Angel Exalted

by C. L. Coffey

  I chewed at my lip. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. I was still trying to recover from my numerous injuries, and I was feeling very alone. One thing I was certain of was that I couldn’t take on Lucifer by myself; I was too weak and unskilled. I was also too close to the situation and I wasn’t sure I would be able to do what was needed.

  I finished the water and tossed the bottle in the trash. I needed to do something, and I needed to do it soon. Whenever I’d spoken to any of the angels about being possessed in the past, all I ever heard was, after so long, the human soul was overtaken by the Fallen. The longer they were in there, the weaker they became.

  I was not losing Joshua to Lucifer.

  I sat in the SUV and pulled out my phone. Cupid and Veronica had left the convent, but thankfully, for Cupid at least, I had a way to get in touch with this archangel.

  Cupid, are you awake? Can we meet? Please? Xx. I frowned at the phone, realizing that we needed to meet somewhere that wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary for me. Zachary would still be keeping an eye on me. I quickly tapped out another message. If you can think of somewhere that won’t draw Zachary’s suspicions, that would be good! Xx.

  It took a few minutes, but I got my response: Café du Monde? The one on Decatur is open 24/7.

  I’ll be 20 mins.

  I stuck the phone back in my pocket and made the drive to the coffee shop, finding somewhere to park easily at this time of night. I could smell the coffee before I entered the door, along with the sugar from the beignets. There was also a hint of cinnamon in the air too, either from a seasonal flavoring to the coffee, or air fresheners to make the café smell Christmassy.

  This close to Christmas, and this late at night, the café was quiet. Veronica and Cupid were already seated in a back corner. I gave them a brief wave of acknowledgement, and then hurried to the counter to place my order. We wouldn’t be able to sit and chat without having a coffee in front of us, but I was also hoping the heat and the caffeine might perk me up. It didn’t take long for the coffee to be made, and I made my way to my angelic friends.

  Devastation still filled Veronica’s eyes, but there was a little more color in her pale cheeks, and she had finally had a shower. It wasn’t going to fix anything, but she now looked a little less alarming in a public setting. I also hoped it had helped her feel a little bit better too.

  They were seated next to each other on a small couch. From the way Cupid had his arm around Veronica, to the unknowing eye, they looked like a very odd couple, especially since Cupid looked a good ten years older than Veronica’s teen vessel. However, seeing as I could see how tightly Veronica was clutching at Cupid’s arm, I wasn’t going to be the one to separate them.

  I set my coffee onto the table, along with the plate that was piled high with beignets, and then sat down opposite them, curling my feet up beneath me. I was hoping that if I could sit in a relaxed manner, I would subconsciously calm my nerves which were currently running haywire. Despite the sweet smell of the warm beignets, I couldn’t face any with my stomach still churning away. Instead, I leaned forward to push the plate to the other angels and grabbed my mug of coffee.

  “If I ask where you guys are staying these days, will I get an answer?” I asked.

  Cupid opened his mouth to respond, but was rewarded with a sharp jab to his ribs by Veronica. “After what happened to the others?” she sniped.

  That was fair. Technically, I was the one who had led the Fallen to their secret base at the top of the Plaza Tower. It didn’t stop the shooting pain in my side – like Veronica had also elbowed me. With a spear.

  “Veronica, that’s not fair,” Cupid objected, rubbing at his side. “Angel never led the Fallen there intentionally.”

  I clutched at the mug, trying to absorb all the heat from it that I could. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “I get it.”

  “What did you want to speak to us about?” Cupid asked, glancing between the two of us. “It sounded important.”

  I turned my attention on Veronica. “You had said that you thought that I would be able to defeat Lucifer. Why? What made me so special?”

  “That was Garret’s theory,” Veronica responded, like she had no clue what it was.

  I shot her a scowl. While I could understand the animosity that was being directed at me, it wasn’t going help me. I closed my eyes, forced my face to relax, and sucked in a deep breath. Anger wasn’t going to work. I opened my eyes and fixed them on her. “Please, Veronica. I know you and Garret were close. I know you spoke about it.”

