by Lisa Olsen
“No, but my coven might be able to help him.”
“She means witches, not vampires,” Nick interrupted again. “I know, it sounds a little cuckoo, but they really can help. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”
Adam had called in the local reinforcements. “Oh, you’re a witch.” That made me feel a lot better. “Okay, great. He’s in the bedroom resting. I have to say, he’s pretty far gone, but I’m hoping if we keep him away from Azazael, he’ll start to recover.” I started to lead the way to the bedroom before I noticed she hadn’t moved.
“Azazael’s involved?” she replied in surprise.
“Yeah, why?”
“Interesting that Adam didn’t happen to mention that fact.”
“Who’s Azazael?” Nick asked, his brow furrowed in puzzlement.
“Another one of those things you don’t believe in, sweetie,” she said, patting his arm. “That could change things quite a bit. He’s not a good one to tangle with.”
“Oh, he’s not here. We’ve got him bound and out of the way.” I didn’t share where though.
“Azazael’s been bound?” Her smile returned. “That changes things back again. Show me your friend.”
Scarcely a few minutes later, I felt a whole lot more comfortable around the pair. The witch had a sweet, caring personality and genuinely wanted to help. I could see Ben would be in good hands with her. The cop was there as a somewhat skeptical bodyguard, injecting his silly brand of humor whenever the opportunity presented itself. It was easy to see he was nuts about Annaliese, even if he didn’t completely accept everything we talked about in the little bedroom.
Unfortunately, curing Ben wasn’t as simple as a wave of the fingers and a few flowery words, she informed me. They were prepared to take Ben with them to meet with her coven, or if needed, to set Ben up at a private psychiatric facility on Adam’s dime if all efforts to restore him failed.
“It sounds like you’ve got all the bases covered.” I had to admit once she finished explaining the plan. “I don’t suppose you know when Adam planned to come back, do you?”
Annaliese turned to Nick. “Why don’t you help Ben to the car and I’ll be there in a minute?” The detective agreed after a moment’s hesitation, easily steering Ben towards the door. Annaliese waited until we were alone before she spoke again. “Some things he knows, but there’s still a lot he won’t accept,” she said by way of explanation.
“He seems like a good guy.”
“He’s a great guy,” her smile dimpled wider before she sobered. “I sort of got the impression Adam wasn’t coming back until he took care of some errands.”
“What kind of errands?”
“I’m not sure what he’s up to entirely, but he mentioned going to Hell and back to get what was stolen from you. If it was anyone else I’d assume it was a figure of speech, but with Adam…”
* * *
I spent the next twenty minutes yelling myself hoarse for Adamiel to show his sorry face. Fortunately, all it took was a few minutes of quiet for my vocal cords to repair themselves, and I was back at it again. I spared a moment’s worry I might bother the neighbors, but then again, considering the type of motel I was in, it was probably the least objectionable thing going on in it that night.
When the front door opened, my heart stopped, but instead of Adam’s dark good looks, I saw something almost as comforting.
“Sam!” Gone was the cute faux-hawk he’d been sporting since my makeover. His hair a mop of unruly blonde curls, but he hadn’t gone back to dressing like a hobo yet. He looked neat and clean in a black turtleneck and dressy pants.
“Mercy, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” He hugged me fiercely and I felt the desperation of loneliness in his embrace.
“They didn’t have to be so sore, you know. You could’ve come to visit me,” I chided him lightly, unable to keep from smiling to see him again.
“I’m truly sorry, but it couldn’t be helped.”
It could, but I didn’t want to get into it with him. “What took you so long to get here?”
“I got here as soon as I could. I went to Seattle first before I checked my voicemail and realized you’d come here.”
“Where were you that it took so long?”
“I’ve been living in the land Down Under. Though, it’s not really under anything, I’ve found.”
“Australia?” I blinked. “How did you end up down there?”
