“Did you know I was lying when you woke up? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Val shook her head. “It was Raven. And in case you weren’t aware, there’s this thing called Wikipedia. Plus, I streamed the Angelina Jolie movie in the hotel.” She sighed and scooted back to bring a leg up to her chest. “It was surprising, but knowing the truth doesn’t change anything. My parents raised me, and I love them. It’s honestly not the most shocking thing I’ve learned in the past couple years.” She shrugged. “Or even the past couple days.”
Vladimir made an understanding noise. He lifted his chin, and Val followed his gaze to a shooting star, which soon became an airplane
“Another question,” she said hesitantly. She half-anticipated him to get up and leave, but he only looked at her expectantly.
“Earlier… You said ‘helping each other out to take a load off.’ That would imply you’re carrying a load right now.”
“I suppose.”
Val braced herself and met his eyes. “What’s bothering you?”
He took a breath and seemed to debate whether or not to answer. “Zadkiel and I have to pick up Greed tomorrow,” he said quietly.
Val’s eyes went wide. She remembered the mural. The horned man on the boat and the dragon-wolf double helix played across her mind. She’d been so set on escaping the castle, she hadn’t really given thought to the rest of the Sins. She’d met three the day she awoke— Gemini, Avia, Zadkiel. Her and Vladimir made five. That left two more.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” she asked carefully. “You two seem to be pretty big on the whole Team Armageddon.”
“I suppose.” Contemplative shadows crossed his face. He brought a knee to his chest, mirroring her. “The issue is that it’s Zhong Kui. The ghost king and commander of 10,000 demons. He was a close friend of Zadkiel.” Vladimir ran his hands through his locks, then looked to the sky. “About a thousand years ago, he got promoted to Charon of the Underworld and was never heard from again. Never met the guy, but every angel in heaven can go on about how amazing he was; generous, loving, kind.”
“Alright…” Val said slowly. “I still feel like I’m missing something. He’s really powerful and you already know him. That sounds like a pretty solid ally.”
He shook his head again. “Michael said that the Kui we bring back won’t be the same one that left. I mean, he has a point. Whatever could have turned a saint into a Sin would have to leave a few scars…”
“But isn’t that just the curse?” Val asked. “How would Zhong Kui’s actions affect Michael’s spell?”
“It’s more complicated than that. He had to change in some way to become an ‘eligible candidate’ for the curse to pick him. An individual’s heart and bloodline must meet certain conditions for the curse to fall. Some of it you’re born with, some of it is just life. Zadkiel took it upon himself as an honor, and Gemini had the option of ‘join or be executed.’” Vladimir chuckled and flexed his fingers. “Zadkiel was already a pompous ass, and Gemini’s envy of humans drove them down a dark path.
“You’re a ghoul so that’s not too surprising… I was a bit of an exception. The immortal-reincarnation thing is murky. My grandfather’s curse made it so that I was the only one who could become Lust. My parents tried to stop it, but it was inevitable.”
“What about Avia?”
“Wrath?” He shrugged. “There was no other fate for her than this.”
“Why do you only call her Wrath, but the rest of us by our names?”
He paused, then looked off in the distance. His coat ruffled in the breeze and it looked as if it would bleed off into the darkness. He must have found the answer he needed in the stars because he cleared his throat. “Wrath is wrath because it’s the only thing left inside of her.”
When he didn’t continue, Val took it as a sign not to press further. Instead, she decided to change the subject, hoping to achieve some kind of breakthrough.
“Hey,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “It’ll be fine. I think it’s sweet that you care about Zadkiel so much. If I didn’t know any better, I would say it almost makes you seem like a real boy.”
“Aww, thank you, that means the world to me.” He tried batting his eyelashes but burst out laughing. Val found herself laughing with him and was soon caught in a deadly coughing fit. He patted her back until she gave a thumbs up, then rose to his feet. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up beside him. “Let’s get back. I have a long trip tomorrow.”
Val nodded and stepped back onto the roof. It was then that she looked around and remembered where they were. “Umm…”
He held up a hand and retrieved a black feather from his inside pocket. It glinted in the night and reflected the shadows. Her stomach suddenly lurched and the blood drained from her face.
“Vladimir… Is that...”
“Yep.” He turned the feather over and ran a finger along its edge. “Michael’s got ruined during the…” he trailed off, almost in search of less incriminating words.
Val crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “During the fake elf attack you staged to manipulate me?”
“Something like that.” He grinned. “Either way, a demon feather should be enough to make a portal. The current’s strong here. We’re on a ground site for an Avenue of the Dead.”
Avenue of the Dead? Val looked down at the rooftop they stood on, then around the surrounding buildings. “This street?”
“This city.”
It was then that Val remembered where they were. She had seen the Virginia license plates on her first day out, but hadn’t come across the city name until that morning. It had been on a sign for a pub, or something like that.
“Roanoke.” Her voice was a whisper. Mystery and fear spiraled in her chest. Anticipation battled dread, and she could only brace herself for whatever the vampire would say next.
He squeezed the feather and a portal of shadow erupted on the ground. The darkness swirled and crashed in an unnatural silence. “Do you know how Avenues are formed?” he asked. Val shook her head.