  “What does it matter?” she asked. “Lucifer is dead.”

  “Please,” I repeated.

  Veronica extracted herself from Cupid’s embrace and reached for a beignet, sending icing sugar showering down over her black clothing. She didn’t seem to notice as she picked the fried dough apart, chewing it slowly. “You’re not particularly strong,” she eventually announced. “Nor are you particularly fast. To be honest, I’ve watched you training with Cupid and Michael, and you’re mediocre at best.”

  “Ronnie!” Cupid cried, looking almost embarrassed at his friend’s words.

  I waved his objection aside. “She’s not wrong, Cupid,” I said, agreeing with the cherub. “I’m not great. The only reason I survived fighting any of the Fallen is because I’ve never been alone. Valac was a fluke, and the others were defeated by you archangels who know what you’re doing.”

  Veronica shot Cupid a look which clearly said ‘I told you so’, and then turned back to the plate of beignets, this time scooping a few of them into her hands. “But the one thing you were able to excel at was cussing.”

  I stared blankly at her. “You’re telling me that the secret to defeating Lucifer was me cussing him out?” I asked. The image of me standing in front of Lucifer and calling him every name under the sun, while he shriveled up like date left in the sun appeared in my mind. I let out a bark of laughter, sending my coffee slopping over the edge of the mug. I set the mug down, still laughing as I brushed the warm coffee from my jeans.

  That earned me another death glare. “Of course not,” Veronica scoffed. “But you’re the only angel who has been able to go against the covenant.”

  I quickly sobered up at that. “Veronica, I hadn’t taken the covenant,” I informed her. “I didn’t even sign it until the other day.”

  Veronica’s mouth fell open. “How did you get away with that for so long?”

  “Things were happening,” Cupid muttered, shifting uncomfortable beside her. “It wasn’t as high on the list of priorities.”

  “Well the theory is now irrelevant,” Veronica shrugged. She grabbed the whole plate and started eating the pastries as quickly as she could. I was going to have to go and buy another plate for her. It felt like the least I could do.

  I got up to do that as well as refresh my coffee, but I had only taken two steps from our table when Zachary appeared. Okay, it wasn’t out of thin air. We were in a public place, but it still startled me. It shouldn’t have, because part of the reason I’d wanted to go somewhere which wasn’t going to cause suspicion was because I knew the virtue was keeping an eye on me. Yet I had expected it to be done with the weird psychic trace the House lead had. Not physically.

  Somehow, I managed to keep my expression pleasant. “Zachary, you’ve timed this right. Have you ever had Café du Monde’s hickory smoked coffee and a beignet? I’m just about to order another round. Would you like one?”

  “What are you doing here, Angel?” he asked, ignoring my insincere question.

  I raised my half empty mug. “Replenishing my caffeine levels,” I said, still being as fake friendly as I could manage.

  “With those two?” he continued; his expression skeptical.

  “Well, both Cupid and Veronica have coffee and beignets, so I’m going to say yes to that,” I responded, sarcasm starting to creep into my response. “And I was sat with them.”

  Zachary rolled his eyes at me. “You shouldn’t be associating w
ith them.”

  “Why not?” I demanded. “They may not be a part of our House, but they’re still my friends. Besides, neither Cupid nor Veronica have fallen.”

  “That’s not the point,” Zachary snapped.

  I shrugged. “So, what is?”

  Zachary’s eyes narrowed. “What were you talking about?”

  I smiled. “About the good old days. Back when the dream team were leading the House.”

  The expression on Zachary’s face was positively murderous. “Don’t stay out too late,” he growled at me, turning on his heel.

  “Yes, mother,” I called after him as he stalked out of the coffee shop. Only when the door chimed shut after him did I relax. I could feel my hands shaking and I knew it wasn’t because I needed to eat.

