“Until next time.” He took off, flying straight through the ceiling, Gabriel limp as he carried her. He hovered over the base, giddy at the sight of the smoldering buildings. “Sorry, sister,” he whispered. “But, you were wrong on this one.”
Chapter 16
Eighteen-year-old Gabriel sauntered through the door of her Fairfield home to find Camael there waiting. They’d lived there together for the last few years, both now free from their abusive parents since Cam’s had kicked him out, his violent outbursts having frightened them. He ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair as he prepared himself. His bright blue eyes followed his sister as she sat next to him on the sofa. He was not looking forward to this conversation. “How is he?”
“He’s good,” she said. “Calls himself ‘Tae’. He’s pre-med, runs a travel agency. Smart.”
“And he’s on board?”
“Took a little convincing. I had to rearrange his furniture with my brain, but,” She shrugged.
He chuckled. “At least you didn’t have to kill anyone this time.”
“That dude had it coming. Uriel was in danger. I was just--”
“I know, I know.” He put his hands up in retreat, the smile fading from his unshaven face. “Any luck with Barachiel?”
“No,” she said. “It’s like he’s hidden from me. Every once in awhile, I’ll get a glimpse. I’ll hear a thought or feel him for just a second. I try to break through, asking where he is, but, nothing. It’d be so much easier if I knew his human name. Why didn’t God think that was prudent information?”
“Maybe you’re not supposed to find him, yet.”
“Bro, I need to find him fast. From the little bit I’ve seen in his head, he is fucked up.”
“More than we are?”
She laughed. “Is anyone?”
He smiled and looked down, his demeanor changing. As his thoughts became clear, Gabriel’s eyes widened, horror spreading across her face. “No,” she commanded.
“G,”
“I said, ‘no’.” She bolted from her seat and ran to the window. “Come on. We have to go before they get here. We can stay with Uriel and her grandmother until we--”
“Uriel doesn’t know I exist.”
“Well, she will. You’re not a secret.”
“Maybe I should be.”
“Stop being dramatic. Get your ass up before I come over there and drag you to the car myself.”
“Gabriel, sit down.”
“Camael, let’s go. Now.”
“I waited until you found the others. I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“Cam, please.”
“I’m dangerous. I scare my parents. I killed yours.”
“That was--”
“G, I’m literally Wrath. I serve one purpose. I shouldn’t be here.”
“But, you are here. You know as well as I do, God doesn’t make mistakes. You’re here for a reason.”
“Do you know what that is?”
“Not yet,” she admitted, tears forming in her eyes. “I don’t know everything all at once. Some things come to me later, when He wants me to know them.”
“Well, when the old man fills you in, you know where to find me.” He stood, seeing the police car’s lights as it pulled into the driveway.
“Cam, no. Please. Please don’t leave me.”
He held her face in his hands as he tried to make her understand. “It’s getting harder to control. I don’t want to hurt you.” He kissed her forehead before opening the door. “Visit me?”
She nodded as she choked back sobs, covering her mouth as she watched him put his hands up and drop to his knees. She fell to hers as well as he was handcuffed and read his rights. He nodded to her as he was shut inside the car.
You’ll be fine, he thought.
‘Fine’ is a relative term. She nodded back as the car pulled out of the drive. As she cried, she could suddenly no longer feel the porch beneath her. The colors of the sky and grass muted. This is a dream, she realized. She’d had it before, thousands of times over the years. The memory of that day still stung in her mind as one of the worst of her life. She hung there in her past as her body healed, her anger at Cam’s confession still haunting her two decades later. Yes, he’d killed her parents, but it wasn’t like they hadn’t deserved it.
Chapter 17
Lucifer lay Gabriel on the sofa and stood over her, waiting impatiently for her to come to. He folded his arms and began tapping his foot, trying to decide if he should linger or finish the book he’d been reading. He chose the latter, but before he could pick it up from its spot on the ottoman, he was thrown into the television hanging on the wall, shattering the screen. “Murus!” he heard a woman say. He was pinned there, unable to fight his way free.
“That’s just impolite,” he quipped, seeing the blonde woman emerge from the kitchen.
“What did you do?!” she barked.
“Nothing to her, I assure you.”
“Obcillo!” His arm snapped at the word, the bones cracking loudly in his ears. He winced but didn’t cry out, his pride stronger than any pain. She took her phone from her pocket and began to call nine-one-one, but before she got to the second ‘one’, Gabriel gasped, her eyes flying open.
“Wendy?” she asked, slowly sitting herself up and placing a hand on her fully healed chest. “Oh, man, that was unpleasant.”
“Holy crap,” Wendy breathed. “I thought you were dead.”
“I was, but just for a few minutes.”
She rushed to sit next to Gabriel and examined her shirt, poking a finger through one of the holes. “Are those bullet holes?”
“I’m fine,” Gabriel promised.
“Sister,” Lucifer called. “You didn’t tell me your new friend was a witch.”
“Sursum,” Wendy spat, dragging him up the wall and pressing him to the ceiling.
Gabriel laughed. “That’s hilarious.” She kissed her companion and took her hand. “You can let him go. He’s my brother.”
