“She belongs to both of you. Maria, if you recall, was The One’s. Even when she chose a human path, she walked in His light. At least until you seduced her.”
“So you are here to threaten my child?” Satan hissed, outraged at the gall of The One’s servant. “So help me, Gabriel, you go back to your Daddy and tell him that if he so much as harms a hair on my child’s head, then I will launch an unholy war the likes of which He never imagined. Babies will be slaughtered in the fucking streets!”
Gabriel sighed. “Oh, He knows what you are capable of doing, Beast. You’ve shown Him again and again. Believe me. The One has no desire to harm your child, you fool! He’s doing everything within His power to assure the opposite. He wants her protected!”
“I think I’ve proven that it shall not be me that would harm her,” Satan retorted, somewhat mollified. “And no mere mortal could hurt her.”
“No, no mere mortal could,” Gabriel agreed slowly. “But what is coming for her isn’t mortal, Lucifer. Not at all.”
“What?” Satan questioned, his human face confused.
“You are not a stupid being. You heard me quite clearly.”
“You’re saying that something not mortal is coming for my little girl.” Narrowing his gaze, the Devil clenched his jaw with a force that would have broken a normal man’s teeth. “Whatever it is will go through me first. I make a very, very bad enemy.”
“And The One does not?” Gabriel laughed humorlessly. “Have you forgotten your punishment?”
“Believe me, Gabriel. I forget nothing,” Satan replied, his voice lethally soft. “There is no mortal being that will ever be borne into this world that can defeat me.”
“I have agreed with you. No mortal being.”
“Son of a bitch,” Lucifer cursed his voice faint as he comprehended the Archangel’s veiled meaning. “What has your holy Father done? And what exactly does it have to do with my Lily and that man?” he asked, jabbing a finger in Matthew’s direction. “Either answer me or tell that pious Peter that he better bar the holy door. I’ll be paying a call shortly.”
Chapter Seventeen
“There will be no need for saintly bloodletting, Lucifer,” Gabriel replied evenly.
“But I’m so good at it,” the Devil complained, steam wafting from his human ears.
“Control yourself,” Gabriel admonished. “It will benefit neither of us for you to draw attention to our conversation. I’ve been authorized to answer any and all questions that you have. Ask them,” he invited with a slight nod.
“Fine,” Satan snapped. “Who is this new Big Bad, Gabe?”
“Look inside yourself. You know the way primal evil is created. After all, you were the first example of it.”
“Speak to me in one more riddle and I will eviscerate everyone in this bar, including you,” Lucifer drawled. Only his eyes warned the Archangel how very real his threat was.
“I fear you not,” Gabriel responded, unruffled. “I will, however, be clearer since you are not quite as keen as I’d given you credit for. The Big Bad, as you call him, fell in much the same way as you did.”
“Eve is still a walking, talking temptation still?”
“Not quite. You might have been cast from the heavens for that particular infraction, but it was your jealousy of the humans that I referred to.”
“The sheep?” Satan questioned, cocking his head.
Frowning, Gabriel made a sound of distaste. “They are called people. But, yes, that is what I refer to. You see, Azriah was made after you had been cast down. The One had to replenish Heaven’s numbers. For eons, he, too, was a good, loyal servant and agent of The Father. That was until he began to waste his free hours watching this realm. Idle hands breed discontent. Discontent feeds a jealous soul, as you well know.”
“Spare me the morality lecture, Feathers. Get to the point,” Lucifer ordered.
“Like you, Azriah fooled himself into believing that The One could not read every single thing in his heart. But unlike you, The One chose to act before Azriah could gather an army. Seven eons ago, he, too, was cast out.”
“To here?” Satan gaped, lifting his hand to gesture around the bar. “No. I’d know. Nothing like what you describe could hide from me unnoticed for so long.”
“I did not say that he was cast down. I said he was cast out. The One imprisoned him on another astral plane,” Gabriel explained patiently.
“So I get The Abyss and Mr. Joe Rip-off gets a cushy astral plane?” the Devil muttered in disgust. “How’s that for justice? I assume that since we’re sitting here having this little chat that this jackass isn’t there any longer.”
