This is all my fault. Why did I insist we come back? Why didn’t I insist they stay with the other? Gabriel knew the answer – it was because everything he did, he did with Con and Uriel. They were a package deal, and if Gabriel was to ever rule the Brotherhood of Angels, he’d do so with Uriel to his left and Constantine on his right.
But now he felt like he’d just ushered them to their fucking graves.
Gabriel watched blood slowly seep through the cloth Uriel was bound in. “He needs healing herbs. Think we can get any somewhere? Maybe from one of the other’s rooms?”
“We can’t risk stealing from another Angel. We have no way of knowing if anyone here has anything anyways and no time to properly look.”
Gabriel grabbed the pitcher of water still sitting on the end table. “Lilith brought this earlier. Uriel insisted I drink before him. He passed out before we were able to get him to swallow any of it.”
Constantine swung the over-stuffed satchel across his shoulders and grabbed the pitcher. Sniffing the contents, he frowned and dipped his finger into the water to taste it. “It’s weak, but will have to do.” Con slowly poured the pitcher of water onto Uriel’s chest and soaked the bandages. “The healing properties should still take effect after it’s saturated through the binds. It won’t be enough to fix him, but maybe it’ll save him.”
“I thought you had to swallow it.” Gabriel knew how scared he sounded, and he didn’t care. He was terrified for Uriel. And the fact that he didn’t know how healing worked was another layer of fucking guilt for him to carry. Had he known Uri didn’t have to drink it, but could have been bathed in it instead, Gabriel would have dumped that pitcher all over Uriel immediately and then maybe the Angel wouldn’t be knocking on death’s door right now. Instead, he sloshed it into Uri’s mouth and tried to get him to swallow it after he’d fallen unconscious earlier.
“He’s strong, Gabe. You know that.”
“But how many times must he go through something like this before he decides enough is enough and gives up?”
One could only take so much needless suffering in their lives.
“I hate him,” Gabriel growled. “I fucking hate that motherfucker for doing this to all of us.”
At that, Uriel coughed and winced. The sound rocked Gabriel back to his purpose – which was getting him and his brothers the fuck out of there. He leaned into Uriel’s ear, “We’ve got you, brother. Just hang on, okay? Please…. For me. For me and Con.”
“Lucifer,” Uriel gurgled, “Take me… to Luce—” he conked out again.
Constantine swung his satchel out of the way. “You take one side; I’ll take the other.”
They carefully pulled Uriel up and wrapped their arms under his shoulders. Uriel’s wings looked like massive, withered, bloody petals. He groaned as they hauled him off the bed.
Con grabbed Uriel’s hips to steady him, “I’ll try to heal him with what I have left.”
“No,” Gabriel growled. “If you drain yourself entirely, you’ll crash too and I can’t carry the both of you out of here. Please, don’t make me choose which of you to leave behind.”
Constantine’s dark brow furrowed; his mouth set in a deep frown. “If ever there was a choice… you always pick Uriel. Understand?”
“Not today,” Gabe nearly begged. “Not. Today. Okay?”
“Fine,” Con exhaled. “Not today, Gabe.”
They stared at each other for a heartbeat, both hearing what the other wasn’t saying. Then, together, they got their brother out of there with no intentions of ever looking back.
Chapter 37
The evening star was bright, the moon no more than a sliver in the sky, and the air felt crisp. It was almost revitalizing in a way. Since they had no swords, they used bamboo canes, but hey, Eve was just happy to have something to wield. She knew all too well the damage a cane like this could do.
Her palms were sweaty as she swung out and clacked her cane to Lucifer’s. Of course, he was a natural at this. He was a natural at many things. That didn’t mean she felt inferior to him, not with how hard she could strike out and make him grunt with the impact.
Some of their hits were so fierce, when the canes struck each other, the fibers split. Other times, it would send a zipping pain up Eve’s arm. One great thing about this? It was good to be on the other end of this stick for once.
Eve’s freedom was in the very air she breathed. She was free to say what she wished, to do as she wanted, to be however she desired. That revelation was good for her soul. It revved her confidence and fueled her.
