Michael, once able to speak again, made good use of his fucking voice.
“You disgust me.”
“You made me,” Raphael’s raspy voice was morphed in the pitch-black darkness of their imprisonment. “You did this to me. Not Lucy.”
“I gave you life. Power.” Michael spat across the canyon that separated them. “I set you free! Lucy caged you.”
This manipulation went on for centuries. Eventually, Raphael stopped talking. Then he stopped standing. Then… he dangled like the pathetic piece of shit he really was.
Still, Michael waited. Whatever was keeping him alive, he was grateful for. He’d started to syphon energy from Raphael by getting into his head and reducing that Angel further into nothingness. He was a disgrace to Divinity and Michael made sure Raphael knew it and would never fucking forget it.
First, one has to allow the demons in… then one had to play nice with those demons so they would grow docile. This meant first he had to tear Raphael apart – mentally, then spiritually – and then he switched tactics. Now he could plead with him. Act like he wanted to show mercy.
“Just let go,” Michael tempted. “Free yourself, brother. You’re the only one who can.”
Of the two of them, Raphael was suffering far more than Michael was. He wondered if that meant Lucifer was in some way suffering too. They had to be tied somehow. For Raphael to have shown loyalty to that dark-winged abomination, there was no other explanation for it. Which meant… Raphael had to die.
So it was Michael’s duty to kill him.
“Imagine,” Michael purred, “No more pain. No more darkness. No more hollowness.”
Raphael’s wings were shredded and broken. He’d been through some shit on his side of the pit and Michael just sat back and watched that Angel unravel again and again.
“You owe yourself peace, brother.” Michael groaned against his shackles. “There’s no need for you to cling to a life that is no longer worth living.”
He heard the clanking of Raphael’s chains.
“Even if you got out, you have no place to go. No sect to call home. Your brothers will not accept you as you are now. None of Divinity will.”
More rattling. A heavy sigh.
“I’m not worth it, Raphael,” Michael said into the dark. “I’m not worth you suffering this much for.”
It took a long time for this method to finally work. But one day, Michael stirred from his slumber and realized the energy in the pit finally collapsed. Raphael was lifeless. Slumped on the ground with his back against the stone, his wings drooping and eyes unseeing, Michael finally got what he wanted.
Victory.
From there, Michael struck a balance between withering away and clinging to enough energy to not wink out of existence all together. Now that Raphael was dead, the energy field shifted enough for Michael to balance his body and spirit. With skill and a prayer, he was able to finally slip free of his shackles, scale the walls, and climb the fuck out of that hole…
“The rest, as they say, is history.” Was that pride in Michael’s tone? Damn right it was.
“Remarkable,” Angel number five whispered.
Michael walked over to his table and grabbed a box. Opening the lid as he approached the Angels on their knees he said, “Open your mouths.”
They all obeyed. Looking like little baby birds with their mouths wide open, ready to accept whatever Michael was about to cram down their throats, the sight was a mix of disappointing and delectable. Michael wished at least one of them would fight back. Ask what was in the box. Clamp their lips shut so tight, Michael would have to use a crow bar to pry them open. But alas, not a single one disobeyed his direct orders.
He dropped a bead of magic onto each of their tongues and, one-by-one, tapped their chins – giving them silent permission to close their mouths and stand.
“The world is going to whimper my name with its last breath,” Michael grinned.
These Angels were going to ensure it.
Chapter 38
Eve didn’t feel right. She didn’t know if it was because she was separated from her pack or something else. The energy felt off-kilter. Chaotic, almost.
Once panic got the best of her, she’d gone back to Hell and ended up frozen outside the door of Lucifer’s great throne room. She heard each of her mate’s confessions. Heard the history of their lies and the web of deceit they’d all weaved to ensure each other’s survival.
Including hers.
They made the Angels look away from her… to protect her. It was the sweetest most fucked up thing anyone’s ever done for Eve. She wasn’t sure if she should slap them or kiss them for the gesture. Whether it hurt to hear the truth or not, she was grateful for what they’d done.
Maybe that was because everything worked out in the end?
Maybe it was because she was too exhausted to get angry about it.
The bottom line was, Eve knew no Angel would have helped her, regardless of her pack’s bullshit rumors or not. They blamed her for spiritual energy and hated her for it.
Instead of storming in and saying something to her mates, Eve left Hell and decided to focus on something else that could have a positive outcome: Like finding a home for Risk – the horse that just shit on the tiled kitchen floor.
Okay, so maybe bringing the horse inside was a terrible idea, but she wanted to protect him and this house didn’t have a barn. Her old home did, and right now she kinda missed her private slice of Hell on earth.
Eve needed to find this big guy a new home ASAP so she put a few feelers out. Risk’s owner was dead. To call around asking for local help would only bring attention to the murder of said owner. Eve could very well be put on the list of murder suspects… although… no body, no murder, right? Cops would have a hard time proving Eve did anything since the man’s body was fed to malanum in Hell.
A buzz lit her ass up.
“Hey,” she answered her cell on the first ring.
“Just got your text and I’ll take him. Where should I pick him up?”
