Michelle looked at the beleaguered faces waiting to leave Hell. They looked like they had just survived a battle, but weren’t happy about it. While they weren’t tattered and torn, like in the realms, their expressions gave away the memory of their suffering. She could totally relate. Even though her body was healed from all the tortures, her mind wasn’t. She knew they would never wipe away the memories of her torture. Unlike those lucky souls who didn’t have to remember every excruciating detail of what they had endured, she would be made to remember. She felt like crying, but held strong. She would be strong now for CJ, for Uncle Bob, and for herself.
She had no idea how she had frozen the Realm of Fire. As grateful as she was to be out the flames, she was afraid of what it meant. Destroying Hades’ tower and retaliating against the fire were impossible feats, she knew that, but something was different about her, she could feel it. Whatever was inside of her was terrifying, and something that shouldn’t be released. She didn’t want to mess with it unless she was left with no other alternative. If Hades tried to touch her again, she would freeze is balls off, but short of that, she had to control it.
Michelle breathed deeply; glad to be away from everyone for a few minutes. She needed time to think. She touched her cheek, waiting for the pain to remind her that she was still at everyone’s mercy, including the enemies of Lucifer, but instead of dried blood and exposed skin, she felt smooth, flawless skin. She patted her cheek, confused. It was healed. The wound was gone as if it had never happened. She felt no pain as she squeezed it. She was puzzled by all the things happening to her, but became even more determined to use it to her advantage. She didn’t want to be anyone’s pawn or whipping post anymore.
The Fallen in the Hall of Winds looked confused when they saw her, but ignored her and went about their business. She held her head high and pretended as if she was supposed to be there.
Servants freely walked around Hell on tasks for Lucifer, right?
She was pissed at Hades for touching her and confused as to why Lucifer was sending her to the realms. Hades was easy enough to hate, but she was upset about Lucifer. How could Lucifer say that he loved her and wanted her to understand him, only to turn around and unceremoniously throw her ass back into the shark tank without ever batting an eyelash? She needed to find a way out of this place. She didn’t want her existence to be over; she just wanted to get out of Hell.
An unstoppable need to escape overwhelmed her as she paced. She watched the souls at the end of the hall evaporate into white mist and float up into a tunnel. There were multiple guards around, but she knew that there were escape attempts occasionally. If she could harm Hades, she could easily stop the guards, even though she didn’t know how to recreate her outburst. A sense of peace came over her as she walked toward the tunnel.
Lucifer be damned, she wanted out, now, and nothing would stop her.
A pleasant voice drew her out of her crazy and dangerous thoughts. She turned to face a gorgeous angel who was smiling a sincere smile, the first one she had seen since her fall down the rabbit hole. She thought he had said the word Anjali, but she wasn’t sure since she didn’t speak angelic.
“Michelle Black?” the angel asked hesitantly.
“How do you know that name?” she was trembling, half in anticipation, half in fear. Was this her way out? Had someone finally come to get her? Not likely, but a girl could hope. She recognized the runway model angel as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. He was the perv who was staring at her earlier. Her hopes deflated.
“Quickly, we haven’t much time. My name is Mark and I know your father. He asked me to get a message to you. He desperately wants to speak with you to make sure that you are all right. Please, this is imperative. I need you get to the Caves of Darkness. I know it is dangerous, but I think he can gain entrance there. Do not tell anyone about this. He is not allowed here. Promise me that you will meet him there tomorrow after Lucifer does his rounds in the realms. Sneak out of the castle and…” Mark was cut off by her waving hand.
“I know how to get there, that is not the issue. My father? My father the paper salesman? Henry Black? How could you possibly know him?” Michelle tried to understand what the angel was saying. How could he know boring old Henry Black? Her father would have bragged about knowing an angel between reading the paper and eating dinner. It would have made him more interesting, at the very least. Since Mark hadn’t handed her a business card or his personalized stationary, she didn’t believe that he really knew her father.
