“You can count on us, sir,” Tommy said, speaking for the first time.
“Good,” Michael said. He looked at Gabriel and his expression cleared. “We should go and discuss things, Gabriel.”
“Aye, I was thinking the same,” Gabriel said. He looked around the little group. “You’ll be all right,” he said, smiling at them. “Asaf and Vel here are good souls. They’ll help keep you all safe.”
“Thanks, Gabe,” Minnie said. “And thanks, Mike. Though you’re really scary when you’re annoyed. I can’t imagine how terrifying you are when you’re seriously angry.”
Gabriel burst out laughing. “Demons shit themselves,” he said between peals of laughter.
“Yeah, I can well imagine,” Minnie said.
Michael sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “And so order is restored, I suppose,” he muttered. “Levity has returned.”
“Aye. Let’s go, baby,” Gabriel said. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“As you say.”
“Right, so, we’ll hear from you, yeah?” As Asaf and Vel nodded, Gabriel nodded as well. “Excellent. See you all soon, then.” He took Michael’s hand in his and led his lover out of the house, smiling to himself as he felt Michael’s fingers twine with his.
Out on the street, Michael leaned into Gabriel and took a deep breath. “I am angry, da bao,” he said. “And I am frustrated.”
“Then let’s go to Belle Coeur, so you can feel better, and we can talk about what all happened.”
Michael nodded against Gabriel’s shoulder. “I confess I would like that a very great deal.”
Gabriel moved them straight to the beach on their private island, and there he wrapped his arms around Michael and held him close.
After a while, Michael gently pulled free of Gabriel’s arms. “Thank you, Gabriel.”
“Naught to thank me for,” Gabriel said.
Michael took both of Gabriel’s hands in his, and Gabriel watched the subtle flicker and play of emotion over Michael’s face.
Finally, Michael let out a slow breath and said, “I love this place very much. This island. Belle Coeur. I always find here a peace and contentment that I have not felt outside of the boundaries of Heaven. Here on this island I find that it is easy to return to calm after stressful situations.”
Gabriel looked out over the sea. It was placid today, ripples of blue with the gentle undulation of the tide and seagulls hovering overhead, their beady eyes fixed on the water, watching for fish that might swim too close to the surface. From the jungle behind him came the sound of monkeys and the call of exotic birds. Other noises of wildlife could be heard, a cacophony of natural sounds that blended together in the most glorious of hymn of all: life.
“I love it too,” Gabriel said. “When I bought it all those years ago, I had no idea it’d end up being so important to me. So important to us.”
“And to the creatures who dwell here, safe forever because of your power that protects this place,” Michael said. “I know, even though you never speak of it, that you ensure the animals and sea life are safe from hunters or poachers or other evils.”
Gabriel shrugged. “This place is a sanctuary for me and for you. It should be a sanctuary for all who live here, especially for those who were here before I bought it.”
“You are a good soul, Gabriel,” Michael said.
“Aye, and so are you.” Gabriel squeezed Michael’s fingers. “So, shall we sit on the beach and talk ’bout what’s going on, or go indoors?”
Michael considered it for a moment. “Let us sit outside for a while.”
“All right.” Gabriel used his power to pull a beach blanket to them and spread it out on the sand for them both. “There we go.”
Michael sat down. “You’re very kind.”
Chapter Four
“AND NOW we wait.” Gabriel sat beside Michael on the blanket, gazing out over the gently rolling sea. “The part I hate the most.”
Michael nudged Gabriel’s shoulder with his own and then he leaned into him. “I confess I dislike this part as well. Yet we must endure.”
“I know, I know.” Gabriel slipped his arm around Michael’s shoulders. “Just that, the longer we wait, the more the ‘what ifs’ mount up, and I start to worry for real.”
“Then let us hope that we do not have to wait so long that you worry yourself unduly.” Michael turned and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “I have concerns, of course I do. Yet I feel that ultimately, in the end, all will be well.”
Gabriel grunted at that. “Mishka, don’t you think it’s weird that we’re working so well with the Archdemons, and Lucifer of all people? Not to mention Lilith! We’re enemies—by tradition and orders—and now, suddenly, God’s gone silent on us, and we’re allied with those we used to kill.”