“He didn’t hurt you?”
“He wouldn’t dare. He loves me.” She looked up at him squirming and giggled. “Don’t you, you dumb fuck?”
“Gabriel,” he sneered.
“He’s all right, I swear.”
“If you say so. Occumbo.”
And with that, he fell, grunting as he hit the floor. He righted himself and rubbed his arm as it healed.
“What are you doing here?” Gabriel asked.
“The maid let me in,” Wendy explained. “I thought we could get breakfast or--” She stopped and looked over at Lucifer whose arm had fully recovered. “Honestly, what the fudge?”
“Well, it seems you have plans,” Lucifer chimed. “I’ll just be off--”
“You stay where you are,” Gabriel commanded through her teeth, holding out her fist, rendering him immobile. He grunted and folded his arms. She turned her attention back to Wendy. “Can we make it lunch? I need to have a chat with my brother.”
“Sure,” she agreed. “But we need to have a serious talk about what you--”
“I know.”
“All right. I’ll see you later.” She gave her a quick peck before leaving the apartment.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she scolded, standing up and dropping her hand, allowing Lucifer to move freely. “Do you have any idea how many people you just murdered?”
“A hundred thousand, give or take.”
“It’s not funny.”
“Perhaps not, but it was necessary. Your humanity is clouding your judgment, Gabriel. This is war. We’re defending the Gate to Heaven from those that seek to destroy it. As you once said, it’s the only reason you and our siblings are here on Earth. You should remember who you are.”
“It’s maybe you that should remember who I am. It’s like you forgot that I know things you don’t. Those soldiers were regular people. They would have been easy as shit to take down if it came to that.”
“Yes, but now we don’t have to. It�
�s over. Spade’s finished.”
“He’s what? Goddamn, you’re usually the smart one. Spade will never be finished. He’s going after the Gate in four days. You took away his army, so now he has to raise a new one.”
He scoffed. “He doesn’t have time for that.”
“He does if he uses what your psychotic twin gave him and, thanks to you, he has no choice. You fucked us.”
“I come bearing pasta,” Gabriel said, holding the bag of takeout in front of her like a gift.
“I guess you can come in,” Wendy teased. They sat, opening the containers of cavatappi and bruschetta.
“So, what are you?” Wendy blurted. “Your aura’s brighter than anything I’ve ever seen and it’s the color of the freakin’ rainbow. That means you have a really strong link to the other side or a powerful spirit guide or--”
“Heaven.”
Wendy froze. “Like, Heaven, Heaven? You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m a funny bitch, but no.”
“So, you’re what? A ghost?”
“What? No, girl. I’m Gabriel.”
“I know your name.”
“No, I’m Gabriel.”
“You’re…like, from the Bible? The angel? Now I know you’re messing with me.”
“I’m not.”
“Like, told Mary she was gonna have Jesus, Gabriel?”
‘That’s not exactly how it went down, but--”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“You’re freaking out.”
“I am definitely freaking out.”
“To be fair, you’re a witch, so…”
“Witches are human beings.”
“I’m human. Sort of.”
“And your brother? Is he an angel, too?”
“Technically, but he’s, um,”
“What?”
“Don’t panic.”
“Don’t panic? You mean more?”
“The brother you met was…Lucifer.”
“Holy shit!” Wendy gasped, bolting up from her chair.
“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you.”
“He won’t? He’s Lucifer.”
“He’s not what-- I mean, he is, but he’s--”
“So, Heaven’s real? And Hell? And God?”
“Yeah, it’s a little different than-- never mind. Listen--”
“God is real?! Am I going to Hell? Should I stop practicing the craft? I try to only use it for good, but--”
“No, He doesn’t-- listen, I’ll answer all your questions, but two things first. You can’t tell anyone about this. Ever.”
“Who’d believe me?”
“And, are we okay? I mean, we spent a few awesome days together and I like you, a lot, but this is real new and if you can’t handle it, I mean, I’d understand if--”
“I don’t know,” Wendy admitted. “This is a lot of information. I really like you, too, but I’ll have to digest this for a while.”
“Okay.”
They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, eating and taking sips of soda. Wendy put her cup down, folded her arms and looked Gabriel over. “So, you can have sex?”
She looked up from her lunch. “You know I can.” She winked.
She blushed. “I do. I just thought angels, if they even existed, were like perfect, sacred, virginal beings.”
Gabriel burst out laughing. “You thought we were what? Maybe go back and reread Genesis 6.”
“So, the Bible’s…accurate?”
“Bits and pieces.”
“What other myths are true? Vampires? Demons? Werewolves?”
“Yes, yes, but they’re locked up in Hell, so no worries, and yes, it turns out, sometimes.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. To be fair, most people think witches are myths, too.”
“Yeah, but that took hundreds of years of hiding and propaganda. We convinced people not to believe we existed. Religion has--”
“Religion and truth aren’t exactly best friends. Most of the time, they’re not even casual acquaintances. Perpetuating one generally has nothing to do with the other.”
Wendy raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know what to do with all this.”
