A smile slid across Lucifer’s face and his headache receded. If every Angel’s actions had a rippling consequence like Lazarus said… then the humans must also be enjoying pleasures of the flesh now. No longer just for procreation, mankind would enjoy white-light rapture thanks to Lucifer and Eve.
You’re so very welcome, he laughed to himself.
Damn, he felt reinvigorated. The sooner they got through this shit with Michael, the sooner they could all start to live wild and fierce and… together.
Together. Was he really thinking this way now? Like a pack? Damn straight he was. Lucifer couldn’t explain this feeling inside his bones right now, but he knew – without a doubt in his mind –they were all on the right path. And at the end of this journey, they would all be together.
Yeah… he was cool with that. He wanted to spend the rest of his days worshiping Eve in every possible way. He wanted to laugh with Uriel. He wanted to learn from Constantine. And Gabriel? Well, they probably had more in common than either of them knew. They both wanted to protect those they loved. Gabe harbored so much guilt, too. Being forced to curse the ones you care for had to do a number on one’s conscience. Maybe, after all this was over, there’d be a way to undo everything. Start fresh.
Get a second chance.
Lucifer’s speed picked up along with his hopes. This was right. This was good. They were going to take out Michael, gain reign over the brotherhood, and find a way to protect the souls and thus, protect the energy of all Angels.
“We need to come up with a good way to protect the souls. Both the good and the bad,” Lucifer scratched his chin. “If they’re all tied to us in some way, then they need guidance from us.”
Lazarus arched an eyebrow, “And how do you propose we do that?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe we need rules in place? Like, a list of dos and don’ts.”
Eve tucked her hair behind her ears, “How would we make them listen?”
Lucifer shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess we can just hope they do? Or… reward and punish them somehow?”
“Now you sound like Michael,” Lazarus warned. “You can’t crack a whip over every infraction. Mankind would bleed to death.”
“Are they that bad?”
“Are you that cruel?”
Lucifer shook his head and kept walking. He wanted to take the slow way back to the others for selfish reasons. He wanted a little bit of time with just Eve to himself. He had no way of knowing the outcome of this war against Michael and the others in the Brotherhood of Angels, but he wanted something good to hold onto when he faced his biggest fears. And going against Michael – an Angel who’d been around longer than all the others – was scary, no matter who the fuck you were.
“Well they shouldn’t get jealous,” Lucifer announced. “Michael’s jealous and look what that’s done for us.”
Neither of them said a word.
“And they should hold their temper,” he said looking over at Eve. “One shouldn’t strike another just because they’re pissed off. Wrath can lead to worse things for a man besides a bloodied set of knuckles.” He was thinking of the rage Lucifer often felt and how it made those dark threads grow and wrap around his body.
Could wrath feed evil? Maybe. Probably.
“Lust,” he wagged his finger at the thought. “It’s okay to act upon it, but only if everyone you’re with is okay with it. No forcing your body upon another’s if they are not willing.” He no sooner thought it when a wave of nausea hit him in the belly. Holy Hounds of Mercy, the idea of anyone forcing themselves on someone else made Lucifer downright murderous.
“Lucy!” Eve grabbed his arm and squeezed, “What on earth!”
He looked down and clenched his jaw. Like someone poured a gallon of Constantine’s precious writing ink down his shoulder, the darkness dripped and spread and covered his right arm. It was so deep and saturated, it looked like one could dip their finger in it and be swallowed into nothingness.
“Shit,” he needed to work on controlling his wrath.
By the time they reached the others, Lucifer had most of his thoughts, and temper, under control.
“What the fuck took so long?” Gabriel barked.
“And what happened to your arm?” Uriel frowned.
“It’s nothing. I’ve got it under control.”
“Yeah, well it looks like it’s spreading,” Constantine pointed over at the Scourge. “I wish I knew how to fix all of you.”
“You can’t fix what isn’t broken,” Lazarus walked over to the Scourge. “Their numbers are gone. They were meant to be this way.”
Lucifer felt the Scourge’s hate like it was his own. Was he tied to them somehow too, or were their emotions so strong, they could infect others with their feelings?
His hackles rose at the thought. Was the Scourge that powerful… or that fucking manipulative?
Chapter 52
This will be my first true battle. Gabriel bit down on his confession and refused to it a voice. It wouldn’t do any good to admit his concerns and stir angst in the group. They needed every ounce of confidence they could muster to take on the twisted, conniving Angel who reigned as the brotherhood’s leader – and master – all these years.
Guilt threatened to choke Gabriel’s windpipes. Rising against one’s superior felt terrifying and exhilarating. It also felt wrong.
Why does this feel wrong?
“A word,” Lazarus tipped his head to the edge of the woods. Gabriel didn’t want to follow; he didn’t like the idea of taking his eyes off the Scourge. They weren’t to be trusted, but that idea felt wrong too. Why was he so fucking confused right now?
Shaking his wings, Gabriel snapped them tight to his back and followed Lazarus out of hearing distance of everyone else. “Your brothers are going to need you at your best, Gabriel.”
“I’m at my best.” He was always at his best, damnit.
“This war will not end swiftly or mercifully.”
