by Vivian Wood
“Right,” Ezra said, shaking his head. “As you said, hopefully Jackson is immune.”
“Yeah, but only because he’s valuable to Lucifer,” she sighed.
Ezra settled to sit on the floor, taking a sip of his coffee and looking thoughtful.
“Can you tell me anything more about Paradis? What it looks like, what kind of Kith creatures live there, anything like that?”
“A little,” she said, flipping through her journal again. “Someone said it looks like a Grecian city, whatever that means. There are perhaps twenty great houses belonging to Aragoth and his cronies, all surrounding an open marketplace.”
“And who frequents the world?”
“It looks like lesser demons come and go, and they always have a fresh supply of…” Aurora cringed a little as she finished, “blood slaves.”
Ezra nodded. “I imagine they have quite a number of whores and servants that are alive. Demons usually prefer living mortals.”
“Right. It looks like the trapped souls are kept in the brothels or opium dens, lured by the fact that there are no longer any repercussions to their vices. They can drug and drink and… do whatever, as long as they want.”
“Do they know they’re dead?” Ezra asked.
Aurora shrugged. “I’m not sure. All my knowledge is about fifth-hand, so it’s hard to pin down details like that.”
“Interesting. Anything in your book about who can come and go freely?”
“Not so much. I didn’t want to make my plans obvious,” she said.
“Right. I can make some guesses,” Ezra said. “For instance, I bet a Fallen angel could show up and gain entrance.”
Aurora frowned. “Don’t they know that you’re… un-Fallen, or whatever?”
“Not if I don’t give them my real name,” he said, cocking his head.
“Oh. Well… that seems like a simple solution.”
“As long as it works, yes. I’d run the risk of being identified by… well, any number of people.”
“So… maybe it isn’t a good plan,” Aurora said, her shoulders dropping.
“I doubt that any other Fallen or very high-level demons will be sitting around Aragoth’s lair. Demons are paranoid. They don’t cozy up to other demons. And Fallen have better things to do.”
“Like carry out Lucifer’s orders,” Aurora guessed.
“Exactly.”
“So you think you could walk right in?”
“I think the chances are good. Good enough that I’d be willing to risk it.”
“How would I get in, then?”
Ezra stared at her for a moment. “Why would you need to?”
“You think I’m going to let you do this without me?”
“My main duty is to protect you.”
“Your main duty is to adhere to the agreement we made last night,” Aurora argued. “Otherwise the protection part is unimportant.”
“A human can’t just waltz into this place,” Ezra pointed out. “And you’re not even an ordinary human. What if someone senses your Null capabilities?”
“A cloaking spell,” Aurora said with a shrug.
Ezra’s brows descended. “That would only work on very weak enemies. If someone looked at you for more than a moment…”
“So let’s make sure they don’t look. I can wear a disguise.”
“As what, my servant?” Ezra asked, folding his arms across his chest. “My mistress?”
“Why not?” she fired back, though she hated the idea of it.
“I have trouble seeing you acting out the part of the mistress.”
Aurora lifted her chin, giving him what she hoped was her best haughty stare.
“You don’t even know me,” she told him. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
That seemed to give Ezra pause.
“Fine, then,” he said, lifting a shoulder. “Better to play a mistress than a servant, I suppose. They might think twice about killing a mistress, if it came down to that.”
“Ugh,” Aurora said, her victory lessened by the talk of killing mistresses. “Men suck, you know that?”
Ezra snorted, shaking his head. “It was your idea. Don’t blame me.”
Aurora rolled her eyes, wanting to change the subject.
“So you think we can walk right in and just… ask to be taken to Jackson?”
“I think so. If it’s as you say, most of the humans will be drugged and the demons will be just as high from feeding off them. Usually the mere mention of culling souls sends most demons running for cover.”
“Do demons have souls?” Aurora asked, wrinkling her nose.
“No. When I cull them, the energy that animates them dissipates. It’s basically the same idea, except I can’t cull a living human being. Demons, on the other hand…”
“You can kill them just by touching them with your sword?”
“Correct. There’s an incantation, as well.”
“I can see why demons would be disinclined to fight you, given the choice,” Aurora said.
“I often think that if my power worked on Fallen angels, Lucifer wouldn’t have induced me to follow him to Hell.”
“No, I bet not. Down there, he’s basically untouchable, right? No one is more powerful than he is.”
“Well…” Ezra said, hesitating. “Perhaps. There is another Fallen who defected.”
“Yeah, Kirael. I met him,” Aurora said, giving him a look.
“No, a third. Lucan. His power rivals that of Lucifer’s, but Lucan never made a move to dethrone him.”
“Wonder why?”
“It’s complicated,” Ezra said, stretching. “It’s about a woman, if you’d believe it.”
“Juicy,” Aurora said. “But not relevant. I feel like we have a lot to prepare if we’re going to storm this place.”
“Yes. Appropriate clothing for both of us…” Ezra said, looking her up and down.
“Modest clothing,” Aurora said.
Ezra laughed. “In your dreams. You’re the one who wanted to be a mistress. Mistresses are trophies down in Hell, constantly on display. Some Fallen even keep their human mistresses young and beautiful for hundreds of years, if the woman is particularly lovely.”
