by Debra Dunbar
I loved Gregory like this. And that alone was worth putting up with this pain-in-the-ass brat. Lux looked over at me and beamed, his pudgy hands reaching out. I took him before I could even realize what I was doing, and felt his face nuzzle against my neck, his chubby hands clutching me. Okay, maybe I actually liked this brat.
Maybe I kinda loved this brat.
I looked up to see Gregory regarding me with the same sappy expression he’d just been using on Lux. Nyalla was giving me that look too. So was Snip. Fuck, I was surrounded by a bunch of idiots that were completely under the thumb of this infant angel.
“Everyone’s your bitch, aren’t they?” I cooed to him. “We’re all wrapped around your little pudgy finger. I mean they. They’re all wrapped around your pudgy little finger. I still think you’re an asshole. And an idiot. I mean, who the fuck puts himself into a chipper shredder?”
The hot dog and the pool weren’t a big deal. Diving down the stairs, jamming a fork in the electrical socket, stabbing himself with a fillet knife—none of that was a big deal. The chipper shredder… I’d never experienced my blood running cold like it had in that moment. I’d been in the house, and felt…something. Without a moment’s thought, I’d teleported into the storage shed and yanked the young angel out of the machine. I’ll admit there had been a lot of screaming and drama on my part as I’d checked to make sure he was still okay inside the mangled, half-torso that remained of his body. If I’d been a few minutes later, if I’d ignored that feeling…
As if I could ever have ignored that feeling. There had been blood and bits of flesh sprayed all over the inside of the shed. The chipper shredder had still been humming away. The half-torso that housed my little angel had been pale and dead, oozing blood across the wooden planks of the floor. But Lux had been safely inside, somehow huddled into the lifeless legs of the body. If the whole thing had gone through the machine, I wasn’t sure he would have had the skill or the quick reaction time to either recreate a physical form, or throw his spirit-self into something inanimate. It scared the fuck out of me to even think of what might have happened.
Lux had recreated his form then giggled, launching himself into my arms. I’d held him tight, took him inside to Nyalla’s care. Then I’d gone back out to the shed and destroyed the chipper shredder, reducing it to subatomic particles in a fit of blind fear and rage.
Two hours later the hot dog incident had occurred, and that had seemed like a fucking papercut after the morning I’d just had.
“Cockroach!”
I looked up at Gregory. He was scowling at me. I preferred the besotted expression he’d had a few minutes earlier.
“What happened with Lux and the chipper shredder?”
I pushed the memory down deep inside and gave the archangel my most innocent look. “He broke it. No big deal. It’s not like I needed the thing anyway.”
Gregory shot me a hard look then sat down on the lounge chair next to me, his knees touching my side. “He’s a handful, and you’re not used to caring for angel young. It’s my fault for not being here more.”
“You’re busy. And technically he’s my responsibility. I’m the one who promised his sire I’d take care of him. I just wish I had a damned dwarf here. This would be so much easier with a dwarf.”
The archangel reached out and ran his fingers through my hair, pulling a lock away from my shoulder and rubbing it between his thumb and other fingers. “You are just as busy as I am, and what is your responsibility is mine as well. Cockroach, I have claimed Lux as if he were my own creation, and I take the proper care and upbringing of my only offspring seriously.”
I held the little angel tight and leaned into Gregory’s hand, feeling the edge of his spirit-self against mine. “I suck at this. I need a dwarf. I really need a dwarf.”
I felt his smile. “We do not have a dwarf. It’s just us, and angels have been guiding young angels into maturity for billions of years. The two of us can do this on our own.”
I thought again of the chipper shredder and shuddered. “I’d be happier if we had a dwarf.”
“I’m not a dwarf, but I’m pretty good at taking care of babies, including angel babies and Nephilim infants as it turns out,” Nyalla chimed in. “Let me be your babysitter and part-time nanny. I’m happy to do it.”