Eve frowned for a minute, not knowing the address of Gabe’s house. “I’ll ping you the address. Thanks for doing this on such short notice.”
“No problem, babe. You know I never turn you down.”
Yeah. Eve knew. “How long until you can get on the road?”
“You’ve got great timing; I just dropped a horse off, so the trailer is already hooked up. The fuck you doing on the east coast anyway?”
“A reunion,” she half-lied.
“Cool. Send the coordinates and I’ll let you know my ETA.”
She pinged him the address and felt instantly sucker-punched in the gut. Was she putting her friend in danger, asking him to come here for a horse? Shit.
Eve snapped out of her guilt – Justin was in the same amount of danger here as he would be anywhere. Malanum were everywhere in the world. Always.
“Eve?” Justin’s voice caused her to jump.
“Yeah?”
“Thought the call dropped. Looks like I’m actually only twenty minutes away from you.”
“Great,” she cleared her throat. “We’ll be outside waiting for you.”
Why was her heart fluttering like a bird?
And why was she suddenly so scared?
Justin pulled up in his big ass truck with a two-horse slant load trailer that looked brand new.
“You’ve upgraded!” Eve grinned as Justin stepped out of his truck.
“You’ve downsized,” he tossed back. “I’ve never seen you without your infamous wings.”
Eve tensed for a second then relaxed her shoulders. “I do give my branding efforts a little break every now and then,” she smiled. Halos and Horns Animal Rescue came with a mascot – the founder herself sporting a set of realistic wings. Use what you got, right?
“You look good, woman.” He beamed a smile Eve knew was a panty-melter to everyone but her. She was immune to Justin’s charms. “You going to introduce us?” Justin approached the
horse nice and easy.
“This is Risk,” Eve tenderly stroked the stallion’s muzzle. “He’s a strong one.”
Justin leaned back to assess Risk a little better. “Well taken care of too. Not quite the usual for you and I.”
“He wasn’t abused,” Eve ran her hand down the horse’s withers. “His owner died recently.”
“Damn, that’s unfortunate.” Justin checked out one of Risk’s hooves. “He’s in excellent condition. Do you know what his behavior’s like?”
“Not really. I only just took him in. But he’s strong-willed.” She found that out when Risk fought to escape his stall when malanum were infesting it. “I don’t think he spooks easy, but is sensitive to energy.”
“Seems friendly enough,” Justin looked into the horse’s eyes and liked what he saw. “No special diet or meds?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Well he’ll be easy to place then.”
“I appreciate you doing this for me.” Justin was a great guy with a heart way too big. Why he was still single was beyond her.
Justin rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s been a minute since I last saw you.”
“I don’t get out much.”
“You here just for this horse? Maine isn’t too far, but –”
Eve grinned. She’d not lived in Maine for six years. But Justin wouldn’t have known that. It wasn’t like she invited him to her house for dinner or anything. “I have other business here. This was something I was only fitting in.”
“We’re two peas in a pod then,” Justin gestured towards the trailer. “Just placed six horses in the past three days.”
A dog barked.
It wasn’t coming from in the house. It was from the truck. “Hang on,” Justin winked. He ran over and opened the door, “Since you say Risk doesn’t spook easy, I’ll let this monster out for a piss.” An Australian Shepherd leapt out of the truck and started running circles around everyone. Nose down, she started tracking a scent and went around everything Anam had pissed on.
Eve glanced at the front door to make sure it was securely shut. Anam was inside and he needed to stay there for his own safety.
The dog finished her business and ran over to Justin, tail wagging with all her high energy. “Birdie, sit!”
“Birdie?” Eve laughed.
“I didn’t pick it. This one was a rescue too, but she rescued me I think.” Justin knelt down and rubbed the dog’s ears. “Got her in New Orleans while on vacation last year.”
“Eve.”
The voice alone caused goosebumps to erupt down her body. She slowly turned to see Lucifer standing on the front porch.
His dark brow arched and there was an impossible stillness of his body. “Everything okay out here?”
“Absolutely,” she managed to say. “I’ll be in shortly.”
Lucifer didn’t budge from the porch. Instead, he stood there with his arms folded across his broad chest, taking up all the space in her world.
Justin’s gaze flicked between the two of them and he stopped petting Birdie. “Sorry, didn’t realize you had someone else with you.”
“He’s my,” mate, lover, the devil, “boyfriend,” she said awkwardly.
Bless his heart, Justin actually looked protective of her for a moment. Just like he assessed Risk, he now took stock in the big man on the porch wearing a scowl. “Lucky guy,” Justin pinned Lucifer with a wary look. Swaggering over to the Devil on the porch, he held out his hand, “I’m Justin.”
“Lucifer.”
Just when she thought she’d seen it all…
The two of them shook hands and Eve couldn’t tell who was sizing who up more. Lucifer looked over at Eve for a hot second, then his gaze fell on the truck and trailer. “Taking the horse, Justin?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a few stalls cleared, so he’ll stay with me until I find him a good enough home.”
“Good.” Lucifer practically purred.
If Justin had a panty-melting smile, then Lucifer’s was the kind that made all your clothes burn off. Eve grinned when she realized Justin was suddenly sporting a bulge. Poor guy. He probably had no clue what uncontrollable desire could do to a human when in the presence of the Angel who brought such lust to the world.
