by Misty Evans
Can you imagine? Me and Lucifer?
I almost snorted.
The devil had demanded Dru leave when the two of us first entered. “The Child of the Night is not welcome,” he’d said.
I’d seen the relief in Damon’s face at Dru’s presence, and combined with a sudden surge of anger at Lucifer, I’d countered his demand. “Alexandru and the Vampire Nation will be important when this goes down. He stands with me.”
Damon flinched and flicked a damning look across the desk at me. Lucifer didn’t like being challenged. From the scowl on his face, I expected to take a trip across the room and have a repeat performance of what had happened in Amy’s ice cream shop a few months ago. I braced, prepared for the worst, and Dru slipped a hand into mine.
Solidarity in the face of the enemy. How sweet.
And probably suicidal.
Dru’s magic zipped up my arm, heading for my heart. I wanted to jerk my hand away but held still, slapping his magic with my own to halt its progress.
Lucifer saw our hands and sized up what it meant. Finally, he’d recanted, allowing Dru to stay. It had less to do with our show of solidarity and more to do with acknowledging the commitment between us.
Lucifer recognized that a deal had been struck between me and the Master vamp. I saw it register in his eyes. He thought we were lovers. He thought of Amy.
The thought of her softened him.
Amazing.
Dru and I now sat on Damon’s black leather couch. I forced my attention away from Lucifer at the window and stared at my boss. My heart pinched thinking about him and his earlier confession. Seeing him back to normal gave me hope. It also helped me collect my thoughts. “Isn’t that God’s job? Kicking off Armageddon?”
“Michael does our Father’s bidding. He’s broken the necessary seals to begin the countdown.”
“I don’t get why angels care what happens on earth.”
Lucifer was so still, I wasn’t sure he was breathing. Did he need to breathe? “We recently had an encounter…he tried to defeat me and send me back to the pit, but he failed.” Again, his aura projected thoughts of Amy. Had she been instrumental in defeating Michael? It seemed so. “He’s bringing the battle here this time in another attempt to separate me from…earth.” He meant Amy, but whatever. “And this time, he’s bringing the entire army of heaven with him.”
Good times. Not.
Dru piped up. “All of this end-of-the-world stuff is over you?”
Lucifer gave him a condescending glare. “The war between heaven and hell has always been about me.”
There you have it. I kept my attention focused on Damon so I could think straight. Every so often I sent him a mental message. Could he be any more full of himself?
No response.
Alrighty then. I wanted my questions answered. “Why did Michael raise Maria from the dead? Was it to open a seal?”
“Employing the presence of the seven deadly sins on earth at the same time is not a seal. You’re an excuse.”
Well, weren’t we less than important? Funny I didn’t see it that way, but I played along. “An excuse for what?”
“For him to get his way. If all seven of you walk the earth at the same time, he has another reason to come after me. Heaven and hell believe I put all of you here.”
“A set up,” Dru said, chuckling. “Clever guy, this archangel.”
“He’s blamed me for many things since our first fight.”
Heaven wasn’t immune to sibling rivalry. Big deal. I had no love of angels, fallen or not. “Can you get his sword?”
Lucifer faced me and spoke with a tone suggesting I was an ignorant child. “Neither you nor I can separate Michael from his sword. It is his and his alone.”
“What if we kill him?”
Lucifer arched a brow, very Damon-like. “Kill an angel?” He glanced at my boss as if it were his fault I was so stupid.
I thought of Cole’s bottom line when facing a deadly opponent. “Does Michael bleed?”
“You cannot kill him. He’s immortal and you are nothing more than an ant under his foot.”
If I was an ant, I was a fire ant. “You forget, I’m virtue and vice. A hybrid, you called it. Michael may see me as inconsequential, but that’s to your advantage.”
Damon and Lucifer both perked up.
Damon stopped toying with the pen. “What are you suggesting, Kali?”
I wasn’t suggesting anything. Not yet. I wanted to know about Lucifer’s Fallen. “If we can’t stop Michael before he brings Armageddon, the key to winning against him and his army is the Fallen.”