“Good!” Lazarus yelled from his perch. The Angel swung upside down on a tree limb as he barked orders. “Now try with two canes a piece.”
Lucifer’s smile was damn near contagious. The male was in his glory right now. A sheen of sweat graced his body. When Lucifer passed her a second cane, he playfully brushed his mouth to hers. Those blue eyes of his were so joyful, it made her feel all buzzy inside. “Stop taking it easy on me, Lucy.”
“I’m not,” he grinned.
“Yes, you are.”
“He’ll never strike you with his full force, Flower. Don’t waste your breath trying to convince him.” Lazarus backflipped out of the tree. “Will you, Lucy?”
The Angel shook his head and stared at the ground.
Eve. Was. Furious. “That’s not fair! How am I to learn to fight with warriors if you hold back on me?”
Lazarus tipped Eve’s chin up, “There is more than one way to become a warrior, Flower.”
She deflated a little, “I need to know how to fight.”
“You need to know how to defend,” Laz corrected her. “And that skill is beyond a sword’s capability. Sometimes, to save others, we have to use other weapons in our arsenal.” He kissed her forehead. “You are a diamond in the rough.”
“What are diamonds?”
“Crushed coal, basically,” Laz shrugged. “A black rock made of carbon and other elements found in mines that can produce heat.”
Well that sounded boring. If she needed heat, she could just get a little closer to Lucifer. Goodness knows that Angel put out enough warmth to ignite an entire realm. Speaking of which, “I’ve been thinking,” she said while trying to take Lucifer by surprise and swinging both her canes at once.
He blocked her effortlessly. “About?”
“Why doesn’t Michael want you on his side? He collects strong warriors and is obsessed with perfection. You’re both those things.”
“Michael’s obsession with perfection stems from something deeper than a mere fascination, Flower.” Lazarus grabbed one of her canes and twirled it. “But your theory of keeping your enemies close would be a smart choice.”
Lucifer growled, “I’m no one’s enemy.”
“If only that were true,” Lazarus tossed him a sad smile. “One day, you will be blamed for everything.”
“I already am,” Lucifer hissed. “And I hate it.” Another line branched out across his ribcage.
“Your hate,” Eve swallowed the lump in her throat, “it’s your hate that turns you dark like that.”
Lucifer’s feathers ruffled and he immediately began to shield himself from view with his wings. “I can’t help how I feel. It comes too naturally.”
“And that is why you are so special, Lucy.” Lazarus marched over and grabbed Lucifer’s wings. “You are untainted by the world around you.”
“All I’ve become is tainted. Look at me!” Lucifer’s anger lashed out with flames, he spread his arms and wings out wide to show what his body looked like. The threads spread and wound around most of his torso while he breathed heavily with fury.
“Life Lesson number one: Never hate yourself for who you are.” Lazarus grabbed Lucifer by the shoulders and shook him a little. “You were made as you were intended to be. Learn to love yourself, Lucy. If you can’t, then no one else will love you either.”
Eve’s cheeks set on fire because Lucifer instantly looked over at her. She felt so unco
mfortable, she shifted and dropped her gaze to the ground.
“I don’t think I know how to love,” Lucifer confessed. “I’ve not been shown how.”
Lazarus released his throat and patted his shoulder, “You weren’t shown how to wield a weapon either, and yet your defense is fucking perfect.” To drive home his point, Lazarus attacked Lucifer with a cane. Lucifer blocked each blow and after the fourth hit, was able to start driving Lazarus back and pinned him to a tree. Laz laughed like a loon and jabbed Lucy in the chest with the bamboo, “See what I mean? Your instincts are spot on. You’re a natural at everything, Lucifer. Just give it time and you’ll see.”
“If that is so, then why is my hate so strong? How can it be stronger than… than my love?”
Eve’s heart pounded in her throat. She wanted to hear the answer, but was terrified what it would be. Love was not a strange emotion for Angels. They were devoted to each other on a divine level. And for whatever reason, an envious barb pricked her belly because she thought about Lucifer loving someone. She wanted that someone to be her. If it wasn’t, what would she do?
