by Ashlee Sinn
“And how long have they been talking?” I asked this time.
“A while,” he muttered. But then he focused on me again. “Wait, are you the two that reset time? I heard it was an angel and a demon working together, but I didn’t believe it. Rumor has it that you two had to get it on to make it happen.”
When Jericho chuckled, I turned to face the angel, giving him my best evil glare. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He cowered and walked away from me. I really wanted to hear what Mammon and the others were talking about, so I tried to ignore the side conversations and town gossip happening all around me. But it was futile, and just a few moments later, Lucifer extended his giant black wings and shot up into the sky.
“Well, shit. What happened?” someone asked.
“He didn’t look super angry,” another stated.
“Yeah, but he always looks like that,” a demon confirmed.
The crowd starting to get louder and louder until Raphael held up his hands and everyone fell silent. “We have reached an agreement,” he said in his booming, deep voice. “Lucifer has agreed to the terms and has decided not to reveal his true self to the humans at this time.”
“At this time?” Jericho whispered in my ear. “That’s not very reassuring.”
Raphael continued. “The clock has reset. The memories have been cleared. You are now asked to return to your lives up here or down below with no mention of the chaos.” The crowd didn’t seem too happy about that, by the amount of grumblings going on. Raphael held up his hands again. “Be warned. Breaking this pact will have severe consequences.”
Mammon mimed a neck slice behind him, which got the demons into a frenzy. They started chanting “Kill them” over and over until Mammon screamed at them to stop. “Go home!” she demanded. “Go home and start investing again.”
Investing could mean the money in human businesses or the connections to the souls most demons really wanted. Who knew exactly what she was referring to.
“Mammon wants to see you both,” Echo said, appearing by my side so suddenly I jumped.
“Why?”
“I don’t know why,” he spat at me. “She just does.”
Jericho wove his fingers around mine. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”
“Okay.”
The crowd started to dissipate, most of the lesser demons taking the ferry while the ones that could teleport, did. The angels took to the sky and I briefly wondered how that would keep them hidden from the humans. A question I’d bring up with Jericho later one.
We’d almost reached Mammon, Leviathan, and Raphael, when I felt someone tug at my shoulder. Turning with enough speed to knock me over, I jumped forward when I recognized who it was. “Stefan!” Wrapping my arms over his shoulders, I held my friend tight. “You’re alive.”
He chuckled beneath me and held me just as close. “It takes more than an angel to kill me.”
I had no doubt he was glaring at Jericho over my shoulder, but I didn’t care. Those two would become friends one day soon. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“Safe and sound, luv. Safe and sound.”
Mammon cleared her throat and Echo started to pace by my side. Stefan set me down and kissed me quickly on the lips. “Don’t be a stranger,” he said with a wicked smile a moment before he disappeared.
“Who’s that?” Jericho asked.
“An incubus. And a friend.” I grabbed his hand again, knowing that someday I might have to give him more details, but Jericho didn’t push right now. He was a wise man who knew when it wasn’t the right time to pry.
“Finally,” Mammon spat when we reached her side.
“Sire,” Jericho said to Raphael with a nod.
I didn’t acknowledge Mammon in the same way. I was still a little pissed at her.
“Thank you. Both of you,” Raphael said. “You gave us the time we needed. We will always be grateful.”
Leviathan muttered something under his breath and we all looked at him. Once he noticed us staring, he pulled his shoulders back and stood taller. “It is time for me to go.”
“Nope,” Mammon said, placing her hand on his arm as though that could stop him. “Not until I have a verbal agreement.”
He glared down at her. “Is that really necessary?” From the way his voice spiked, I guessed this was something not of his choosing.
“A deal’s a deal, serpent.”
I watched Mammon and wondered just what exactly she had cooked up. Jericho held me close as though sensing the same thing.
“Fine,” Leviathan groaned. “She is off limits.”
“For how long?” Mammon asked.
“For a millennium. At least.” With that, Leviathan looked at me one more time, licked his lips, and disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.
“What was that all about?” I asked my maker.
Mammon seemed almost hesitant to tell me. “Leviathan has agreed to leave you alone. You won’t have to worry about him ever again. Or,” she shrugged, “at least for a millennium.”
Wow. And here I was, still hating on her for throwing me into the equation in the first place. But she was trying. She was trying to fix her mistake and this was the first step.
“Thank you,” I whispered, tears almost breaking free.
“Don’t thank me yet,” she snapped. “We aren’t finished with you two.”
Jericho looked at Raphael. “Sire?”
“Oh, quit with the sire thing,” Mammon groaned. “In two days, you both will stand trial for the crimes committed against your species.”
“What?” Jericho asked at the same time I said, “That’s bullshit.”
Mammon focused on me. “You may have saved the world, but you did it because you love an angel. And that is something that has consequences.”
“Ashby is married to a human!”
“So?” Mammon spat.
“Well…well, what’s the difference?” When my maker glared at me, I decided it was time to shut up.
Raphael stood stone-faced as Jericho waited for an explanation—one he would never get. Several moments later, Raphael spread his wings and soared up over the statue until we couldn’t see him anymore.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked Mammon.