Lucifer tensed. “What do you know of the Fallen?”
“If you hadn’t bugged out of Rome like your pants were on fire, you’d have heard me tell Damon about my father’s codex. He wrote the Book of Revelation and two other texts based on my mother’s…”
“I know about John and his prophetess,” the devil interrupted. “What did she see about the Fallen?”
His stare was so intense my skin heated. “The Fallen can defeat heaven’s army.”
He shook his head. “The prophesy states God and his army will defeat me and the humans I command, ridding the earth of sin and restoring paradise.”
Dru sat forward. “That’s one possible outcome Kali’s mother saw. There were others. One of them states the Fallen will defeat Michael. The Church hid those texts. They didn’t want God-fearing humans to think you stood a chance in hell—pardon the pun—against God.”
Gears turned in Damon’s head. He looked at Lucifer. “Can you raise the Fallen?”
Lucifer’s attention went back to the window. “The Fallen are scattered across the earth, reincarnated as humans. Others are imprisoned in the City of Lost Angels on another plane.”
Humans and a mysterious city. Not much to work with. Better than nothing. “The reincarnated angels…do they have powers?”
He seemed to sigh although nothing about him moved. “There are those who have suppressed magical abilities. A rare few who know what they are and how to use their full arsenal of angelic power.”
“Can we find the others and break them out?” Dru asked. “The ones in the city?”
His jaw tightened, relaxed. “We are working on that.”
“We?” My father’s words surfaced—the ones Sal had read to me inside the Pope’s chambers. “You and Amy? She’s Fallen, isn’t she? She’s one of the reincarnated angels.”
He shot me a look that blistered my skin. “If you breathe a word of this to anyone outside this room, I will chain you in the pit for eternity.”
Nice.
Threatening me was never a good idea. Damon and Dru went on alert. My jaw tightened. My demon took offense.
I mentally commanded them all to stand down. “How many Fallen walk the earth?”
The heat on my skin lessened. “A thousand.”
A thousand? “A thousand humans who don’t know they’re angels are our only hope in fighting the wrath of heaven? Great. I love impossible odds.”
He took the bait. Lucifer’s angelic aura turned defensive. “A thousand angels with only a speck of their original heavenly power could scrub this planet clean.”
Our odds were looking better. “Then round them up. Dru and I will round up the supernatural population—every demon, vampire, shifter and deadly sin we can get. You also have Gabriel, right? He’s hanging out at Amy’s shop. All combined, our forces will bring Michael to heel. We’ll clip his wings and send him back to heaven where the dog belongs.”
A spark of hope flashed in Lucifer’s dark eyes. “You enjoy suicide missions.”
Enjoy them? Hell, no. Cole and I had a motto that seemed to fit the situation. “Only pussies run from trouble.”
Damon blanched at my base language and direct challenge to the god of hell: If he ran, he was weak.
Dru tried to hide a smirk. Lucifer walked over, grabbed me by the front of my shirt and lifted me from the couch. My feet dangled in the air as my
nose touched his. Inside, my demon groveled at his feet. “For an ant, you’re a pain in the ass.”
Protective magic poured off Damon and Dru. I laughed. “Ants can lift twenty times their body weight, form highly structured and organized colonies, and are one of the few insects to infiltrate every continent on the globe except the Artic and Antarctica. Soldier ants defend their leader, forage for food, protect the colony and fight to the death. They’ve even survived a previous apocalypse…the mass extinction event that killed dinosaurs. I’d say ants are underrated, wouldn’t you?”
Lucky me, hiding my snark inside a science lesson seemed to intrigue Lucifer rather than piss him off. “I’ll enjoy sending you behind enemy lines to see what you can do.”
He dropped me back onto the couch, turned to Damon. “We’ll talk soon.”
A simple statement loaded with hidden meaning.
I started to stop Lucifer—he wasn’t leaving without me discussing the terms of his and Damon’s agreement—but my phone rang and the readout said Kirill.
