Hell's Redemption- The Complete Series Boxset

by Grace McGinty

  Gus scoffed. “What he means is he can’t do it. He thinks we are the B Team, but he is Luc’s poor substitute. A booby prize. The runner up in the Miss America contest.”

  Red tinged Uriel’s cheeks. “And what of you, Gusion? What were you? You were just some cheap angel who fell for a daughter of man but was too useless to save her when the time came. You couldn’t save her, or her tribe, and now her people are completely forgotten. You won’t be able to help this daughter of man either, Gusion. Because you are useless. You were useless as an angel, and now you are useless as a Fallen. You are a waste of celestial power.”

  Gusion’s face blanched. Oh, that was too far. No one, not even Michael himself, got to speak to my loved ones that way. I pulled back my fist and felt a painful satisfaction as my knuckles cracked into his face. Sure, it would heal almost instantly, but I’ll have made my point. Plus, he couldn't hit me back. It was against the rules, really. But luckily, I no longer played by the rules.

  The Big Guy would be so disappointed in you right now, Uriel. I’ve only met him once, but even I know he wouldn’t condone your words.

  True that!

  I turned my back on Uriel, and on Arcadia’s last chance at getting her soul back where it belonged.

  “I’m sorry,” Gusion murmured when we’d left the VIP areas, more subdued than I’d seen him in years.

  Not your fault, Gus. It’ll be okay.

  But I heard her voice break, I felt her pain. It wasn’t alright. She needed her guys right now, even if she couldn’t be with them. The babies would make Gus feel better too. And if I was honest, I needed them as well. I took his hands and we sifted to SoHo.

  Luc must have sensed something, because he was there when we arrived outside the doors to the Sevens apartment building. He was leaning against the wall, his tight, dark jeans doing little to hide the fact he had Mount Dickerest in his pants. He did that slow, judging appraisal thing he does when he’s analyzing a situation, or weighing up a soul.

  “Uriel said no?”

  I nodded, and entwined my fingers in his as we walked into the apartment. Arcadia was eager to see her men. And her babies. I hustled my guys into the lift and pressed the button to Oz’s floor. Call it a hunch.

  We knocked on the door, polite like, as if it wasn’t as easy as breathing for us to just appear in any room in this apartment. Ri opened it, his face drawn and haggard, white colored spit up staining his black shirt.

  His eyes lit up when he saw me. “Ace! Do you have good news?”

  Ah shit. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Now I felt guilty on all fronts.

  I just shook my head sadly. As Orion’s face fell, the combination of everyone’s sadness, Ri’s, Arcadia's and my own, threatened to sink me. Luc and Gus both placed a hand on my back, Gusion on the curve of my spine and Luc’s just above the slope of my ass. I felt their love, and their resilience through their touch, and it bolstered me.

  Hug him for me. He needs it, Arcadia said softly. We all did. I stepped out of the grasp of my guys, and wrapped my arm around one of Arcadia’s Sins. The tension in his body thrummed against my angelic senses, and his pain, his guilt, was overwhelming. So I did something that I hadn’t done in years. Long before I lost my body, not since I fell. I sent some of my angelic light into his body to soothe him.

  “She wants to be here,” I whispered in his ear. He nodded and pulled back. His face held less strain, but I couldn’t chase away all the sadness.

  “Come on in. The babies came home yesterday. We are adjusting.” He pointed to the spit covered shirt. “Plus, Eli has been gone all day with your little surprise delivery.”

  “Don’t blame me. It was all your Lady Loves idea.” I followed behind him as he walked into the apartment. He gave Luc and Gus a cursory glance.

  How can they be home already? It was a rhetorical question. We could both felt time slipping through our fingers. Both babies were asleep in the one cot, and I reached out to trace a line down Hope's tiny cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared into my eyes, deep down into my soul. To her mother.

  Hello, my Sweet One, Arcadia cooed. Her tiny pink lips formed an O, and she gurgled softly, like she didn’t want to wake her sister.