“You assume correctly. When the millennia changed, for a fraction of a second, time ripped.”
“And our most wanted jackass escaped,” Satan noted with a curl of his nose. “Fucking priceless.”
“We located him fairly quickly. Within a day, actually.”
“Well? Where the fuck is he?” the Devil barked.
“Here,” Gabriel answered softly, watching Lucifer’s face for the predictable reaction..
“Here!” Satan echoed, flame escaping his lips.
Quickly tossing the remainder of his water on Lucifer’s smoldering goatee, Gabriel tried to control his chuckle.
“Yes, here, on the mortal plane,” he said softly, looking around to assure that they remained unnoticed. “Where, exactly, we are not certain. Azriah…or Sinister, Sin, for short, as he calls himself here, has gotten very adept at remained undetected.”
“You don’t say,” Satan hissed, his claws extending to gouge the table they rested upon.
“Lucifer, you must control yourself,” Gabriel warned.
“So, let me see if I understand this all correctly,” the Devil said after a full minute of silence, schooling his face into a mask of bland indifference as the rage inside him multiplied, “For twelve years, this guy has been off your radar. The only thing you know is that he’s on the mortal plane and hunting my unprotected daughter. And none of you so-called heavenly beings thought a heads-up were in order?”
“Our intent was to neutralize the situation ourselves.”
“How’s that going for you?” the Devil spat.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Gabriel retorted, losing patience for an instant. Breathing deeply, he forced himself to focus on the mission at hand. “Listen to me, Lucifer. Your daughter hasn’t been completely unprotected. The One ensured that with his very hand. The soul of the man you wanted…Matthew,” the angel said, gesturing at the man still seated at the bar, “and his entire team are touched by the hand of Lord.”
Lifting his eyebrows, Satan blinked. “That’s what you tell me to mollify me, Angel? The last time Big Daddy tried that trick, a whole bunch of women got drowned in Salem and I caught the blame on it. Not that I minded. Bad press is still advertising, but this is my daughter The One is playing with!”
Ignoring the dig at the Holy Father, Gabriel replied, “I assure you that this group of men and women are up to the challenge that is quickly approaching.”
“They’re mortals.”
“Mortals with latent power,” Gabriel amended. “And each is a warrior in their own right. Additionally, they will have the support of The One and His angelic army, and I’m assuming that your daughter will have your support as well.”
“We don’t need your version of help,” Satan denied waspishly.
“Do not be short sighted, Brother.”
“Ex-brother,” the Devil replied.
“Evil that you’ve never faced is coming, Lucifer.”
“I created evil, Gabriel. I don’t think much could shock me.”
“Not even the demise of your little girl?” Gabriel asked sadly. “If not, all is lost.”
“You threaten Lily?” the Devil asked dangerously.
“Not I,” Gabriel denied tersely. “But, Azriah has only but one opportunity to become Immortal as you and I are.”
“This has what to do with m
y daughter?” Lucifer all but howled.
“In order to continue his existence, Sin requires a perfect soul, completely without blemish. He must ingest it. It is through her blood that he will live eternally. There is only one, as you well know. Lily’s. Lucifer, he means to kill your daughter for her spirit,” Gabriel whispered.
“How long?” Satan asked hoarsely as a terrible feeling invaded him and turned his tongue bitter. Was this how raw fear tasted?
“We have until the end of the Mayan calendar. December 21, 2012,” Gabriel replied huskily. He could have wept for his lost brother. He fought by Lucifer’s side and been his opponent. Never had he seen the lost one’s shoulders slumped as they were now.
“It’s February 1st.”
“It is,” Gabriel replied.
“I assume there’s a plan,” Satan prodded, lifting eyes gone black as coal to the Archangel’s gaze.
“Sin has become killing humans and feeding off their auras, slitting their throats and drinking the blood.”
“Dracula rip-off. Nice,” the Devil sniffed.
“He’s replenishing his strength for the coming battle. The Seven Devils assume he’s some kind of serial killer. With a little push from The One, soon, they are going to identify your daughter, Lily, as one of his potential targets. Matthew,” he said, nodding at the man seated at the bar, “is her personal guardian.”