“Not the mortal that took care of you in your last life, your father, your REAL father. He has missed you terribly,” Mark said sympathetically.
Michelle stared at the babbling angel blankly. Apparently, it was “screw with the prisoners and fill them false hope” day. It was new, different, and refreshing; the best torture to date and it didn’t even need its own realm.
She shook her head and was about to turn away from the disturbed angel, when he grabbed her.
“I implore you to listen to me. I know you have been kept in the dark about many things, but surely, you must know who your real father is after all this time. Certainly he would have told you by now,” Mark did not want to overstep his bounds, but he needed her to believe him.
“I really don’t have time to play games. I’m having a crap day and need to figure out how to escape,” Michelle was angry that the angel was distracting her from her escape plans.
“I assure you that I am not playing games. Perhaps I should not be telling you this, but you need to understand. You are the daughter of the Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of God,” Mark looked her squarely in the face waiting for a reaction, hoping he had gotten through to her.
∞
“Lord Hades, Lord Lucifer is requesting your presence in the Throne Room. He also wants to know if you have seen his mistress,” Aganon spoke loudly as he entered the Hall of Misery, rushing through the request, hoping to make a quick return to Lucifer, before he beat him for taking too long.
He tripped to a halt when he saw the devastation. He knew he was in trouble when Hades looked up, surprised to see him, and then became visibly angry. Whatever had happened here was supposed to be a secret, which meant he would probably receive a beating regardless.
Jared and Azazel were desperately trying to put the room back in order. It appeared as if a tornado had hit the room. Considering that no one was lying dead on the floor, it was an unusual sight. Hades often beat the servants and the Fallen in his tower for disobedience, but considering that it was his personal possessions in ruins, he didn’t think Hades had caused the damage.
“Get out. Tell Lucifer I’m busy. I will speak to him when I am able. And no, I haven’t seen his little tart. Tell him to keep a closer watch over her if he needs to know her whereabouts at all times,” Hades harshly bellowed. He waved his hand and fixed his shattered throne.
“My Lord, what happened here?” Aganon asked cautiously. He didn’t believe Hades’ lie about not knowing of the mistresses’ whereabouts.
“None of your business, servant. Now run back to your Master and be sure to send him my regrets. I don’t have time to stand before him and listen to his nonsense,” Hades huffed as he repaired the last leg of his throne and threw himself into it.
Jared refused to look at Aganon, despite being somewhat friendly with him or at least an ally when it came to hating Hades. He knew immediately that something was very wrong.
Aganon bowed to Hades, making a good show of it. He didn’t need to be reprimanded for failing to show respect to the loser. “Of course, Lord Hades, I will tell my Master.”
He spun on his heel and quickly left the tower. He braced himself for the shit storm that was about to take place. After all the rumors and warnings, it seemed that the Destroyer had finally risen up and bitch slapped Hades. He knew it was only a matter of time.
“I wish I could have seen Hades get his ass kicked,” he murmured to himself. “Too bad Lucifer is going to kill her for
it.”
Chapter 12
Holy crap, she thought to herself. By the time Sebastian appeared in the Hall of Winds and handed off the Purgatory bound prisoner to Mark, Michelle was on her way back the castle, almost believing what Mark had told her. He had explained it a million different ways. The only thing he hadn’t done was show her the eight-by-ten color glossy photos.
“You must not tell anyone that I have spoken to you; otherwise, I will be in terrible trouble. Please believe me. Your father is desperate to see you. Get to the entrance to the cave closest to the Hall of Shadows and he will try to find you. They will kill me if they see me talking to you, please go. Good luck,” Mark whispered. He quickly walked away from Michelle and stood near Sebastian’s podium before he returned.
Michelle was both befuddled and annoyed. If Mark was telling the truth, then the man she believed to be her father, wasn’t really her father. She had wanted it to be true her whole life, but hearing that it might be true, made her feel guilty. She felt vindicated for knowing that something was wrong with her family, but she did care about them and missed them. She felt like her whole life was a lie.