She sighed as Echo brought her a bottled water. Her sharp demeanor softened a little. “It’s a formality, Arabella. Just show up on time and everything will work out.” Straightening her jacket like she did each time she was finished with a conversation, she snapped at Echo. “Let’s go get lunch. I’m feeling like Korean today.”
Of course, Echo agreed, and when he offered his elbow, our maker accepted and allowed him to lead her off the island.
I looked up at Jericho. “What will they do to us?”
“I don’t know,” he whispered.
And right then and there I knew he was hiding something from me. But I was tired, and sore, and sick of wearing this dirty tee shirt. So, I hugged my angel tight and said, “Can we just sleep the next two days?”
He kissed the top of my head. “Sounds good to me.”
“Perfect. Then hold on tight.”
I focused on my apartment and willed us to be there. At least there, we could pretend, for a little while longer, that the whole world hadn’t gone to shit. That his brothers hadn’t tried to kill us. That I was never captured by a crazy demon.
We could just pretend that we were two normal people tired from work, who simply wanted to have a normal life.
The stone bench outside of Mammon’s office building did very little to make me comfortable. This was the place she and Raphael decided to hold our hearings. In the conference room on the top floor, my fate would be decided.
For two days, Jericho and I stressed about what the consequences might be. And while we took some time to relieve that stress, this morning when he left to go home and change, I had the worst case of anxiety I could ever remember having in my long life.
What if she
banned me from seeing him? What if I had to choose between Jericho and Hell? What if I never got the choice and Mammon simply sent me back under the ground forever?
Shit. I hated having feelings.
“You look horrible.” My sister laughed as she strutted up the concrete stairs in front of the building.
“Ashby? What are you doing here?” Surprised by how relieved I was to see a friendly face, I jumped to my feet and wrapped her up in a hug. “I thought you were on your honeymoon.”
She pushed me back slightly. “We were, but when Echo told me about Leviathan taking you, I had to stay and help.”
“You were involved in that?”
Turning her head to look over her shoulder at Silas, she smiled. “From afar.”
“What?”
“Silas didn’t want me to…he wanted me to stay out of the action. So, I helped by reaching out to some people who owed me favors.” Silas walked up to her side and my sister placed her hand absently on her belly.
My stomach twisted in some type of volatile emotion. “You’re pregnant?”
Her smile beamed wide enough to light up the sky. She nodded.
“I…uh, I’m going to be an aunt?” A twinge of happiness pushed its way to the surface. I could be involved with a child but not have to be totally responsible? This was potentially good news.
“Aunt Arabella,” Silas said, kissing Ashby on the top of the head. “Aunt Arabella who saved the world.”
For the first time ever, I thought I saw a hint of appreciation in Silas’ expression. We weren’t the best of friends, but my sister had chosen him. And now he’d be the father of my little niece or nephew. I suppose we could find a way to be civil. I looked back at my sister. “Twins?”
“Probably,” she laughed. “Can you imagine another Ashby and Arabella walking around this place?”
“No,” I chuckled. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
Ashby pulled me into another hug. “You’re going to make a great aunt.”
“You’re going to be an excellent mother.” I stepped away, wiping the tears out of my eyes before my sister could see them. Resetting time meant I’d saved those unborn children—my own flesh and blood. Children who would hopefully have the opportunity to grow up in a conflict-free world where demons and angels were only creatures in stories.
“Arabella, daughter of Mammon. Please come inside.” The man standing in the doorway couldn’t have looked more irritated. He was human. He was clueless. And he was a horrible civil servant.
Sucking in a breath, I prepared for my hearing. Ashby touched me on the shoulder and squeezed. “It will be okay,” she said.
“I hope so.”
“You’re Mammon’s favorite,” Silas added as Ashby frowned at him. “She’ll go easy on you.”
The truth of it was, I wasn’t as afraid for me as I was for Jericho. Mammon did like me, even if she wasn’t my biggest fan right now. She most likely wouldn’t make an example out of me because she wouldn’t want to lose me forever. Sure, I might be collecting delinquent souls for the next millennia, but certainly she wouldn’t want to ban me to Hell for all eternity, right?
Jericho, on the other hand, he didn’t really have anyone on his side. Raphael had disappeared before giving him any indication for what might happen. His brothers were assholes. He didn’t seem to have any other angels fighting for him. I was scared he may pay the most for his actions.
Giving my sister one more hug, I followed the bored human inside and to the elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor and turned his back to me. He’d eaten fish recently—I could smell it. In the reflection of the metal doors, I watched him stand nervously. Not once would he make eye contact with me, and when he started to sweat, I smiled to myself. Most humans had a good sense for when to be afraid. And this man knew I was something he didn’t want to be around.
As the doors opened, he stepped aside and dropped his head. I walked past, fighting every urge I had to brush my hand along his back just to see if he’d piss himself. But considering I was here for so-called bad behavior, I decided to rein it in. For now.