“It seemed to make sense to pick the ass end of the world, as Adam put it. He said the distance would make it easier not to break my resolve.”
“Adam’s advice, I see.” No wonder it was so stellar.
I half expected him to ask me about Daphne, but when he didn’t, I filled him in on our efforts to get Bunny back and Adam’s sudden departure for Hell if Annaliese could be believed. Sam didn’t question it for a moment.
“It does make sense from the message he left me.”
“What did he say?” I stopped myself from asking if I could listen to the message myself.
“Merely that he had to prove himself and put your child safely back in your arms.”
Typical, as if that one heroic act could somehow negate the months of abandonment… “You know, I’m kinda worried about Adam’s safety in going to Hell alone. Or is that something you angels do all the time?” Lucifer was their brother, after all.
“No, I would not willingly go there,” Sam assured me with an emphatic shake of the head. “Nor, do I think, does Adam take it lightly.”
That didn’t sound so good. “What could happen to him there? Could he get stuck in Hell?” I wasn’t sure how Hell worked. Was it another dimension like Midian you had to get to through a portal? I’d never had occasion to ask anyone and the one time I’d met Lucifer, I’d been too distracted to ask him about his homeland.
“Do you mean in torment for his sins? Oh no, that’s not very probable at all,” Sam reported, and I breathed a little easier. “More likely he’ll die in one of the levels before he gets to Lucifer at all.”
“Die?” I coughed, not sure I’d heard him quite right from his cavalier attitude. “Are you kidding me?”
“Why would I kid you about death?” His forehead furrowed in puzzlement.
“Sam, we have to go after him! He should never have gone alone. Why did he have to be such an idiot?”
“I believe he did it to win back your love.”
“Fat lot of good it’ll do him if he dies in the process,” I muttered. “Sam, you have to take me there right now before it’s too late.”
“I can’t take you to Hell. No human can enter and hope to escape with their immortal soul intact.”
“Yeah well, as you’ve been so keen to remind me, I’m not exactly human anymore, am I? So, let’s stop arguing about it and go.” I grabbed his arm to tug him towards the door, but Sam dug his heels in.
“You still have your soul though. That’s not a thing to be given up lightly. Lucifer would surely try to steal a part of it away.”
“I happen to know he’s got plenty of souls to keep him busy, he’s not at all interested in mine.”
“Why, because he told you so? And you call me naïve…”
“What do you propose we do then? We can’t just sit around on our asses while Adam risks life and limb to get the baby back.”
“We don’t have to sit at all,” he brightened. “In fact, I am instructed to deliver you safely home and then to linger in order to prevent the romantic reunion between you and Parker.”
“Oh, really? And what are you supposed to do to prevent… you know what, never mind. I’m not interested in Adam’s orders, I’m interested in getting Bunny back, but not at the risk of losing Adam.”
“Then you do still care for him?”
“Do you still care about Daphne?” I countered, and he fell silent. “I know you do, but you can’t be around her to protect her, right? Well, I can’t be around Adam, I have to protect myself from getting hurt by him again. That doesn’t
mean I don’t still care what happens to him though. Now, are you going to show me how to get to Hell or not?”
“I can’t, Adam was most specific…”
“Damn it, Sam, Adam is not the boss of us!” I snapped. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll figure it out on my own then.”
“How would you find the gate to Hell without my assistance?” Sam called my bluff.
“I’ll ask a demon,” I decided on the spot. “There’s bound to be at least one hanging around the portal to Midian who knows how to get there. Or maybe call Oriana and see if she knows? Bert and Hubie might have some ideas.” I wasn’t completely without resources, but it would save a hell of a lot of time if Sam helped me on his own.
“I can’t let you…”
“Try and stop me.” My eyes blazed in defiance. I got as far as the door when I felt his hand on my shoulder. Closing my eyes as I tried to decide if I had it in me to put Sam down in order to make my escape, I was surprised to feel the rush of cool air as the door opened before me. My eyes popped open in time to catch Adam before he fell to his knees.