Aurora’s cheeks colored. “I didn’t realize they were so… pretty.”
Ezra watched her for a long moment, then shook his head.
“You’ll suit the part,” he said, as if guessing at her sudden insecurity. “In costume, especially.”
Aurora pushed away the hidden compliment, trying to focus on the mission.
“I don’t suppose you have to wear an embarrassing costume,” she sighed.
“Black suit,” he said with a shrug.
“Of course.”
“I’m not sure why you’d expect anything else. The world is shaped by the most powerful, and they only shape it to suit themselves.”
Aurora’s lips thinned, but she knew he was right. It wasn’t the right moment to fight back against the patriarchy. It wasn’t as if Ezra had invented male domination, he was just going along with her plan.
“So what now?” she asked.
“I should head out to the Gray Market,” he said.
“So you get to go hang out at the big paranormal merchants’ market, and I have to stay here?” she said. She almost pouted, but managed to keep her expression blank.
“You’re probably being hunted by a dozen or more of Lucifer’s best assassins. I can’t let you leave.”
“You don’t think they’re looking for you, too?” Aurora asked. “You linked us by coming to my rescue the other night.”
“My mistake, next time I’ll let you fall on your head,” he said, looking mildly annoyed. “And I’ll remind you that I have superior cloaking skills. Unless there are a bunch of Fallen running around on the hunt, I think I’m safe.”
“Fine,” she sighed.
“If I go now, I could be back in time to bring you some takeout. Early dinner.”
“I don’t r
eally like a lot of takeout,” she said.
“Well, tell me what you do like, and we’ll go from there.”
“Japanese?” she asked. “I like sushi a lot.”
“Tell you what. I’m going to write my cell phone number down and leave it in the kitchen. When you’re ready, call an order in to someplace in the Marginy, under my name. Text me the information, and I’ll pick it up on my way back.”
“Yeah?” she asked, perking up.
“Sure. Just make sure you order me something.” Ezra paused. “I eat a lot. So order me a Fallen-sized portion.”
Aurora laughed. “It’s a deal.”
“Rain check on breakfast, then,” he said.
“Agreed.”
“Ah. One more thing,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Stand still.”
He took several photos of Aurora while she blinked at him, confused.
“So the costumer can get your size right,” he said. “I couldn’t begin to guess.”
“Right…” she said. For some reason, that made her blush a little. Why did being around Ezra make her feel so like a schoolgirl at times?
They looked at each other for several long seconds, then Ezra climbed to his feet. He went to the kitchen, pausing to scrawl his number on a pad on the counter. After that he vanished to his room, returning in heavy boots, a leather jacket, and his sword.
He gave her a silent nod as he walked through the living room again, skirting her papers and books. She watched him go, wondering about him. He was so mercurial, teasing and flirting one minute, somber and dark-eyed the next.
Aurora sighed and started to tidy up her work space. She had a bit of downtime with Ezra gone, and she planned to use it fully. A clean, healthy breakfast. Yoga in the back gardens, by the Faerie pond. Some serious, mindful contemplation of the tasks set before her.
And above all else, time spent remembering why she was here. She was supposed to be getting justice for Mom and Jackson, not making eyes at some brooding Fallen angel. No matter how attractive she found Ezra, this wasn’t the time or the place.
And he wasn’t the one she should be… interested in. He could never be impartial, not with the temptation of a Null so close. Hadn’t she already learned this lesson?
Hadn’t her mother and brother died to teach her this very vital fact?
Rising to her feet, Aurora straightened her spine and promised herself to do better.
9
Ezra
“Just come out and let me see it,” Ezra called.
“I don’t want to!” Aurora yelled. The door to her bedroom slammed, and Ezra sighed.
He stood in the living room, putting on his onyx cufflinks and black tie.
When he came back to the safe house the night before, Aurora had been calm and quiet. Distracted, almost. So after a near-silent dinner at the kitchen bar, he’d cleaned up and gone to bed.
Thus, he’d skipped the reveal of the jaw-dropping outfit he picked up for Aurora at the Gray Market. When he handed her the black garment bag, she unzipped it, asked where the rest of the costume was, and glared at him when he answered.
Then she banished him to the living room while she dressed and primped. For two hours.
Ezra looked at his watch. The sun was high over the desert dunes, but in the human world it was twilight. He supposed it didn’t matter what time they went to Paradis. It wasn’t as if demons kept day jobs like humans did, after all.
Sin was a twenty four-seven business, and demons took advantage of every minute of it.
Ezra pulled out a kitchen stool and sat down, wondering if he should have a cup of coffee while he waited.
The second the thought occurred to him, he heard footsteps. The very top of Aurora’s head peeked out from around the corner.
“I can’t wear this in public,” she said, her blue eyes blazing.
“Why don’t you come out here and let me be the judge of that?” Ezra asked.
More of Aurora’s head appeared. Half of her fiery hair was braided around her crown, the other half tumbling in loose waves down her shoulders and back. She wore dramatic makeup: black kohl around her eyes to make them brighter, rouge on her cheeks to highlight her fine cheekbones, pink on her lips to make them more tempting.