“They’re created when a mass of people violently die by strong magic. The energy left provides enough power to open portals across the universe. The Lost Colony didn’t get lost. Native American shamans were very powerful. One of them had a vision of what the colonists would do to the land, so he did something about it.” Vladimir shuddered. Val could almost feel icy fingers walk down her spine. “There were only one hundred and sixteen people, but they were…” He swallowed. “Enough.”
Her stomach clenched as he shook his head. It wasn’t clear if he was trying to remember a detail or forget it. When he looked up, a smile flashed, and his entire body jolted.
“Annnd now we have an Avenue and a way back up. After you.” He motioned to the frothing darkness as if offering a dip in a heated pool. It was by no means the first strange magic portal Val had stepped through that week. Still, it took a moment to shake off the dredges from the horror story. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the shadows.
Chapter 26
Quiet. It was finally quiet. Apparently, only angels and demons could travel between realms. As it turns out, Le Ciel was an “angels-only” commute. Paris had asked Avia a hundred times how she had opened the portal. Castor had freaked out about broken protocols. So much yelling, so much noise. Then there was the echo of screaming from the burning circus tent that wouldn’t go away.
Michael’s vizier, Dove, was nice. Unlike everyone else in the castle, he was calm. He sat down, asked a series of careful questions, then it was over. She handed him the book and he walked away.
Avia waved her hand across the glass sphere jutting out from beneath the shower head. Steam clouded the mirrored walls as the water rose several degrees. A sigh escaped her lips. Soapy fingers combed through her hair and she could almost imagine the ash and dirt still caked to her skin. She’d gotten most of it out two days ago, but the feeling still lingered. She raised the temperature again, but this time, a short ye
lp sounded behind her ear.
The warmth of another body fled, and she was left with only the hot water for company. Huffing in exasperation, she turned around and stared crossly at the shivering angel now out of the water’s reach.
“Dereck.” She stressed her patience through gritted teeth.
“Dav,” he corrected sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Miss Wrath, it was just too hot for me.”
Avia shook her head and shut off the water. Her lips curled in a sarcastic grin as she eyed over his naked form. “As are a lot of things.” With that, she stepped out of the shower, dried off, and donned the fluffy white robe that had been provided in her new room.
The bathroom door slid shut behind her as she made her way back down the hall. Who needed Dave? Daniel? Dante? She shook her head and rounded the corner. One shouldn’t complain when life hands you lemonade—especially when that lemonade is 6’2”, solid muscle, and extremely eager to please.
She had found him setting up some event for “the king.” She had asked him how the halls worked, and he had been more than happy for the distraction. One bottle of wine later, she learned that he was also a very good distraction. If she kept him close, the screams in her head weren’t so loud.
She rounded another corner and the hall changed from the medieval period to renaissance. She could have been back in her room the second she left the shower; jumping corridors was simple enough if you knew where you were going. The issue was, there was only one place she wanted to go. One place the halls couldn’t take her.
The final dredges of the shower’s warmth died at the last turn. She now had to resist running back and throwing herself onto Dereck like she’d been doing since her return to the realm of angels. The room they gave her always felt cold when she was alone. Flickering images of carnies, floating corpses, and marionette gods jumped out whenever she closed her eyes.
She was about to take a left to enter her room but stopped. There were voices arguing in one of the studies. Checking to make sure the halls were clear, she backed up and peered into the room. Val and Vladimir stood center, talking to Zadkiel. Correction: Vladimir was trying to explain something about a demon, Val was quiet, and the Sin of Pride was looking tired and exasperated. By this point, she figured that was just how his face was built. Resting bitch face was a real disorder and should not be used to cast judgment.
Avia smirked until she remembered who had given her the adage. She tore away from the study and, in a single step, was walking into her room. She threw herself onto the bed and pressed her face into the pillow until her lungs begged for air. Flipping over, she closed her eyes and could see the fiery gate inside her mind. The chains were back. The lock was in place. She knew that trying to break them would be a waste of time.
Stretching out her index finger, she began to draw. It started as a long, curved line that ran the width of the bed. Then a head. Next, the legs. The fire cat ran through the air, circling the small room twice. She closed her hand and it disappeared.
“I’ll bring you back,” she whispered.
Apocalypse be damned, she’d break back into the aether. She’d rip every world apart if that’s what it took. Angels couldn’t go into the Spirit World. If they couldn’t enter, then they couldn’t have checked for bodies. There was a chance.
And if he was dead?
She bit her lip and let the smoke blow from her nostrils. Then she’d be sure to join him by the end of this shit show.
Val absently ran her fingers along the wall as she walked down the hallway. It had been chaos when they returned. Apparently, their three-day trip had in fact been an entire week MIA. There had also been buzz about Avia and Gemini finding a spell book that had consumed most of the castle’s attention.
“Who ruffled your feathers?” Vladimir laughed. “The Summit isn’t for two weeks.”
Zadkiel crossed his arms. “You never thought to check in? Believe it or not, when you break into forbidden, strongly warded blood grounds in the Annwn, time doesn’t move naturally. Your ‘I’ll be right back’ turned into an entire week, missing.”
