pushed a little of his energy into Raphael’s fingertips, heating them and prayed it would be enough to keep Raphael focused on their mission.
“They’re all dead, and good fucking riddance,” Raphael spit out a wad of black blood onto the ground.
“You’re sure, Raphael?” Michael let Rave drop like a sack of stones.
“Absolutely.” The lie rolled off his tongue with such confidence it made Lucifer growl.
“That displeases you, 666?” Michael teased. “Good.”
No, it didn’t displease him, it scared the piss out of him. Lucifer was in the clutches of a deranged Angel and a damaged one. Both were deadly. Both were dangerous. And now Lucifer wasn’t sure he made the right choice in trusting Raphael. Not with how easily he just lied.
Too late now.
Restless and unable to turn his brain off, Gabriel laid on the ground by the fire and kept his eyes closed while he played every scenario out in his head: Them going against Michael and dying. Them going against Michael and everyone else dying. Them going against Michael and the world collapsing.
There was no happy ending at all.
On the other side of the fire, Uriel had tucked Eve into his arms and was lightly rubbing her back. She would twitch and mumble random words once in a while, but other than that, the female was exhausted enough to actually sleep. Good for her, he thought. She needed rest. Eve was insistent that she join their battle and who was he to tell her no? If she was able to shut her brain off and go to sleep for a few hours, then it would help her later.
Some part of him felt calm about this battle. He wondered if that calmness was Lucifer’s doing. The Angel was destined to take out Michael, so this war was going to be won. Gabriel just wondered how many survivors there would be.
Constantine had dozed off with a stick in his hand – one he’d used to draw out attack strategies he and Gabriel came up with.
Lazarus never returned.
Lucifer was patrolling the area, making large circles around them for most of the night.
And the Scourge stayed to themselves with their own fire.
A deadly calm settled over Gabriel. Like something shut off inside him, he felt an actual stillness in his body. Then his heart picked up pace and he opened his eyes and looked around. His crew was still there.
But he no longer heard Lucifer’s footsteps in the woods.
It could be nothing, he thought. That Angel was so stealthy, Gabriel wouldn’t put it past him to have the skills to run through a copse of tress without making a sound. Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he looked around.
No…. It was too fucking quiet.
Rising to his feet, he headed off into the direction he last saw Lucifer go in. The further he got from his crew, the more his anxiety rose. “Lucifer?”
He surveyed the area. Where did Lucifer go? Maybe the big bastard was flying around in circles like a hawk for an aerial view of their peri
meters? That’s what he would have done. No, Lucifer preferred the ground.
“Lucifer!” Where the fuck was he? Marching down the path, Gabe ran smack into the Scourge’s camp only to find it abandoned. Shit! “LUCY!”
Taking flight, it took him less than five minutes to cover the entire realm by air.
Lucifer and the Scourge were gone.
Eve’s head shot up when she heard a deep voice call out Lucifer’s name. “Oh no.” The second she heard Gabriel’s angry bark, Eve knew what happened.
Lucifer had gone rogue.
Eve wasn’t sure who she was madder at: Him for thinking he could do this all on his own. Or her for actually thinking that maybe he wouldn’t do such a thing like sneaking off to fight a war by himself because they were a pack and had agreed to go into this battle together.
“Damnit!” she rolled out of Uriel’s embrace, waking him up, and quickly started shaking Constantine to rouse him next. “Con, wake up! Wake up!”
He was struggling to do so.
“Shit,” she bit her lip and turned to Uriel who was already buckling his sword to his waist. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Drained,” Uri frowned. “Someone’s drained him.”
“But I thought he was blocking everyone now?”
“He could have been wrong.” Uriel crouched down and shook Con’s shoulder, “Brother, wake up. We’ve got to go. It’s time.”
“Mmmph.”
“Con,” Eve tugged his arm harder. “Con, come on! Lucifer’s gone rogue.”
His eyes opened a sliver, but he remained asleep.