Gabriel swallowed the lump in his throat. “Are we doing the right thing?” Yeah, sure, Michael didn’t deserve to be leader of the Brotherhood – not with how he treated them all. But…
“Michael’s powerful abilities don’t make him right. Having the skill to kill, does not mean one should go around murdering.”
Had Michael murdered? Yes. Annnnd no. He’d instructed others to do it for him – like forcing Gabriel to curse others for him. Somehow, that cowardice stuck Gabriel’s heart with a toxic arrow and made him sick with fury. “He’s kept his hands so clean this whole time.”
“He has. And he cannot help what he is.”
Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at the rest of the group talking in low tones amongst each other. “I feel like I’m not sure who I can trust anymore.”
“Then trust only in yourself until you can do otherwise.”
No matter how this ended, lives were going to be destroyed and that made him feel like shit. He was about to wage war against Angels he’d lived alongside for years. “Why has all this happened?” he whispered. “Why does everything feel wrong right now?”
“Balance is off kilter, Gabriel. The Scourge ruined much of mankind. Many more are dying as we speak and their souls are frightened. They have no place to go.”
But why would that affect Gabriel so much? “What are we supposed to do?” He pinned Laz with a hard glare. “Why can’t you just fucking say it?”
“What I see is only what your heart already knows.”
“Cut the shit, Laz. Why is it you can speak so lucidly here but never could in the brotherhood?” It dawned on him… “Sweet Divinity, you faked it? You pretended to be crazy.”
Lazarus neither admitted nor refuted it.
“Why can’t you just tell us what we’re supposed to do, or at least who will fucking win this war.”
“Does it matter? A warrior doesn’t enter battle with the intent of winning.”
The fuck he doesn’t, Gabriel thought.
“A
warrior enters a battle because he desires to fight for what he believes in.”
Yeah, Gabriel had enough of Lazarus’ pep talk bullshit. “Then I’m fucked,” he growled, “because I don’t believe in shit.”
Just when he tried to storm off, Laz grabbed him. “You believe in your ability to lead. You believe in Constantine and Uriel to always have your back.”
Those two things weren’t going to save his ass against a fight with Michael and he said as much. Laz’s reply? A fucking shrug.
Storming back to the other, Laz’s voice rose to a holler, “You have no idea how many times this world has started over.”
That got Gabriel’s attention. “How many?” And were there ever any survivors?
His guess was no, there weren’t. Otherwise, there would at least be stories of them and Gabriel had never heard a single tale about Angels who came before the Brotherhood.
Gabe spun around and tossed his hands in the air as he yelled back, “So we’re just going to wipe the slate clean again? Is that what this war will do? We’re all going to die fighting one another just to let the world restart?”
“No,” Constantine joined the conversation. “That’s not going to happen. I’m not dying today. Neither are you, brother.”
“And how would you know, Con?” Gabriel wasn’t afraid of dying. He’d lay his life down for any innocent and not blink once in fear of it. But this wasn’t just him laying his life on the line right now. It was everyone. Every Angel he cared about was going up against other Angels he fucking cared about.
His motives for starting this rebellion had taken a new turn lately and he couldn’t figure out why. Eve. Again, her name bounced around in his skull. What the fuck was that about? It started the moment he ran into Merri and…
Gabriel’s gaze flicked over to the Scourge. How weird was it that Eve’s name pounded like a battering ram in his skull ever since the Scourge been created and souls had fallen into serious danger?
Staring at Jude, Cassian, Nikolai, and Raphael, Gabriel didn’t trust them. Not like he once could. He prayed they were telling the truth about being on their side, but in the back of his head, Gabe was prepared to watch them turn and fight for Michael when the time came to lift their swords and attack.
Michael owned the Scourge, whether they wanted to admit that or not. A warrior was only as strong as his will, and the Scourge’s wills were disintegrating.
Gabriel cleared his throat, “Why is Michael like this? Why are there even sects to begin with? Why aren’t we all equals? Why aren’t we all co-existing?”
He needed to understand. Gabriel wanted to go into battle knowing all the reasons he was going to end the lives of his brothers who fought against him. The Brotherhood was massive and filled with trained and skilled warriors who’d been around much longer than Gabriel had. They were outnumbered and out magicked. They were going to fucking lose and Gabriel was going to try anyway.
What kind of warrior went into a battle, knowing damn well the odds were not in his favor?
A fucking righteous one.
This cruelty needed to stop. Michael’s reign over the brotherhood needed to end.
Gabriel’s gaze drifted to Eve. Her sect was no better. They’d hurt her terribly all because she was un-pure… all because her wings had turned grey – no matter if what she did was her purpose for living or not, they’d punished her for it.
Fuck.
No sect in the divine realms was safe. The Elementals probably had their own views on superiority too – although their sect was only comprised of a handful of remaining Angels.
“We need help,” Gabriel said. “We need all the help we can get.”
“There is no one,” Eve said over the grumbles. “The Purity Sect will stand with Merri. They won’t ever go against her. They can’t.”
“Why?”
“Fear,” Eve said it like it was obvious. “Did you think Michael was the only leader who rules with a steely fist? That female will beat the submission into you. She’s his absolute equal.”
