He smirked. “You offer is...interesting, but I’m afraid I can’t take it at this time...although I think you would’ve enjoyed yourself.”
With a loud cracking sound, he spread his wings out to their full length and elevated up into the sky. Circling them, he said, “After all, I have body parts that are more impressive than the size of my wings.”
“Wait! Lucifer wants me. You know he does.”
Sal threw his head back and laughed. “He never wanted you. You were just bait.”
When Sal disappeared, Naomi’s legs gave out and she sank to the ground. She was so confused. While she was human, she’d been running to get away from Lucifer. Sal had hunted her down. He’d shot at her...twice! It even got Deborah and Nathan killed. Why had they put so much effort into trying to kill her, get rid of her, and now changed their minds?
“I don’t understand. Why Lash? What are they going to do to him?”
Jeremy stood off alone to the side, his face unreadable, staring off in the direction the dark angels had gone with Lash.
“Jeremy?”
He shook his head as if clearing it. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“Why are they after Lash?”
“I don’t know.”
She sighed. “If I can’t trade myself for him, then we’ll just have to get him back by force.”
She stood up with a determined look on her face. “Okay, so we need to go back and let the others know what happened. We can come up with a plan to save him.”
She began to pace. “Now, how can we find him? I know. I’ll ask Raphael. Maybe he’ll know where they took him.” She turned to Jeremy. “Come on, let’s go.”
“We can’t go.”
“Why?”
Jeremy looked in the direction of the hospital. “We have jobs to do.”
She balked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you telling me that I have to stay here and look over Megan?”
“Yes. It’s your duty.”
She looked back at the hospital, at the window to the room where Emma lay struggling for her life. Her job was to look over Megan. If she left, would that mean something would happen to Megan, leaving Emma all alone?
“Emma’s father will be here soon. And, I’m sure Megan will be okay. Besides, you let me go see Welita.” She bent her knees, ready to take flight.
“That was before.” Jeremy grabbed her arm.
“Before what?”
“Before I knew what Megan and Chuy have planned for the morning.”
She rolled her eyes. “That? Crashing in on a press conference? The most that will happen is they’ll sic the cops on her. Maybe get her charged with a misdemeanor. It’s nothing.”
“No, Naomi. You stay here. I’ll go.”
He looked nervously back at the hospital.
“Why won’t you let me go? It’s just Megan.”
A look of pain crossed Jeremy’s face. “It’s more than that.”
“What is it? What are you not telling me?”
“I wasn’t here for Emma.”
Naomi let out a rush of air. “She’s going to live.” She was so relieved. Why was he telling her this now?
“Yes, I believe so.”
“That’s why you helped her?”
He nodded.
“So you were here for Megan’s aunt.”
“I wasn’t here for her, either.”
Dread washed over her, and she fought against the voices in the back of her head that told her the answer.
“Who?” her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Chuy.”
17
The chamber was exactly the way Rachel had described it. A lake of lava surrounded Lash, licking his feet, blackening the tips of his toes.
A narrow path lined with fiery liquid and barely a foot wide led straight to where he hung chained against the wall. That was the only way to him other than flying...if an angel was able to get into this nightmare of a place.
When Sal and the evil twins brought him in, even they were not immune to the powers of the Lake of Fire. The pit of Hell sucked the life source out of anyone who entered it.
Sal had stood back while the twins struggled to fly over the lake. Once they crossed, they had stripped Lash of his clothes and chained him to the wall. It was like Rachel had said. In the pit of Hell, even the strongest angel’s powers were diminished, even those of the fallen.
The twins had barely made it back to land after they chained him. Sal had thrown him one last look of disgust and then they left him alone.
Lash took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and tried for the hundredth time to break free from the heavy chains strapped to his chest and waist. As he strained, the ropes of red-hot steel pressed against his naked body, scorching him. He screamed in agony, the sound echoing through the vast tunnels surrounding the Lake of Fire.