My heart twisted. I kept forgetting what the elves had done to Nyalla, how she could never have children of her own. How tragic that not only was her life so short, but she’d not have the joy of bearing a child—of bearing Gabriel’s child.
I hated Gabe, but in a weird kind of way. Of all the demons and angels I’d battled in my life, I’d never had this much emotion, this much dislike toward another being. But along with that hate was a sort of affection. I’d miss the bastard if anything happened to him. And as much as Nyalla’s eventual death would tear me apart, I knew it would be nothing to what Gabriel would feel. And he wouldn’t even have a child by her to help soothe the pain of her eventual loss.
She was good with Lux. And he adored her. It was a tragedy that she was unable to bear children, but I had a child I called mine that I’d not formed, there was no reason the same couldn’t happen with her. And in the meantime, I’d be happy to share Lux with his Aunt Nyalla.
“We do need your help today, Nyalla,” Gregory said. “There’s something I need you to see, Cockroach.”
I flinched, sensing that this was something serious, something that would require my full attention. I shifted on the lounge chair, untangling Lux’s arms from my neck and passing him over to Nyalla. He went willingly, happily even. Nyalla’s face brightened and she said a bunch of nonsense words to the angel infant in a high-pitched voice. He smiled and babbled back to her, shifting his form to appear even younger and cuter.
“I’ve got him,” she told Gregory. “You go do what you need to do. I’ll make sure he’s safe.” She turned to press her nose against Lux’s. “Wont I? We’ll have tacos for dinner tonight, because it’s taco Tuesday, then we’ll watch Adventure Time and then you can sleep in my bed with me. How does that sound, big boy? Huh? My sweet angel boy?”
I felt the shift in Lux’s energy and shot him a narrowed glance. “Don’t get any ideas. You might be young and cute, but Gabriel will still have your ass if you try anything. And if he doesn’t, I will.”
Nyalla gave me a side-eye look. “Sam. Seriously? He’s a baby.”
“He’s a baby angel. They’re not exactly babies.” I’d found that out quick enough.
“Thank you,” Gregory told Nyalla before turning to me. “This is something serious, and right now you’re the only one who knows about it besides me and a select few among my Grigori.”
The relaxing afternoon was over. Back to work. I sighed and got to my feet, shifting my wings as I put my hand on Gregory’s quite impressive bicep. “Okay, babe. Let’s go.”
Chapter 3
We stood near the end of a filthy alley. There were stinky dumpsters, greasy chipped brick walls, a faded ornate graffiti tag on the stockade fence. Nothing unusual aside from the dead angel.
“I didn’t do that.” I pointed to the pile of sand that had once been the corporeal home to a being of spirit. The last time Gregory showed me a dead angel it had been more or less intact from a physical standpoint, the spirit-self ripped from its form leaving jagged bits behind as a testament to who, and what, it had once been. That angel had been killed by a devouring spirit. This angel had been transmuted in the method that powerful angels used to kill each other—held firmly in the captivity of their corporeal form as the killer dissolved it around them. I’d learned it was a way of making sure your victim didn’t escape the body to take refuge in a nearby rock, or quickly create another form. It was a way of making sure the angel you intended to kill was truly dead. It was a method that required a significant amount of power and skill.
Or a sentient, magical sword.
Gregory ignored my protestation of innocence and knelt down in front of the pile of sand. “Humiel was one
of my enforcer Grigori. The gate guardian said she sent him after a mid-level demon that had attacked her and killed a group of humans near the gateway.”
I knelt beside him. “No mid-level demon did this. Maybe, if we were looking at a char-broiled corpse, or the guy was torn to bloody bits, or exploded from the inside out—”
“Then I would be accusing Uri.” He chuckled, a completely inappropriate sound in this circumstance. “She never liked the transmutation method of execution, always preferring something more dramatic.”
My respect for Gregory’s archangel sibling just went up a few notches. “You’re joking! Uriel seriously explodes angels from the inside out?”