“How ‘personal’?” Lucifer balked.
“He’s her human mate, Luce,” Gabriel informed his old friend with a small smile. “You do the math.” Watching the Devil’s jaw go slack, he swallowed his own bark of laughter as steam quite literally filtered from the deity’s ears. “Don’t blame me. Fate determines that.”
“You called them the Seven Devils. Is that some kind of dig?”
“There are seven individuals. There are seven deadly sins. Seven forms of evil that you yourself created. Each person is equipped to uniquely…handle one form. We suspect that Sin will come at Lily with everything he’s learned. And you were his ultimate teacher. Is it a dig? You just said any press is advertising,” he reminded Satan with a grim smile.
Shaking his head, the Devil ran a hand down his face in an entirely human gesture of frustration. “Okay, cards on the table, Angel. I wouldn’t be here or know any of this right now if your Daddy didn’t have a plan for me. He wants me to play for the home team on this one, doesn’t He?”
“He wants you to be a father and do what’s best for Lily,” Gabriel answered mildly.
Lifting his chin, Satan smirked. “I bet,” he snorted. “And if I don’t?”
“Don’t do this, Lucifer,” Gabriel beseeched the Fallen Angel. “Do this for Lily and ask no further questions.”
“Answer me!” Satan demanded. “What if I choose not to play this one by Big Daddy’s rules?”
Swallowing, Gabriel inhaled and gathered his strength. “Earlier, I said that The One asked me to remind you that he, too, was a father.”
“Yeah,” Satan said, nodding slightly as he waited for Gabriel to continue.
“He also asked me to remind you that He allowed his son to be sacrificed to save the world. Would He not sacrifice your child’s mortal life as well?”
“Big Daddy plays dirty,” Satan bit out, inwardly seething.
“His knowledge is divine. It is not for me to question His Will,” Gabriel replied gently. Privately, however, he sympathized. This was an untenable predicament. Not even his brother, Michael, would wish this choice on their fallen brother.
“I will not sit on the sidelines while my daughter is in danger,” Lucifer warned.
“We’re not asking you, too. In fact, you bring a lot to this party. Your experience and skill at being so…bad, will actually be useful. The One suggests that you take a human form and insinuate yourself on the team. Use your strength and skill and help them guard your daughter. Pick a different form, however. I assume you’ll want to speak to Matthew yourself tonight.”
“You can bet your wings on that,” Satan grumbled.
“Face it, Lucifer,” Gabriel said quietly when the Prince of Darkness went silent, “We have a common purpose here. We all want to protect Lily. Help us.”
“Make no mistake, Gabriel. If I do this, it is to keep my daughter safe. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about The One’s plans. Assisting Him is purely coincidental.”
“As you say,” Gabriel returned with a slight grin. There just might be hope for his former brother yet.
“I think I’ll have a few words with our little soul lost over there,” Satan said, rising from the table to glare at the Archangel. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other soon. It would appear that there is a game afoot.”
"Good," Gabriel stated dryly, his face now a mask of disdain. "I'm glad you understand the terms of this arrangement."
"You say arrangement, I say game and a rigged one at that. It seems to be the only kind The One knows how to play," Satan retorted, his features sulky as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"His ways are not our w-"
"Blah, blah, blah," the Devil yawned, pressing a fist to his mouth. Much as he wanted to continue sparring with his age-old nemesis, he had people to possess and a daughter in distress.
Rolling his eyes, Gabriel murmured, "Impertinent fiend."
"Why, thank you," Satan returned pleasantly, forcing himself to reclaim his persona as a ruthless deity. "I do so enjoy these chats every thousand years or so, Gab-o. But I think I'll just pay my tab and say fare thee well," he said as he grinned coolly. "I do have a sabbatical from hell to schedule, after all, don't I?"
And with no small amount of anxiety, Gabriel watched the Prince of Darkness swagger in Matthew Hunter's direction. A father would go to great lengths for his child. He shuddered to think of what the Devil would do for his.
He almost pitied Azriah.
