She peeked at Kieron and saw him wince.
With a sigh, Kieron nodded. Then he took her hand, and they walked toward the front door. “This is going to suck,” he muttered.
Fifteen
No More Heroes
Dora listened to the unending squeal of old hinges as Kieron pushed open the front door to reveal the inside of Lucian’s mansion. The interior was just as ropey as the exterior with cracks running up the pale walls. Dirty smudges were ingrained into the white marble, making it dingy gray and thick vines burst out of the tiled floor, climbing their way up to the roof.
She felt Kieron’s hand tighten around hers as they walked across the threshold. Clearly, the place had been very beautiful once with statues and detailed engravings in the stone. Most of the paint had cracked off the ceiling, but she could still make out an angelic mural above them on the parts of the ceiling that hadn’t eroded away.
The upholstery had mostly rotted away, leaving dusty old rags instead of curtains.
They both jumped at the sound of heavy footsteps, turning to see Lucian bounding down the sweeping staircase ahead of them. He looked so excited that for a horrible moment, Dora thought he might slide down the marble banister.
Instead, he stood above them and smiled. “So what do you think of your new home?” He proudly spread his arms, obviously seeing something far grander than what they were seeing.
“It’s a broken-down, old shithole,” Pooey said as he stepped into the building behind them.
Lucian’s jubilant expression was rapidly replaced by a scowl. “It just needs cleaning up.”
Kieron ran his fingers over the dust on the mantel beside him. The ledge crumbled under his touch and fell off the wall, smashing into the broken tiles below it. “It er, needs a bit of work.”
“You’re all so fucking negative!” Lucian narrowed his eyes at Dora. “What about you? What do you think of it?”
“Are we safe here?” she asked.
“Yes. There’s a boundary spell on it. Anyone who looks at it will only see—” He paused. Then he slapped himself on the forehead. “That’s why you’re all so fucking weird!”
“Wut?” Pooey said.
Lucian held out his hands and began muttering into them. A golden glow grew in his palms into a ball of light. After a moment of more muttering, he turned his palms and shot the balls of what looked like sunlight at them.
Dora widened her eyes as one of the blasts hit her and Kieron, knocking them both onto their backs. Blinded for a moment, she rubbed her eyes.
“What the fuck…?” She pushed herself up onto her elbows and opened her eyes, widening them as the broken ruins seemed to repair around her, transforming into a gleaming white palace. The features were the same, the same staircase, the same ceiling, but they were new and in immaculate condition. It was the room of a god.
“What the hell was that?” Pooey jumped up off the gleaming white tiles.
“There’s a protection spell over this place. I gave you immunity to it, so you could see what was actually here.” Lucian folded his arms. “Is it still a shithole?”
Pooey peered around. “That depends entirely on if you have food in here, cheesy puffs would be preferable.”
“Do you know how many carbs are in that shit?” Lucian asked.
“Do you know how many carbs are in this?” Pooey raised his middle finger and flipped him off.
“I always knew that carbs came from Hell,” Lucian muttered.
Kieron turned to Dora, and he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Let’s go somewhere else. I can’t handle another Lucian and Pooey argument.”
She nodded, and they slowly stood up and slipped through the doorway beside them.
“Yeah, but they taste so sweet. Maybe you should eat me!” Pooey’s voice echoed through the doorway behind them.
They silently hurried through an opulent sitting room where the furniture was covered by white dustsheets. They didn’t speak, but seemed to be in silent agreement that they needed some time alone.
Dora smiled when Kieron’s hand tightened around hers as they headed for the next open doorway. Her eyes wandered over to him. He seemed older, but then she supposed he was now. His shoulders were broader, his blue eyes a little bit less innocent.
How do demons age anyway?
She and Kieron had been in Hell for months before their time on Earth and then here in Heaven. She wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed during her jumps from dead to alive, but it had to be a few months, maybe even a year.
Am I seventeen now? Do corpses age?
As they hurried through another doorway, this time out into a conservatory, Kieron turned to frown at her. “What’s wrong?”
She took a moment to wince at the bright sunlight that was beaming through the glass doors of the conservatory. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about all of this.”
She pushed open the door and studied the beautiful garden outside while enjoying the rays of sunshine that warmed her skin.
“This as in the house…?” Kieron trailed off as he pulled open the second door and stood beside her. “It is a very pretty garden.”
Smiling, she rested her head on his broad shoulder. “It is, but I was thinking more about if I’m actually dead this time.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “You’re not dead, Dora-minx. You’re just in limbo.”
She peered up at him. “Don’t you have to die to get to limbo though?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, but you’re no more dead than you were when I took you to Hell.”
“I did wake up in a coffin after that though.” The more she thought about it, the more it made sense that she was already dead. “I mean, how many people go to Hell and come back alive?”
“Do you think I killed you?” He turned to her with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean to!”
“No, don’t be silly…” She trailed off with a frown. “I don’t know.”