“An entire week?” The vampire mocked a horrified expression. What did you possibly do with yourself without me?”
Val was positive that anyone else would have gotten confrontational or cowered in fear. But not Vladimir. His constant laissez-faire banter crossed seamlessly into his dialogue with the former general. They’d obviously been friends for a long time. Zadkiel’s demeanor had been more present with Vladimir. Unlike her previous encounter, the angel seemed concerned for the Sin of Lust and not just pissed off at being bothered.
Maybe Zadkiel couldn’t help the condescending look, Val mused, stepping back into a medieval themed hall. Resting bitch face was a thing. Maybe he was actually a sweet, caring guy who loved romantic comedies and tended a garden.
The image of the angel and vampire screaming at Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal entered her mind. One was clutching popcorn and the other was far too invested in seeing Sandra Bullock’s plan pull through. The scene brought a smile to her lips, but it was short lived.
Val found herself standing before the last door in the hall. Everything in her screamed to go back to her own room, but she had to do this first. Taking a deep breath, she raised her fist to knock.
Before she could hit the metal, the door slid into the wall, revealing a decent sized bedroom. The space felt wrong. The weight of the air brought a chill that could only be described as haunted. Everything was trimmed in black. Dark wood shimmered and curved like living organisms, and something told her that if she glanced in the large oval mirror, her reflection might not glance back.
There wasn’t much decoration aside from the hillocks of laundry about the floor. The room held a dresser, incredibly comfy-looking chairs, and a loveseat. On the left wall, was the bed.
Avia lay in a beautiful white robe, staring into the ceiling. “What do you want?” she asked without moving.
Val stared back with jumbled thoughts. She’d forgotten how intimidating the woman was and immediately regretted her decision to come. “I— um.” She closed her mouth and straightened her posture. If she was going to do this, she had to do it right. “You were right. What you said about me. I was scared out of my mind and I was weak.”
At this, Avia raised a brow and rolled over. “Okay.”
Okay?
Val sucked in another breath and continued. “I’m not saying I agree with Michael. But the demons are no better than the angels. Neither are humans. I want to make the world better for everyone, the living and the dead. The only way I can think of doing that is from the inside. We have endless resources and, from what I can gather, Michael doesn’t seem to care too much about what we do. I don’t want to make enemies here. Even if you are ‘Team Armageddon,’ I want you to know that I have your back.”
Avia sat up and brushed loose strands of black hair from her eyes. Her head tilted and she stared off in thought. She actually looked normal, Val thought. The aggression and intensity had simmered to reveal someone quiet and only mildly annoyed.
“A better world for the living and the dead,” Avia repeated quietly. “Sounds like a fairy tale.”
Val shrugged. “Maybe. But rumor has it, we’re getting a ghost king pretty soon.”
The Sin of Wrath seemed to think this over as a faint light sparked behind her eyes. “Oh yeah. Did they leave yet?”
Val blinked, taking a moment to process the question. Had they? She’d been so tired and things were getting heated. Zadkiel had actually raised his voice about how Vladimir had put her in danger. Vladimir yelled that she was more than capable of handling herself. Ironically, neither thought to include her in the conversation. When she tried to interject, Vladimir said that she should go, and she went. And now, those two were probably halfway to the underworld.
She made a fist. Two Sins gone meant less people looming over her shoulder. When she looked up, Avia was staring right at her. The olive-skinned woman blinked, as if truly seeing her for
the first time.
“You’re right,” she said, dismissing her last question. She lounged back onto the pillows and returned her gaze to the ceiling. “You’re not as weak as before.”
Val waited for her to continue but silence filled the space between them. Reading that the conversation was done, she turned to leave.
“Wait.” Avia was still staring off, but something like a smile hinted at her lips. Relaxed, even. “The showers on the eighth floor get the hottest.”
Val smiled. At least they had one thing in common. When Avia didn’t say anything else, she took her cue to leave. She started back down the hall and heard the metallic door slide shut.
It was done. She had no idea where to go next, but what had just occurred was a major success.
Step one: befriend the Sin of Wrath.
Well, befriend was a strong word. Even still, she hadn’t gotten burned alive, so that had to count for something. Any win was a victory if she hoped to stop a war.
Epilogue
Vladimir stepped into the memorial courtyard and sat on the nearest bench. The silence was killing him. Not even the waterfalls lining the perimeter made a sound. He glanced up at the angel and tried to read an expression. Red hair veiled his face in a breeze that was just uncomfortable. It was like the air couldn’t read the room and discern its caress wasn’t welcome.
After the mild interrogation about being late, Zadkiel had realized it wasn’t worth the effort. The angel had been stressed. No mask of indifference could eclipse the hundreds of tiny lines that cracked beneath his surface. As per usual, it came down to Vladimir to make the first move.
“So Wrath met Bael, huh?”
Zadkiel shrugged and leaned back against one of the many stone statues. “Greater demons, bindings, and a human Raven.” He shook his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say the world was ending.”
When We Were Still Human Page 29