He nodded, a fond smile on his face. “She’ll do the transmutation thing on occasion, but the other is her signature move. It’s distinctive. Blood from the pores and every orifice, smoking craters for eyes. Of course, that method only works if an angel is in corporeal form, and the executioner must be of sufficient power to hold the spirit-being inside the form until the death is complete.”
I had no idea Uriel had this sort of thing in her. I was approaching hero worship at this point. “Well, this guy is a pile of sand, so it wasn’t Uriel and it wasn’t me. Could a higher-level Grigori do this? Or is one of your brothers on a rampage? Maybe this guy grabbed Ahia’s ass, and Rafi lost his temper or something?”
The smile faded. “Rafael would come to me before delivering this sort of justice.”
Actually, Ahia would most likely kill the guy before Rafi could lay a finger on him, and this wasn’t really her style. “So, who?”
Gregory took my hand and shoved it into the sand. I instinctively recoiled, because…gross. This might just look like a pile of spilled sand to anyone else, but I felt the angel’s previous form, felt the scattered remains of his decaying spirit-being.
And I felt something else. There was a faint trace of energy there, cold and clear and sharp. And very, very powerful.
I removed my hand and dusted the grains of sand off on my pants leg, shooting Gregory a concerned, sideways glance. I’d never felt this energy signature before, but I’d had it described to me.
“It’s a coincidence,” I told the angel. “He’s dead. This killer is either a faker trying to freak you and your brothers out, or it’s a really weird coincidence.”
“Seven Grigori have perished within the last twelve hours. Seven. All of them dead this way and all of them bearing faint traces of this energy signature.”
“Someone is hunting them down?” I glanced around the alley. “It doesn’t look like there was a fight here. Maybe it was an ambush?”
Gregory did that raised eyebrow thing.
“Oh, don’t look like that. You might think your Grigori are the mightiest beings outside of your siblings, but it just ain’t true. Nyalla and Harper collared one and beat the shit out of him. If two human girls, one of them pregnant, can take down a hunter angel, then a gang of street-smart demons could easily lure your enforcers to their deaths. You guys underestimate us. You go in like you’re shooting fish in a barrel and make stupid mistakes. The sin of pride is really an issue with you angels.”
He winced at my mention of pride, and I remembered that had always been his weakness as well. Pride and anger, but mostly pride.
“I’m sorry you’ve lost seven of your angels.” I reached out with my spirit-self to touch him, realizing that such a thing must cause him grief. I mean, if I were to lose seven of my Lows, I’d be upset too.
“All of them enforcers,” he told me. “And they’re not as naïve as you’re claiming, Cockroach. These Grigori have been hunting demon trespassers for hundreds of years. The gate guardians cycle out every century, as do most of the Grigori, but these particular enforcers were all here a minimum of three hundred years. They understand the human world. They are confident and skilled in fighting while in corporeal form. They are not angels who would have fallen prey to a simple ambush.”
“But they’re used to fighting demons one-on-one, or maybe in pairs,” I corrected him. “We’re not big on organized activities. Yeah, there’s the occasional impromptu mob riot, but the sort of planning it would take to lure an enforcer into a situation where he didn’t even have time to launch a defense? I’m sure he wasn’t expecting this.”
“And I doubt any of them were expecting to encounter a being they hadn’t seen in nearly three million years, one they’d assumed long dead.” Gregory’s voice was wooden as he stared down at the sand.
It was my turn to wince. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. All we know is that there is someone—either a powerful Ancient or one of the rebel angels with a grudge—who is killing off Grigori.”
“I’ll be letting the others know during tomorrow’s meeting,” the angel said.
“And I get an early announcement because…?” I shot him a wary glance. This wasn’t just one of those “I’m sad that my angels died, and I want my lover to commiserate with me” things. I knew that deep down inside, there was another reason for Gregory to have me here, to let me know about this early as well as see the crime scene with my own eyes, to feel that distinctive energy signature with my own hand.
“Because the killings necessitated me putting in place some policies that adversely affect you.”
