Chapter 70
“God is a kid with an ant farm, lady. He’s not planning anything.”
—JULES WINNFIELD, PULP FICTION (1994)
“ H e’s fucking late,” I growled at Shem as I claimed one of his pawns. We had been waiting in the office for Gabriel for nearly three hours.
Three hours. I could have been in the library with Lilith. Shem had told me to go back to her several times, but her comment about how Jezebel would have been a distraction rang in my ears. I would likely be an even worse distraction, and I wanted her to have space if she needed it.
At first, I hadn’t really put much thought into what it would mean for her to have a purpose. However, after the first day in the library with her, it was like I was spending time with the old Lilith.
The determined little look in her eye when she suddenly had an idea, or the excited crinkle of her nose when she was onto something. She had been right. She was too smart to be kept locked up in a room all day. Even as a little helpless mortal, she was clever and a fast study.
I found that the more agency and leniency I gave her, the more she looked at me like she didn’t hate every fiber of my being. When I had given her the dagger and she realized I was attempting to give her the ability to defend herself… The way she had looked at me… I wanted her to always look at me like that .
So, I stayed and played chess with Shemhazai instead of returning to the library and fucking Lilith on top of all those old dusty books like I wanted to.
“I know,” Shem said. “It’s hard to forget when you mention it every five seconds.” He chuckled, using a pawn to claim my knight.
Prick.
“What the fuck could be taking so long.”
Shem glanced up at me, his green eyes flashing in the firelight. “Well, he could have been discovered stealing the scepter, for one. Maybe Yahweh unmade him.” He grinned, and I bit back a laugh.
“Touché.”
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. I glanced over my shoulder to find Gabriel entering the study. He was holding a severed head in his left hand, his fist curled in the thick gray hair of what appeared to be a very dead angel. I frowned and stood at the same time Shem did.
“You’re late,” I observed dryly.
“Astute of you to notice,” he snapped. His all-white outfit was stained crimson from the blood of the head clutched in his hand.
“Who is that?” Shem asked, his tone cold.
Gabriel’s mask slipped, and for a moment, he looked devastated. I made sure to keep my expression blank but glanced down at the head.
The face was bloated and swollen as if it had been beaten over the head several times before being severed. Which would explain the black sludge staining the dead angel’s lips. He had clearly been unmade and then decapitated.
“The fuck is this, Gabriel?” I snapped, and he snarled back, tossing the head toward me. It smacked the black marble floor grotesquely and rolled several feet before landing on its side. I looked down at the face and realized with a start that I knew who it was.
“Holy fucking shit, is that Mike?” Shemhazai hissed.
“Oh, so you know his name? I’m shocked you would bother to learn it, considering the way you look down your nose at us,” Gabriel hissed. He was clearly upset about Mike’s death. I had never seen him angry before; he normally came off as sarcastic and aloof.
I glanced away from Mike’s bloated head and met Gabriel’s citrine gaze.
“I’m sorry for your loss. He didn’t deserve this.” The words surprised me as they left my mouth, but they rang true. Mike tried to warn us about Rafael. He had helped Lilith through a panic attack at Voodoo. I had been too blinded by jealousy at the time, but he cared about Lilith. Anyone who wanted to keep Lilith safe was not someone I would have wished to be unmade, especially not in such a brutal fashion.
Gabriel’s eyes searched mine as if trying to detect whether or not I was being sincere .
“What happened?” Shem asked, stepping forward to examine the bloody head.
A pained look flashed across Gabriel’s face. He manifested the scepter he had promised us and handed it to me. He ran his hand through his auburn hair in frustration.
“It was my fault. He wanted to help steal the scepter. I tried to tell him to stay out of it, but he had a soft spot for Lilith and wanted to do what he could to help her. I agreed, and he got caught, obviously,” he said, gesturing to the mess on the floor. “It was like Yahweh knew he would be in there.”
Shem frowned, clearly unnerved. “Why did Yahweh unmake him? Why not just punish him? He wasn’t exceptionally powerful. I would have never guessed he would be important enough to find himself on Yahweh’s shit list.”
Gabriel’s eyes were swimming with rage. “His lack of power is why Yahweh unmade him. He’s been hesitant to truly wield the magic of the scepter as He says it’s a waste of resources.” His expression turned from rage to disgust. “I guess He didn’t consider Mike’s life a waste.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. Lilith couldn’t find out about this. I knew she would blame herself, and I had just given her a fucking knife. I didn’t need her turning the blade onto her own flesh over this.
Abruptly, Art walked in. He took in the bloody head on the ground and stopped in his tracks.
“Who is that?” he asked, looking disturbed. I didn’t blame him. It wasn’t every day you saw one of our kind unmade.
“Mike,” Shem said solemnly.
“Poor bastard,” Art said, coming closer and crouching down to examine the head more closely. “I guess the scepter really does have the power to kill us.”
I nodded. “Yeah. We need to get this shit under control, and fast.” Art glanced up at me, his face serious.
“That’s why I came to find you. Lilith sent me; she says she has an idea.”
I let out a sigh of relief, grateful she was still being good and following orders. I was glad she had listened and asked Art to come find us instead of doing so herself. If she had walked in here and seen Mike’s severed head, I would have probably needed to spend the rest of the day consoling her.
“I don’t want Lilith finding out about this. She’ll be devastated.” Art and Shem nodded in agreement, both of them looking shaken up themselves.
“Get this cleaned up,” I ordered, speaking directly to Art. He didn’t hesitate. With a wave of his hand, Mike’s head disappeared, and he left to find what I hoped was a bucket and a mop for the inky sludge that still stained the floor.
Turning my attention to Gabriel, I spun the scepter deftly in my hand before misting it away for future inspection. “As grateful as I am for the scepter, you were fucking reckless involving a lesser angel like this. ”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes on me, looking annoyed. “Yeah, well, I’m not thrilled he fucking had to die over this either. I was already feeling like shit about it, thanks for rubbing it in.”
I shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it now. Go back to Heaven and try not to get yourself unmade before the feast. Hazai and I will send for you if we need anything.” I dismissed the archangel. Shem shot Gabriel a considering look and pursed his lips.
“Be careful,” he warned darkly. “If He was willing to unmake Mike, it’s very possible He now has a taste for it. Don’t give Him a reason to turn a scepter on you until we can get you out of there.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened slightly, the only indication that Shem’s concern had affected him. “I didn’t know you cared, Shemhazai,” he murmured softly.
Shem shrugged. “We were all angels once, Gabriel,” he said. The truth of his words hung in the air as we left to find Lilith. He was right. We had all been angels once. We knew better than anyone what that meant.
Yahweh had always claimed we were the monsters, but never in the history of Hell had a demon been unmade. The fact that Yahweh had just made it clear He was willing to execute His own citizens for something as innocuous as petty theft left my chest feeling tight and my blood running cold.
If He was willing to do this to His own angels, there was no telling what He might do to Lilith if He ever got His hands on her.
Shem and I exchanged a glance that told me his thoughts had followed a similar path.
“We’ll protect her,” he assured, me and I nodded, though I couldn’t help but wonder if our protection would be enough.