“Shit, he’s seriously out of it,” Uriel looked up to see Gabriel descend from the sky. “He’s been drained.”
“And Lucifer’s left us behind,” Gabriel stormed over and kicked out the fire with his boots. “The fucking Scourge is with him. He chose them over us.”
“Or the Scourge took him,” Eve argued. “Lucifer wouldn’t pick them over us. We’re his pack.”
Gabriel’s fury was hotter than the embers he stomped out. “Con, get the fuck up. Now.”
“I just told you, someone’s drained him!” Uriel picked Constantine up by the armpits and let him go. The dark-haired Angel’s head bounced when it hit the ground and he didn’t make a peep.
“Fuuuuck,” Gabriel dropped to his knees by Constantine’s side. “The Scourge is going to pay for this.”
“Move,” Eve tried to shove Gabriel away. He slid over, but she knew it wasn’t by her force. Damn, what she wouldn’t give to be as strong as the males of their race. Eve would make it a point to work on that when all this was over. For now, she needed to get to Lucifer so he didn’t fight this battle alone.
Placing her hands over Constantine’s pecs, Eve closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn’t know if this was going to work or not – Lazarus’s crash course in survival skills weren’t the most thorough.
Eve gathered her strength from within. Imagining it was a ball of sparks – crackling and sizzling, vibrating with pent up energy - she felt it rise from her belly and rattle its way up her throat. Then she bent down and opened her mouth over Constantine’s.
The transfer of energy jolted Constantine like he’d been struck by lightning. His body jerked and rose off the ground before slamming back down and yelled. Wide awake, Con’s eyes popped open, “The fuck was that?”
“Holy shit, how did you know to do that?” Uriel gawked.
“Laz was trying to teach me a few things.” Eve let go of Con, “I’m not sure if I did it right or not, but…” she looked at Con, “how do you feel now?”
“Like a comet just shot through my veins.”
“Good,” Gabriel growled, “Get up. We’ve got a battle to fight. Fucking Lucifer and the Scourge left to fight Michael without us.”
“Or he was kidnapped by them,” Eve retorted. Yeah, even as she said it, she felt stupid. There was no way the Scourge could take down Lucifer without him at least making some kind of noise about it. “I can’t believe I fell asleep,” she said while following Gabe and the others out of the woods.
“You were put to sleep,” Gabriel growled.
Eve’s body tightened and coiled with anger. “You put a fucking sleep curse on me?”
He didn’t look at her. “A warrior can’t fight a battle if he’s too exhausted to hold up his own motherfucking sword. And, no, I didn’t curse you. But thanks for the trust, Eve.” Gabriel picked up speed and lead the way.
She didn’t know what to say. If Gabriel hadn’t done something to make her sleep, who would have? She didn’t have time to think more on it. Gabriel halted everyone and pulled his sword out. His wings snapped up, blocking her from whatever was in front of them and he got into attack mode.
“Don’t fucking kill us,” Cassian shouted.
“The Scourge,” Uriel hissed, “The fuck are they doing here now?”
And where’s Lucy? Eve worried.
Cassian, Jude, and Nikolai came forward looking…. Nothing like they had previously.
“What the fuck happened?” Gabriel barked.
“Raphael did this,” Cassian came forward cautiously with his sword still tucked away and his arms up. “He and Lucifer fucking did this to us.”
“They healed you?” Con’s voice was gravelly.
“They did worse,” Jude growled, “Lucifer was able to control us for long enough to let Raphael take in all our new powers. He’s got all of it now.”
Eve worked her way around Gabriel’s shielding body and ignored his angry growls when she said, “What did he do to Lucifer?”
“He left with him. They’ve gone after Michael on their own. Motherfuckers thought they could save us from a battle death.” Cassian’s wings snapped in anger, “But this feels so much worse than fucking death.”
“What does?”
Cassian deadpanned her, “Being spared.”
