“Otherwise, I’ll side with—,” she jerked her thumb at Mikos, “—the angel’s team.” She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, meeting the demon’s bright sun-washed gaze.
Malphas held her gaze. His eyes glazed, and he stared into the distance. Suddenly, his expression cleared, and he nodded.
“Very well. Beliel accepts your terms. He will return for your answer in twenty-two hours.” His turn to lean forward and narrow his eyes. “He tells me to warn you there is only one response he will accept.”
After a brief nod for Mikos, Malphas disappeared as fast as he’d appeared. A hint of sulfur filled the air. Lexi sneezed, the noise reverberating throughout her apartment like buckshot. She even startled herself.
“Christ’s wounds, Lexi.”
The sharp, cutting edge in the tone pulled her from Malphas departure to face Mikos.
“You insist on honoring your deal with Beliel?” he continued. A thin chill hung on the fringe of his words. “Why?”
“News flash, I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“While you are under my guidance, you do. You will refrain from entering into any deals—”
“Is that how you think this will go?” Lexi interrupted. “You get to tell me what to do, and I’ll just roll over and do what you demand?”
Yeah, right. Angel or not, she did not respond to force. Or control. Both of which Mikos appeared to possess in abundance at this moment.
When he opened his mouth to respond, she held up her hand and shot him a glare. “Let me clear something up for you. Regardless of the end result of this whole defender-of-the-universe gig, I will never let anyone tell me what I can do and not do.”
Mikos closed in until he was about a foot from her face. Silver glowed, filling his eyes until an aura of white light emanated from within.
Lexi met him glare for glare, her chin thrust upward, hands on her hips. She would not back down from this uber-alpha male angel.
“You will listen to me. It is for your own good.”
She snorted. “You know, whenever someone says that, it usually means the opposite.” She jerked a thumb to her chest. “I decide, no one else, what’s good for me.”
His glance darted to her thumb, still pressed on her chest. Something zinged through the space between them. Lexi shuddered and drew in a sharp breath. Lust flared, turning her insides into oatmeal.
Mikos’s nostrils flared. Her body answered with a rapid thud of her pulse. Oh shit, here we go again. She didn’t want this. No, really, she didn’t.
Really. Did. Not. Want. This.
So why was her body leaning toward him, her feet intending to follow? At the same time, the distant part of her, the one terrified at the thought of being with a man, any man, quivered.
A car backfired outside. Lexi jumped then skittered backward. A small triumph when Mikos did the same. His face flushed, and he averted his eyes. But not before she saw the silver rapidly begin to fade.
His fingers flexed then clenched into fists. He backed away a few steps, and then turned and strode over to the large window. Everything about his posture, from the rigid lines to the white knuckles, seemed to radiate frustration and annoyance and no little amount of guilt. Or she hoped he felt guilt.
Not that it mattered. She didn’t freaking care how much guilt he might feel.
Scowling at his stiff back, she ground out, “Tell me you didn’t do your thing again?” He didn’t reply, and his posture remained rigid.
Lexi threw up her hands. “I don’t believe this. You said you’d never use that woo-woo crap on me again. And you did.”
She snatched her bag from the floor where she’d dropped in when the demon showed. “Nothing to say? Fine. I’m out of here.”
Before Mikos could stop her, she was out the door and thudding down the stairs.
When Lexi darted for the door, Mikos whipped around to block her exit. He was not sure it would work, but he had to stop her from leaving. Out the door before he could react, he started after her.
“Phoenix, leave her be.” Michael’s tone stopped Mikos in his tracks.
He rolled his eyes. This he did not need. Turning his head, he looked into the serene gaze of the Archangel. “It is not safe for her to be out there. Alone.”
“She will be fine. You’ve made her angry. And confused her. She needs some time.”
Mikos growled. “There is no more time. You said so yourself. If she doesn’t find the Key before Beliel, if he gets to it and releases the spirits, the human race will fall.”
He lowered his head and turned back to the window and watched Lexi get into a taxi. The vehicle spun tires as it took off.