Kept in the dark about a few things, was he kidding? She was standing in Hell, having a conversation with an angel. There were definitely a few pieces missing from her life story. It gave her hope that she might finally find out the truth. Suddenly the incidents in Hades’ tower and in the Realm of Fire didn’t seem so bizarre. If her real father was an angel, then maybe she was different from everyone else.
She had to get to the caves and find out what was going on, regardless of the consequences. With her luck, Hades would be there waiting with a blender and no ice. He would love to get her in trouble with Lucifer, yet she had to do this. If Mark were screwing with her, she would find a way to get even with him.
Entering the Throne Room, she saw Lucifer standing in front of his throne as Caleb rushed toward her. He looked like he was about to tackle and subdue her, but stopped short when he saw Aganon trailing behind her.
“Where were you?” Lucifer called out to her. He looked concerned, but angry.
Before she could answer, Aganon grabbed her arm and rushed her to the dais. He knelt before Lucifer and forced her to her knees as well.
Caleb smugly took his place next to Lucifer’s throne.
She had no idea why Aganon was making her bow, but she had a feeling he was trying to help her. It would have been proper etiquette for a servant to bow to their master, but she had no interest in being a servant, regardless of what Lucifer commanded.
She pulled her arm away from Aganon and stood up. She boldly looked Lucifer directly in the eyes and ignored Aganon’s attempts to make her submissive.
Lucifer had lied when he said this was her home. She had suffered the realms, defended herself from a groping Hades, and been lied to by God knows who. Home was nothing like this. She would never consider this home, nor would she pretend to like it here. If her real father was anything like the angels she was surrounded by in Hell, then she wanted no part of him.
Lucifer growled as he stared at her intently. “What happened?”
She wasn’t sure if he was mad about Hades’ tower, freezing the Realm of Fire, talking to Mark, or attempting to escape Hell, so she simply shrugged.
“Hades’ tower has been damaged. I have a feeling you know what happened,” Lucifer appeared feral as he spoke. The tender Lucifer, who had told her that he loved her, had been replaced by the axe wielding psycho version of the devil.
“Oh, that,” she replied with a sigh, grateful he didn’t know about her other indiscretions. “Hades requested my presence,” she wasn’t ready to tell Lucifer what Hades had done. She was still outraged by Hades’ behavior, but she didn’t want to relive it by detailing it to Lucifer.
“Why?” Lucifer’s voice went from a yell to a roar. His eyes were as black as midnight and he was on the verge of going berserk.
Michelle hesitated, but stepped forward. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, except maybe break a few things, and Hades’ spine. She didn’t think Lucifer would hold that against her. “He wanted to speak to me,” she decided to be vague.
“I want to know what happened,” Lucifer’s fists were clenched, as were his teeth.
“We had a disagreement, nothing more,” suddenly she couldn’t look at Lucifer. She could still feel Hades’ clammy, grubby hands on her body and his horrible lips on hers. She wanted to gag. Instead, she started shaking.
“Who destroyed the tower?” Lucifer asked in a low deep voice.
“I did,” she whispered. Fear rose up in her. Suddenly, she was worried about the possible repercussions of attacking Hades since she was nothing more than a servant. Lucifer might do something worse than throw her into a realm for assaulting his second-in-command. He might even call for her death. Not that she regretted her actions, but she probably should have come directly to Lucifer and tried for a mercy plea.
“Bring him to me,” Lucifer snarled at Aganon, who took off at a dead run.
Within a minute Hades was being hauled into the Throne Room, along with Jared and Azazel.
“Hades, what is the meaning of this? My mistress claims that she destroyed the Hall of Misery. What would cause her to do that?” Lucifer was on the edge. Everyone in the room could clearly see it.
“My Lord, there was a misunderstanding that’s all. Nothing happened. No need to get all worked up over nothing,” Hades waved his hand as if the matter was beneath Lucifer’s attention.