“Sit with it. See how you feel after thinking about it for a while, then call me.”
Chapter 18
Gabriel let herself into Valerie’s apartment and groaned as she plopped herself down on the couch.
“I guess I’ll leave you two alone,” Malik chuckled, retreating to the bedroom.
“What now?” Valerie sighed, sitting next to her sister.
“Lucifer screwed us with his latest massacre, which I saw coming, but it still pisses me off.”
“Massacre?”
“Yeah, but that’s not what’s bothering me.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“I’m worried about Wendy.”
“Who the hell’s Wendy?”
“My girlfriend, kind of. Maybe. I don’t know, man. We just met, but she’s goddamn amazing. She’s a Tituban witch, super powerful. You remember Violet, Tituba’s daughter?”
“No.”
“Right. Well, anyway, Wendy’s grandma did one of her spells on her. I can’t see in her head. I have no idea what she’s thinking or feeling, what her life’s been like. Being with her is like being on vacation. If she’s not talking, it’s just quiet.”
“Well, good. It’s about time you find somebody you can deal with for more than a night.”
“I may have fucked it up already.”
“Course you did.”
“She found me a little…dead.”
“Girl, what?”
“Long story. Point is, she knows everything. Who I am, what we are. I don’t know if she can hang.”
“Jesus fuck, bitch. What were you thinkin’?”
“You told Malik,” she defended.
“He’s my husband. We’ve been together for years. And what was I supposed to say when a demon kicked his ass and I set it on fire?”
“The girl found me not breathing with holes in my chest. There was no glossing over that.”
“Fine. So, she’s not taking it well?”
“Not super well, no. Better than I expected, but,”
“And you like her? For real? Not just for a weekend?”
“I feel like I’m falling for the girl.”
“Damn, bitch. I’ve never heard you talk about somebody like that.”
“I’ve only felt like this one other time.”
“Really? What happened?”
“My parents killed her.”
Valerie’s eyes widened. “You wanna unpack that?”
“Nope.”
“I guess we’re blowing right by it, then. Listen, just give her a little time. A wise woman once told me that it takes a human brain a little time to catch up.”
“I know. Anyway, have you made any progress with your sword?”
“You know I haven’t.”
“Yeah, but I was trying to be nice, you know, nudging you to get your shit together instead of giving you a lecture.”
“Appreciated.”
“We only have four days, though, so maybe get on it.”
“You sure this is something I can do?”
“I’m always sure.”
That night, after Gabriel left and Malik had gone to bed, Valerie sat on her living room floor staring at the sword in front of her. “Come on, bitch,” she whispered to herself, mustering the courage to relive her own memories as Uriel. “We got no time for you to be scared.” She took a deep breath and placed one hand on the sword and one on her temple. “Here we go.” She closed her eyes and after a few seconds of searching, a flood of images poured into her mind. She saw the sword in her hands, engulfed in flames, mowing down demons after The Fall. She watched as men whose bodies had been all but destroyed by possession fell under her blade, the thick stickiness of their captors peeling away and being sent screaming to cages. She saw herself somewhere in the Middle-East, driving th
e blade through soldiers of an enemy army. She watched Barachiel follow an old woman to an alley as she fought to protect civilians in Verona. The sound of people wailing as she struck them down, the begging in their eyes, was more than heartbreaking. Her hands, stained with blood, were all she could see. The image stayed with her for several seconds until another finally replaced it. She saw water below her as she hovered above it. Soon, she felt the sweet relief of the sword leaving her hand as she heaved it into Colliford Lake, painfully aware of the wizard watching nearby.
Tears filled her eyes as she opened them, her hands now covering her mouth as she wept. All those people, she thought. I’m a monster. She got up, leaving the sword where it was, and headed to her room.
“You all right?” Malik wondered, hearing his wife sniffles.
“No,” she whimpered, crawling into bed and his arms, resting her head on his chest as she cried. “I’m really not.”
Chapter 19
Camael sat alone at a table in the yard, the books from the prison’s library the only company he needed most days. As he read, he could feel the stares from the other inmates. They usually kept a safe distance, having seen too many times what happened to men that challenged him. Every once in awhile, though, a newbie would decide to pick a fight, thinking if he kicked the ass of the scariest guy here, he’d avoid trouble with anyone else in the future. It never ended well for them.
He shifted his gaze from the pages to the group. They immediately looked away and began nervously talking among themselves. He returned to his book, having no interest in whatever shenanigans they were planning. From the corner of his eye, he could see one of the men standing. He took a shaky step toward him, fists at his sides. “Are you sure that’s wise?” Cam asked in his thick Brooklyn accent, not bothering to look up.
The man looked back at the group. They all shook their heads. “It’s not worth it,” one of them whispered.
“He’s right,” Cam said, putting his book down and standing up. The other men rushed away, scurrying like rats on a sinking ship, leaving the first man to face him on his own. He mustered his courage and sprang forward. Cam sighed as the man charged. “This is exhausting.” With one punch, he knocked his would-be assailant out cold, breaking his cheekbone.
Elohim Page 7
