by Larissa Ione
“What do you mean?” Concern laced Declan’s voice as he moved closer to Lilliana, his body taut, as if he was preparing to catch her if she went down.
“I tried to go home today, but I couldn’t get in.” She glanced up at a sea bird riding the wind overhead, and when she looked back at Suzanne, her gaze was a little brighter. “I thought maybe Azagoth had locked me out. I didn’t know why he would, though. We Skyped just last night and everything was great. So great that it cemented my decision to go this morning.”
Declan frowned. “He has a temper, right?”
Lilliana snorted. “A temper. How cute.”
“Well, what if he learned you were pregnant?” Declan asked. “Would that have made him lose his shit?”
“Definitely.” Lilliana put down her juice. “But I don’t know how he’d have found out. I’ve been sequestered on Ares’s island since I left Sheoul-gra.”
Azagoth had spies everywhere, but Ares ran a tight ship and only a fool would betray the Horseman known as War. “Do you know any other reason why he might have done it?” Suzanne asked.
“It had to have been something big,” Lilliana said, her brow furrowed in thought. “He knows what kind of damage demon and evil souls can do if they aren’t taken to Sheoul-gra immediately. And he certainly wouldn’t prevent Memitim from leaving to do their jobs. It makes no sense.” She brushed past Declan and Suzanne on her way inside. “Let me see if I can contact him.”
They waited on the balcony while she tried to contact Azagoth, and when she returned, the worry in her expression told them she’d failed.
“I tried calling, Skyping, emailing, and texting,” she said. “Nothing.”
“I figured as much,” Suzanne sighed. “Journey said comms were down.” She realized she was still holding the container of Mac and Cheese Bites she’d brought for Lilliana, and she held them out. “These are for you. Specially infused with love and comforting vibes.”
“Oh, Suzanne,” Lilliana murmured as she took the food. “I’ve always adored you. Thank you.”
The feeling was mutual. In fact, most of Suzanne’s brothers and sisters loved Lilliana. There were a few who treated her like an evil stepmother, but for the most part, everyone recognized that if not for Lilliana, their father would be a very different, very horrible, person.
Declan’s phone beeped softly, barely audible over the crashing of the waves on the rocks below. “It’s Hawkyn,” he said, looking down at the screen. “He’s at our apartment. He might have news. We’d better go.”
Hopefully her brother and mentor, who had recently been given the role of liaison between Heaven and Sheoul-gra, would know something. Suzanne turned back to Lilliana. “If you hear anything...anything at all, call me.”
“You do the same.” Lilliana gestured to her belly. “And not a word to anyone. Not even Hawkyn, and especially not Azagoth.” She reached out and took Suzanne’s hand. “I know it’s not in you to lie or keep things from your brother. But it’s only for a little while. It’s time for me to go back to Sheoul-gra. As soon as it’s open, and as soon as I know it’s safe, I’ll go.”
Suzanne agreed, but she hoped Sheoul-gra would open soon, because Lilliana didn’t look like she had much time to spare before giving birth. And Suzanne couldn’t even begin to imagine how furious Azagoth would be if he didn’t get to be present for the birth of his child.
Because although Azagoth had thousands of children, he hadn’t been there for a single birth, and to be denied the one he should have been part of...
She shuddered. If ever there was a time to move Heaven and Earth for something, this was it.
* * * *
Hawkyn and another of Suzanne’s closest brothers, Maddox, were waiting for them when she and Declan materialized in the living room. Mad was in the middle of downing a beer, while Hawk was doing something on his phone.
“It’s about time,” Hawk said, looking up from the screen. “Where were you?”
“It’s been two seconds since Declan got your message.” Stomach suddenly growling, Suzanne headed for the kitchen, hoping her brothers hadn’t eaten the leftovers from dinner last night. “And we were checking in on Lilliana.”
Mad put down his beer bottle on the kitchen island with a heavy clank. “Seriously? You were actually able to talk to her? To see her? She’s refused visits from everyone.”
“Yeah,” Dec said, “we saw her. Figured it couldn’t hurt to see if she knew anything about why Azagoth shut down Sheoul-gra.”
Hawkyn blew out a long, ragged breath, and Suzanne froze with her hand on the fridge door handle. This wasn’t going to be good. “What is it?” she asked, slowly turning to her brother.
“He flipped out,” Maddox said, his voice grave. “Went supernova.” Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes. “I don’t blame him.”
Hawkyn jammed his hand through his blond hair, leaving messy spikes behind. “A new batch of our brothers and sisters arrived last week. Teens. Total pains in the asses.”
Despite his harsh words, Hawk smiled fondly. He’d taken a number of new arrivals under his wings. All adult Memitim had. The kids had been raised according to the rules, among humans, clueless as to their real origins and species, and now they were living in Sheoul-gra, training to be guardian angels someday. For most, the transition had been easy, but some still resisted, and Hawk had volunteered to mentor the most difficult of them.