Michael hummed. “It is strange,” he agreed. “However, think back. These things have been strange since just before the Seventy Years War.”
Gabriel frowned, mulling that over, his brow furrowing as he thought. Michael was right—things had been strange since Ondrass and his companions had met them in that disused warehouse so many decades ago and proposed the alliance that had, ultimately, lessened the severity of the war and its aftermath. The events since the war’s end had been unusual too: angels being kidnapped to be sold as slaves on the black market, Semjaza escaping from his prison, the discovery of a colony of Nephilim guided by Ishtahar’s youngest son, and the current crisis, including the sudden fluidity of the walls between realities.
“Do you think we’re heading for an Apocalypse?” Gabriel asked.
Michael shifted in Gabriel’s embrace and moved to face him. “No,” he said firmly. “I can read those signs, and it is in my Grace to know when they are imminent. It is not an Apocalypse. But it is something.”
“I wonder if Raz or Tzad could explain it,” Gabriel said. He took Michael’s hands in his, tracing the lines on Michael’s palms with his fingers. “I feel like I’m trying to see through mud, and the more I try to see, the thicker the mud gets.”
“An apt analogy,” Michael agreed. “Things are changing. That much is certain. As you said, always before the Archdemons and their ilk were our enemies. Our mandate from the end of the War in Heaven was to give no quarter to any demon. Then the situation changed and we became allied with them. Astonishingly, God did not question this nor did He punish us. God has been quite… permissive, all in all.”
“D’you think God’s getting tired of endless war?” Gabriel asked. “I mean, I know there’s things that can’t be settled at the conference table. That’s just the way of existence. A lion ain’t going to sit down in peace with a deer. I’m His General, and I’m tired of endless war.” He laughed a humorless laugh. “The Archangel of War is tired of the very thing he was made for. Ironic, ain’t it?”
“Not at all, Gabriel.” Michael lightly squeezed Gabriel’s fingers. “You have been fighting forever, before there was even such a thing as Time. If you are weary of it, then I would imagine that God is also. You are of His anger and His fighting spirit, after all. These things that are the center of your Grace reflect the way that God Himself feels. So yes, I think you have hit on something important, that God is growing weary of these endless conflicts and fights. As you say, there are things that cannot be avoided. But there are so many that can be.”
“And if this were heresy, this discussion,” Gabriel said slowly, “a lightning bolt would be hitting us right about now.”
Michael smiled at that. “There is that to consider also.”
“Do you remember way back, when I told you that I had this gut feeling that God and Lucifer had a deal?” Gabriel asked. “Ages ago, when Semjaza was running amok, before I killed him in Stonehenge and Maryhill Estate.”
Michael pursed his lips. “I do,” he said slowly, “but what of it?”
“What if that’s part of it? I mean, Lucifer’s not that much older than you. He must be fuck tired of war too.”
“L
anguage. And I would imagine so. But Lucifer is content in his role as King and Lord of Hell. He does not desire to return to Heaven and overthrow God.”
Gabriel’s eyes grew wide. He gaped. “Holy fuck,” he gasped. “Michael. This is….” He paused to get his thoughts in order. “Lucifer doesn’t want Heaven,” he said, his words almost tripping his tongue as he spoke. “He did, long, long ago, but he’s moved on from that. Like you say, he’s good with being the master of Hell. If he weren’t, that’d be reflected in how Adramelek works with us, and apart from sarcasm and battles of words with Uri, Adramelek’s almost a friend. And God doesn’t want Hell; He designed it for a reason, and Lucifer took that design and worked and shaped it to suit his own purpose as well as God’s. Which left Earth the neutral territory and Purgatory the home of the souls of the monsters of the world. What if… what if God and Lucifer really do have a deal and really do want war to end and for our four dimensions to coexist in peace, but Naamah’s put a spanner in the works of that deal?”
Michael was staring at him. He licked his lips, and after several long, slow moments, he shook his head. “I do not know,” he said quietly. “But Gabriel, where is this speculation leading?”