His head lay limp on his chest, lolling back and forth. The fiery heat of the lava and the burning steel that was cinched to him like a snake of death sapped every ounce of his strength. Minutes passed feeling like hours as the chains continued to burn his skin. He tried not to move, but even that didn’t work because all the while the walls cracked, allowing lava to ooze through the fissures onto his back and wings.
In between the haze of pain, he thought of Uri. Was this what it had been like for him? Skin charring right before his eyes with each passing minute. The inescapable pain made worse with the slightest movement. But what was worse, much worse, was the fear that Naomi would come after him and see him like this, the way Rachel had when she went after Uri.
He prayed that Jeremy would keep his word and watch over her. Why wouldn’t he? Jeremy would finally have what he’d wanted since even before he had memories of her. With him gone, Jeremy had Naomi for himself.
The image of Jeremy holding Naomi was seared into his mind, and he winced at the excruciating pain in his chest, not from the chains but from Naomi loving someone else. As much as it pained him, at least he knew that she would be loved the way she should be and not by some screw-up like himself.
He let out a staggered breath. It was for the best. For some reason, Lucifer wanted him dead. Maybe Lucifer was using him to antagonize Michael. Or maybe he thought he would lure the other angels to the lake to save him. Lucifer was an idiot if he thought it’d work. No one would come for him. He wasn’t important enough. It wasn’t like he was Gabrielle or even Uri. He was just a lowly seraph.
The only one who would care was Naomi. And as long as Jeremy kept his word, she was safe and would never set foot in here. He’d rather die than have her in harm’s way.
“Naomi,” he moaned, needing to say her name. It was his only comfort. He was dying, and he knew it.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the image of her face, the only thing that could keep him sane.
He thought of the way she’d looked at him the last time they were together. Soft lips like rose petals kissing him gently. Lips that brushed his ear when whispering words of love. Lips that curled into a smile whenever he entered the room.
He remembered holding her in his arms when he first told her that he was an angel. The way her body molded perfectly into his. The way her fingers gently stroked his jaw and how she reached out to kiss him. And then the torment of him pulling away from her, afraid to kiss her because once he did, he wouldn’t be able to let her go. And the blissful moment when he finally did kiss those lips and discovered that he had found home in her arms. She was his destiny, his soul mate.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor, and for a moment, hope leaped into his chest.
“Ah, Lahash. You are a sight.”
Lash slowly lifted his head, wincing at the movement. “Lucifer.”
“Please, don’t move on my account. It’s a great hardship for me to see you in such...discomfort,” Lucifer said. “Saleos, excellent work. Did I not tell you, ‘Where the girl is, the boy will follow’?”
“That you did. Although I’m still not convinced
that your plan will work,” Sal replied.
“Ah, ye of little faith. Let’s see about that, shall we?”
“What...” Lash gasped as a wave of lava splashed against the wall, sending droplets of searing heat onto his feet. “What plan?”
Lucifer sauntered around the edge of the lava as he spoke. “I have a proposition for you, my son. It’s one I’ve made to you before, remember?”
A memory of Naomi lying in his arms on the top of Shiprock flashed through his mind.
I can save her. All you have to do is ask. The words Lucifer had said at Shiprock echoed in his mind.
“I didn’t go with you then, and I won’t now. And don’t even bother going after her. She’s already an archangel in training. The others will look after her until she grows in strength.”
Lucifer stopped and looked at Lash, his lips curling into a smile that made Lash’s hair stand on end. “Ah, but it is not Naomi I seek. It is you.”
“That’s a lie, and you know it. You had Sal hunt her down. There’s no reason why you would want me.”
“Come now, my son. Surely, by this time, you know why.”
“Stop it! Stop calling me that!” Lash tugged on the chain and screeched in pain as it singed his skin like a branding iron.