“You should not have pushed her.”
Mikos’s mind floundered, at a loss for words. What could he say? The Archangel was right. He had pushed Lexi even knowing how she’d react. Worse, he’d let his lust rear its ugly head after he had promised her he wouldn’t. Shame filled him.
“Mikos?”
With a deliberately casual movement, Mikos spun and faced Michael, keeping his expression detached. “Find another mentor for the Defender. I am the wrong one to fill the role.”
Michael sighed yet his blue gaze remained gentle. Understanding.
Implacable.
“What makes you say that?”
“I cannot control my emotions around the Defender. This leaves me weak.”
“Weak?” Michael shook her head. He walked over to the obsidian statute of one of Egypt’s most popular goddesses, Sekhmet. With a fingertip, he touched the disk on top of the Goddess’ head then looked at Mikos. “No, your emotions do not make you weak. Confused, perhaps, even angry, but not weak.”
“If what you say is true then I’ve confused her. Not a good thing for her mentor to do.”
Michael chuckled. The sound rang clear like a set of crystal chimes caressed by a gentle wind. “Yes, frightening her was not a good thing to do.” His face turned serious. “I am sure you will not do so again.”
Mikos ran his fingers through his hair. “How can you be sure?” His tone came out ragged. “I’m not sure I can. She pulls at me.”
“Phoenix, you know a relationship between Fallen and a mortal, even the Defender, is forbidden. Especially a Fallen seeking redemption.”
Mikos did not have to look at the Archangel to recognize his concern. A silken thread of warning hovered between the words. He knew his interest and attraction to Lexi was prohibited. In fact, any sexual interaction with any mortal woman would cost him any chance at returning to Heaven.
Not even for the intriguing charms of Lexi would he throw away everything he’d fought for all these centuries for a moment in her arms.
Mikos met the Michael’s gaze. He gave him a stiff bow. “I have no intention of sacrificing my chance at redemption for the Defender. Or any mortal woman.”
The Archangel nodded, a flash of an indefinable emotion in his blue eyes. “Yes, you would most certainly be forbidden to return home.
“Very well.” He moved to the center of the room. Every line of his posture elegant and regal. “You must control yourself around the Defender. She is not the type to take orders. You must gain her trust.”
“I have to find her first.”
A slight twist of his lips. “Do not worry, Phoenix, she will return. Lexi is fearful and angry, but she is strong and stubborn. She will keep her promise.”
“More bull-headed than stubborn.”
Another chuckle. “There is that.” Michael walked to Mikos and placed a firm but comforting hand on his shoulder. “She will come around. Do not lose your faith, Phoenix.”
As he spoke, his form shimmered and in a burst of vision-blinding light, Michael disappeared.
“Faith?” Mikos muttered. “I have enough faith. Control. That I lack.” He sighed then spoke a soft word. Lexi’s apartment faded from sight. He would return to his car then home. And pray Michael was right.
Lady Luck smiled on her and a taxi pulled up just as she
stepped into the street. Lexi yanked open the door and slid into the back.
“Where to?”
“Just drive. I don’t care where. Just go.”
The driver shrugged. “Your dime.” He cocked his head and looked at her through the rear view mirror. “You do have money to pay for this sight-seeing trip?”
“Yes, yes, just go. I’ll let you know where to go when I figure it out.”
He shrugged again and pulled out into the after-dinner traffic.
Lexi sank back into the seat. What was this power Mikos had over her? More than anything, his ability to cause her to react with her heart and not her head, disturbed her deeply. She didn’t want to feel anything for Mikos. For anyone.
After about fifteen minutes sitting in the back of the taxi with the scent of stale smoke and perspiration filling her nose, Lexi knew what she had to do. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was would she do it?
“Hey, girl.”
Lexi started and let out a squeak of surprise. Kat, her trademark twisted grin and dimples lighting her face, sat next to her on the vinyl seats.
“Damn, Kat. What are you doing?” Lexi darted a glance at the driver. “He can see you.”
