by S. J. West
My mother held out her left hand to me. Wrapped around her ring finger was a beautiful diamond solitaire.
“You’re not the only one who just got married!” She said giddy with happiness.
I sat there stunned into silence. I distantly heard Brand make the perfunctory congratulations, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I just stared at the ring in disbelief. My heart began to pound so hard inside my chest all I could hear was the rush of blood inside my head. I suddenly felt as though I might hyperventilate.
“Lilly?” My mom asked in a worried voice. “Are you all right, sweetie?”
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I said, quickly getting up and making my way to the ladies room. Once there I locked myself into a stall and leaned up against the door, taking in deep breaths to steady myself.
I heard someone come in.
“Lilly?” I heard my mom call.
I silently cursed to myself.
“Be right out, Mom.”
I flushed the toilet to make it at least appear that I actually did need to use the bathroom and took a deep breath before I walked out of the stall.
I found my mother leaned against the counter by the sinks waiting for me.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” She asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, grinning for all I was worth as I walked up to one of the sinks to wash my hands. “You just took me by surprise is all. Really, I’m happy for you.”
“I know it must be a shock,” my mother admitted. “And I wanted to tell you sooner, but it just didn’t feel right saying it over the phone. You know how hard it’s been for me to find a good man. When Lucas asked me to marry him in Vegas, I couldn’t think of one reason I shouldn’t. You’re married now and will have a family of your own soon, and I still have a long life ahead of me. Plus, I’m still young enough to have another child if Lucas wants to have one.”
I felt grateful that would never have a chance of happening. All I needed was the spawn of Lucifer as a new sibling.
“In fact,” my mother said. “I thought maybe you were experiencing some sort of sickness.” She hinted to me in an insinuating voice.
“Mom, I wasn’t sick to my stomach, and we’ve only been married a couple of weeks. That’s not really enough time to get pregnant.”
“It only took a few days with your father for me to get pregnant,” my mother reminded me.
“Could we please stop talking about either of our sex lives?” I pleaded. “Or I might actually become sick.”
My mother laughed. “All right. Let’s get back to the men before they think we’ve run away from them.”
When we got back to the table, Brand and Lucifer stood like gentlemen should when their ladies return. We placed our orders with the waiter, and I decided to show my mother my own newly acquired ring.
“Brand gave me a family heirloom the other day,” I told my mom, showing her King Solomon’s ring still on my thumb. I carefully watched Lucifer’s reaction as my mother examined the ring. When he saw it, he looked slightly alarmed, a good sign.
“It looks really old,” my mother said. “I can’t say it’s very attractive.”
“It’s meant to ward off bad spirits,” Brand explained. “It’s an old family tradition to have the wife wear it the first year of marriage. Like a good luck charm.”
“Oh,” my mother said knowingly, “is it supposed to make the woman more fertile?”
“Mom,” I said, completely embarrassed.
“Well, a grandbaby wouldn’t be so bad,” she said. “Everyone said you were the most beautiful baby they ever saw. I can only imagine what a gorgeous baby the two of you will have one day.”
“Some people shouldn’t have children,” Lucifer commented, looking pointedly at Brand while taking a sip from his wine glass.
The rudeness of his statement wasn’t missed by my mother but she still didn’t comment on it, just let it slide by like he hadn’t said anything at all. I’m not sure why I expected more from her.
“Perhaps you should leave,” I said to Lucifer.
He stared at me for the space of five seconds before standing up and heading out of the restaurant without saying another word. My mother mumbled some sort of excuse about jet lag and hurriedly walked out of the restaurant with her new husband.
“Was that me or did he just get up and leave on his own?” I asked Brand.
Brand sat back in his chair and sighed. “I wish I knew.”
My mother called me the next day to apologize for Lucifer’s behavior the night before. I told her not to worry about it. Things weren’t her fault and I didn’t want her to feel guilt over something she had no control over. As it was, I felt guilt enough for the both of us. I was allowing my mother to live with the devil himself. If I’d been a better daughter, I would have made her leave him. Yet, fear of giving her an ultimatum about it being me or him made me realize I felt sure she would choose him.
The next day Brand got a phone call from Horace. He was finally able to track down the whereabouts of Faust. We were to pick Horace up at his pawn shop and he would direct us on where to go from there.
The sight of Horace as we entered his establishment threw me for a loop. It looked like he had actually taken a bath with his clean shaven face and slicked back hair. He wore a tailored black suit, pristine white shirt and black bow tie.
“So where is he?” Brand asked, wanting to get our business with Horace over with as quickly as I did.
“Here in New York, actually,” Horace said. I saw him glance down at my hand as if to make sure I was wearing the ring.
“Ready?” he asked me.
“Yeah,” I answered. “Let’s get this over with. After today, I don’t ever want to see or hear from you again. Is that understood?”