So much for progress. I gave him the go-ahead motion with my hand.
“Whoever this was, they were able to kill seven enforcers—one from each of the major gateways. It was well planned. In each case a demon came through the gateway and immediately caused human deaths as well as attacking the gate guardian.”
“And the gate guardian called an enforcer,” I finished. This was the secret-until-yesterday agreement he and I had come to. Demons were now allowed to cross with restrictions. If they didn’t vow to the gate guardian they’d abide by these, they were turned back. If they gave the gate guardian any shit, an enforcer was called to turn them back with some added violence. If they killed humans, an enforcer was called and could use any force necessary to stop the demon, including killing them.
“In each case, that enforcer never returned, but since different gateways were targeted each time it wasn’t immediately evident to the gate guardians that there was a problem.”
“But?”
“I felt the pattern. I felt the deaths and knew something was wrong. Until we discover who is doing this and stop them, I had to put new policies in place.”
“You said that.” I wasn’t liking where this was going. I was about to like it even less.
“I have assigned one enforcer and one additional Grigori to assist each gate guardian. They will remain there full-time, to ensure any demon crossing with violent intent will be immediately stopped. At the first sign of violence, the demon will be neutralized.”
Murdered. Not neutralized, murdered. “That’s not right,” I sputtered. “I protest. You cannot enact such a draconian policy. The potential for abuse is huge. Your Grigori hate demons. They’ve been tasked with killing them since the formation of the tenth choir. Some incubus sneezes at the gate, and they’ll kill him. There need to be controls put in place. There needs to be a means for appeal, for a trial by their peers. They can’t just have carte blanche to kill crossing demons. Not again. This is a terrible move to make.”
“I cannot lose any more angels.” Gregory glared at me.
“Well, I cannot lose any demons. So there.” I glared back.
“Then I suggest you exert maximum efforts into finding who is doing this and stopping them.”
I jammed my fists on my hips. “What makes you so sure it’s a demon? This could have just as easily been one of those rebel angel fuckers. We knew it was going to happen. Eventually they’d get their land legs under them and bring their petty shit into play down here.”
Gregory’s eyebrows shot up. “With that energy signature? And you’re not seriously suggesting one of those purity-crazed angels has decided to work with a demon as bait for Grigori?”
“Could be.” My voice was conf
ident, but I wasn’t. No, those assholes were more likely to sneak up on another angel or lure them away with… I don’t know, chocolate and brandy or something like that. They wouldn’t work with demons. I couldn’t see those guys touching a demon with a ten-foot dick.
His expression softened. “I’m sorry, Cockroach. I had to do it. I’ve spoken with my Grigori and reminded them that they are not to go about wantonly killing demons, but this has them on edge. There might be some retaliation in their actions. Until we stop whoever is doing this, my new policy stands. Perhaps you should advise the demons in Hel to postpone any travel across the gates at this time.”
I glanced down at the pile of sand, remembering the unusual energy signature. That could be faked. I knew that could be faked. But this had felt so real. Could it be Samael, back from the dead and luring his brother’s angels to their deaths with a group of minions? Or was this some other Ancient?
When Remiel had taken Aaru and found it empty, I knew it would only be a matter of time until the word spread that the angels had vacated their home. And a quick leap from there was to assume the angels were now residing here, among the humans.
It would have to be an Ancient. Even those demons with the tightest household bonds would find it difficult to pull something like this off not once, but seven times. Although the excitement of watching the execution of an angel might prove to be sufficiently motivating for a group of independent minded demons to band together.
Was it Samael, or not? That was the question.
“It’s not just the seven Grigori I’m concerned about. Other angels have been dying as well,” Gregory continued, his voice brittle. “Thousands. I haven’t brought it to the Ruling Council’s attention, although I’m sure they know. You feel it when someone in your choir dies. Sometimes you feel it when someone outside of your choir dies. During the war it happened so often that I got used to the sensation.”