“It’s easier to hate than to love,” Eve’s words tumbled out of her mouth with a cracked voice.
Lucifer scoffed, “That sounds wrong.”
“Doesn’t matter what it sounds like,” Lazarus chimed in, “Because she is correct. And it’s also easy to hate things we do not understand.”
“Like Michael?”
Lazarus tilted his head, “Do you hate Michael, Lucy?”
It took him a few heartbeats to answer. “I hate the things he did to me.”
Eve’s fists clenched. What had Michael done to him? Something about the tone of Lucifer’s voice led Eve to believe that fucker had done more than just chain Luce in a cage and gag him. Her heart slammed into her chest so hard, it hurt.
“To know kindness, you must also know cruelty. To love, one must also know hate. There are two sides to every coin.”
What on earth was a coin?
“Lucifer, you are a blend of all three sects,” Lazarus said. “You are the ultimate defender, perfect for the Protection Sect. You can control black fire. Black fire! You’re a perfect Angel to lead the Elemental Sect. And your natural reactions are pure, as is your heart, which makes you a key component for—”
“The Purity Sect,” Eve gasped. “Your divinity is the blend of every Angel ever created.” No wonder others felt threatened by him. Lucy was perfect. Perfection lead to superiority. Superiority caused envy, which fed hate, which caused violence, which would lead to—
This - A battle in the making for no good fucking reason.
Lucifer was never going to escape the cruel judgement of others. And no matter how hard he tried, his actions would never be seen as good enough because deep down, another Angel would always wish him ill will because of their jealousy.
Oh, Lucifer. Her heart broke for him. No one was ever going to understand that he didn’t want any of this. No one was ever going to give him the chance to join their sect because they would always feel threatened that he would take over their position. Even if he never tried, they would always be on guard and not trust him.
Angels were incredibly territorial creatures. And jealousy was a plague for them.
“This is never going to stop,” she said quietly. “No Angel will ever allow him to join their sect without feeling threatened by his power.”
Lazarus didn’t say a word, which only made Eve feel worse. She wanted desperately to say something comforting to Lucifer – tell him that when they took over the brotherhood, there would be a place for him under Gabriel’s wing. But what if that wasn’t true either? What if Gabe and the others were just using Lucifer to gain the top position of the brotherhood and then they locked him back up?
No, Eve thought. They would never do that. She knew those three would never treat Lucifer so terribly ever again.
Or would they?
“You’ll never be safe,” she whispered. “Not here. Not anywhere.”
Lucifer looked furious. “Stop looking at me like that,” he growled. “I don’t want your fucking pity.” Lucifer cracked his cane over his knee and broke the sucker in half.
Eve watched him storm off into the woods, and held back from chasing after him.
“There is a place and purpose for everyone,” Laz said quietly.
For as long as Lazarus remained lucid, she would use it to her advantage. “Tell me everything you can.”
Because if there was a way to keep Lucifer safe from the Angels, she was going to fucking do it.
Chapter 38
"Let me go," Uri coughed. "I can walk on my own."
"Not a good idea, brother." Constantine juggled his satchel, Uri, and his sword.
"This isn't going to work." Uriel tried to take a step on his own. Getting out of here without getting caught felt impossible. Uriel hated that he slowed his brothers down, which meant he doubled-down and tried even harder to make it out of there on his own. The last thing he wanted was to be the reason they were caught and killed.
When Gabriel took the lead with a sword in one hand and a small dagger in the other, Uriel's heart shattered.
How had it come to this? Gabriel was the most protective Angel in the brotherhood, and right now he was armed to the teeth, ready to slice anyone who stood in their way of escaping the only home they'd ever known.
Was this always meant to be or had Lucifer's creation caused a rift in fate's plans and now everything was off kilter and going downhill?
Uri winced, his nerve-endings firing off in quick succession made him want to scream. Being doused in healing water only patched up a few of his worst injuries. He stumbled forward and braced his hand on a door to another Angel's bedchambers. Sucking in some shallow breaths, he ignored the stinging in his lungs and took another step forward. Then another and another.