“According to Aganon, it appeared as if a battle had taken place. What was the disagreement about?” Lucifer sneered.
Michelle avoided looking at anyone and tried to make herself very small. She was afraid that Lucifer would accuse her of wrongdoing and drag her to the realms, personally.
“It was a minor thing. The room needed to be redone anyway,” Hades scoffed innocently trying to avoid the question.
Lucifer’s eyes locked on Hades and he lunged forward. He grabbed him by the neck and they were both thrown to the floor by the force of the jump. Hades tried to pry Lucifer’s hands from his throat, but it was no use. Lucifer smashed Hades’ head into the marble floor repeatedly. Lucifer sounded like a wild animal while Hades gasped for air.
“What did you do to her?” the words were barely audible through the growls.
“Couldn’t…help…myself,” Hades choked out.
“I will end your miserable life for this,” Lucifer got to his feet and threw Hades against the wall. Hades bounced off and landed on his ass.
Lucifer turned and glared at Michelle. “What did he do?”
Lucifer’s eyes were red, reflecting the fire from the torches. He looked demonic. Michelle didn’t know how to answer him. She didn’t want Lucifer to kill Hades because of her. Something felt wrong about killing Hades, though she wouldn’t mind watching him be torn apart in the Realm of Ghouls.
“I can’t explain what happened. I threw him across the room without touching him and I blew the glass out of the windows without moving,” she decided to side step the Hades issue and confess to the part that might land her in trouble. She didn’t know why she was taking one for the team, but felt like she had to.
That stopped Lucifer’s rage. “What? How?” he was calm within the span of a heartbeat. He looked at her sympathetically.
“I don’t know. I got mad at Hades and this force rose up and threw him across the room. I don’t know what happened,” she lowered her face to the ground and braced herself, in case Lucifer hit her.
“You mean you didn’t throw anything at the windows and break them? You didn’t physically throw Hades? There was no fight?” Lucifer was confused by her answer. It was the last thing he expected.
“There was no fight. I got angry and things started happening. The windows splintered apart and the glass shot out of them. Hades flew through the air into his throne. The force was great enough that it decimated the throne. I don’t know how it happened, I swear,” Mi
chelle sniffled. She lifted a shaky hand to wipe away her tears.
Lucifer turned to Hades for confirmation.
Hades merely nodded his head, though his eyes held fear in them. Michelle understood Hades’ reluctance to speak. Lucifer had been diffused, for the moment, and as it stood, Hades was no longer the focus of Lucifer’s rage. She half-expected Hades to try to sneak out of the room.
Instead of yelling, Lucifer took her into his arms and hugged her. He tightened his arms around her and put his lips against her hair. “Are you all right?” he whispered through her hair.
Michelle was so shocked by his mood swing that she didn’t understand the question at first. Was she okay after being attacked or was she okay with the fact that raw power had somehow ripped free from her body? No, to the first question, and yes, to the second. “I think so.”
Lucifer pulled back to look at her. He released her and grabbed her hand to look at her ring. He let out a breath and smiled at her. “I will deal with Hades regarding this matter. I promise you, whatever went on between the two of you will never happen again. From this point on, you will stay by my side. You will walk with me as I make my rounds. I will personally see to your safety,” he took her chin in his hand and looked deeply into her eyes.
Michelle relaxed considerably and nodded. For some reason she took comfort from his promise. She knew that she and Hades were far from ending their feud, but she was relieved that Lucifer had stepped forward to offer his protection.
Malcolm entered the Throne Room and called out to Lucifer. “My Lord, if I may. I need a word with you.”
“Not now, Malcolm. First, I need to deal with Hades. I will address you later. Leave,” Lucifer ignored him. He was too focused on his mistress to care about anything else.
Malcolm hesitated, but bowed when he saw that Hades was bleeding. He turned and left the tower.
The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness Page 20