“Okay,” Dec said. “So what’s the big deal?”
“One of them was murdered,” Hawkyn blurted, and Suzanne gasped.
“Inside Sheoul-gra?” At Maddox’s nod, Suzanne sank numbly down on a bar stool. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Hawkyn’s emerald eyes, so like their father’s, flashed with anger. “I was looking into a lead about Cipher when Azagoth summoned me. He let me inside Sheoul-gra, but I’m the only one he’s unlocked the gates for.”
“And he’s only letting people out after he’s interrogated them,” Maddox added. “It wasn’t...pleasant.”
Suzanne could only imagine. She glanced over at Hawkyn, who still seemed shaken. “What happened when he summoned you?”
“He demanded that I track down everyone who had been in or out of Sheoul-gra in the twenty-four hours before and after the murder. He’s got Hades checking to make sure no one traveled to or from the Inner Sanctum.”
The Inner Sanctum was the true hell that humans often talked about when they referred to Hell. Consisting of progressively horrific levels, or “rings,” it was where the evil and demon souls were kept until they were reincarnated and sent back to the demon realm, Sheoul. Hades, a fallen angel with a Mohawk and the fun-loving personality of a drunk cobra, ran the Inner Sanctum, and no one got in or out without his knowledge.
“It’s not going to be long before evil souls start piling up if griminions can’t deliver them,” Mad said. “I’ve already heard from some of our siblings that the evil spirits are attacking humans. We have to get Azagoth to open the gates.”
Hawkyn snorted. “Once our father has made a decision, nothing can change it.”
“There’s always Lilliana,” Declan said.
Maddox tossed a pillow from the couch at Declan. “She left him, dumbass. Or did you forget?”
“She wants to go home.” Suzanne idly pulled her iPad toward her, as if the recipes she stored on it could help somehow. Unfortunately, she didn’t know of any dishes that could knock some sense into the Grim Reaper. Well, maybe an actual dish. A really heavy one, like an iron skillet. “In fact, she tried this morning but couldn’t get in.”
Hawkyn’s tawny eyebrows rose. “Really? That...that might be the answer. Can she contact him?”
“She tried,” Declan said, “but no luck. Comms are still down.”
“Wait.” Suzanne rolled her lower lip between her teeth as a plan started to form. “Our father might not allow incoming communications, but he wouldn’t shut down his ability to communicate with the outside world. I think I can get through
to him.”
“How?” Declan, Hawkyn, and Maddox asked simultaneously.
“He gets alerts when I post new episodes of Angel in the Kitchen.” She grinned as she turned on her iPad. “I think it’s time for an online special.”
* * * *
Declan had grown up in the sleazy world of wealth and politics. It had shaped his views on life, marriage, and his career. He’d been uncompromising. Self-destructive. A total asshole as well.
But then Suzanne had come along. He hadn’t known she was an angel at the time. Hadn’t known he was a special person called a Primori, a being fated to play an important role in the future of the planet. Nor had he known that she was his angelic bodyguard. Heck, he’d believed that he was her bodyguard.
It had been a real punch to the head when he’d learned the truth.
Angels were real. Demons, vampires, and werewolves were real. And he was lucky enough to have been welcomed into that very real world.
It hit home as he watched Suzanne tape a web-exclusive episode of Angel in the Kitchen that would be seen by thousands but that was meant for an audience of one.
She loved her family and her life, but she’d seen a lot of tragedy and was willing to do absolutely anything to prevent suffering. Right now she was focused on the suffering of her father and stepmother, but earlier in the day she’d been worried about his suffering. She’d brought Declan into her close circle and had given him, literally, a higher purpose. He’d never felt as though he could pay her back, but he suddenly knew how.
While she prepared her food and spoke to the camera as if she were speaking to a room of good friends, he made a call.
He got off the phone just in time to watch her wrap things up.
“See?” she said as she held up a plate of Angel Food Cake French Toast. “Easy to make, but everyone will think you spent hours on it. It’s a dish my father, the Grim Reaper, loves. And Father, if you’re watching, you should know that I spoke to Lilliana today, and she’d very much like to make this for you herself, as soon as possible. You just have to open your heart.”
By “heart,” she meant “gate,” but there was no reason to let Azagoth’s many enemies know that Sheoul-gra was experiencing some...technical difficulties.
Declan watched Suz wrap things up, and when everything was finished, he kicked Maddox and Hawkyn out of the apartment. She normally did tapings from the TV studio, but the network had given her leeway to make short web exclusives from home whenever she wanted to.
“Well,” she said as she let down her hair. “Do you think that’ll work?”
