by Maya Daniels
Beelzebub glances at Colt pointedly. From the corner of my eye, I can see Eric’s twin grinding his teeth, his jaw clenched tight. The silence stretches, and when I’m about to tell them to get out of my sight, Colt’s shoulders slump, and he blows out a deep breath.
“I might dislike his snobby ass”—Colt glares at Eric, and I’m debating grabbing my dagger—“because he acts like he is better than the rest of us, and that makes me do everything I can to piss him off. But no…I don’t want to see my brother dead.”
Turning my face towards him, I squint at him, pursing my lips. He will need to do much better than that if I am to believe him. All I needed was one day to learn what kind of an ass Colt is. I know better than to go along with what he just said.
“I’m telling the truth.” His cheeks pinken slightly as if having an honest conversation is outside his comfort zone. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind if he gets hurt. The asshole deserves it for having a stick up his ass. But I will kill anyone who tries to see him dead.”
He is a demon Hel, and telling the truth is outside of his comfort zone, my mind chirps, but I push the thought away. It’s my old conditioning rearing its ugly head and making me distrust others based on species alone. All of them are twisting the truth to fit their needs. And you are Satan’s daughter if you want to get technical about it, I remind myself.
Yeah, let’s not forget that little pearl, shall we?
Leviathan storms inside the apartment like a whirlwind, and all three of us jump to our feet. This time, when Narsi latches to my leg, I don’t freak out, and I don’t use him like a football. I guess he forgets that he is upset with me for leaving him to keep watch over Eric. My fingers tangle in his messy locks, holding him in place in case he decides to throw himself at the dragon dude. Putting my weight on the balls of my feet, I tense, ready to attack whoever is coming on his heels.
“Stand down.” Leviathan lifts his paw-sized hand, as if that means shit to me.
My mouth opens to tell him where to stick his bossy attitude, but it stays hanging open when Raphael walks through the front door. The Archangel looks like he was fighting a pack of feral wolves. His always-impeccable clothing hangs in tethers on his large body, the skin under the rags cut and bleeding in so many places that it looks red instead of the usual alabaster.
He stumbles inside, his breaths short and his yellow eyes wild when he looks around. As soon as his gaze locks on mine, I can’t stand frozen in place anymore. Pushing the Trowe away, I bolt for him. Raphael opens his arms, and I wrap mine around him just in time to stop him from collapsing on the floor.
“Why are you just standing there.” Snapping at the idiots gaping at Raphael, I almost fall down with him when his entire weight falls on me. “Help me, you jerks.”
Beelzebub is next to me in a second, followed by Colt. They each grab an arm, hiking the Archangel over their shoulders. Raphael’s eyes are still wild and unfocused, but they clear out when he hears my voice.
“Helena,” Raphael rasps, and I want to scream and kill whoever did this to him. “You are safe.” With that last murmur, his eyes roll to the back of his head and his face dropping toward his chest.
“What did you do to him?” Whirling on Leviathan, I’m ready to take all my anger out on him.
“I did nothing!” Looking down his nose at me, he speaks through his teeth. “He opened the portal to Heaven right in front of me and dropped at my feet. It’s them that did this to him.”
Jerk or not, Leviathan grabs me before I hit the floor when my knees give out from under me.
Luckily, I don’t stay unconscious for long, unlike other times when I wake up after a day, or a few days if going nuclear in Hell counts. I blink my eyes open, trying to focus on my surroundings, while Leviathan is still doing his best to lay me down gently next to Eric. The fact that they haven’t yet moved my mate to the center of the makeshift mattress is not lost on me. Seeing Raphael bloodied and pale on the dirty floor to my right pushes that annoyance to the back of my mind.
“Put Raphael next to Eric.” Swatting Leviathan’s hands away from me, I roll over on my knees. “There is nothing wrong with me. Him, on the other hand…he looks like he is about to die.” My stomach lurches with that thought.
“He will be well; he just needs to recover.” Dragon boy sounds bored while he scowls at me.