  “What was that?” Veronica demanded, joining my side.

  “My new boss is a douche,” I muttered. “I need a drink,” I said, charging off to the counter.

  I returned a while later with another heaped plate of beignets and a large chocolate milkshake. I settled back down. “What?” I asked, acknowledging the fact that the two had been mid-conversation, but had gone quiet as I had joined them.

  “You’re going to have a hard time running that House with him,” Veronica blurted out.

  “It’s only until Michael is better,” Cupid quickly interjected. “You only need to hold out until then.”

  “Why is it you two can see what a Zachary he is, but the angels think he is the best thing sliced bread?”

  “The angels don’t really have any interaction with the choirs still based in Heaven,” Cupid explained. “To be fair to them, when Zachary does his job, he does do it well. He’s got his attention on you because you called unnecessary attention to this city and the angels in it.”

  “Thanks,” I grumbled.

  “He’s not a bad angel,” Cupid said, still trying to be objective. “His problem is he is trying too hard.”

  Understatement. I reached for the beignets before Veronica scooped up the plate again. We sat in silence, eating the pastries. I still didn’t have an answer – or even a hint – as to what to do with Joshua. “What would me being able to cuss out Lucifer do to defeat him?” I asked. Something about that was nagging at me.

  Veronica’s mouth, open as she was about to take a bite of the pastry in her hand, froze – along with the hand. Slowly, frowning, she lowered her hand. “We thought your strength lay in your mental abilities.”

  “Is that a way of insulting me?” I sighed, wearily.

  “No,” Veronica shook her head and set the pastry down. She quickly brushed the powdered sugar from her fingers, again not seeing it shower down on her clothing. “Michael was strong. He was the best of us all,” she explained. “I mean, his archery skills weren’t quite on par with Cupid’s but even then, Cupid was the only one who could ever beat him. When it came to his swordsmanship, the only person who could ever beat him was Lucifer. Lucifer’s final battle – that really could have gone either way.”

  “Veronica,” Cupid sighed, rolling his eyes.

  “Oh, please. You thought so too.”

  “Is this important?” I asked.

  Veronica narrowed her eyes. “You asked. I’m explaining.”

  “Sorry,” I said when she went quiet.

  “When Michael defeated Lucifer, he defeated his vessel. If he had defeated Lucifer completely, he would never have returned from Hell.”

  That made sense, I guess. “So, what you’re saying is that although I would never be able to defeat Lucifer in physical combat, I would stand a chance if I turned into Professor X and defeated him with my mind.”

  Veronica upper lip curled in disdain. “Honestly, I’m doubting you could do either at this point, but seeing as you were only able to cuss because you hadn’t taken the covenant, then I’m sure you definitely couldn’t do it.”

  I sat back in my seat, sipping at my milkshake as I tried to work out what she was telling me. I wasn’t stupid, although I was feeling like the world’s biggest idiot from the looks that she was sending me. Cussing Lucifer out wasn’t quite what she was implying. It was more that I was supposedly stronger mentally than physically. Maybe she was thinking I had the ability to withstand the repercussions of stretching the limits of the covenant.

  But I didn’t have that ability. Besides, if I was supposed to fight Lucifer mentally, it wasn’t going to be when he was walking around, because that really did call for some Professor X skill levels. No, it would need to be when he was unconscious or… “I can manipulate dreams,” I blurted out.

  Cupid and Veronica, both midway through drinking their own coffees, froze and stared at me.

  “I can Dream Walk,” I explained. “Only, recently, when I’ve been in dreams, I’ve been able to change things.”

  “Change what things?” Veronica demanded.

  I chewed at my lip before answering. “It started off with being Joshua’s dream. I was able to create a newspaper out of nothing.”

  “And you’re sure that was you and not Joshua?” Cupid asked.

  I nodded. “Since then, I was able to explore Joshua’s memory and recreate something he thought he had forgotten. I was able to let him spend time with his sister, even though she’s been dead for a few years now.” I frowned. “I did it with Michael too: we were in the Louvre and I made everyone there disappear so that it was just us two.”