Con and Gabe were patient with him. Neither forced him to move faster. No one bitched when he stopped to breathe. Twice, he fell to his knees. They’d help him back up and release him again. Walking out of here had meaning and he intended to do it on his own - even if he had to crawl like a wounded animal out of this place.
Michael had gone too far. Again.
Why me? Uriel thought. Why did Michael always do this to me?
When he came to this sect, Michael welcomed him with open arms. Issued him a stellar weapon and started training him immediately. Then, one night while he was asleep, their fearless leader came in to Uri's room and dragged him out of the bed by his wings. Uriel was too stunned to fight back. Michael allowed him to finally get to his feet and walk the rest of the way to the Lashing Beaches. There, he'd forced Uriel to undergo his cleansing and pledge fealty to Michael and the brotherhood.
After that... things got bloody. So. Fucking. Bloody.
To this day, Uriel had no idea why Michael only ever targeted and tortured him in the most mind-shattering ways. He was just grateful to have Constantine and Gabriel to help him heal afterwards.
"I'm so sorry," he said. Bracing himself against another door, he stumbled and wished he had the right words to say to them.
"Enough," Con growled. "Don't waste your breath. Focus on getting out of here, Uriel."
He nodded and staggered forward. Gabriel opened the door and out they went into the night. Looking back, Uriel saw the bloody handprints he'd left on some of the doors in the dorm. "May they all be saved," he prayed to no one.
No brother in this sect deserved Michael's treatment.
"How are your wings?" Gabriel whispered.
Uriel tried spreading them out and something in his right shoulder popped. A fresh wave of nausea made him sway, but he swallowed the saliva filling his mouth and nodded, "I can do it."
Gabriel sheathed his dagger. "If you fall, we'll catch you. Don't try to fight the descent, okay?"
They pushed off and Uriel grunted as he flapped his wings to get higher. He felt like he was beating his wings in slow motion - each flap taking more effort
than the last. It was like weights were strapped to his feathers. Another wave of nausea added to the dramatic exit. He couldn’t get high enough! Every move he made caused his injuries to reopen and bleed more. Uriel felt like he was sinking down to the bottom of the ocean with boulders strapped to his wings and the sharks were already chomping away on his flesh.
“I’ve got you,” Con grabbed his arm and pulled hard enough to shoot Uriel higher into the sky. There were no clouds to conceal them. Flying away in plain sight was the scariest fucking thing Uriel had ever done.
If someone looked up, they’d be caught.
Too scared to peek, and too paranoid not to, Uriel glanced down and saw some of his brothers stationed at the borders. He didn't see Michael anywhere, but knew damn well he was close by.
"Go! Go!" Gabriel flapped his wings faster and ascended. Uriel tried, but between his head spinning and body screaming, he got to the point where he had no idea which was up.
Something sharp clipped his wing and he spun out of control. Screaming, he reached out, but there was nothing to grab. Another sharp pain caught him in the ribs. He tumbled out of the sky.
This was how he would die - shot out of the sky like a motherfucking goose.
At least I’ll have peace, he thought as he went into a free fall.
Closing his eyes, he felt the wind whip his hair, felt the hope drain out of him, and let out a furious bellow. His arm ripped up and he felt his shoulder pop out of the socket. His eyes flew open to a burst of stars and a fresh wave of agony tore out his lungs.
"I got you!" Con screamed. "Hang on!" He grabbed Uriel’s arm and slung him higher into the sky.
A flash of something shot past the two of them. Gabe, Uriel thought. What the fuck was going on?
They crossed realms and Con's body jerked. He nearly lost his grip on Uriel's hand and they both plummeted. Uriel unfurled his wings and started flapping them with every ounce of strength he had left. They crash-landed on the beach by the collapsed cave.
Out of breath, stunned, and bleeding, Uriel rolled onto his side and coughed up blood. Three arrows protruded from his body - One in his side, one in his thigh, and another in his shoulder. "Shit."
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