Ignoring his arrogant ass, I wave my hand at Beelzebub and Colt to indicate they shouldn’t stand around like lumps but do what I asked. Obviously bringing them here came with a side effect for them and a perk for me. I get to boss them around like they’re my personal assistants instead of fallen angels and, in Colt’s case, one of their spawns. Oh, well. They’re more than welcome to go back to Hell for all I care. My main concerns at the moment are Eric and Raphael. What on earth happened to the Archangel while he was in Heaven? And does it have anything to do with the fact that he helped me escape the Holy ass, Michael?
Beelzebub moves to do my bidding without comment as if listening to me is the most natural thing in the world. I think I like him more than the rest of them so far. Colt is a different story. His face twists in a grimace that scrunches up his nose, like he smelled something foul, when he reluctantly follows the other fallen. They lift the Archangel, none too gently to my dismay, dragging him next to Eric.
“You’ll hurt him more.” Scurrying up, I help them as well by grabbing one of Raphael’s legs. “You don’t have to like him, but if any of you so much as hurt a hair on his head, there will be hell to pay.”
“You think you have a say in it, little girl?” Leviathan growls from behind me, setting my teeth on edge.
“Dude, feel free to get your ass back where you came from.” Squaring off my shoulders, I swallow the anxiety threatening to choke me with his presence alone. “I came to Hell so I can close the gate, not because I’m picking sides. From where I’m standing, all of you want to either use me or kill me. You’ll excuse me if I pick my own side.”
The silence that follows my words is deafening. All the air in the room gets charged with anticipation, crackling with the power that emanates from the three conscious men with me. Raphael releases a barely audible groan, but there is no peep from Eric. I almost jump out of my own skin when Narsi hisses angrily and crawls on all fours to stand between Leviathan and me.
“You will do good not to threaten my mistress, Leviathan.” The creepy sound of the Trowe’s voice raises goosebumps on my arms. “Satanael might be missing, but he surely is not dead. He will skin you alive if a hair is missing from her head by your hand.”
“I can’t say I disagree with the Haltija, brother.” Beelzebub straightens to his full height. “The girl is not to be harmed.”
“The girl is right here!” Spitting the words at them, I clench my fists.
I hate that the fire is missing in my voice, but what Narsi said is messing with my head. I don’t want them destroying my world or hurting angels and Archangels alike. That still doesn’t mean I’m all happy about being protected by Satan, regardless if he is my father or not. Uneasiness drills holes in my stomach.
“Will you please tell us what happened to Raphael?” In hopes to defuse the situation, I let the argument drop. “Where exactly did you find him?”
Leviathan glares at Beelzebub and Narsi for a long time before his icy-blue gaze settles on me. Everything inside me stills, almost as if even my soul wants to hide and stay unnoticed by his penetrating eyes. My dagger warms up, and I can feel it’s power pulsing at my lower back. I hate being grateful to Beelzebub and Colt for making sure my weapon is where it belongs, but I am. Not moving a muscle, I let the fallen stare at me as long as he likes. At least my GPS is not going crazy at his nearness, so there is that.
“I was looking for any information that can give us an advantage.” Leviathan grumbles, his words pushed through his teeth as if it’s hard for him to have to explain himself. “I was at the destroyed place you told us Lilith’s daughter had her office.” I guess he is
still refusing to acknowledge Maddison by name. I don’t correct him because it’s pointless. “I found nothing there, not even a trace of the wards. As I was leaving, the gate opened and he dropped at my feet.”
“Okay…” I wait him out because I can tell there is more to it.
“I tried to go through the portal.” Leviathan lifts his chin, cranking up the chilly look in his eyes, daring me to say a word about his confession. “The one you are protecting.” He stabs an accusing finger at Raphael’s sleeping form. ”And the one that even half dead, he fought to stop me from going through.”
“Good for him.” When he snarls at my words, I glare at him. “What? Your place is not there, and there is no reason for you to cross that portal. We have enough problems without that.”
“I do not wish to destroy Heaven, girl!” Leviathan grinds his teeth, “I needed to find Michael. It’s him that started all of this. Him, or your mother.” He spits the word mother like it’s a bug that went in his mouth by accident.