  “Memphis was correct, they are something special,” Luc said from behind me. Hope’s face changed, turning into a frown as she tried to discern where the voice came from. Luc stepped forward to peer into the cot. Hope stared at the Devil with a concentration that belied her twenty-one day old age. She should be asleep, or eating, or pooping, but instead she was taking the measure of Lucifer’s soul.

  She’d managed to unswaddle a single arm, and she reached toward Luc. He reached into the cot, and Hope wrapped her tiny hand, no bigger than Luc’s thumbnail, around his finger.

  Luc laughed with delight. Such a pure happy sound, something I hadn’t heard from him in centuries. Sure, we laughed a lot, but there was always a dark undertone of bitterness or sarcasm. This was just pure joy.

  “I am so happy to meet you too, Little Hope,” he whispered softly.

  Is the baby talking to him? Arcadia sounded equal parts aghast and jealous.

  Luc just raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. She is an infant, she does not have language yet. But she sent me a wave of happiness, and I took that to mean she likes me.”

  Hope's eyes fluttered closed, and we crept out of the nursery.

  Where’s everyone else?

  I repeated Arcadia’s question out loud to Ri.

  “Not here, thank god. If Lux had seen Luc reach into the cot, he would have lost his shit. The guy has gone into super watchdog mode since the babies came home yesterday. He’s like Robocop or something.” He flopped down on the couch, putting his head back on the headrest and closing his eyes. “Eli, Tolliver and Sam have taken the boys to get checked out. Nazir looks fine, but hasn’t said a word since he arrived. Adnan is pretty perky for a kid that just had his leg blown off. Eli said that Raphael did a good job given the circumstances of the surgery. It’s healing nicely, and the kid is already a superstar on crutches, considering that it’s been only a couple of days. Lux is at your bedside. Valery is at work. Oz has gone to get groceries. And they left me to babysit. The most unqualified one.”

  I shrugged. “They were both asleep and breathing when we got here, I’m pretty sure that makes you qualified. Congratulations Daddy-o.”

  Ri looked like he’d been electrocuted. “What?” I asked, looking at my hands just in case I'd developed the ability to shoot lightning bolts from them. It was possible. Stranger things have happened this week alone.

  His brow wrinkled. “It didn’t occur to me that I kinda am. I mean, not biologically of course, but I’m kinda their dad. It just seems so unreal without Cady, you know? Like I couldn’t be their dad unless she was here, tying us all together. We all know Oz is biologically their father, but I can be their dad too.”

  I resisted the urge to smack my forehead and say, “duh”. I was saved by an unholy caterwauling cry from the bedroom. Instinctively, I ran into the babies’ room, ready to slay any threat, my sword already in my hand. Luc swaggered in behind me at a leisurely pace. There was no threat, unless the threat of a hungry belly counted.

  Estrella was awake, her little face scrunched mid-cry as she looked around at the strangers in the room. Then she looked at my sword, fascinated. I put it away, making it invisible at my side again. Her face scrunched back up and she howled the most awful noise I'd ever heard, way worse than the wailing of the demonesses. Panicking, I drew my sword again, and she stopped. Huh.

  Gusion was laughing his ass off. “Arcadia is going to have some serious problems with that one.” Luc was laughing too as he made a tiny stuffed sword appear from nowhere. It looked like mine, but baby safe. Estrella took the sword in her tiny hands, admiring it. The she put the end in her mouth and gummed it.

  “We’ll have a talk about sword safety when you’re older. Rule one though, don’t eat your sword.”

  I made
my own weapon disappear again, and this time there was no high pitched yowl.

  Hope just looked on, unaffected by her sister’s theatrics.

  Gusion came over, and reached down to touch Hope's head. I held my breath, as did Arcadia. I didn’t know if his power would work on the babies, being the strange mix of human and angel that they were, but I was nervous all the same.

  Gusion’s face folded into a frown. He reached across and placed the other hand on Estrella’s head. And then he laughed. A loud, booming, joyful laugh.

  He looked at me, a smile wide on his face. “We are all in so much trouble. These two will be a handful. But I see them living long, happy lives filled with adventure. Estrella especially will give you a few grey hairs. Hope…” He bit his lip, looking off into the distance. “Hope will change things for us. She will tread roads that no human has. She’ll change the status quo.”

