by C. L. Coffey
Glancing around, it didn’t look like anyone had noticed. With the tablet safely in the drink, I turned my attention back to the floor, trying to spot the missing tablet. “Have you lost something?” Joshua asked, placing a large pile of beignets in front of me. My stomach let out an appreciative grumble at the sight of them.
“No,” I said, hurrying to take one of the fried balls of goodness.
“You’re getting the sugar everywhere.” Joshua rolled his eyes as he sat down. “Be careful.”
I was showering powdered sugar everywhere because my hand was shaking. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, then ate the beignet – this time, most of the sugar stayed on the dough. “Don’t you want one?” I asked.
“They’re all yours, babe,” Joshua said with a shake of his head. “I told you I wasn’t really hungry. I’m just going to drink this coffee.”
I picked up another beignet and quickly ate it, watching while Joshua picked up his coffee and blew at it to cool it. Darn it.
“You can’t take your eyes off my coffee,” Joshua said. I nearly choked on the powdered sugar. “You want it instead of your mocha?”
“No, no!” I said, hurriedly, reaching for my drink before he could consider swapping them. I hurried to take a sip, then winced when I realized it was too hot. “Where do you want to go?” I asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.
Opposite, Joshua set his mug down on the table. “Is there anywhere you ever wanted to go?”
“Florida?” I shrugged. There were plenty of places I wanted to visit, but who cared? We were never going to go there.
“Disney?”
I took another beignet. “Honestly, so long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go,” I told him. “Where do you want to go?”
“Vegas.”
I blinked. “Okay. Let’s head there. I’ve never been. Have you?”
Joshua nodded. “Not so long ago. I liked it. The place never sleeps, and I like blackjack.”
I stared at his mug. “Are you not going to drink that?”
“Are you sure you don’t want it?” he asked, pushing it slightly in my direction.
Okay, I was going to blow this if I wasn’t careful. All I needed was to be patient. All I needed to do was sit back and eat the beignets. I did that, polishing them off. Then I sat back. I stared at Joshua, but I wasn’t really seeing him. I was feeling spaced out. It was weird.
“Are you okay over there, babes?”
I shook my head, trying to clear it. It felt full of cotton wool. “I think I need some fresh air,” I mumbled, getting to my feet. I took a step away from the table and stumbled. Joshua was there, catching me before I hit the floor. “Sorry,” I said. “You should finish your coffee then join me.”
Joshua slipped a hand around my waist to help me stay upright. It was a good job because my legs were starting to feel like they weren’t my own. Like when you sit on them too long and you get pins and needles so badly that it feels like your feet are stubs. “Don’t fight it, Angel,” he said, weaving us through the crowds.
“This isn’t right,” I mumbled. I stared at a face I didn’t recognize, trying to get my lips to move, to tell them I needed help, but my mouth couldn’t speak.
Then the world started to go black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Changed the Way You Kissed Me
I awoke with a headache and a dry mouth. It felt like I had gone out and gotten completely drunk on Hurricane cocktails, with a few Hand Grenades thrown in. The latter, with the grain alcohol, was lethal.
I rolled over with a groan, trying to piece my memory together: I had no recollection as to how I ended up in my bed.
It took several minutes of feeling sorry for myself before I realized the silken sheets were not mine, and I wasn’t in my own bed. It took even longer for me to remember I was an angel, and even though I had left the convent, I had still taken the covenant and therefore couldn’t drink without falling.
“You’re awake?” Joshua asked.
I rolled over and found Joshua in bed, lying on his side beside me. He had propped himself up with one arm and had been watching me sleep. His gaze was full of a lust that had me temporarily forgetting about the swaying. “Where are we?” I asked.
“You don’t remember?” I chewed at my lower lip, trying to fill in the blanks. “Let me help with that,” he said in a throaty whisper. In one swift movement, he had tugged me closer to him, and then he was straddling me. Using his arms to support his weight, he lowered his head and kissed me.
Now this was the kind of morning wakeup I could get used to. His tongue entered my mouth and started making long, sweeping motions that had my toes curling in pleasure. The nausea, and everything else, was forgotten about.
But something didn’t feel right. Gently, I pushed him away. Hovering above me, he stared down at me, his eyes silently asking me what was wrong. “Something doesn’t seem right,” I told him. “Like I’m forgetting something important.”
“If it was important, you wouldn’t have forgotten about it, and if it is important, you will remember it,” he told me, before leaning down to reclaim my mouth with his.
Although his kisses had the power to make me forget everything. I pushed him back again, and then tried to wriggle out from underneath him. Joshua rolled to the side with an impatient growl as I sat up. I instantly regretted that. The room was swaying and the nausea came back like a punch to the face. “What did we do last night?” I asked with a groan, flopping back on the bed. I wanted to go back to sleep and try to sleep this hangover from hell away.
No, wait. I’d just established that I didn’t drink.
With no warning, Joshua reached for me, pulling me on top of him. I only just managed to use my elbows to keep my balance. “Just kiss me,” he grumbled. He reached up and pulled me to him, then suddenly, he shoved me to the side, hissing. “What the hell?”