“Absolutely,” Horace said nodding his head. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Horace phased us to the balcony of a penthouse apartment. The outer glass wall in front of us revealed a modern looking living room with sparse, minimalist furnishings. A well stocked bar lined one of the interior walls and we saw Faust there mixing a pitcher of some sort of pink drink. When he noticed us, he looked surprised but not stunned by our appearance, more irritated.
We walked into the apartment. The sound of ice being stirred in the glass pitcher in front of Faust was the only sound in the room.
“Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Faust asked tritely.
“Give Horace his ring back,” I ordered Faust.
Without questioning my order, Faust went to the back of the apartment only to return a minute later with Horace’s ring. Horace snatched the ring from Faust, immediately placing it on the middle finger of his right hand and he disappeared, having gotten what he came for.
Having completed the order I gave him, Faust looked down at me and saw the glint of King Solomon’s ring on my hand.
“I guess I should have known,” he said before returning to the bar to pour himself a drink from the pitcher. “Are you going to make me do anything else for you?”
I walked up to him. “Do you know what Lucifer has planned for me?”
Faust had already admitted he wanted Lucifer’s plan to succeed indicating he at least knew what the end result of it would be.
“He plans to tear a whole in the fabric of space and time. There won’t be a Heaven or a Hell or an Earth the way you know it.”
“How does he plan to do that?” I asked. “How is he going to use me to make it happen?”
Faust stared at me and said nothing.
“I don’t think he knows,” Brand said, coming to stand behind me. “If he did the ring would compel him to tell you.”
I felt my heart drop. I felt sure Faust would be able to answer my questions but apparently Lucifer was keeping the details to his plan close to the vest. If Faust didn’t know, I wasn’t sure who else would.
“Why were you hiding Horace’s ring from him?” I asked out of curiosity.
“
Because he was becoming an uppity little jinn. I thought he needed to realize he was nothing without his powers.”
“That’s the only reason?”
“It was enough for me.”
I heard the jangle of keys in the door to the apartment and watched as a person I faintly recognized walked inside.
“Heath, dear boy,” Faust said. “Come in and meet our visitors.”
The man was tall, blonde and quite nice to look at. A picture of him surfaced in my mind and I remembered seeing an article about him writing some best selling book that was sweeping the nation right now. Everyone was reading the erotic novel he just wrote.
“Your new patron?” I asked Faust.
“Partner is the term I like better,” Faust said.
Heath Knowles closed the door behind him and joined us.
“Everything all right here, Faust?” He asked, eyeing Brand and me curiously.
“Just speaking with some old friends. They were just about to leave I believe.”
I turned to Heath. “You realize what he is right?”
Heath shrugged. “Of course I do. He’s like a genie. He made my wishes come true. I was living in a tiny little apartment trying to make it as a writer when he found me. Now look at where I am,” he said indicating his penthouse with arms outstretched. “I owe it all to him.”
“And you’re all right with what you had to give up to get it?”
“What, my family? My friends? What did they ever give me but grief? I have what I want now. I don’t need them anymore.”
Brand had been right. Some people didn’t care who got hurt in the bargains with the jinn. Sometimes they just wanted an easy way to get what they most desired.
Heath walked up to Faust and gave him a full on kiss on the lips, making me realize the apartment wasn’t the only thing they were sharing with one another. I had thought perhaps Faust’s new patron would be like the actor, but I was apparently wrong. Heath seemed to be enjoying Faust in more ways than one.
I grabbed Brand’s hand and phased us back home, not willingly wanting to subject myself to a public display of their amorous feelings for one another.
“Well, that was disturbing to watch,” I said, shivering slightly. Thinking of Faust as a sexual being just seemed wrong on so many levels. “Let’s concentrate on what he told us,” Brand suggested instead.
“Do you know what he was talking about? How can Lucifer tear a hole in space?”
“Space and time,” Brand said. “And how he can do that, I’m not sure. It would take a lot more energy than he possesses.”
“How do I factor into it though?”
“The only thing I can think of is he intends to combine your arch angel powers together.”
“So he would have to possess me in order to do that right?”
“Yes.” Brand began to pace in front of me trying to piece together what we knew. “If he truly does plan to connect everything together, he would have to produce a vortex of power here on Earth and in Heaven at almost the same time.”
“Lillith,” I said. “You said she could phase into Heaven whenever she wanted. If he can use my arch angel power and the power Lillith may have passed down, then I am the key to it all.”
“But it still doesn’t explain how he intends to produce that much energy. It would take something far more powerful than just the power of two arch angels. We’re still missing something important. It’s virtually impossible.”
“Maybe Uriel was right,” I said, feeling as though maybe the angel in charge of protecting Heaven had been correct. Maybe it would be better if I were dead. How could I be so selfish and put the world, the whole universe, in jeopardy?
Brand put his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me.”
I forced myself to look at his face and saw the answer to my own question written there. I had everything to live for standing in front of me. If God thought I could stop what Lucifer had planned, then I had to have faith that with Brand’s help we would find a way to stop him. What was that phrase? Oh, yes, ‘love conquerors all’. If that phrase could be proven, I knew Brand and I would find a way to do it.