Damn. There was only one reason he’d be calling me.
I hated to stand him up, but my first concern was stopping Lucifer from shimmering out of sight. “Wait,” I said. “I need to talk to you. Privately.”
Lucifer’s eyes locked on mine. Something passed between us…did he read my mind?
He grabbed me by the shirt once more, and a second later, we were alone on the roof of the Institute, me and my demon groveling in our proper place at his feet.
Chapter Forty
The sun peeked over the horizon, a weak glow behind the clouds. Snow covered the trees, ground and cars in the parking lot. To the west, smoke from the riots rose in dark plumes. Wind whipped hair in my face and stung my ears.
Lucifer’s blue-black hair stayed perfectly coiffed. “Your desperation is unbecoming for a demon of your rank.”
Struggling up from the ground, I tried to calm the nerves jumping around in my stomach. “True, but you’ve made me very desperate.”
“How so?”
Fear. Worship. A two-headed dragon. I was torn between the extreme emotions and it irritated me. Lucifer irritated me. He was too damn everything. Sexy, conceited, proud. Intoxicating.
Focus, Kali. Don’t get emotional. “What did Damon offer you in exchange for my rescue?”
He smiled into the wind. His teeth were bright enough to make the sun pale in comparison. “He said you’d try to bargain.”
Did he, now? “No bargains.” Blackmail wasn’t out of the question, though. “What did he agree to do for you?”
“The deal is done. You can’t change it.”
“I know that, but I also can’t let you take Damon.”
That tweaked his curiosity. “Again, you can’t change that.”
We’ll see about that. “I’m asking you nicely to let him out of his deal.”
Lucifer wasn’t one to play games. He knew I was up to something. Would he bite? “Be careful, demon. Threats will not be tolerated.”
“Not threats. A promise. Free Damon from the deal he made on my behalf and I’ll protect Amy when Michael comes.”
His full attention rained down on me. I forced myself not to squirm, not to look away. “You alone cannot protect her.”
“Damon will help. Between the two of us, we’ll keep her safe. If that’s what you want. She’s Fallen, remember. She should fight beside you.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. He seemed to wrestle with himself over his next words. “She’s with child. My child.”
I sucked in a cold breath. Game changer. Scrambling to find a new argument, I stayed with the logical one. “Even more reason to put the best of the best on the job.”
He fell silent, brooding. Even his brooding was beautiful. “You are not a bodyguard.”
“I’m an ant in your metaphor, and as I mentioned earlier, ants protect their leader to the death.”
More brooding. My phone buzzed again. Kirill was getting panicky. I hit the ignore button. “What do you need Damon for?”
“None of your concern. The deal is done. He has twenty-four hours to wrap up what he needs to here. Then he’s mine.”
Stubborn SOB. “Take me instead.”
He cut his eyes to me. “I thought you weren’t going to bargain.”
“What can Damon do for you that I can’t?”
It was a fair question. “Damon is an archdemon.”
That said it all, didn’t it? “I’m part angel.”
He turned to face me full-on, slight amusement on his face. “Who told you that?”
“Damon.” Well, Damon’s magic had told me. Close enough.
The amusement faded. His eyes narrowed. “How would he know your origins?”
I shrugged as if it were obvious. “Archdemon, remember?”
He shook his head, returned to gazing at the lake. “I would know you for an angel if it were true.”
“You said I was a hybrid of good and evil. What’s the opposite of demon?”
“Jesus cast you out. You’re touched by Him, I’ll grant you, but you’re no angel.”
Truer words had never been spoken. My bluff wasn’t working. I almost threw out the fact I glowed when I climaxed, but that seemed like TMI between me and Satan. “If you don’t cancel the deal with Damon, you’ll force me to do something unpleasant. Like I said, I’m very desperate.”
He wasn’t exactly shaking in his thirty-thousand dollar designer boots. He changed the subject as if my threat meant nothing. “Even for a demon of your beauty and grace, you have an excess of lovers. Why does Damon tolerate the others?”