“Calm yourself, Lahash. You’ll only do yourself more harm by struggling. Perhaps now is the time for me to tell you a story about Raphael, your mother”—his lips curled into a wicked smile—“and me.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” he moaned.
“How do the humans like to start their stories? Ah, yes...once upon a time there were two devilishly handsome, excuse the pun, archangels. They were the best of friends—not unlike you and Jeremiel.”
Sal laughed. “If you can still call them that.”
“No interruptions, Saleos. You know the story. Now it’s Lahash’s turn to hear it. Now where was I? Ah, yes...the best friends decided to journey to Earth for a spell. You see, the golden-haired angel fell in love with a woman on Earth, and his friend, well, let’s just say he didn’t want to limit himself to just one woman. Now, the golden angel lived in marital bliss with the woman, and they had a son, a son who looked just like him, a perfect replica. One day, the golden angel was away with his perfect son...he was so proud of his progeny, wasn’t he Saleos?”
Sal nodded. “He was a god among men.”
“Yes, he was, but I digress. Well, the hazel-eyed woman was a sight to behold. And the devilishly handsome archangel had lain with most of the beautiful women in the land, all except for one.”
“No,” Lash groaned. “I won’t listen to your lies.”
“Please, no interruptions. I haven’t gotten to the best part yet,” Lucifer said sweetly. “Oh, but you look in such pain. I’ll get to the point. Nine months later, the lovely woman gave birth to a dark-haired son. The boy was different from his older brother, always questioning, doing his own will—the complete opposite of his brother and very much like his father. Can you guess who he is?”
“Lies. Lies. It’s all a lie,” Lash growled.
“Every word I’ve uttered, every vision I’ve shown you; they all are true.” Lucifer’s voice dropped to a low pitch. “And deep inside yourself, you know it.”
Lash snarled and threw himself forward, desperate to get loose and strangle Lucifer. He gasped as the chains around his waist pressed against him, searing deep into him. His head fell to his chest as he struggled to breathe. “Raphael...Raphael is my father.”
There was a rumble deep in Lucifer’s chest. “Look at me, Lahash!”
Lash squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to listen to Lucifer’s demands. He thought of Raphael and the words he had said to him in the courtyard not so long ago. “I’ve always been a father to you,” he had said.
I’ve always been a father to you.
I’ve always been a father to you.
A father.
A father.
My father.
He held onto those words and repeated them in his mind like a mantra, refusing to listen to Lucifer’s obvious deception.
He heard the sound of bubbling liquid, and a sudden gust of heat slammed into his body. Then searing liquid splattered onto his chest, and he wailed in agony.
Against his will, he felt his head being lifted and his eyes being drawn open. Once they were open, he saw Lucifer’s hand up, manipulating him and the lava to do his will.
“Look at me and see the truth that is set before your eyes, Lahash. It is Raphael who has lied to you. He is not your father.”
The cave grew still. The only sound was the crunching of volcanic rock as Lucifer took a step forward to the edge of the lake.
“I am.”
Crushing waves of white noise filled Lash’s ears, beating, pounding Lucifer’s words into his mind.
I am.
I am.
I am!
Lash jerked his head to the side. No! I won’t believe!
“Look at me, Lahash!”
Again his head was pulled in Lucifer’s direction, and what he so desperately wanted to deny was standing right in front of him. He took in Lucifer’s tall, lithe body, his dark wavy hair. A wave of cold smashed into his heart, shattering it into a million pieces. He closed his eyes in despair.
It’s true. He moaned. That’s why Raphael loved Jeremy. Jeremy was Raphael’s true son, and he...he was a bastard.
“Ah, I see you have accepted your fate. You’ve never really fit in with Raphael and his family, heavenly or earthly. I regret that I did not take you in sooner, but I was young then, and my sole focus was to build my empire. By the time I was ready for you to join me, you were gone.” He clapped his hands together and smiled. “Well, that’s all in the past. Now we can start over. And with Naomi and you in our little family, we can defeat anyone who decides to challenge us as I move toward my total domination of Earth.”