  I stared down at my tiny Hope, no bigger than my forearm.

  I’m not sure if Gusion’s premonitions make me feel better or worse, Arcadia whispered.

  I didn’t either. Part of me wanted the babies to grow up and live nice, boring lives with a husband and two kids and a career they liked. But I guess I’d doomed them to a life of the extraordinary.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  We hung around until all of Arcadia’s Seven returned home. I hadn’t seen them all in the same room since I told them that she was dead. At Arcadia’s request, I hugged each and every one of them. They all looked haggard. Like attractive zombies. I guess redemption, and the inevitable human frailty that came with it, had its downsides.

  Eli, Sam and Tolli arrived home with the two little boys. Orion had been right about them. Adnan, the littlest one, raced around on crutches speaking too fast in his native language and bumping into things. He didn’t look like the kid on death's door literally days ago. He also didn’t speak a scrap of English, but the guys made do with an elaborate game of charades.

  “Mac’n’cheese!” he yelled. I lied. He spoke one word of English. I sat on the couch between Luc and Gus, holding Hope in my arms.

  The rest of the guys say across from me except Valery, who was making the aforementioned Mac.

  “So that’s it? We are out of options?” Tolliver asked, his tone angry.

  “Essentially yes.” I was prepared for their wrath. This was my fault.

  We’ve tried. They know that.

  “That’s unacceptable,” Lux growled. “It is unacceptable that she will never hold her children, or those who love her ever again. There must be another way.”

  Arcadia sniffled in my mind.

  “What happens now?” Eli asked. He was the only one who didn’t look like he’d run a marathon, because he wasn’t yet redeemed.

  “Her soul stays with me until her body dies. When that connection is lost, she will ascend to heaven.”

  I don’t want to go to heaven with the likes of Uriel and Azriel. I’d rather stay with you guys.

  Luc scoffed. “You know not what you say. You aren’t a Fallen. You wouldn’t be in the palace.”

  “Why couldn’t she be?” I asked. “You are the Lord of Hell. She can go wherever you send her. She’s as sin free as you can get in the age of Tinder and Hedge Funds.”

  Luc gave me a disapproving glance and I resisted the urge to kiss the look from his face. “That is not the agreement. It is not how the division of souls works.”

  I looked toward the corner where Nazir watched me intently. I had a feeling he remembered me from that room, and although he hadn’t spoken to me yet, I was interested to see how much he comprehended about what went on down in that blood soaked room.

  I stood and walked over to the boy. He watched me with dark eyes that were older than they had any right to be.

  “Hey, Nazir.”

  The boy just slow blinked.

  “Do you remember me?” A nod. “Are you afraid of me?”

  He paused this time, thinking hard. None of that childish bravery that demanded everyone knew he wasn’t scared of anything. He’d known real fear. Finally, he shook his head.

  “That’s good. You have no need to be scared of me. Do you know what we are?”

  This time his long lashes lowered as he frowned. “Angels,” he whispered.

  Hmm, well kinda. I wouldn’t overwhelm him with the semantics. “I was once. But I will never hurt you, and these guys,” I pointed at the men around the room, “they will care for you and Adnan, and love you if you let them, as long as you need them, or forever. Whichever comes first. Do you understand?” Another nod and I gave him a smile. “Do you want to see my wings?” He cast a look at Luc, who had a kind of scary aura, even when he was trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a big pussy cat.” I threw Luc a saucy grin and his raised eyebrow promised retribution. “Okay, ready?”

  I spread my soft grey wings wide in the room, thankful for the open plan of the apartment. Nazir’s eyes lit up and he reached out to touch them before stopping himself. “You can touch,” I smiled as Adnan barreled toward me from where he was playing with Oz’s LEGO in the corner. He was going so fast that he tripped on his crutches and I had to catch him with my left wing, curling it gently around his body to cushion his fall.

  “Look, Naz, an angel. Her wings are so soft and she’s so pretty. Do you think she’d let me have a feather? Eli said when I get my new leg I’ll be able to run like the wind. Do you think he could get me wings too?” I laughed, and realized I’d switched my speaking to Arabic.