Kat shook her head. “Nope, only you can.” She sat back, crossing her arms over her spectral chest. “Now, he might hear you talking. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time he’s had some crazy person in his cab.”
“Crazy? Ha. I knew I was losing my mind. You just confirmed that.”
Kat chuckled, her green eyes soft with warmth. “No, silly, I was just joking.” She tilted her head. “Well, not about him thinking you’re crazy. He probably will. But, you aren’t you know, don’t you? What’s happening is real.”
“Hey, what happened to my if-I-can’t-see-smell-taste-or-touch-it-it-doesn’t-exist friend?”
A small smile touched Kat’s lips. “She died.”
Ouch, Lexi thought. Like she needed the reminder.
“I’m sorry, Kat, it’s just that with you, well…” She waved a hand at her friend, then continued, “here, in front of me, it’s hard to believe that you, er, died.”
The smile filled Kat’s cheeks, pushing the flesh into the dimples Lexi remembered so well. “I know, really.” She tilted her head. “As you do, don’t you?”
Lexi sighed and closed her eyes, her head against the seat back. “Yeah, I’m beginning to suspect that.” She opened her eyes and pinned Kat with a scowl. “Why me?”
“Mikos didn’t explain?”
Lexi snorted. “I think I heard the bunny-tail version, all soft and cuddly with no substance. I get the whole defense of mankind thing. You know I’ve always believed the world went much deeper than what we saw. That’s not what bothers me.”
She paused and clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands.
“Kat, why would the powers-that-be pick me?” she continued. “For the most part, it’s not a secret I don’t even care what happens to my fellow humans. Well, except for you of course.”
Kat smiled, her ghostly expression filled with empathy and understanding. “I know.”
“So, I don’t get it. Surely there must be some other Mother Theresa persona to be this defender. Why would God place the fate of the world in my hands? I don’t even believe in him. Not really.”
“It’s your family’s destiny.”
Lexi waved her hand, dismissing Kat’s comment. “Their destiny, not mine. Remember? Except for you, I don’t have a family.”
“Since when did you become so cynical and bitter?”
Lexi met Kat’s bright emerald gaze. “Since you died.”
Petty she knew, to throw that back at Kat, but it was true. Not that she was angry at her, but that her mindset had completely changed at Kat’s death.
“Oh, Lexi. I’m so sorry.”
“Why? It wasn’t your fault.” Lexi shrugged. “You fell in love with the wrong person.”
“Yes,” Kat whispered. Anguish glittered in her eyes. “More than you know.”
“Hey, girl, it happens. Don’t beat yourself up. He’s not worth it.”
Lexi thought the words might comfort Kat. If anything, the wretchedness on her friend’s spectral face deepened. Something was seriously wrong with her best friend. “Kat, what’s up?”
Kat shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. Is there something about Ash you aren’t telling me?”
Kat hunched her shoulders. An interesting movement for a being made of little more substance than mist. Lexi hadn’t known ghosts had such a range of emotional behavior. Of course, it wasn’t like she had any basis for comparison. Kat was her first ghost.
Lexi felt like groaning. That she treated Kat’s appearance as commonplace spoke volumes regarding her acceptance of the changes in her life.
A quick glance at the driver’s expression showed he was either so focused on the road in front of him or trying his damnedest to get to her drop off point and get rid of the crazy person in his back seat. It actually freaked her out a bit he didn’t make any remark about her conversation with what he can only think is herself.
“Lexi, honestly, I’m fine.” Kat smiled, the pull of her lips weak, but still a smile. “Let’s talk about you and Mikos. Why do you fight him so hard?”
Lexi snorted. “Are you kidding? I thought angels were supposed to be all tender and supportive. All Mikos has done is boss me around. I think I got gypped. Tender and supportive, my ass.”
Kat chuckled. “Mikos is not your typical angel.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“I can’t. Mikos’s story is his to tell. I can tell you he really isn’t a bad de—, uh, angel.”
“That doesn’t really help, Kat.” Lexi shrugged. “Besides, whether he’s a bad angel or isn’t doesn’t bother me. It’s this—thing—he does, some kind of magic I guess, that makes me want to drool like a love-struck teenager.”
