by S. J. Day
“I have need of it, and I will not give it up simply because you miss your Evangeline.”
“She isn’t gone.” Alec’s fingers curled around the red-painted ironwork. Despite the chilly temperature and the soothing necklace, his skin was growing as hot as his rising temper. “If I can get my shit together, her and I will be okay.”
“You have come to the wrong place to ask for sympathy.” The seraph’s tone lacked all inflection. “She weakens you, and Abel. She is a mediocre Mark, barely sufficient in the practical applications, and prone to blasphemy and irreverence. You are a fool if you think I will sacrifice you—the greatest killing machine ever created—for her.”
Alec’s grip tightened to the point of pain.
I won’t invest in a relationship with someone who can’t love me, she’d said, and he knew it was true.
Which made Abel a greater threat now than ever before. He’d become the go-to guy when she couldn’t turn to Alec.
Sabrael levitated until his feet were once again level with the top of the tower. “You will remain an archangel until I decide you are no longer useful in that capacity. I find that possibility very slim indeed.”
The seraph left.
Alec lingered, hoping that time would present the solution he searched for.
***
Once Sydney and Montevista were settled for the night—Sydney in the guest room and Montevista on the couch in the living room—Eve had Ishamel shift with her to the subterranean floors of the tower. Together they knocked on Hank’s door.
“It’s late,” Eve said. “Are you sure he’s still here?”
“He lives here.” Ishamel set a hand at the small of her back and urged her through the opening door.
“Welcome back,” Hank said, appearing out of the darkness. “You’ve had an interesting afternoon since you left me.”
“You could call it that’ she agreed dryly.
He must have noted Eve’s velour jogging suit and Ishamel’s casual state, because he changed from dress slacks and shirt to a black sweat suit that reminded Eve of Riesgo’s, although the priest was considerably more muscular.
Her resolve strengthened further. A lot of people were depending on her to not screw everything up. “I have a couple of questions for you.”
“Let’s sit?’ Hank led the way to the now-familiar rough-hewn table. Immediately afterward, Fred approached in a tight patent leather and metal bodysuit. Her face was heavily made-up and her long white hair was teased big. She set a tray down bearing a pitcher of Hank’s favored iced tea and three glasses, then sashayed away, revealing a horsetail-thing swaying from the rear of her outfit.
Eve stared. Ishamel looked away.
“Hot damn, Fred,” Eve called after her.
Hank gave an elegant shrug. “Note that the tengu is quiet. Seems he’s become enamored with Fred. The dominatrix guise keeps him distracted.”
Since Eve herself had been rendered speechless for a moment, she could see how well the getup worked. She returned her attention to Hank. “Do you have something or some way to keep Infernals from disintegrating when killed?”
One red brow rose. “Why?”
“I need a body.”
“The masking agent seems to preserve bodies.”
“It also restores them.” She shook her head. “I don’t need any more recurring kills. I want the vanquished to stay dead, but I need some remains. At least until cremation.”
“Hmn. The necklace might do the trick.”
Eve sat back. “You think?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Okay, next question. What happens to mortals who see things they shouldn’t?”
Hank’s fingertips rubbed back and forth along a deep groove in the table. “Depends on how credible the witness is and what proof they have, if any. It’s impossible to say until it happens. You’ll have to take your chances.”
Ishamel picked up a glass and swallowed tea in great big gulps. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and asked, “It just so happens that I might have a use for a Nix attractant. You wouldn’t happen to have one, would you?”
“Why, yes.” Hank smiled wide. “I have one. Glad you can use it, since our firm leader ordered me not to give it to Evangeline.”
Fred reappeared with a lovely green glass atomizer bottle, which she set down in front of Ishamel. Eve studied the lili while she was close, looking beneath the cosmetics to the delicate features beneath. Eve wondered how closely Fred resembled her mother. She was a very pretty girl, with a delicate deportment that effectively hid the nature of the beast within.