Gabriel was shaking. “I think,” he began, “I think that this is a deal between the two of them to put an end to the Apocalypses. The Four Horsemen ride out as part of the Apocalypses, and they do their thing, but there’ll always be war, famine, pestilence, and death. Among humans and monsters, if nothing else. They’ll always have work. But Apocalypses… they’re major upheavals in every reality, every plane of existence. What if God and the Devil decided that there’d been enough of them? What if they decided that after the Seventy Years War, things could exist and grow organically, without needing to be destroyed and rebooted by an Apocalypse?”
Michael’s eyes were as round as saucers. “Gabriel… if you are right… then what about us?”
“What do you mean, what about us?” Gabriel asked, blindsided by the question.
“Archangels. We will have no purpose.”
“Of course we will.” Gabriel dismissed that impatiently. “We’ll have even more than before, ’cause we’ll be charged with using our powers and talents with maintaining the peace, not destroying demons and such as our primary mandate. Wouldn’t you like to do that instead? Live with the prime order being keep the peace, rather than kill all the demons and their allies?”
Michael’s expression had changed as Gabriel spoke, growing surprised then hopeful then wistful. “I would,” he said. “Oh, Gabriel. That is a wonderful dream. I hope you are right. I hope that this is not just a theory or idea. I hope that it is a reality, a truth.”
“When we sort out this shit with Naamah once and for all, you and me, we’re going upstairs and we’re having it out with God,” Gabriel said.
Michael blinked. Then he laughed. “What do you propose we do, Gabriel? Pound our fists upon His doors and kick them and scream through them if He will not see us?”
Gabriel grinned back. “Why not?”
“Well, we shall see.” Michael touched Gabriel’s cheek gently. “If you are right, and I hope very much that you are, we may not have to. God may reveal His mind to us upon the conclusion of our mission with Naamah and Purgatory.”
“I hope so,” Gabriel said. “I don’t want to stub my toes on God-insulated doors.”
Michael burst out laughing again. “I do not think that will happen. But your words have given me hope, and so I feel happier than I have for some time. Thank you.”
Gabriel leaned forward and kissed Michael’s forehead. “I’ve given myself hope, too, so that’s awesome.”
“Yes, I would say that it is.” Michael pushed back a lock of hair. “So, what do we do about things as they are?”
“Well, I don’t think the kids down in Australia will be keeping anything from you again,” Gabriel said. “You scared ’em good. And Angelique knows procedure, so when—if—they find anything in the graves, she’ll let you know. Same for everyone else. Like I said, what we have now is the waiting game.”
“Perhaps we could spend the time waiting in a more productive way,” Michael said. A light blush colored his cheeks.
“Oh, aye? And what did you have in mind, solnyshko?”
Michael’s blush deepened. “Perhaps you would kiss me? And… touch me?”
Gabriel’s smile became fond. “Aye, I’d like that a lot.”
Michael smiled shyly back. “It has been some time since we were intimate.”
“You don’t have to explain, solnyshko.” Gabriel moved a little closer.
“That is a relief,” Michael said.
“Michael?”
“Yes, Gabriel?”
Gabriel felt his lips twitch with mirth. “Stop talking.” Before Michael could say anything else, Gabriel kissed him.
It hadn’t really been that long, but considering how much had happened in such a short space of time, it did feel as if it had been months since Gabriel had felt Michael’s lips upon his own. The kiss was passionate and hungry, and Gabriel slid one of his hands up to tangle in Michael’s hair. Michael whimpered, a sound that came from low in his throat, and moved closer, until he was in Gabriel’s lap, pressed as close to him as he could get. Gabriel lay back, pulling Michael with him, and let out a sharp grunt of surprise as Michael rolled them so that he was beneath Gabriel’s bulk.
“Please,” Michael whispered. “I need you to… to take control.”
“Whatever you want, heart of my life,” Gabriel said.
Michael tugged him down for another kiss, and this time it was all heat and hunger, full of animalistic want and need. Gabriel growled into it, biting at Michael’s mouth, raking the nails of his left hand down Michael’s side, little trails of power in the wake of his touch tearing away Michael’s clothes. Michael arched into Gabriel and that served only to make Gabriel want him more. As Michael nipped Gabriel’s lower lip, Gabriel growled again, and used his power once more, this time to get them both completely naked.