“What’s the matter?” I asked. I was having trouble keeping up with everything. I curled up into a fetal position, and then managed to poke an eye open. While the room swayed around me, I fixed my attention on Joshua. He was now sat in an armchair that had been positioned at the foot of the bed, watching with a scowl as he rubbed at his shoulder blade.
I screwed my face up, trying my hardest to work out what was bothering me. It was something to do with Joshua. Only, why would Joshua be bothering me. I made myself forget about trying to remember what had happened last night and pushed my memory back further. It was like wading through a thick fog that was blocking my thoughts.
Something popped into my head like I had stepped from darkness into a brightly lit room.
Lucifer.
Lucifer was possessing Joshua.
I sat up, wincing at the effort, and glowered at Joshua. No, that wasn’t right. Lucifer. He was Lucifer in Joshua’s body. And I was done calling him Joshua.
“What have you done to me?” I asked. “Why have I got a massive gap in my memory?”
“Probably because I used one of the roofies you tried to use on me, on you,” Lucifer shrugged, nonchalantly.
I reached up and placed my hand on my forehead. It was hot and sweaty. “You drugged me?”
“Oh, don’t act so indignant about it,” Lucifer snapped. “You were going to do the same thing to me.”
“How?”
“You think I wouldn’t feel those pills in your pocket?” he asked, incredulously. “I knew you knew who I was. You may think your acting skills are Oscar worthy, but I could tell the moment you suspected it was me in here. You changed the way you kissed me. When you suddenly reappeared, I knew something was up. I admit, I expected Michael and the rest of Heaven to turn up with you.” He arched an eyebrow. “You probably should have gone with that option, babes.”
“Where are we?” I asked. The room was still swaying as I tried to sit up once more.
Lucifer got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down by my side. “Now now, stop changing the subject.
I’m trying to tell you how I roofied you.”
He looked so smug, I didn’t want to let him tell me, but as the options were between trying to get my body to respond to me so I could get out of there, or listening to him brag, I didn’t want to waste energy on telling him to shut up. Instead, I closed my eyes and did my best to will my body to do whatever it needed to in order to get the last of the drugs from my system.
“Your beignets,” Lucifer said in delight. “So many people think that you can only put roofies in a drink, but it comes in a tablet. It takes nothing to grind it up, and, when you load it onto something like a beignet buried under powdered sugar, no one will ever tell.”
“I guess you’d be the expert.”
“Oh, babes,” Lucifer sighed. “I see what you’re implying there, but I’ve never had to drug anyone to have sex with them. Did you see Luke Goddard? Have you seen this body?”
I glanced over, just in time to see him rip his shirt open, giving me a good view of Joshua’s muscular chest. My lip curled up in a grimace. “That’s not your body.”
“It is now,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Finders keepers, and all.”
Those were the magic words I needed to hear. Rage flooded my body, replacing whatever remnants of the rohypnol were left floating in my system. I leaped from the bed and dashed for the door. I was surprised when it opened with ease. And then confusion set in as I ran into a large, empty dining hall. There was something about it that was vaguely familiar, but it wasn’t important. At the other side of the room, I could see the exit. I sped across the room, flung the door open, and then skidded to a stop.
Water.
I shook my head, sure that the rohypnol was back playing tricks with me, but the water remained. I was on a boat in the middle of a river, which explained the rocking sensation, and almost definitely the nausea. I glanced off to the side, staring at the city skyline: New Orleans. So this was the Mississippi… I hurried to the side of the boat and examined it.
I was on the upper level of a large boat. Although my body was starting to move properly, my thoughts were still a little muggy. The boat was old. At the rear of the boat were giant red paddles, spinning lazily around as it propelled the boat forward. I recognized this boat.
I looked down. Just below me was the boat’s name: the Natchez.
“Surprise,” Lucifer said.
I whirled around. He was leaning against the doorway, the ripped shirt rippling around in the wind. “Did you steal the Natchez?” I asked, my mouth hanging open.
“At least I don’t have to pretend to think it’s cute when you say idiotic things, anymore,” he sneered. “Don’t be so stupid. If I stole this thing, it would be found in a heartbeat and surrounded by all the police boats this city has.”
“Why?” I asked in amazement.
“I like boats,” he responded, simply.
“You? Like boats?” I repeated in disbelief. “And you decided to steal this one?”
“Borrowed,” Lucifer pointed out. “And yes. I like boats. This one makes me feel nostalgic.” He folded his arms. “To tell you the truth-”
“Are you capable of that?” I snorted.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “I am capable of telling the truth. I like telling the truth, actually, because, frequently, the truth hurts. And in this case, the truth is that I wanted a castle.”
I stared blankly at him. “That… What…?” I was sure the drugs were still doing something to me. “How on Earth do you make a leap from a castle to a boat?” I finally managed to splutter. It didn’t make sense. Moreover, his ‘truth’ didn’t hurt.
“Castles come with moats. And most of those are in Europe. So, I settled for a boat. I’m protected on all four sides by water, so I can see anyone coming.”
“Not if they’re angelic,” I pointed out, with a smug smile.