“Thank you,” Ishamel said.
Eve’s lips pursed.
“What troubles you?” Hank asked.
“Would Lilith have a reason for wanting to get her hands on Abel?”
Ishamel stared hard at her. “You assume she is interested in him. Why not assume her motivation is the resulting gain? I see him as a means to an end.”
“Perhaps it’s you she wants,” Hank suggested, catching up on the conversation by reading Eve’s thoughts. “Perhaps she views you as a surrogate Eve, beloved wife of Adam. She hates both of them with a passion.”
“Let’s skip that avenue for now’ Eve said. “It’s a dead end. Lilith would either kill me or torture me. Either way, end of story. But if she had Abel, what would she do with him? Keep him or trade him, right? If she kept him, why? And if she traded him, what would she trade him for? What does Satan have that she might want?”
Ishamel laughed, a rusty unused sound. “Lilith wants everything. And she’s had pretty much everything in Hell in her bed at some point or another. The earth is a playground to her.”
Eve looked at Hank, who tossed up his hands in a clueless gesture. “Ishamel’s right. Lilith wants everything.”
“My mother.” Fred said, lingering at the edge of the circle of light that hung over the table, “is motivated by boredom. She does things for odd reasons and oftentimes for no reason at all. I gave up trying to figure her out.”
“All right.” Eve stood and yawned. “Thank you both for your help.”
Ishamel stood along with her. Hank remained seated.
“You’re determined to jump the gun and set this off tomorrow?” the occultist asked.
“I’m just setting the stage.” Her smile was grim. “Whether the show starts or not.. . We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Don’t get yourself killed. I want to see you again”
Eve gave him a mock salute.
“Good luck”, Fred said.
“Thanks. We’re going to need it.”
CHAPTER 20
It was a little past seven in the morning when Eve left her bedroom and moved down the hallway to the living room. She checked on Montevista, usually the first one awake while on watch, but presently the last one still sleeping. Sydney sat at the kitchen island in a pale blue bathrobe and red slippers reading the newspaper report of the Lamborghini wreck.
“Coffee?” Eve asked, as she opened the freezer to grab the beans.
“Sure.” The Mark smiled. “I love how normal you are.”
Eve snorted. “This is normal? Shoot me now.”
Sydney abandoned the newspaper. “When I was first marked, I didn’t know how to take it. It seemed like such a huge responsibility to be a warrior for God. And everything was so different. I used to love coffee. I drank it all day. But I gave it up, thinking there was no point anymore since I couldn’t feel the buzz from the caffeine. Because I changed so many things about my life, I felt like a stranger in my own skin for a long time.”
Knowing that feeling all too well, Eve nodded.
“Look on the bright side, that dedication makes you a much better Mark than I am. I want to be you when I grow up.”
Sydney slid off the stool and moved to the cupboard. She grabbed three mugs. “I’m hoping to be more like you.”
“Bad with a sword and accident prone?”
“Shut
up. Killing things is just part of the job, not all of it. I actually think your agnosticism gives you an advantage. You don’t take anything at face value, so you see things the rest of us don’t. Since I met you, I’ve been trying to reconnect with the things that used to define me. I bought bookshelves last weekend and an outrageously expensive coffee station the week before that. Sounds like nothing, I know—”
“No, I get it. You’re building a future instead of living day to day. And you’re letting yourself have fun with your life. Good for you.”
“Thanks.” Sydney set the mugs on the counter. “I’m much happier now that you’ve rubbed off on me.”
Eve bumped shoulders with her. “Here’s to hoping some of your kick-ass qualities rub off on me.”
There was a beat of silence as Eve poured the beans into the grinder, then Sydney whispered, “I guess the new me is more attractive, too. I’ve been working with Diego a long time and he’s never paid any attention to me as a woman. In fact, he once said I wasn’t his type.”
“I’d say that’s changed.”
“You noticed it, too?” Sydney’s eyes had a sparkle that warmed Eve’s heart. She liked both Marks, and wanted them to be happy.