Justin cleared his throat. “I best be off.”
Lucifer stepped back and it seemed to break the spell Justin was under. Birdie ran up the porch steps and sat next to Lucifer with her tail wagging fiercely. The Devil reached down and stroked the dog’s head. “I’d be happy to help you, if you need assistance.”
Eve heard what Lucifer was really saying, I want you gone. Now. The faster, the better.
“I got this,” Eve began guiding the horse over to the trailer. “Justin, just open the back for me.”
“No prob.” He ran over and unlocked the back of the trailer. Risk went inside without a fuss. Thank fuck for small miracles. “So,” Justin ran a hand through his short chestnut hair, “Your boyfriend’s kind of…. Intense.”
He looked like he was going to say something more, but Eve didn’t give him the chance. “Thanks again, Justin.”
“Any time.” He whistled and Birdie jumped off the porch and ran back into the front seat of the truck while he locked the back of the trailer and made sure everything was secure.
And just like that, Justin pulled away with Risk and Eve turned to face Lucifer. “I own an animal rescue service; in case you were curious.”
“I know,” he backed up once she was on the porch and let her slide past him to go back inside. Lucifer slammed the door shut behind him. “You shouldn’t be outside by yourself.”
“I wasn’t by myself. I had a horse. And Justin.”
“They wouldn’t have protected you. Anam was locked inside. I… your mates weren’t even in the same realm as you.” Lucifer growled like a wolf, “It’s too dangerous out there now.”
“It’s always been dangerous, Lucifer. I’m not about to let an animal suffer because I’m too afraid to help it.”
“It’s only an animal. That horse was not worth you risking your safety for.”
“Don’t. You. Dare.”
Now he was good and angry. “You’re mad at me for worrying over you?”
She poked him in the chest. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve been known to put myself at risk to help beasts before.”
Fuuuuuck, she shouldn’t have said that. The minute those words were out of her mouth, Lucifer backed away like she’d kicked him in the gut.
“Lucy,” she whispered.
She’d give anything to take those words back. It’s just that she was so mad. She’d been on her own for an eternity, had found a new calling, had spent her days helping animals that had no voice to cry for help, and now Lucifer was trying to take that away from her. For him to act like that wasn’t worth doing – even if her safety was in question - struck a nerve in Eve. Especially knowing how they’d met in the first place.
Without taking a risk on a dangerous beast, she and Lucifer would have never been. “Luce, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No,” he put his hand up to stop her from getting any closer. “You’re right. You’re fucking right.” He shook his head and turned away.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Eve felt like she could bring out the best of her mates, and the worst of her mates sometimes. She loved it all, but they sure didn’t. “I know you’re only doing what Devils do… you’re protecting me.”
“Stop,” he jerked away from her. “I can’t be touched right now.”
Her hands balled into fists at her side. “Listen,” her tone dropped and quivered with anger, “I think we’re both trying to adjust right now. And I’ve been so docile. So understanding and patient and giving with each of you.”
Okay, her temper was beginning to flare, especially when Lucifer turned his back on her and walked away.
Following him into the barren kitchen, she raised her voice, “I’m not a toy, Lucy. Nor am I some kind of lap dog t
hat comes when called. I know we’re all different now, and…” Shit, should she say this? Fuck it. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than to have all four of you as my pack. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted. And when you brought me into your bedroom, and the four of you marked and bonded to me, I didn’t question a goddamn thing. I happily submitted. I trusted that we were making the right decision – no matter how different we all are now, or how difficult this pack might be to hold together.”
Lucifer’s shoulders tensed and he gripped the side of the counter. She swore she heard the granite crack.
“We have to trust each other, Lucy. And trust in the skills we each have. You can’t constantly worry over me or the others. It’ll exhaust you.” Why won’t he turn and look at me?
Anam silently approached and put himself between her and Lucifer. Whose side are you on here, Anam?
“Lucifer,” she said with more authority, “Are you even listening to me? We have to trust that we each have what it takes to survive this. We can’t go into battle with half our minds locked on worrying over one another.”
That’s what happened the first time, in the Battle of the Brotherhood, and Eve would forever carry that guilt with her. Had her mates not been so worried for her safety, so much of that day could have been different.
“Damnit, Satan!” she shoved into his back, “Look at me!”
Lucifer’s head turned to the side, a fraction of an inch and no more. “This… was a mistake.” His voice was morphed.
“Oh, fuck you so much, Satan.” Now she was good and furious. Eve turned and walked away muttering angry words about controlling and jealousy and insecurities.
Something hot and hard slammed into her back, tackling her to the ground. Lucifer’s scent was thick. “Lucy,” she tried to grunt, but his weight crushed her body against the hardwood floors.
“Don’t… fucking… move.”
She froze and did as he instructed. Lucifer’s hot breath tickled her neck. She felt his heart slamming into her back. His heat penetrated her skin.
Trust.
Eve didn’t flinch when she felt his teeth graze her neck. Didn’t tense when his hands wrapped around her wrists.
Raise the Dead Page 31