Gabriel and the others agreed.
Eve didn’t get it. “But you’re free of Michael’s grip now,” she said cautiously. “You can all leave and never look back. This is your chance.”
“And what honor is there in turning your back on your brothers?” Cassian pulled his blade out so fast, the steel whistled. “I don’t need the powers of the Scourge to be deadly.”
She couldn’t have agreed with him more. Eve looked around at each of the males with her and felt that spark of energy snap, pop, and crackle in her belly.
“Well then,” Eve smirked, “let’s go crash the fucking party and leave our marks on this world, boys.”
Chapter 56
When I get my hands on that cocksucker, I’m going to crush his skull. Gabriel focused on all the things he was going to do to Lucifer when he got ahold of that motherfucker once this battle was over.
He had every intention of winning this war. Gone was the worry that he’d die trying. Vanished was his fear of failure. Poof went his reservations of going after any brother who chose to side with Michael.
He was going to survive this war so he could kick Lucifer’s ass later.
Why would Lucifer have done this? It felt like betrayal – to be abandoned in the night, on the eve of the greatest war to ever grace these lands.
For that’s exactly what Gabriel suspected this to be. The Greatest War.
Lazarus spoke of such a thing. A battle so epic, the world would be forever changed by it. This was that war and Lucifer was trying to either spare them the danger or take all the glory for himself. Either way it pissed Gabriel the fuck off.
They marched into the Protection Sect’s territory and the fact that not a single brother was patrolling their borders said all Gabriel needed to know: Lucifer was already there.
“Come on.” Gabriel flew high and the others followed him.
The fields were bare. The cliffs were too. Beating his wings faster, Gabriel beelined it to the brotherhood’s main area and descended right on the edge of their massive compound.
He hated having Eve stand next to him. She wasn’t ready
for this fight. But who was he to tell her not to lift her blade and swing it? She was just as righteous as the rest of them. Maybe more so. She had everything to lose, where Gabriel did not.
He only cared about his brothers.
And…. Her.
“Follow my lead,” he growled.
Every warrior was gathered in the courtyard. Their swords were out, but not a single one was bloodied or in use.
That was… until….
A terrible roar echoed from the dungeon. The small holes that served as windows weren’t big enough for Gabriel to see through, but he heard that tortured sound loud and fucking clear. He bit down on his guilt as he snuck up on the brotherhood.
Someone grunted.
It was Constantine. The Angel stumbled and fell to his knees with a bark of frustration. Eve turned to help him.
That was all it took to get someone’s attention. A choir of swords unsheathing and bows pulled with arrows surrounded them.
It was now or never.
Gabriel roared, “Brothers!” His heart slammed into his chest, “Don’t do this! Lucifer is not the enemy here!” Fuck, his throat had a pulse.
“You think we should side with that beast? He’s an abomination,” one Angel hollered. “And you? You’re no longer Michael’s right hand. You’re a traitor to him. A traitor to us.”
“I’ve never betrayed any of you,” he hated that his brothers would cast such vile looks at him. “I’ve never done anything to hurt you.”
“You’ve cursed a third of the brotherhood,” said another. “Or do you not think that’s harming us?”
Many growls rose from the courtyard. And yeah, they were right to have that reaction. He had cursed them. “Michael made me do it.”
It was the dumbest fucking thing to have ever fled from his mouth. If he was struck down right that second, he’d have not fought it at all. Any Angel who thought he could say that as an excuse for his actions was too fucking stupid to live.
“But you’re right,” Gabriel’s voice cracked, “I did curse you. I have free will. I could have told him no. I could have disobeyed our leader and never used my power on any of you.” He turned to Uriel. “I could have let Uriel suffer more for my disobedience. Shit,” he coldly chuckled, “you’ve all seen what Michael can do to Uriel. I’m sure you’ve all lost count of how many times Uriel’s been brought to the brink of death by our master’s blades.”
Raise Hell Page 36