“I found her, I know where she is.” He got out before his eyes turned up and Adam passed out in a heap on the floor.
“Adam!” I caught him before he smashed his head against the doorframe, gently easing him to the worn carpet. “Sam, get me a pillow for his head, would you?” There wasn’t a mark on him, but his hands were dirty and smudged with soot that traveled up the length of his arms. “What’s wrong with him?” I asked, as Sam crouched beside me, propping his head up with a couch cushion.
“I told you, the road to Hell is not to be traversed lightly. It takes its toll.”
“Yeah, but there are no wounds…” I lifted his shirt, but there was no sign of injury.
“There are many wounds that leave no scars,” Sam said gravely. “He needs Grace.” His hands hovered over Adam’s chest, but I brushed them aside.
“No, let me.” I had more to spare, and besides… it was because of me he’d taken such a stupid chance in the first place. The healing energy pooled beneath my outstretched hands, and I sent him a surge of Grace. It was so much easier than the time I’d healed him of the gunshot wounds. I felt so much more in control, not dizzy at all, despite not taking the time to ground myself. Adam’s eyes opened with a start and he drew in a sharp intake of breath. I kept the Grace flowing, until he covered my hands with his.
“That’s enough, Mercy. I’m fine.”
I kept the Grace flowing for a few more seconds, wanting to make sure he wasn’t trying to be macho before I sat back on my heels and took my own deep, cleansing breath. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I don’t know… if I say no, will you do that again?” he smirked, and I shoved at his hand playfully.
“The next time it’ll be a bolt lobbed at your head,” I snorted. “How could you be so stupid as to go to Hell all alone?”
“Yeah well, I got to thinking.” Adam sat up, leaning on his elbows. “You were right, I haven’t been there for you. That’s why I had to take my shot and do this for you.”
“I never asked you to go on a suicide mission.”
“It would have been worth it.” He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it before laying back down again.
“I fail to see how it would be worth it for you to die without producing the child,” Sam frowned, following the conversation with interest.
“You’re both forgetting something,” Adam smirked. “It worked. I know exactly where Bunny is.”
I almost smiled over his usage of the nickname Bunny, it was the first time he’d done so. I was too distracted by his claim. “Does Lucifer have her in Hell?” How in the blazes were we going to get her back?
“Nope.”
“Then where…?”
“We had it ass backwards. It wasn’t demons or fallen angels that did this to us, it was the other side.”
“The other side.” My jaw dropped at the implication. “Then you mean…”
“The angels have her.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“She’s in heaven? Does that mean she died?” It was almost too awful to say out loud.
“No, that’s not what it means at all,” Adam was quick to interject. “She’s alive and well, holed up with Nathanael and his flunkies.”
“How do you know that’s where she is? I mean, how did you figure it out?”
“Lucifer clued me in. He was actually pretty helpful.”
“Are you sure we can trust him?” That crack from Sam about me being naïve still stung.
“No, but I believe him. He’d have no reason to lie to me. If she’s not there I’ll go back and dip him head first into the lake of fire, and I’m pretty sure he knows that.”
Even though technically we weren’t any closer to reaching Bunny, I have to admit I felt better knowing she was with angels, no matter how screwed up their ethics were. “Nathanael… I knew he had it in for me, but to not only kidnap but erase her entire existence from the world… that’s cold.”
“That rat bastard,” Sam spat out and Adam and I both shot him a surprised look. “To abuse the power of creation thusly…” he growled.
“Power of creation?” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded a lot more positive than dark magic as Adam suspected. “Is that how he did the amnesia thing?”
“It isn’t often used because it’s a pretty big deal, but occasionally the order comes down to do a cosmic reset and angels have limited abilities to affect the fabric of reality,” Adam explained, and my eyes narrowed at him.