“We will find a way to stop him,” he said to me, each word filled with conviction. “Trust me.”
I pulled him closer, needing to feel his warmth. “I do trust you,” I said. “I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. And I need you to make me a promise.”
Brand pulled away and asked, “What promise?”
“When the time comes and if we haven’t found a way to stop Lucifer…”
“We will,” Brand insisted.
“If we don’t,” I said, refusing to let him view everything through rose colored glasses, “don’t let me become the reason he succeeds.”
Brand looked confused. “What exactly are you asking me to do Lilly?”
“If there’s no hope left, I need you kill me.”
Brand staggered away from me like I had just stabbed a knife directly into his heart.
“You can’t ask me to do that,” he whispered.
“I can,” I said. “You have to promise me that you’ll do it. I might not be in control of myself when it happens, and I won’t be able to kill myself.”
“Lilly, please,” Brand begged on the verge of tears. “I can’t make that promise. I can’t kill you.”
“If the ring fails and Lucifer possesses me, I’ll already be dead,” I told him. “You would only be killing my body because my soul wouldn’t be there anymore. I have to know Lucifer won’t be able to win, Brand. Don’t let me be the cause of so much pain. If you love me, be strong enough to let me go when the time comes.”
Brand swallowed hard and closed his eyes so I wouldn’t see his pain. I knew what I was asking was a lot. I’m not sure I would have the strength to do what I asked if the tables were turned. But if I was going to die, I needed to know it was because I did the right thing.
“Ok,” Brand said so low I had to strain to hear him. “I’ll do what you ask if it comes to that. But it won’t. I won’t let it.”
I went up to Brand and hugged him closely. I knew how much it took for him to agree to my plan, and I knew he would keep his word to me if it came down to it. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” I said to him. “Thank you.”
Chapter 15The following Saturday the contractors began work on Utha Mae’s house. They brought in a large crew to set the pipes and pour the concrete foundation. Malcolm came to watch over the construction. As she did to almost everyone she met, Utha Mae had made Malcolm become completely devoted to her and he wasn’t about to let anyone make a mistake in the construction of her new home.
Brand and I chose a spot on the other side of the tree line around our own house. For the past two days crews had worked to cut down some of the pine trees to make a clearing big enough for the construction crew. We wanted to make sure she felt close but not so close that we would completely take away her privacy.
Will brought Utha Mae and my mom over that afternoon so they could see for themselves exactly where we were building Utha Mae’s new home. My mother was in unusually high spirits and seemed to have completely expunged the incident at the restaurant from her mind, like it never happened. I didn’t bring it up to her because in the grand scheme of things it really didn’t matter. I didn’t want my last days with my mom to be filled with strife. It just wasn’t worth it, and I felt like if I did keep a grudge against my mom it would be like giving Lucifer a victory over me. If anything, that thought made me decide to forgive my mother for not being a stronger person. Her life had been controlled by powers well beyond her control or even comprehension. I couldn’t fault her for being human. She had been played like a pawn in a chess game from all sides, a true victim of circumstance.
I gave my mother a big hug when they all came to the construction site.
“Wow, what was that for?” She asked pleasantly surprised.
“Just for being my mom,” I said. “I love you.”
/> When I pulled away, I saw tears in her eyes.
“You haven’t said that since you were a little girl,” she told me, only then making me realize how long it had been. It was amazing how three little words could completely change the dynamic of a relationship. She hugged me tightly to her, something she hadn’t done in years, and said, “I love you too, sweetie.”
My mom looked at the house construction and said, “I’m so glad you and Brand are doing this for her. I was concerned about leaving her in that trailer park alone. She hasn’t been getting around very well lately. But ever since she learned you two were building her this house it’s like she’s grown ten years younger.”
“So have you moved in with Lucas already?”
“Oh we moved my stuff right when we got back from Vegas. He has a large house, and I didn’t really need to take anything but my clothes and sentimental things like pictures.”
“Does he make you happy?” I asked, not understanding how Lucifer could make any woman happy without hypnotizing them or some other type of mind control.
“He really does, sweetie. I can’t imagine my life without him now. I’m such a better person with him in my life. I always felt like the biggest failure and now look at me. I’m a doctor’s wife. I couldn’t be happier. And I’m sorry about what he said to you two the other night. I don’t know what got into him. He’s usually so loving.”
“We all have bad days,” I said. “Don’t blame yourself.”
Will took Utha Mae and my mom home early that evening. Utha Mae said she was tired and needed a little rest. We offered to let her stay at our house for the night but she said she wanted to be in her own bed. I didn’t push the point. She would be living near us soon enough. I would have plenty of time then to take care of her.
The next day was the day we had been waiting for: the Watcher gathering. Brand had already told me it was to take place in a spot within the Sahara Desert.
I was sitting on our bed as Brand searched in the walk in closet for something.
“Isn’t the Sahara Desert like huge?” I said, loud enough for him to hear. “How will everyone know where to go?”