  “That’s not possible,” Cupid declared. “Dream Walking is joining another dream. You’re not able to change it. Why do you think we find them so ineffective and have messenger angels?”

  I bit back a laugh. After I had announced so many times, ‘that’s not possible’, it was amusing to hear Cupid say it. It was also irritating, however. I sympathized with him for putting up with me saying it so often in the past.

  “Whether it is or isn’t is irrelevant at this point,” Veronica shrugged, although she was eyeing me with suspicion. “Lucifer is dead.”

  I stared at the nearly empty glass in my hands, stirring the remaining cream and milkshake around with the straw. I let out a long sigh and looked at the two of them. I had come prepared to tell them about Lucifer and Joshua, but looking at them, seeing how emotionally exhausted and drained they were, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Maybe I was still in denial about the possibility of it being real. Maybe I just wasn’t sure if I could trust Veronica after seeing how Paddy was reacting to Ty. If nothing else, I had an idea on what could defeat Lucifer. The next thing to work out was how…

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A New Path

  I had never really appreciated it when I had it, but now I wished I still had my psychic connection with Michael so that I didn’t have to return to the convent. At the same time, I didn’t want to have to talk to Michael. I still wanted to go as long as possible without someone confirming that my worst fears were correct.

  It was a silly hour in the morning, and I was tempted to put this off until a more reasonable time, but if I was right, we needed to move as quickly as possible. He was staying in the room next to Cupid’s. I was surprised when, after rapping gently on the door, Michael opened it. The last time I had done that, he had appeared wearing nothing but a pair of silken pajama bottoms. This occasion was no different. His vessel had changed, but his sleeping habits hadn’t.

  While this body was nothing like the sculptured perfection his previous one had been, he had lucked out in the looks department. Slightly more muscular than Cupid’s lanky frame, but not as broad as Gabriel, Michael could still hold his own with them.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked me, his eyes quickly scanning my face.

  Slowly I shook my head. “Can we go talk?” I asked.

  Michael cocked his head, then nodded. He disappeared into his room to pull a t-shirt on, and then followed me downstairs to my office off the library. While he took a seat on one of the couches, I started pacing back and forth in front of the desk.

  I was struggli
ng to find the words, mainly because now it was dawning on me that my history with telling Michael that Lucifer was still alive had never gone well. Michael waited patiently, watching me walk.

  Finally, I stopped and faced him. “I need to tell you something.”

  “I gathered,” he nodded. “But you should remember that I am no longer the angel in charge of this House. If this is something Zachary should be aware of, it might be easier to have him here, rather than repeat the conversation later.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t do…” I sighed. “I need to tell you something. Something you’re not going to like. Something which, given previous conversations with you, you’re probably not going to believe and definitely not going to like.”

  “You can tell me anything,” Michael said.

  I didn’t doubt that, but I was doubting my decision to tell him about Joshua. The last thing I needed was him believing me and then going after Joshua. I stared at him, then took a deep breath. “I don’t think Lucifer is dead,” I said, testing the waters.

  Michael stared back me. Not the worst reaction I had imagined.

  “I know that’s probably hard to believe, especially considering how hard it was to believe the first time around, but I think he’s still here, and I think he’s done exactly what he did last time and chosen a human to possess.”

  Michael remained silent.

  “And I have an idea of how to get him out, but I need your help,” I finished.

  Michael continued staring at me, and then, finally, spoke. “What makes you believe that?”

  I blinked. That was actually kind of a positive response. Or, I’d not been shot down, at least. “You believe me?”

  “Last time, I was wrong. This time, even though I am doubtful, I would like you to convince me.”

  I chewed at my lip. “I just have a feeling,” I admitted.

  Michael shifted in his seat. “You can tell me,” he said.

  “I think he’s possessing Joshua,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. I froze, waiting.