“It’s jinn that started all of this, so you can stop blaming Michael or my mother.” Like hell I’m going to let him point the finger at the angels so the fallen can have their butts clean. “Isn’t that what Lucifer said? Or all of that was bullshit so you guys could manipulate me? You won’t be the first, I’ll tell you that much.”
Beelzebub sucks in a breath, making his massive chest puff up, and I know what he is planning on saying. For some reason, I really don’t want Leviathan to know that I saw the pure form of the jinn. Petty? Maybe, but I only have my instincts to rely on right now.
“Can we try to help both of them wake up?” I face Beelzebub, turning my back on the pissed off dragon. “We need to know what happened to Raphael. And he may know what happened to the rest of my friends.”
To my surprise, it’s Colt that comes to my rescue. “There is nothing more we can do for my brother. He will wake up when he wakes up.” Walking around the makeshift mattress, he runs a hand over Eric’s body as if testing his theory. “I’m not sure why he is not healing.” His green eyes snap to my face, and my heart gives a hard, painful thud. They are so much like Eric’s. “For the Archangel, however, I think we can help. I’m just not sure he will appreciate it when he wakes up.” Colt gives me a smirk.
Swallowing thickly, I look from Colt to Beelzebub. The huge fallen has his lips pressed firmly, obviously unhappy that we stopped him from spilling the beans. His red eyes are narrowed, and his plate-sized hands are fisted at his sides. My blood rushes through my veins and buzzes in my ears. I don’t look away from Beelzebub, letting him make up his mind.
“He can handle himself.” Nostrils flaring, Beelzebub turns away from me. “If anyone can deal with this, it’ll be Raphael.” He crouches opposite Colt, placing Eric and Raphael between them. “Make sure she doesn’t interfere.”
The last words confuse me, and I frown at the back of his head. Make sure who doesn’t do what now? I have no time to wonder or even ask him what he meant. Leviathan wraps himself around me like a giant anaconda, immobilizing me a second before Raphael roars. Beelzebub and Colt hold their hands above him from opposite sides, and an orange glow pours from them into the Archangel’s body. I swear my heart jumps all the way up to the back of my throat when I realize what they’re doing. They are feeding his body with powers from Hell.
“No!” My scream is so high pitched that my ears start ringing. “Stop! You’ll kill him! No!”
My arms and legs are held by Leviathan, preventing me from doing anything but scream. I try full body jerks in hopes to dislodge him, but he just tightens his hold. He is squeezing me so hard I can barely suck in air to breathe, but I don’t give up. While he is too busy making sure none of my limbs can move, I bend forward and swing my head back with all the strength I can muster. The sickening crunch of his nose is very satisfying. Leviathan flings me away from him, his shout bouncing off the walls. Landing in a heap on the ground, I flop around before throwing myself at Beelzebub. We roll on the dirty floor for a few feet, stopping with him sprawled on his back and me straddling his chest. My dagger is already pressed right above his Adam's apple. His eyes widen, and he doesn’t try to push me off him. He is not even trying to speak to defend himself. The only sound is Leviathan still cursing in what I believe is a demonic language, but it’s guttural and strange to my ears.
“Helena?” Raphael’s voice stops me from slitting Beelzebub’s throat. “Don’t, Helena.” Coughing weakly, Raphael sighs. “They healed me.”
I’m still staring at Beelzebub’s red eyes. He is watching me calmly, and I don’t even think he is breathing. Hearing what Raphael said makes me feel horrible, and I roll off him, embarrassed. The fallen has been kind to me from the start. He didn’t deserve my dagger against his throat. Not knowing what to say, while he is still stretched out on the floor not moving an inch, I walk to the Archangel. I’m not ready to apologize yet.
“Raphael.” I breathe his name in relief, then squat next to him. “What happened? Who did this to you?”
“Jinn…” The Archangel props himself up on one forearm, his yellow eyes hollow without their usual spark. “Everything…everyone…” Shaking his head, he takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “It’s chaos.”