Chapter Eighteen
Leaning one hip negligently against the bar, Satan gestured toward the bubbly waitress at the other end of the counter. "Oh, Kimmy, darling," he drawled. "My tab," he said, dangling his coal black Amex card from between his fingers. Watching as she bobbed her red head enthusiastically and turned to rifle through the slips of paper scattered across the counter behind her, the Devil turned his dark eyes toward the man hunched over his glass beside him.
"Well, hello there, sinner," he said, his voice oozing charm that had ensnared many a man throughout the centuries.
Lifting his head, Matthew Hunter raised an eyebrow at the man he'd noticed earlier in the bar. "Sinner?" he repeated, his chin rising defiantly.
"We're all sinners aren't we, brother?" Satan smiled, his white teeth gleaming. "We're all saints, too...or so a friend once told me," he remarked, glancing over his shoulder at Gabriel, the Archangel's serene blue eyes calmly watching him.
"Do we know each other?" Matthew asked hoarsely, shifting slightly in his seat as he turned toward the dangerous looking man.
"Not as well as I'd like to," Lucifer sighed dramatically. "Allow me to introduce myself, my friend." Grinning widely, he extended his hand,."I'm a man of wealth and taste."
"Funny," Matt muttered, taking the unnaturally hot hand in his for a brief shake that left his own palm tingling. "You don't look much like Jagger."
"Ah, alas, I am not," the Devil laughed huskily, shaking his dark head, "but, he is but one of my many...fans."
Snorting into his glass, Matt shook his head. "Funny guy."
"Oh, I can be amusing when I choose," the Prince of Darkness nodded in agreement as he winked at Kimmy and handed her his card. "Much like you, Matthew Hunter."
That got his attention. Jerking his gaze back to the man beside him, Matt's jaw tightened. "How do you know my name?" he asked sharply, bleary eyes suddenly focusing clearly. "Do we know each other?"
"I know many things," Satan informed him carelessly, shrugging his broad shoulders beneath his leather jacket. "Add your usual tip, my lovely," he ordered Kimmy, his eyes gleaming as he watched the curvaceous server beam in hi
s direction and turn to do his bidding.
"What do you want?" Matt asked suspiciously as the waitress bounced toward the register.
Satan sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Why does everyone automatically assume that I want something?" Ignoring the confused look in his quarry's eyes, the king of the underworld continued smoothly, "I just wanted to introduce myself. Perhaps one day we'll get to know one another better."
Matt cocked his head, wondering for a bare moment if he'd ingested one too many glasses. "Look, I don't know who you think you are, but…"
"Oh, it doesn't matter who I think I am, but more who you see me as," Satan replied cryptically, a grin playing at the corner of his lips. "It's been said that I've been known to appear as an angel of light on occasion, you know."
"Huh?" Matt grunted, perplexed by the riddles being thrown at him.
The Devil tsked, almost smiling at the ease of the exchange. "So concerned about the nature of my game."
"Game?" Matt echoed, stiffening, his fingers tightening against his glass.
"Mmmm...," Satan hummed. "Everyone has one, you know. And I'm a proven Master at winning the stakes."
Gabriel rolled his eyes as he strolled up to the bar then. "And now would be a good time for you to show us your imitation of Houdini, don't you think?" he asked, clapping Lucifer on the arm as Kimmy passed the Devil his credit card back. "Sorry, my friend here is a little into his cups," Gabriel added, smiling at a baffled Hunter. "Time to go home, Lucy," Gabriel said, just a hint of warning in his tone.
Satan rolled his eyes. "Oh, goody, my chaperone appears. It seems I must bid you adieu," he murmured, inclining his head toward Matt before shrugging Gabriel's hand off his shoulder. "Places to go, souls to torture." He grinned wicked, striding toward the door.
"Pleasure to meet you...I think," Matt muttered, watching as the mysterious man brushed past him.
"Trust me, it wasn't," Gabriel sighed, pausing to place his hand on Matt's shoulder. "Be at peace, Matthew Hunter," he said softly before following his former colleague toward the door.
Feeling a warm tingle in his shoulder where the other man had touched him, Hunter felt a sense of tranquility invade his body. Meeting the waitress' eyes across the counter, he shook his head. "Who the hell was that?" he asked, bewildered.
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