Lazarus nodded, “They were both trained by the old ones – The first of the Angels to have come unto this world.”
“And the first generation of Angels was what? A bunch of sadistic pricks who turned good Angels evil?” Gabriel wasn’t buying that.
“No,” Laz plucked a feather from his wings and started twirling it, “Angels were always territorial and they were incredibly powerful. No one was stronger than another. They were absolutely equal.”
“Then what was the problem?”
“They were absolutely equal,” Laz repeated. “Duh.”
“We should be equal.”
“No, we shouldn’t. There’s no balance if there’s equality.”
“You don’t make any sense!” Gabriel was ready to scream, his wings flared out and he felt his heartrate pick up. “Equality is balance, you loony motherfucker!”
Laz stilled.
The world felt like it stopped moving and nothing and no one breathed.
“Even a sword knows the difference between balance and equality,” Lazarus dipped his head, “I bid you farewell, brothers.”
Gabriel didn’t have time to stop Lazarus from flying off.
Nor did he have the desire.
Chapter 53
“Now what?” Eve practically screeched. As Lazarus flew into the sky, Eve felt like he’d taken all hope with him. “Why would you do that, Gabriel?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
She stormed over and shoved that dark-haired bastard with all her might. He didn’t budge an inch so she roared and tried for a second shove. He still didn’t move. “You go get him right now!”
“There’s no point,” Lucifer said from her right. “He can’t be part of this war.”
“Where’s he going to go?” She knew once Laz left this realm, his mind would unravel again. He told her that their first night there. Lazarus said this place was neutral ground – however that was possible. If he left, there was no telling what would happen to him and that worried her.
“I’m going after him,” Eve snapped her wings out and pushed off. She got about fifty yards into the sky when something snagged her legs and yanked her. Eve slammed into a hard body. “Let me go!”
“No,” Constantine roared over the wind. “You’re not going after him.”
“You can’t tell me what to do!” she kicked with her free foot and tried to knock Constantine off of her. He twisted out of the way, held her tighter, and landed effortlessly with her in his arms.
The earth shook. Or maybe that was just in Eve’s head.
“Leave him, Eve.” Con’s chest rose and fell with every heavy breath he took. “He’ll be fine.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he knows the future. He might not be able to outright tell us ours, but there is a future. He’s told too many stories about the things he sees.”
Eve’s heart galloped in her chest. “So, there will be a future?”
Con nodded.
“The world won’t end today?”
He placed her down gently on the ground. “I don’t think so.”
Eve lit up like the night sky during a meteor shower. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go fight! We’re going to win!” She was ready for this. Give her a sword and watch her slice, dice, and stab. Now that she knew for certain there was going to be a future, she could totally handle whatever came next. Why hadn’t she put two and two together before? Of course, there was a future! Lazarus never once said there wouldn’t be a future. And he never said they were all doomed to die in this war.
“Yippee Ki-yay, Motherfuckers!” Eve felt a blast of courage and clung to it.
They needed to go into battle with no fear.
And when this war was over, she’d have her guys and they would do glorious things together. The souls would be safe from Michael’s destructive machinations, and the world would grow and brighten. The best part ever was Eve wouldn’t have to be afraid
anymore, because Merri was going to be the first Angel Eve killed.
Rounding her shoulders, Eve got pumped. Lazarus taught her the fundamentals of basic defense moves and a few ways to swing out with a heavy sword. She was ready for this. Besides, they had a true Devil on their side. How great was that?
Lucifer was meant to take down Michael. The prophecy told it so.
They were definitely going to do this.
As if she’d been juiced with electricity, Eve buzzed inside. Okay, let’s look at what we’re working with, she thought. Gabriel was as fierce as they came. Uriel had sublime inner strength and knew the tricks Michael would most likely try to use in war. Constantine wasn’t just compassionate, he was fucking brilliant and knew Michael better than most – plus he had the power to heal, which meant if they sustained any injuries, Con could fix them. Bada-bing, bada-boom!
Eve’s gaze latched onto Lucifer last. Her heart skipped around in her chest while she watched him talk quietly with Raphael. Goodness, was it possible for Lucifer to have grown broader and taller in just the past few minutes? Probably not, but it wouldn’t surprise Eve if he had. That Angel was born for this. Lucy wasn’t made to be an animal in a cage or used as a weapon for someone else’s motives. He was made to protect and honor and love and do great things.
Just then, he glanced over at her and stopped talking to Raphael. His serious, broody look melted away into a smile. Squeezing Raphael’s shoulder, he mumbled something to him and then headed Eve’s way. “Are you okay?”
“Never better.”
Lucifer half-chuckled. “You look different.”
“Funny,” she practically felt giddy with adrenaline, “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
He cupped her face and bent down, pressing his mouth to hers with a solid, hot force that stole the air from the forest. Then he pulled back and pinned her with his blue eyes, “We’re going to get through this.”
“Of course, we are.”
“No matter what happens, Eve…” his smile started to fade, “Thank you.”
“Thank you for what? I haven’t done anything.” And why was he getting all solemn? There was no room for sadness in a warrior’s heart.
Raise Hell Page 34