“And you didn’t think to mention this to me before? We should have started looking for her there first!”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think of it. His hands came up in supplication. “How was I supposed to know our kid justified screwing with the world like that?”
“The signs were all there,” Sam muttered. “Mercy’s right, we should have seen it.”
“Okay, it doesn’t much matter now. How do we get her back? Do we march right up to heaven and storm the pearly gates?”
“They’re not keeping her in heaven, she’s in Eden.”
“As in the garden of?”
“Yep.”
“Of course,” Sam nodded. “It makes perfect sense. No man may trespass there. Remember the words of the prophecy, From her issue will arise a new race of man, free from Original Sin. She could abide there in peace and tranquility. An ideal place to raise the babe.”
“But we can go there, right?” I insisted, already getting to my feet, a new sense of excitement pulsing through me.
“You bet your sweet ass we can.” Adam’s grin stretched wide as he joined me. He looked to the window where the sun was just emerging over the tops of the buildings in the distance. “We’ll have her back by lunch.”
* * *
It turns out Eden is right here on Earth.
No dimensional portals, no magic spells, just in a valley in Northern Syria. Syria sounded exotic enough to me, and I wasn’t sure how we’d get there as quickly as Adam predicted. The boys assured me it was easy peasey though, as long as you knew where to look. We took to the skies, flying super fast, but once again navigation proved too much for me to handle. Just because my body had enough Grace to make the trek didn’t mean my mind could wrap itself around that level of speed. All it took was Adam’s steady hand to lead the way though and they were right, it was easy to maintain the pace for hours. I didn’t even break a sweat.
I wasn’t sure I’d see the valley at first. Sam said it was hidden from human eyes, but I guess that proved just how far from human I’d become when I saw the green rolling hills plain as day, smack dab in the middle of the dessert.
The air felt palpably different as we crossed some unseen barrier. The heat of the sun diminished and a cool, sweet breeze blew through the trees. All kinds of trees. Not well suited to the desert, but there they were, huge oaks and sycamores dotted the landscape mixed in with towering redwoods and dr
ooping willows. Four rivers bisected the valley, the water crystal clear and inviting, and there were all manner of wildlife ranging over the hills. It was like God’s own private game reserve hidden away from the real world and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d find unicorns running free.
We slowed to a manageable speed as we approached, and I was struck by the strangest sense of déjà vu. “I’ve been here before.”
“You have? Without us?” Sam’s face fell in disappointment.
“No, I mean, I’ve seen this before… maybe in a dream… oh!” All at once I knew where I’d seen those same rolling hills before. In the Ether. “This was Azazael’s dreamspace in the Ether. Remember, Adam?”
“Oh yeah, it does look like it, doesn’t it?” he agreed. “It wouldn’t be exactly here though, just a reasonable facsimile. I think we’d better fly lower now, you never know who might be about.” Still holding fast to my hand, he brought me with him, and Sam followed suit.
“How do we know where to look? I didn’t see any houses or settlements when we were up high.” It didn’t mean there weren’t some sprinkled in the trees, but if we couldn’t use height to our advantage, it could take a long time to search the entire valley.
“There are none,” Sam replied. “Man didn’t have houses when they lived here. There are no harsh elements to survive in Eden, the worst you’ll find here is a gentle rain.”
“So… is this like Club Med for you guys? Angels only? You can hang out and not be bugged by dirty humans?”
“No, ‘tis a lonely place,” Sam shook his head, but Adam disagreed.
“I don’t know about that, I’ve spent a fair amount of time here. It’s a good place to come and think, unwind. Sometimes being alone is just what the doctor ordered.”
Something about the way Adam said that made me think he’d been hiding out in Eden after leaving me. I could picture him lying on a grassy knoll looking up at the sky. No need to eat or sleep, the gentle rain coming and going, and him just staring up at the clouds. Maybe that was an overly romanticized way of looking at it though; he’d more likely gone to Bangkok to let off a little steam.