Kieron walked out into the garden, pacing and shaking his head. He was clearly upset by the thought. “No, you were alive. You were alive on Earth because the matriarch killed you, so Hell can’t have—”
“So I’m dead now?” she asked.
“No, well, your body maybe, but not you.”
“So I’m a spirit?”
“I don’t think so. You’re kind of an angel.” He grimaced. “We need to fix that. It’s not very attractive.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, that’s the important part, how attractive I am.”
“Exactly, as a demon you were much more appealing, but I liked you as a human too. I mean, this is okay.” He waved his hand in the general direction of her body. “But when those wings come out…” He wrinkled his nose.
Scowling, she put her hands on her hips. “My wings are the same as yours! You realize that you are half angel, right?”
“I know. It must be quite grotesque for you. I’m trying to get rid of them though.” He sighed.
Dora’s mind flashed back to a tawny chested Kieron, flying to save her with his powerful white wings spread out, and the muscles in his arms and chest tensed. The image caused her pulse to race with excitement. “Not really. I kinda like it.” She managed, trying to rid her mind of the evocative imagery.
He shot her a surprised look as if he thought she was nuts, which he probably did. Kieron had grown up in Hell. He thought angels were disgusting, so he hated being one.
She’d grown up in a church as a rebellious preacher’s daughter, but even the Goth girl within couldn’t deny the fact that angels were kinda hot.
Frowning again, she tried to understand the nagging thoughts in her mind. She tried to put them into words to make some sense of them. “If we’re in Heaven now, and we’re both angels, does that mean that God is real?”
Her whole life, she’d never believed in God, religion or anything her father told her. Now faced with the reality of Heaven, she had to address her own skeptic
ism.
“Well yeah, we’re at his place.” Kieron shrugged. “It doesn’t mean he’s not a dick.”
“He might be able to help us.”
“That’d be a first,” Kieron muttered.
She nodded. It would be a first, and she was still finding it difficult to accept. Dark magic and demons were so much easier to believe in than some almighty being who planned for everything to be this fucked up.
She wandered out into the garden, taking a seat on an old stone bench that overlooked a large pond. “Heaven’s too fucked up for God to be real. Surely, he’d sort out the angels if he was good.”
Kieron took a seat beside her and stared across the pond. “Who said he was good?”
Peering at him, she pondered the question for a moment. “Well, the bible.”
“If someone wrote my biography, do you think I’d allow them to make me look like an asshole in it?” He shrugged.
She stared across the pond, deep in thought. After happy Hell and an insane supernatural Earth, she couldn’t help but wonder what Heaven would turn out to be. Judging by what she’d seen so far, it seemed decidedly evil with all the brainwashing, cannibal angels and the burning of anyone who disagreed. “Maybe all the theology is propaganda. Maybe the good guys lost.”
The thought was sobering, depressing even. But that’s how it all looked. When you stripped away the history and the stories, all that remained was the fact that someone as good as Kieron came out of Hell, and that Heaven only had suffering to offer.
“Who are the good guys?” Kieron asked.
“That’s what I want to know,” Dora said.
Sixteen
Angelic Interrogation
After Kieron had gone to find some food, Dora decided to hunt down Lucian. Mulling over Heaven hadn’t led to any epiphanies, so she figured she’d ask someone who was actually from here.
With determination, she stormed through the mansion house, looking for him. He wasn’t going to bullshit his way out of giving her the answers this time.
No, but he’s probably going to try to.
She couldn’t help but admire the intricate carvings in the décor as she swept down the long hallway. From the coving to the picture frames, everything was carved with swirls and patterns. The paintings on the walls were unseen masterpieces, depicting angels and Heaven.
How does a guy like Lucian end up living in a place like this?
From what she knew about him, which wasn’t much, he was a fallen angel, which meant he’d been thrown out of Heaven at some point. Although, his version of the story was that he escaped Heaven and threw himself into limbo.
She hurried down the long hallway, running her fingers over the balustrade beside her and occasionally glancing over it at the floor below. The house was huge, so finding Lucian was a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.
The sound of a violin echoed ahead of her, causing her to pause. Since neither Pooey or Kieron listened to classical music, she assumed it had to be Lucian.
The sound of music was ahead of her, so she followed it to a large oak door, pausing outside the room and listening. The orchestral music echoed hauntingly through the door in a beautiful melody.
She frowned. Lucian didn’t seem like the kind of person who would listen to beautiful melodies.
Frowning, she gently pushed against the door, surprised as it slowly swung open to reveal a parlor. The room was light and airy with bright sunlight beaming through the open window as the white curtains wafted in the soft breeze.
Lucian lounged on one of the plush white couches. Beside him was an ornate sideboard that was home to an ancient gramophone. His eyes were closed as the enchanting music sang out of the golden horn of the device and filled the room with its enchanting melody.
Dora studied the fallen angel in silence for a moment while he was unaware of her presence. She’d never seen him like this before, serene, relaxed and almost angelic.