“Totally. He’s got it bad.” Eve decided it was as good a time as any to broach a sensitive topic. “Hey, do me a favor. Keep an especially close eye on him. I think he’s too proud to admit that he’s not up to full speed yet.”
“Already on it.”
“Of course you would be. You rock.”
Pressing on the lid of the grinder, Eve turned the beans into fresh grounds. When she let go and the racket died down, Montevista was clearly heard stirring on the couch.
“Time to get up, sleepyhead,” Sydney called out, moving toward the living room. “We have to clear the residents out of the building.”
Eve turned the coffeepot on and washed her hands. Part of the plan she’d passed on to Montevista included informing all the condo residents of a suspected (and fictitious) gas leak. The Marks who’d been running guard duty around the perimeter were gearing up to pose as local utility inspectors and firemen. In order to keep the complaints down, Ishamel had arranged for Gadara Enterprises to foot the bill for a local hotel stay and two-hour gondola rides. The last thing any of them wanted was to catch some mortals in the crosshairs. Better to be safe than sorry.
Moving to her office, Eve sent an e-mail to her secretary, telling Candace that she wouldn’t be coming in today. She would wait another hour, then call the detectives and let them know. With her schedule set, she leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.
What would Gadara be like when he returned? He’d been gone so long.. . And Riesgo. How would he be? Her heart ached for the both of them and what they must have endured.
“So . .
Eve lifted her head and discovered Reed in the doorway. “Hi.”
“I’m still trying to decide how I should feel about sleeping alone last night.”
“We don’t live together.”
He entered and took a seat on the futon. His shirt was a deep red, perfectly pressed and left open at the throat. Paired with black slacks and his dark hair, it was edgy in a way that made her toes curl.
“So Cain calms down a bit.” he said tightly, “and you throw me over, is that it?”
“No. That’s not it.”
“Am I your dirty little secret now, babe?” His dark eyes were hard and cold. “Are you going to pretend that we didn’t happen?”
“I’m going to pretend that you’re not insulting me now. I’m going to convince myself that it’s because you like me so much that you’re being an asshole.”
“Are you going to tell Cain about us?”
“I already did. Well, I tried to,” she amended. “He didn’t want to hear it, but he knows.”
Reed’s entire mien changed, softening to the point that it made her breath catch. He was as vulnerable in that moment as he’d been with her in bed. It was somehow more intimate with them both fully clothed and a room’s length away from each other.
“Is it over between you?” he asked.
“Honestly?” She rubbed her palms over the arms of her chair. “I don’t think it’ll ever be over. I’m in love with him. I’ve been in love with him forever.”
Nodding slowly, Reed’s gaze remained on her but it was distant. Unfocused.
“Thing is,” she continued, “I’m pretty sure that I’m halfway in love with you, too.”
He stiffened, now tensely alert. “Go on.”
“I have no idea how that’s even possible, but there it is. I know you’re not good for me. You’re needy and self-centered—”
“Eve. .
“—but I crave you like chocolate.”
“And what do you think Cain is?” he snapped. “Healthy for you? Gimme a fucking break.”
“He’s heaithier but I have a sweet tooth. That doesn’t mean you’re my guilty pleasure, so don’t take it that way.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I know I can’t have both of you. And I can’t choose between you. I guess that leaves me with having neither of you.”
“Fuck that,” he retorted without heat. “I’ve got you right where I want you now.”
“Is that so?” Eve tried to hold back a smile, but felt her lips twitching anyway.
“Oh, yeah.” Standing, Reed came toward her. He leaned over her and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
He retreated enough to meet her gaze. “For everything, really. Most especially for not castrating me for offering to send you to Hell. You say you don’t trust me, but you couldn’t prove more clearly that you do.”
“What’s your plan anyway? Get everyone here tomorrow, then what? The way I understand it, you’d have to go into the trade assuming they let Riesgo and Gadara escape. You know better than to trust a demon.”