  “I’m not sure if you’ll be able to have wings, but there are plenty of other ways to fly.”

  “Even with one leg?”

  “There is nothing you can’t do, even with one leg,” I replied.

  The boys stroked my feathers a bit more, and then Adnan looked at Luc and Gus. “Are they angels too?”

  I nodded. “They were once.”

  “The big one is scary.” The kid had good instincts.

  “Yeah he is, but he shouldn’t be scary to you. You’re a good kid, you have nothing to fear.”

  Adnan took me at my word and raced his way over to Luc and Gus.

  “Can I see your wings?”

  “No,” Luc said, and I sent him my best ‘do it if you ever want to get laid again’ look. “Fine.”

  He stood and spread his onyx wings as wide as the room allowed. His wingspan was bigger than mine, given his status. Not even Adnan dared to touch them, which confirmed he had good survival instincts. Luc tucked them away again and sat back down.

  Gusion was more than happy to spread his wings, because he was a show off and they were truly beautiful. White with threads of gold, they shimmered in the sunshine. The colored wings were something we got when we fell. Normal angels have pure white wings. Archangels have white wings with silvery flight feathers. Even after all this time we hadn’t been able to ascertain why we all got the colors we did.

  Gusion plucked out a silver feather. “You will both grow to be good men. Do not be afraid to feel. Your loved ones would want you to be happy again.” He directed this at Nazir, whose eyes welled up before he blinked rapidly. He didn’t acknowledge Gusion’s words, and I could only hope they both took them to heart.

  They need a mother. Arcadia was right, but I was in no position to be a mother figure.

  “Where’s Clary?” I asked.

  “She went home for a funeral. Great Uncle Seamus died last week. She thought it would be okay while the babies were still in hospital to see her family and tell them about Arcadia as well. Apparently they are quite fond of her. She should be back tomorrow, now the babies have been released and Seamus is in the ground,” Oz said.

  Aw not Uncle Seamus. He was such a nice old man.

  Luc scoffed again. “Guess it depends on your definition of nice. He was an enforcer for the Mulligans for decades. The true miracle is that he lived to 85.”

  He was nice to me, anyway. He used to tell me stories about growing up in Ireland and all
their folk stories.

  “There is good and bad in everyone, Arcadia Jones. Even in you.”

  Balance, as Azriel so aptly put it, was the center of all things and must be maintained.

  “Can we get back on topic?” Sam asked.

  Seriously, he even makes scruffy look good. Like some kind of Nordic Lumberjack. I’d give anything to kiss him again.

  “Me too. I mean, for you to kiss him again. Even scruffy, he’s still too pretty for me.”

  Sam looked confused and Arcadia laughed. He shook his head. “What do we do about getting Arcadia home?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve exhausted all my options.”

  I looked at Lucifer, my one true love in this world, the other half of my soul, and gave him the stink eye. Gusion stared at him too, until he sighed.

  “There is one more option, but just know I hate you all.” He stood, his demeanor getting icier by the second. “I’ll go and see Michael myself.”

  I handed the baby to Gusion. He wasn’t going anywhere without me. With a clap of thunder that scared the kids and woke the babies, we left.

  He always had to make a dramatic exit.

  One of the perks of being an Archangel is that they always knew where the others were. They knew where all of angelkind were. Where they gathered, if they were injured, all of these things flooded the Archangel’s psyche every day. They weren’t quite as omniscient as the Father, but close. It was no wonder they were all a little kooky in my opinion. Luc was no exception, but luckily he let his freak flag fly. It was the ones that were buttoned down that were the problem.

  Michael was in his Cathedral. Luc and I stood on the steps, unable to go past the heavy wooden doors, or even look through the beautifully rendered stain glass windows. We could not step foot on the hallowed ground.

  “Michael knows we are here,” Luc muttered under his breath.

  “Of course, old friend. I always know when you leave your domain and come to earth.” A voice said from behind us.

  I saw Luc tense, resisting the urge to whip around. Instead he turned with slow deliberateness, as if Michael was no threat to us. Well, he wasn’t, not anymore, but the large scar on his chest said that he hadn’t always been this harmless.