“This is embarrassing,” she said, pulling a face.
“If you can’t even show it to me, you can’t very well parade around pretending to be a mistress,” Ezra said.
Aurora’s expression hardened, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Fine.”
She straightened and stepped into the room. Ezra’s jaw dropped.
Aurora wore a tight, see-through corset made of white lace. The boning of the bodice criss-crossed strategically to obscure her nipples, but otherwise every single curve was visible. Not just visible, but flaunted. The corset pushed her breasts high, showed off her slender waist and the curves of her hips.
The corset was paired with a voluminous floor-length skirt made of transparent, filmy peach-colored silk. The skirt was slit high on both thighs, and when Aurora stepped forward Ezra got a glimpse of creamy pale skin and a white garter belt.
Ezra pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart thundering.
“Is it that bad?” Aurora asked, the apples of her cheeks gone redder than her hair.
“It’s…” Ezra started, then stopped. “No one is going to look twice at me, that’s for sure.”
She produced a silk fan from her skirts, opening it to obscure her face.
“Is this really what mistresses wear in Hell?” she asked.
Ezra raised a shoulder. “Close enough. I’ve never bought an outfit for a mistress before, so I had to trust that the woman who sold it to me knew what to pick.”
“You had a mistress?” Aurora blurted out, sounding confused.
She crossed her arms over her chest, as if unable to resist the urge to cover herself.
A soft sound escaped Ezra’s throat, the smallest expression of regret. He hadn’t meant to open himself to this topic. Not with Aurora. Not with anyone, ever.
“I did,” he admitted after a moment. “It’s not what you think, though.”
“No?” Aurora asked, a definite note of bitterness in her voice.
“I didn’t have much of a choice. Every Fallen has a mistress, it’s just… what is done.”
Aurora scowled. “Some defense.”
“They do these… auctions…” he said, shaking his head. “All these women, vying for a powerful master so they’ll be well cared-for. It’s inhumane.”
“And yet, you participated.”
“I rescued a twelve year old girl,” Ezra shot back, crossing his own arms.
“Taking a child into your bed is hardly rescuing!” Aurora said.
“I didn’t…” Ezra stopped, calmed himself. “She lived in my household. I never touched her.”
“You made her dress like this?” Aurora asked, still looking furious.
“Of course not. I just told you I never bought a mistress’s wardrobe before. She wore what she liked. Silk pajamas, mostly,” Ezra said. His voice softened a little. “She still slept with a stuffed animal. A horse.”
“Where is she now?” Aurora asked, her expression softening.
Ezr froze, his face smoothing into a careful mask of calm. “Dead.”
“Oh… I’m sorry, Ezra.”
Her soft words were like a knife twisting in his gut. It was all he had in him not to lash out, to keep himself under control.
“Don’t pity me, pity her. I had an argument with Lucifer, and he seized her to punish me.”
He kept his face blank, but his voice shook as he spoke, unable to keep the emotion from his voice.
“He killed her?” Aurora asked, moving closer. Drawn to Ezra’s weakness, it seemed.
He turned toward the window, not wanting to face Aurora just now. The story spilled from his lips, each word bringing him shame.
“Not directly. He made her his mistress. She lasted less than a week. She th
rew herself off a cliff in The Void, this sort of…” Ezra waved his hand. “A big endless space. It’s one of the only ways that human servants can kill themselves in Hell. It’s terrifying, actually. But she jumped, rather than face whatever Lucifer planned for her. Or did to her…”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. Shyness seemingly forgotten, she moved closer to Ezra. “What was her name?”
“Priya,” he said.
He glanced away, his chest rising and falling as he took a deep breath.
“Ezra—” she said, reaching out to him.
She was a little too close, and wearing far too little. Her faint floral scent, her inviting curves so very exposed, just a hand’s breadth away now. She lured him in, without even knowing it.
Even after his story about Priya, she only moved closer, as if to comfort him.
Hadn’t she heard a word he’d just said? Hadn’t she heard that he’d already failed to protect one innocent woman in his life?
Some guardian I am, he thought to himself. Lusting after her, knowing I can’t have her.
At the last moment, he stepped out of her reach and rounded on her, needing to retreat from the intimacy of the moment.
“I brought you a cloak,” he said, changing the subject.
“What?” Aurora asked, puzzled.
“A charmed cloak, to cover you and help divert attention away from yourself,” Ezra said. “While we’re in the streets of Paradis. I’m not sure how well it will work, given that you’re a Null, but I got the strongest concealing charm I could find put on it.”
Aurora blinked. “Oh. Right.”
The tense moment between them broke and bled away, and Ezra relaxed.
“At least on the street, you won’t be quite so exposed,” he said.
He glanced at her. Her arms came up again to cross her chest, which he found humorous.
“I still can’t believe you get to wear a black tux,” she said, waving her hand at his outfit. “And I have to wear basically nothing.”
“There are worse things,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, for you,” she said, playing along.
“Do you have everything you need?” he asked.
“I haven’t figure out how to hide my sword yet,” she said.