“Let’s hope so. While you were taping I spoke to one of my DART supervisors, Scott, and he said that demonic incursions were on the rise. He suspects that the demon souls that should be in Sheoul-gra are causing the issues.” He took her hand and pulled her down on the couch beside him. “And I spoke to him about something else.”
She narrowed her gorgeous eyes at him. “This sounds serious.”
Tugging her closer, he brushed a lock of wavy hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I love you. And I love my job.”
She went taut. “Is this about what I said earlier? About quitting DART? Because I didn’t mean it. I was just afraid and overreacting.”
“It is about that,” he admitted. “But I understand. I mean, you’re a badass, tough-as-floof angel, and I still worry about you. I was so floofing relieved when you were taken off bodyguard duty and allowed to host a cooking show.”
She inhaled, holding her breath for a tense moment before blurting, “What...what are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that you were right.” Man, it hurt to admit that, but as his old Air Force supervisor once told him, “When you’re wrong, admit it. Don’t be wrong and a dick.” His words might not have been worthy of a meme or anything, but they were true.
“I can’t change who I am,” Declan continued, “but I can make it better for you. I didn’t quit DART, but I quit the Dallas team. I’m transferring to the New York division. I know distance isn’t an issue for you since you can flash anywhere you want, but it’s an issue for me. Plus, I’ll be working with Kynan and Tayla, two of the most experienced demon slayers on the planet.”
He’d figured Suzanne would be pleased with his news, but he wasn’t expecting the way her eyes filled with tears as she threw herself into his arms.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said against his neck. “But I’m so glad you did.”
He was too. There was nothing more important than family, and now that he had an amazing one, he wasn’t going to do anything to screw it up. At least, not today.
Tomorrow might be another story, but as long as he had Suzanne, he knew, without a doubt, that there would always be a happy ending.
* * * *
I hope you enjoyed this peek into the married lives of Declan and Suzanne! If you’d like to read more about them, you can find their story between the pages of Her Guardian Angel. Or, if you want to meet them before they find their happily-ever-after, check out Lexi Blake’s Close Cover for a little about Declan, or my own Hawkyn, where Suzanne finds her footing. Happy reading!
Breakfast/Morning After Food
Hair of the Hellhound
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
16 ounces tomato juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces vodka
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon horseradish
1 tablespoon pickle juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Wet the rim of two pint glasses then dip each glass into the Cajun seasoning. Fill the glasses halfway with ice. In a large pitcher, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into the prepared glasses and garnish with your choice of toppings.
Garnish ideas:
Spicy Sheoul Shrimp (Click here for recipe.)
Green olives
Sliced bacon
Angel feathers
Baby dill pickles
Fairy wings
Cherry tomatoes
Sprinkle of Angel Dust
Click here to return to the table of contents.
Spicy Sheoul Shrimp
8 cups water
1 cup Cajun seasoning
1 pound (16-24 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
In a large pot, bring water to a full boil with 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning. Add the shrimp and boil until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Drain shrimp and add immediately to a large bowl of ice water. Allow the shrimp to cool in the ice water for 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels then dredge each shrimp into the remaining Cajun seasoning.
Click here to return to the table of contents.
Angel Food Cake French Toast
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
Black and Blue Syrup (Click here for recipe.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Whipped cream
1 angel food cake, sliced into 12 pieces
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract, ground nutmeg and cinnamon. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Gently dip each piece of angel food cake into the egg mixture, fully submerging it and covering all sides. Make sure to let most of the egg drip off. Place 1/2 tablespoon of butter into the skillet and add 2-3 slices of cake. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining slices. Top with Black and Blue Syrup and whipped cream.
Black and Blue Syrup
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup water
Place blueberries and blackberries in a food processor and pulse 2-3 times until most of the berries are chopped. Do not completely puree. In a small pot, add the berries, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce
heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Place in a pourable container and serve.
Click here to return to the table of contents.
Loaded Grits in a Bacon Cup
12 strips bacon (6 whole strips, 6 cut in half)
6 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups milk
4 cups instant grits
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup green onion
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a 6-cup muffin tin, turn the tin upside down and place 2 half-strips of bacon on top, making an X. Then place 1 whole strip of bacon around the sides to form a cup. Repeat with remaining bacon strips. Place muffin tin on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove bacon cups from cupcake tin and drain on paper towels.
While the bacon cups are baking, prepare the loaded grits. In a large pot, bring water and salt to a roaring boil. Add milk and grits and stir continuously until they begin to thicken. Cover pot and turn to low. Allow to cook for about 5-10 minutes, then remove from heat and add butter and cream cheese. When they have been mixed in well, add mozzarella cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, pepper and green onion. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Remove from oven and place ½ cup of grits into each bacon cup. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and serve.
Click here to return to the table of contents.
Bloody Mary Pie
5-6 Roma tomatoes, sliced or 12-14 ripe cherry tomatoes