Reed’s mouth curved in a slow, smug smile. “Ah, but they don’t know better than to trust me. That’s the beauty of it. Asmodeus is worth a lot to Sammael. He’s one of only seven kings in Hell. Once Asmodeus makes sure you and Cain are here on the premises, he won’t be able to resist trying to nab you. He can only see things from his perspective, and to him it must be a potent temptation to get rid of Cain. It won’t even enter his head to think I’ll double-cross him and take him prisoner instead.”
“And if things go to shit, then what?”
“Cain would be with you to protect you. For all his fuck-ups, I’m sure that when push comes to shove, he’s got your back. And I’m confident that Sammael won’t kill him.
“That is not what you were thinking when you offered him.”
Reed winked. “Prove it.”
“Well, if Sarakiel has her way, you’ll be there to protect me, too.”
He straightened abruptly. “Sara?”
Eve explained about the tape of Sarakiel’s meeting with Asmodeus. “My guess is, Asmodeus is gambling that he can take all three of us at once. With Sara’s help, why not?”
“One day, you’re telling me you think she loves me. The next, you say she wants me burning in Hell.”
“It’s because she loves you that she wants you to burn in Hell.”
Snorting, he said, “That’s female logic if I ever heard it.”
“What can I say? We’re twisted.”
“Don’t lump yourself in with Sara.” He licked the tip of her nose. “I’m going to deal with her today. Right now, actually.”
“Then I need you to round up Asmodeus.”
His gaze narrowed. “Tomorrow. I need time to get things together.”
“I’ve already got things together. Ishamel helped. You know how thorough he is.”
“Do you have any idea of what kind of manpower we’re going to need to nab Asmodeus?”
“We’re not going to nab him. We just want him here.”
Reed sank to a crouch in front of her, leveling their gazes. “Sp
it it out. All of it.”
“You’re right, Asmodeus is valuable to Satan, but not for the reason you think. Satan knows your plan. He tried to act nonchalant about it. but I read between the lines. He’s pissed, and he’s going to take Asmodeus down.”
“Good. Let him.”
“Sure,” Eve agreed. She opened her mind to him, allowing him to see her conversations with the Devil. “But not now. You’ve been bargaining with Asmodeus but really, the deal is between me and Satan.”
“Babe. . .“ He made an exasperated sound and dropped his head into her lap. “You’re a walking disaster,” he mumbled.
“Listen.” She lifted his head with her hands. “He promised me something, then reneged.”
“And that’s a surprise to you? Come on, Eve—”
“He wouldn’t renege with me, Reed,” she insisted. “For whatever reason, he wants me to trust him. He’s going to fulfill his end of our agreement.”
“That’s not what he said to you!”
“What he said was that I’ll have to let the moves you and Sara made play out.”
“What he said,” he retorted, “was that he can’t release what he doesn’t possess. A melodramatic way to say he got what he wanted, and you’re on your own.”
“Or it’s a roundabout way of saying someone stole from him.” Eve shot him a wry glance. “Do you really think he’s just going to let that go?”
“He doesn’t need you to put Asmodeus in line.”
“Right. He just needs to fulfill his end of the bargain. He gave me two choices—help you or Sara with your plans, or leave the whole thing in the hands of God. But—” she wagged a finger at him “—he knows I’m not a believer. He made a big deal out of my agnosticism being one of the reasons he likes me. He appreciates my cynicism.”
“He’s always trying to lure Marks to the dark side. He doesn’t like you. He doesn’t give a shit about you, other than the fact that fucking with you fucks with a lot of other people, too.”
She pressed on. “I think his question was incomplete. I think what he was really saying is, ‘Will you leave it in the hands of God. . . or me.’ That was the basis of our previous conversations. He says God isn’t going to give me what I need, but he will. This is his chance to prove it. I think he’s going to take it, if only because he wants to knock Asmodeus down a notch in a major way.”