Michael’s body was hot and muscled beneath him, his cock hard, and Gabriel could feel the slickness of precum as that hardness rubbed against Gabriel’s groin. Gabriel ducked his head and mouthed at Michael’s neck, and as Michael tilted his head to give Gabriel better access, Gabriel bit down, just above the pulse point.
He felt Michael’s legs wrap around his hips and heard the low keen that Michael gave voice to as he tasted blood on his tongue. Michael’s hands were scrabbling for purchase in Gabriel’s wings, and Gabriel couldn’t help but unfurl them, feathers flaring as Michael’s fingers clutched at them. Michael’s desire for him only increased Gabriel’s hunger, and he slicked his cock with a thought and shifted just enough to be able to nudge the head against Michael’s hole.
“Gabriel!” Michael panted, his blunt nails scraping over the soft down-covered cartilage of Gabriel’s wing.
That desperate plea made Gabriel groan, and he lowered a hand to between Michael’s thighs and took hold of his own cock. Positioning himself, he slowly thrust into Michael’s willing body, hissing as tight heat gripped him, as Michael wrapped himself so firmly around Gabriel that Gabriel was unsure where one of them began and the other ended.
He rolled his hips once, and Michael flexed his muscles around Gabriel’s cock. Gabriel saw stars for a moment, and he kissed Michael’s mouth as he wrapped his hand around Michael’s cock and began to stroke him with short, fast movements, his thumb smearing the precum over the head.
Michael was babbling, half phrases of nonsense and words from a dozen languages, mashed together in a steady stream of need and desire and love. Gabriel kissed Michael’s mouth once more, then braced himself on his free hand and, panting, began to thrust fast and hard into Michael’s body as he stroked Michael’s cock. Michael ran his hands in almost feverish caresses over Gabriel’s chest and shoulders, down his back to his wing joints, then across the powerful feathers and up to Gabriel’s neck. His hands seemed to have taken o
n a life of their own, moving over Gabriel’s body, touching every inch of him that Michael could reach, and each touch, each caress filled Gabriel’s heart with love and longing as each clench around his cock filled him with lust.
It didn’t take long, not with such passion rising between them. A few hard thrusts and Gabriel arched, throwing his head back and flaring his wings to their fullest stretch as he came, yelling his release in a wordless shout. A moment and a couple of strokes later and Gabriel felt the hot flood of Michael’s own orgasm on his hand as Michael tightened his legs around Gabriel’s hips and clenched down tight on Gabriel’s cock.
Panting harshly, his heart pounding, Gabriel furled back his wings and slowly pulled out of Michael’s body. He flopped down on his side on the blanket, lying beside his lover, and he rested a hand on Michael’s chest, just over his heart. He smiled as he felt the rapid thump of Michael’s heartbeat beneath his palm.
Michael let out a great sigh and shifted onto his side, facing Gabriel. He touched Gabriel’s cheek with gentle fingers. “Thank you,” he said.
Gabriel quirked an eyebrow. “For what?”
“For that. It was… it was more than I hoped for. I have felt keenly the need to connect with you in such an intimate, physical fashion, yet there has not been opportunity to do so until now.”
“Mishka,” Gabriel began as he slid his hand up to cup Michael’s cheek, “you don’t need to thank me for loving you, you know? And you don’t need to thank me for fantastic sex. I get just as much out of that as you do. And I love you, baby, a fuck of a lot.”
“Language, Gabriel.” But Michael smiled and turned his head to press a gentle kiss to Gabriel’s palm. “Still. I feel that it is important to let you know how much I appreciate you. I do not always know how to do so in an appropriate fashion, and so I fall back upon words of thanks, for they are sometimes all I have.”
Gabriel was touched by Michael’s words and the emotion he could see in his beloved’s eyes. He had to clear his throat before he answered, for a lump had risen there and he didn’t want to choke on his own feelings. That, he felt, would be a little ridiculous, considering the depth of feeling they were sharing right then.
The Bone Cup Page 5