After a moment, she stepped into the room. Angelic or not, she still needed answers.
“Ahem.” She cleared her throat, and his eyes shot open.
When he noticed her, his shoulders tensed, and he abruptly sat up and turned off the gramophone, scratching the needle across the record in his haste to silence it.
“You don’t have to stop it. It’s beautiful music.” She winced at the sound of the needle scratching the surface of the disk.
“What do you want?” He turned to face her with angry brown eyes, clearly trying to cover up his moment of music appreciation.
“I want to ask you some questions about Heaven.”
He shrugged. “It’s full of psychos. What else do you need to know?”
Trying to form the words that would encompass the million questions she had was quite the challenge, but she decided that direct was the best way to go. “Where’s God?”
Lucian averted his eyes. “Who says there is one?”
“But—” She paused, widening her eyes. Was he saying that God didn’t exist?
After a moment, she narrowed her eyes. This was still Lucian, and he was full of shit most of the time. “The bible says he does.”
“Harry Potter says that wizards are real too. Have you met one?”
She studied him. “Well, there’s you.”
He widened his eyes in horror. “How dare you. I’m no wizard.”
“You were a man-witch on Earth.” She shrugged.
“Warlock, it’s warlock, you foolish girl. God, can’t you tell the difference?”
“What’s the difference between a wizard and warlock?” She put her hands on her hips.
“Well they’re….they’re…” He paused for a moment. “Wizards are more…” He frowned as if trying to come up with a good reason. “Warlocks are badass!”
She rolled her eyes and took a seat on the chaise longue opposite him. “I’m not here to talk about warlocks.”
“Then why are you here? Are you getting a teenage crush?”
“What the fu—”
He held up his hand to silence her. “I realize that I’m an overwhelmingly attractive man, but I could never do that to my son. You’re a sweet kid, bu—”
“Eww!” Dora interrupted. “This doesn’t have to do with…Eww, that’s not why I’m here!”
“And yet, you saunter into my private rooms wearing tight leather pants and looking hopeful,” he muttered while shaking his head.
Dora glanced down at the leather pants she’d stolen off an angel’s washing line. “These are all the clothes I have. I did not wear them for you.”
He smirked. “I dunno. I’ve seen the way you look at me…”
She narrowed her eyes. “With disgust.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” He flashed a knowing smile, which made her want to slap it right off his face.
“First, I’m not a lady. Second—and I realize being an old fart that this might be news to you—women speak the same language as men do, so I say what I fucking mean.”
Lucian gasped. “I don’t look old, do I?”
Dora studied him. He didn’t look old. He looked about twenty-five, but that didn’t change the fact that he was old, and he looked too old for her. “You look your age.” The corner of her mouth turned up. “What is that, two thousand years old?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Right back atcha.”
“See, we’re perfect for each other. But it’s a forbidden love, so you’ll just have to leave. Go now, before we’re driven by our impulses.” He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the door.
“Go fuck yourself.” She stood up, intending to storm out of the room. But then she paused. “Motherfucker,” she muttered under her breath before turning back to face him. “You’re just trying to make me uncomfortable, so I’ll leave you alone.”
“I don’t know what you mean, but if you keep standing there looking at me like that, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” He shot her a smoldering glance.
“If you come anywhere near me, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” She picked up a nearby candleholder and tested the weight of it in her hand. It was heavy enough to give him a headache.
“Just leave before I do something you’ll regret.”
“Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll leave you alone.” Now that she realized his whole act was about diverting her from the truth, she wanted to know what he was hiding even more.
He stared at her in silence.
“I’m not leaving until you answer my questions, and this romance bullshit can end right here since we both know it’s bullshit.”
He scowled and folded his arms. “I just think you have a problem with me because I see that you’re not the right girl for my son. He can do better.”
Dora tightened her fist around the candleholder. She knew this was just another attempt at making her leave, but he was hitting some nerves this time. When it came to Kieron, she had emotions, fears, love. “God, you’re like a fucking internet troll. Can you stick to the subject, or is that too difficult for your tiny brain?”
“What, the subject of your slutty attempts to woo me or the subject of my son’s welfare? I’m perfectly in my rights to be concerned by all of this.” There was a wicked glint of light in his eyes. “You’ve always been a bad girl, am I right? Maybe you’re just not good enough for Kieron.”
She frowned, trying to ignore the words, but... Kieron was really good, and she’d never been very good at anything. Maybe he was right. A lump appeared in her throat. She was just a dead girl. There wasn’t much she could offer Kieron. Even if she was alive and back on Earth, it didn’t mean they’d end up together. Kieron was going to go back to Hell at some point. They were from different worlds, and in the end, this adventure wouldn’t last. “I don’t want to talk about that,” she muttered.
“Oh, now that you don’t want to talk about something, we have to stop because the world revolves around you, right?” Lucian threw his hands up into the air.
Divine Dora Page 9