Lash’s eyes flashed open. “I told you, she’ll never join you, and neither will I,” he seethed. “I don’t care who you are. You can kill me, and still, Michael and the others will defeat you.”
Lucifer laughed. “I do not fear Michael’s army. His belief in the free will of man, or shall I say men and women, is his downfall. Oh, I’m very secure, and my association with Senator Jane Sutherland guarantees it. It is she who will lead us to the victory I seek.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Lahash, I’m shocked. Surely, a seraph would have taken the time to learn human spiritual writings. Even Saleos here knows the prophecy. Tell him, Saleos.”
“It is foretold that ‘a woman, known as the whore of Babylon sitting on a scarlet beast, will make herself drunk with the blood of saints and will be the leader among leaders on Earth.’ Anything else I need to teach him?” Saleos scowled.
“No, I’ll take the liberty of telling him the good part,” Lucifer said. “It is written that ‘the beast’”—he grinned, tapping his broad chest—“‘will hate the whore and will burn her with fire.’ Hate is a strong word. Maybe not hate, but I do admit she’s turning out to be a handful lately.”
What have I done? Lash felt the blood drain from his face. All those years ago when he was on that plane, he had thought he was saving two children, instead of just the one he was assigned to. He thought he was saving a kind-hearted little girl, and now she turned out to be what humans considered the antichrist? Was this all his fault?
No, he had to believe that Michael would’ve had someone else go after her if they thought she was a threat. “That’ll never happen. Michael will stop you both.”
“Ah, but it has already begun. Although I will miss my dear sweet Jane once she has served her use.” He looked intently at Lash. “My son, there is no need for you to have her fate. I ask you one last time. Will you join us?”
Lash glared at him. “No.”
Lucifer’s lips tightened into a thin line, and his eyes narrowed. “So, be it. Saleos, head out to the press conference in Gardenville. No one is to touch our pre
cious Jane. Hear me?”
Sal nodded.
“You two,” he snapped at the pair of dark angels. They went to him quickly and bowed. “Bring Naomi here. Alone. Have your way with her, then kill her.”
Two pairs of black eyes turned to Lash, giving him an evil smirk.
“No!” Lash roared as he jerked on his chains. “Don’t you touch her!”
Lucifer turned to him, his eyes cold. “Make sure he is kept alive long enough to see it.”
18
Naomi stood at the entrance to the hospital room, watching Chuy as he slept. His large body was sprawled over the chair in the corner. On the other side of the room, Megan slept on the edge of Emma’s bed, clutching her tiny hand. The only sounds in the room were the beeps and whirls of the machines and Chuy’s soft snoring.
When she returned to the room, she had found Chuy and Megan planning how they would turn the media’s attention to the damage Prescott Oil was doing to Gardenville and other small towns in Texas. Chuy had told her that Lalo was close to getting all the information they needed and would give it to them at the press conference, which was to be held in an open field just outside of Prescott Oil’s business offices. Megan had made one final call to Emma’s father, making sure that he would be there by morning to watch over her. It seemed everything was set and all they had to do was wait for morning.
The sun peeped out of the horizon, turning the sky into a haze of pink and purple. Naomi glanced at the clock and frowned. Jeremy wasn’t back yet, and in only a few more hours, Chuy and Megan would be leaving to the location where Senator Sutherland was making her presidential announcement.
Jeremy had been gone for what seemed like a long time. She warred with the thought of going after him. But then she took one look at Chuy―long curly eyelashes fanning his brown face, his mouth slightly open as he slept, looking like a helpless little boy rather than a man―and she couldn’t take the chance of leaving him. He was in danger. Jeremy’s voice echoed in her mind. He was there for Chuy.
He wouldn’t tell her what he meant by saying that. Of course he wouldn’t. Even though he had admitted to being in love with her, he still wouldn’t break the code of silence when it came to their assignments.
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