Leviathan and Beelzebub are around me in a second when my gaze connects with Colt, who is still kneeling next to Eric. I’m finding it difficult to breathe until Narsi shoves his little body under my arm, his tiny hands fisting my pants. As messed up as it may be, his nearness calms my panic. The Trowe might be creepy as hell, but I know he neither plans to kill me nor to manipulate me.
“They infested Heaven as well?” Beelzebub growls, his deep voice like bass vibrating through me.
Raphael scrubs a hand over his face. “Michael is missing…”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that after Lucifer explained about the jinn.” Unable to keep my hands to myself, I reach for Raphael’s, squeezing it reassuringly. “It explains why he was acting like a psychopath and keeping me prisoner.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore.” Raphael’s hand tightens on mine, and I can feel my bones grinding. “This will bring the end of the worlds if it keeps going. It’s spilling out in all the realm. Angels are dying, lashing out at everything and everyone. They don’t know who to trust. I nearly lost my life facing off with Gabriel. He was acting crazed, not believing it was really me. I didn’t want to fight him, but it didn’t convince him of the truth. I had to open the gate to save myself, and that’s when Leviathan found me. I remember thinking and hoping Helena was safe when I fell through the portal, so I think it spat me out close to you because of that. Leviathan did bring me here after all.”
“It’s the same in Hell. We need to put an end to this.” Leviathan starts pacing, the thumps of his heavy boots on the floor echoing around us. “It has gone out of control. We are chasing our tails here. What we need to do is find Mammon and kill the fucker. He started it, and it’ll end with him.”
Beelzebub and Colt launch into a heated discussion, giving Leviathan ideas on how they can execute his crazy idea, ignoring everything the Archangel said. Their voices keep rising, all three of them shouting as if whoever is loudest has the best plan. The noise falls to the background the longer I keep my gaze locked with Raphael’s. The Archangel is ignoring the fallen as well, watching me curiously. He is still covered in his own blood, but at least he is not pale anymore, and all the open wounds have healed.
Out of everyone, Eric and Raphael are the only two people that have proven with actions that they care about me and don’t want me hurt. No manipulation, no agendas. They have protected me and put their own lives in danger to do so. I know I can count on them. Only if Eric was awake, too. But he is not, and I only trust Raphael in this group of mismatched allies.
“We need to pick off the jinn and send them back to wherever they came from.” I know Raphael hears me even through the shouts. His eyes widen. “It’s the only way, Raphael. I don’t think anyone controls them,
not anymore.”
“Why do you say that?” He swings his legs to the side to face me, lifting his knees up. “I mean you no harm, Helena. I only want to help.”
“I’m not even sure it’s about me anymore. Not only me, I should say.” I notice the shouting stopped, and I can feel three intense stares on me, but I stay focused on Raphael. “We had an encounter with a jinn.” Waving my hand, I point vaguely at Beelzebub, Colt, and me. “He said they want Heaven and Hell and have no problem destroying my body and soul to achieve that.”
A tremor passes through me, and I shiver, remembering the deprived thoughts the jinn projected in my head. Cold sweat washes over me, beading on my forehead and upper lip. For all my bravado and sass, I can admit only to myself that I’ve never been this terrified in my life. Not even standing in front of Lucifer himself in the depths of Hell, or facing a pissed off Michael with his lightning ready to strike me, scared me this much.
Raphael is always relaxed, smiling, or wary. I’ve only seen him in those three states, plus the occasional annoyance when Eric was a jerk. But he reads my reaction without me saying a word. My body jolts back when his features darken, his yellow, warm eyes flashing dangerously and glowing with a golden light. Him being so nice and kind made me forget that the Archangel is a warrior as well. A muscle jumps in his jaw, and the energy coming off him seers my skin like I’m being slowly roasted. It reminds me that not long ago, the jinn was burning me alive from the inside out. I can’t stop my panic at that thought. Anger at feeling helpless surges through me, rocking the building so strongly the three fallen topple over, rolling on the floor. Raphael is not moving, his own anger clashing with mine and feeding it more. The windows rattle, and the walls shudder, but there is nothing I can do to stop it. Narsi clings to me, whimpering softly.
“Raphael, stop! She’ll bring the building on our heads!” Colt shouts from somewhere.