The conference room took up the largest office on this floor. I’d been here many times before, but never in front of a table of demons and angels. Jericho sat on the far side, looking out the floor to ceiling windows and completely lost in thought. When I stepped inside though, he lifted his head and gave me a beaming smile. I knew, from the look in his eyes, that something wasn’t totally right, but at least he was still here. Wearing a dark gray suit with his hair pulled back into a low ponytail, I ate him up. For the past two days, Jericho spent most of his hours in nothing but his God-given birthday suit. But he looked sexy as fuck in this tailored piece of art that sculpted every part of his body. As it should.
“Arabella,” Mammon said, ripping me out of my trance. “Sit here.” She pointed to the chair at the opposite head of the table from where Jericho was sitting.
I complied, the nerves getting the best of me again.
Mammon started to pace. “You know why you’re here, so let’s just cut to the chase. Are you still in a relationship with this angel?” She pointed to Jericho with a dramatic flare.
I didn’t know the other ten people in the room, but I could tell they were old. Mostly demons, with two angels—a young woman and Raphael. The archangel sat on Jericho’s side and looked just as disconnected as always. The young woman kept sneaking glances at Jericho.
“I am.”
My sister and Silas stood outside the glass doors, Ashby giving me a little wave. When I smiled, Mammon turned to face them and let out a huff. “See what happens when you fall in love?” she snapped, flipping her hand toward my sister. Letting them in the room, Ashby cowered when Mammon said, “Be on time.”
My sister mouthed Mammon’s words back to me, and I tried not to laugh.
“The way I see it, is you have a choice to make,” Mammon continued.
“A choice?” This is it. This is what I’d been dreading. My stomach flipped in knots and my palms sweat like a pig on a stick.
“And you will make this choice now—without any further information.” Mammon made sure I saw her glance at Jericho. She wasn’t going to tell me his sentence until I made up my own mind. Dammit, demons really liked to torture.
Jericho smiled at me, a sad smile that had my blood running cold. What had he agreed to?
Mammon continued, and I wondered if she’d spoken at Jericho’s hearing as well, or if this was now finally her chance. “You must choose: your livelihood or your angel.”
And there it was.
I would have to decide just how much Jericho meant to me.
“If you choose your angel, you will no longer be a part of my family. You will not collect souls for me. You will not benefit from my many investments. You will not have my protection.” I didn’t miss her longing glance toward my sister. Had she given Ashby this same choice? “I need your answer now.”
“Now?” I asked, stalling.
“Now,” Mammon growled and everyone in the room, aside from Raphael, melted into their seats a few inches.
“I can’t have an hour?”
Mammon’s eyes turned red. She thought I was going to choose him.
Looking across the table at Jericho, I tried to imagine a life without him in it—and couldn’t. We were so connected, it would be like ripping off an arm and a leg if I didn’t have him by my side. On the other hand, Mammon was my constant. Men had come and gone out of my life for centuries, and not one had ever come between me and my sire. She had always been my rock. My protector. My mother. I loved Mammon as much as any demon could love their sires. It wouldn’t feel right to leave that all behind.
But I loved Jericho, too.
Taking a moment, which annoyed Mammon to no end, I twisted in my seat to look at Ashby and Silas standing against the wall behind me. Ashby had done it. She’d left for love and she’d never seemed happier in our long life together. And now she was sta
rting a family. It wasn’t necessarily something I wanted, but I at least wanted the option.
Spinning around and looking down the table, I asked Jericho, “What did you decide?”
“He is not allowed to answer that.” Raphael’s booming, deep voice shook the room.
Jericho hung his head, probably to make sure not to break the rules. He was such a good angel.
A good angel. His brothers hated me because I’d been the reason his feathers turned gray. I might be the reason he never had a chance at true immortality. Had I ruined his life? I was meant to kill him…would it have been better if I had. A tear rolled down my cheek. If we weren’t supposed to be together, then why did it always feel so right?
“Answer now, Arabella,” Mammon growled.
“I choose him,” I whispered.
“Excuse me?” Mammon slapped both hands on the table, spilling two glasses of water and scaring the shit out of the lesser demons.
I looked up at her with a sad smile. “I choose Jericho.”
My sister let out a little squeal, Jericho lifted his smiling eyes to greet me, and Mammon ground her jaw together.
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
She glowered at Raphael and threw up her hands. “So be it.” Her words drifted off into the empty space when she disappeared in a blink.
Raphael stood, placing his hand on Jericho’s shoulders. “It is finished. Come,” he said to the other angel. They stood and walked out of the room without saying another word.
One by one, the demons popped out of existence, leaving a variety of smoke or stench in their wake. Ashby stood and wrapped her arms around my neck. In my ear, she whispered, “You made the right choice.”
“Did I?” I asked, suddenly and inexplicably doubting everything.
“Look at him,” she said. “Look at the way he watches you. No one has ever done that. And remember what I said before?”
“What’s that?”
“One man only can be a fabulous thing.” She kissed me on the cheek and left the room. I supposed Jericho and I would be forced to spend time with the two of them now—couples game night and all that shit.