A frown flitted across Kat’s face. “He uses power on you?”
“Well, it’s not me wanting to jump his bones. Not by myself.”
Right? Lexi had no interest in Mikos so it had to be his angel powers turning her into mush. Another side to her scoffed. If she said it often enough, eventually she’d believe her own PR.
“Are you sure?”
At the slight hint of a smile pulling at Kat’s spectral lips, Lexi choked. “Damn, Kat, whose side are you on? Of course, I’m sure. I do not want to have sex with Mikos.”
Kat threw up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay.” She cocked her head. “So. What now?”
Lexi sighed. “I just don’t know. A part of me wants to learn about my past. I’ve never had one. Not really. Never knew my parents. I don’t believe I can save the world, even if I wanted to, but finding out about something from my past—”
She felt her hands clench on her lap, her nails digging into her palms. “Well, that keeps me wanting to stay.”
“And the other part?”
“Wants to run like hell in the other direction.”
Impatiently, Mikos paced back and forth in front of the grand fireplace in his den. Stubborn, hard-headed woman. To go off on her own. Without protection. Without her training being finished.
And what if Michael was wrong? Mikos rubbed his fingers over his chin. What if she didn’t return? He couldn’t force her. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have the ability to do so. He did.
Yet, if he used coercion, he’d never be able to convince Lexi his actions were for the sake of her and the human race. She’d feel betrayed. He couldn’t do that. He needed to build her faith, not destroy it.
A burgundy book with bold silver gilt lettering caught his attention. While he waited, he might as well become reacquainted with history. After millennium of existence, ancient things tended to get a bit fuzzy. Even for angels. Immortal? Yes. Infallible? No.
With gentle fingers, he pulled down the book written by Grigori regarding the d
efenders and settled into the rich blue leather of the bustle back Chippendale wing chair. Heat from the cheerfully crackling fire warmed his exposed skin. He sighed.
Mikos flipped open a page near the front and looked at one of the first defenders. Interesting. He hadn’t really noticed before, and his memories of her weren’t as clear as they used to be, but Lexi had a striking resemblance to Sophronia, the first female defender of the line.
Her proud bearing, dark locks and cat-like slant to her eyes matched Lexi identically. It seemed she matched her ancestor in other ways as well. Xaviera, having been one of the Grigori assigned to watch Sophronia, had spoken of her willfulness and determination. Same thing her heir had in full. However, what Lexi lacked, which Sophronia possessed in abundance, was faith.
And Sophronia didn’t have a hang up about her fellow mortals. Mikos sighed again, a long-drawn out exhale.
“Is Beliel causing you trouble, brother?” The cool tone rolled over his body. “Or is the new defender the reason for your sigh?”
Mikos jerked to his feet. The book fell to the floor with a muffled thump on the carpet. He knew who belonged to that steel-edged, mocking tone. “Asher.”
“At your pleasure.” The dark-haired, dark-eyed man reclined at the desk, his long legs crossed at the ankles on the polished wood.
“Get out,” Mikos snarled.
Asher the Black. Lucifer’s Slayer. Dark Prince of Hell. Once a being closer to Mikos than even that of a brother. The pain under the anger surprised Mikos. He hadn’t expected to still feel so much raw emotion this long after Ash’s betrayal.
Ash shook his head and made a tsking sound. “I have not seen you for a century or two and this is the welcome I receive?”
“It’s more than you deserve.” Mikos stalked over to his weapons wall. “How the hell did you get in?”
Ash held up his hands. “Relax, Mikos. I’m not here to cause trouble.” He cocked his head. “I suppose you didn’t get around to changing your wards?”
Damn. He hadn’t. His domicile wards gave Ash full access. He wouldn’t have to break the wards—all he had to do was walk in. Why hadn’t Mikos changed the wards? Was it because he’d hoped Ash would change? Or because Mikos feared he would?
Key of Solomon: Relic Defender, Book 1 Page 15