Beauty? Grace? What?
The devil thought I was beautiful.
I nearly swooned and fell off the roof. “I have one lover. Damon is not in that category.”
“The vampire?”
“Only a close friend.”
“There is more than friendship between you.”
Not going there. “I only love one male.”
“Ah, yes, the Chaos demon.”
“My Achilles heel. He’s my Amy.”
Amy. Her name always hit a nerve. “I’ll protect her from Michael.”
“While you’re fighting him? How does that work exactly?”
Silence. A nerve in his jaw danced. “You are a pessimist, aren’t you?”
“'Pessimist: One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both.’ Oscar Wilde said that. Fits me perfectly.”
He nearly rolled his eyes. “I have made arrangements for Amy’s safety. She will be in capable hands.”
The way he said capable hands made a warning bell go off in my head. It was the same tone he’d used when he’d said, Damon is an archdemon. “Wait. Damon is going to guard Amy? That’s the deal?”
Disgusted, he nearly flattened me with a look. “You thought I would cast him into the pit?”
Well, yeah. “He’s no more a bodyguard than I am.”
“I assure you, she’s safer with him than you.”
“Why is that?”
“Maria ring any bells?”
He had me there. “We’re facing the end of the world and she’s still after me.”
“Like a hell hound on a sinner’s bones.”
“Amy could end up collateral damage.”
“Amy and the baby. I could strike Maria dead, but Michael would only raise her again.”
“Two of a kind, aren’t they?”
We stood for a moment, lost in our respective thoughts.
“After this is over and Amy is safe, you’ll free Damon from his contract?”
He shook his head. “He’s bound to me, no matter the outcome.”
“So you are going to throw him in the pit.”
“My prerogative. But no, I have other plans for him.”
Plans he wasn’t going to share. My ire rose. My original idea surfaced once more. An idea that would make him take me seriously.
Unfortunately, threatening Amy held no appeal. I liked her and couldn’t stomach
hurting her, whether she was a human witch or a reincarnated fallen angel. On top of that, she was pregnant.
A pang of jealousy hit me. A strange sensation that made me shift from foot to foot.
Me, jealous of a pregnant female? Laughable. I had no desire to have a child. I’d be a horrible mother. The child would constantly be in danger. Another Achilles heel making me reckless.
But the idea was so normal, so human, I was jealous anyway. The devil and his witch were in love and expecting a child. The stuff of fairy tales and romance novels. Why couldn’t I have that?
Did Rad want children? I didn’t even know.
Facing Armageddon, the thought smacked me in the face. Whether he did or not, it was no longer a viable option unless I fought Michael and won.
Sometimes you have to overthrow heaven. Michael and his army were waiting for me and for Lucifer. I needed to make sure Amy’s baby had a chance. That Rad’s did. “Earlier you said something about sending me behind enemy lines.” I rubbed Volante’s handle. “As a sleeper agent or a guerilla soldier?”
A sleeper agent would have to buddy up to Michael somehow and double cross him.
Not likely.
A guerilla soldier would have to sneak into the enemy’s camp and bring back intel that would help our side overthrow the bastard.
Sneaking into heaven seemed even more unlikely.
The devil looked up at the sky. His body grew hard as steel and his nearly invisible black wings fluttered open.
I followed his gaze, saw nothing. What I felt, though, was a different story. An oppressive weight smothered my skin and made me lightheaded. Someone on high was watching us. Eavesdropping on our conversation.
Big brother perhaps?
Lucifer lowered his voice. “We’ll speak again soon, demon.”
Bam. He struck me down without warning and I hit the ground hard. I sputtered; he shimmered out of sight.
“Nice talking to you too.” I lay on my back on the roof top, stunned and confused. The blow had been hard enough to topple me, but not as hard as Lucifer was capable of doling out.
Wiping blood from my lip, I gazed up at the boiling clouds overhead. Whoever was watching us had seen the show.