“That’s true,” Lucifer agreed as he returned my smile with his own smirk. “Only, how are you going to get in touch with them? You left the House. That means no direct connection, and no tracking.”
I felt sick, and it wasn’t from the water or the drugs. Trying to remain discreet, I slipped a hand into my pocket.
“Looking for this?” Lucifer asked, plucking my phone out from his own jeans. Without waiting for a response, he tossed it over my head before I could react. I turned, just in time to see it splash into the water and disappear into the murky depths. “You’re kinda stuck here. I mean, unless, of course, you want to go for a swim.”
I stared at the water. I was a good swimmer, but I was also good enough to know I would struggle in the Mississippi. Normally, it looks calm, albeit an interesting shade of brown, but that’s just above the surface. Below, there were strong currents, and it was a lot deeper than it looked. Today, there were white tipped waves attacking the side of the boat from the strong, cold winds. Add in the high volume of shipping traffic ranging from small speed boats to full sized cargo ships that could travel across any ocean in the world, and I would struggle. I also still had the drugs circulating in me.
I turned back to Lucifer and found him smirking at me. “It’s a bit better than a moat, isn’t it? And I bet it’s got alligators in it.”
I hated him. I really hated him. “Why am I here?” I asked him.
“Meh,” Lucifer shrugged. “Entertainment?” When I glowered at him, he laughed. “The fact you thought you could stop me by drugging me is hilarious. Yet, you continue to stand in front of me, glaring at me like you can change things. That, babes, is priceless.”
“Are you going to keep me prisoner on the Natchez forever?” I asked.
Lucifer shook his head. “You don’t have to worry about that. I have a short attention span. I have the boat for a few days. I haven’t quite decided on what I’m going to do with you after that – I guess that’s up to you.”
“I’m going to kill you,” I said, simply.
“Well, damn,” Lucifer snapped his fingers. “I had hoped you were going to come and join me in that big ol’ bed back there.”
“You’re disgusting,” I murmured.
“Yet you were happily kissing me earlier. I wonder how poor Joshy would feel about that?” he shrugged. “Well, on the plus side, I guess you’ll never have to find out.”
I turned around and threw up over the side of the boat while Lucifer laughed behind me. I had no idea what to do, but I wasn’t done until I was dead.
I closed my eyes and emptied my mind. I had maybe minutes at best before Lucifer walked over to see what I was doing – there was only so long I could use my nausea as a cover. It was the middle of the morning, and I knew that the three angels I might have a chance at getting a message to in a dream would be awake, but I was trying something different.
Once I’d had a connection with Michael. Unlike Cupid, he remembered things when I met him in his dreams. Maybe, just maybe, I could connect with him when he was awake. All I needed were a few seconds. My mind was white, and I focused as hard as I could on Michael, picturing his new vessel, concentrating on each limb and detail. Finally, I had him in front of me.
“Michael!”
He turned, surprised. “Angel?”
Then something happened. I wasn’t sure what, but a hole opened, and everything began circling out of it, like water running down a drain. At an extraordinary speed, Michael too was being sucked out. “NATCHEZ!” I screamed as he disappeared, and the hole closed.
At that moment, my eyes flew open. I was on my back, on the floor of the Natchez. Lucifer was on top of me, pure rage had engulfed Joshua’s eyes as he kneeled on my chest. That in itself would have been enough to account for the fact I was struggling to breath, but he also had his hands wrapped around my throat.
I raised my arms, or I tried too. The shoulder that had been hurt by Paddy had my own sword protruding from it, pinning me to the ground. I wanted to scream in pain, but I couldn’t even get the air in, never mind out.
My vision was going black.
This was how I was
going to die?
Just as the dancing black spots were closing up into one mass, the grip around my throat lessened, and Lucifer slumped forward. Seconds later, Joshua’s body was picked up and tossed to the side.
“Stay still!” Henry barked at me. “This is going to hurt.”
That was all the warning he gave me before he yanked my sword from shoulder. I screamed in agony, but no sound came out. Coughing, spluttering, in pain, I rolled to my side, clutching at my shoulder. There was blood running freely from through my fingers.
And then we were in the morgue and I was lying on one of the aluminum tables, icy cold underneath me. A shudder ran through me, which in turn had pain shooting from my shoulder. “Just stay still,” Henry said, appearing above me, holding a syringe. He jabbed it in my arm, and slowly, things stopped hurting.
I lay on the table, turning my head to avoid staring up at the dazzling light above me, trying to catch my breath while not coughing. I passed out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
B & E
When I next awoke, I felt more like me. The last traces of the rohypnol had gone from my system, and my arm didn’t hurt as much. It was bandaged up, and strapped down though, I realized, as I struggled to sit up.
“You should rest some more,” Michael instructed me from my side. He was sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic seats, watching me in concern.
“I have lost too much time already,” I told him.
Michael sighed, getting to his feet. “I thought you might say that.” He offered his hand as I swung my legs around and off the table.
“Thank you,” I murmured as I stood. I glanced back at the table and shuddered. Of all the places, a morgue table? There was another shudder, and then I refused to look at it. “What happened? Where’s Joshua?”
