Chapter 2
Two
Silas
The city was quiet for a change.
Pity.
I needed something to quiet my mind. All I could think about was Lucifer’s request. Was I really going to do it?
I shouldn’t. I should stay away from that tournament, from Ursula, but everything in me demanded I make sure she came out of this, The Tartarean, alive.
That was the only reason I’d given in. Urs despised me, and no matter how many times I’d apologized, she’d refused to accept it.
Hurting her was a failing I couldn’t seem to get past no matter how hard I tried, and Kryos was right, I wanted her forgiveness more than anything.
A strong gust blew past me, and the cemetery gate squeaked loudly as I drew closer. I paused and listened for movement.
Most of the city stayed awake, but there were parts of it, like here, that gave in to the night.
After checking the usual demon haunts, making a few detours down dark alleys and through abandoned buildings, I headed here, the largest human cemetery in the city.
There’d been several burials today, and rogue ibwa demons could periodically be found munching on newly buried corpses.
The heavy iron gates squeaked louder as I approached. I scanned the shadows, searching for movement, and scented the air for the unmistakable scent of formaldehyde on the breeze.
So far so good. I headed deeper into the large cemetery. This one was old, and I guessed there probably weren’t many plots left.
Something moved in the shadows near a large oak tree several yards away.
I sensed nothing, there were no alarm bells, no inner warnings.
Throwing out a hand, I called my sword forth.
It appeared, the hilt cool and comforting against my palm.
At least Michael hadn’t taken it when he’d relieved me of a substantial portion of my powers.
I wasn’t totally helpless, but my abilities were nothing like they used to be.
“Show yourself, demon,” I called into the night.
“Or die.” They were going to die anyway.
Eating humans, dead or alive, was most definitely in the “breaking the rules” category set out by the knights, but I found telling them the truth at times like these caused them to run like hell, and chasing someone would expend far more energy than I had tonight.
A small figure stepped out from behind the tree. Definitely not a demon.
Power vibrated across my skin, tingling down my arms. I gritted my teeth as the kiss of power, the tiny taste of home, rushed over me, giving me a small, taunting bite of all I’d lost. If I’d been at full strength, I would have felt her presence instantly.
“Rosalind? What are you doing here?” I said, and my voice came out rough as residual power undulated through my chest and over my stomach. She was doing it on purpose.
Her wings rustled and the peach-colored feathers brushed with gold glinted in the moonlight as she stepped forward.
“Silas, my dear, it has been far too long.” A serene smile curved her pretty lips as she weaved her way through the headstones.
When she reached me, she rested a hand on my chest. “I’ve missed you so very much. ”
Had she? “Why are you here, Rosa?”
Her lashes fluttered at my informal use of her name. “Are you not pleased to see me?”
“Of course,” I said, and in a lot of ways I was.
She hadn’t been manipulative like some, and once upon a time she’d been my intended.
“But it’s been a long time since we’ve spoken.
I assume this visit isn’t because you wanted to check on my well-being?
” I smiled to soften my directness. She was always extremely softhearted.
We probably would have been good together if things had been different.
Angels didn’t choose each other. We didn’t seek love matches.
Those higher up decided when and who would be paired.
Then after an arbitrary timeline set out for us, a short ceremony was held where we signed the book of alliance.
But before our arranged union could come about—I’d “sinned” in the eyes of my brethren when I’d lain with Ursula.
Rosalind had been angry, of course, when she’d learned of my transgressions.
She’d been humiliated that others knew what I’d done, but her feelings hadn’t been injured because Rosalind didn’t love me in the romantic sense.
I had disrespected her, though, embarrassed her, and for that I would always be sorry.
She’d still wanted to go ahead with our alliance, while I’d planned to petition to have our assigned union nullified.
I’d only wanted Ursula even if she hadn’t felt the same.
But before I could speak to Michael about ending things with Rosalind, I’d fallen.
She chewed her lip, and her hands fluttered about in front of her.
I slid my fingers under her chin and tilted her head up so I could see into her eyes. “Rosa? Why are you trembling? Tell me what has you so distressed?”
Her lips quivered. “I-I come to you with a message…from Michael.”
I stilled. The last time I saw him was when he’d sentenced me to fall. “What message?”
“He and Uriel know you are taking part in The Tartarean, that you are risking your life, your very soul…for Lucifer,” she said, lowering her voice when she spoke Lucifer’s name.
My back straightened. “I’m not beholden to Heaven. Not to Michael and certainly not to Uriel. Not to anyone but myself. They have no authority over me. Not any longer.”
She nodded quickly. “I know that, Silas, and so does Michael. He’s the one who asked me to bring this offer for your consideration, and it is a most generous one.”
Against all logic, hope filled me. “What kind of offer?”
“Michael wants you to take part in the tournament like you’ve planned. He knows with your skill and strength you can make it to the final round.”
My chest tightened. “And then?”
“He believes the final event will be between you…um, Hell”—she said it like she’d said Lucifer, as if saying it out loud would summon the devil himself—“and Heaven, then during the final battle—”
“He wants me to throw the tournament. To help the angels win,” I said, fury pulsing through me.
The angels had won every tournament since The Tartarean came to be, but with me competing against them, it seemed they weren’t feeling as confident.
Hell had always been their biggest threat, their only real competition, at least in their eyes, so securing my assistance now meant eliminating any chance of a loss.
“Yes.”
“Why would I do that? I have no desire to help Michael’s cause—”
“He will give your wings back, Silas. He will forgive you for your betrayal, for your…” She looked down.
“Sins, and he will welcome you home with open arms. All will be as it once was.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she smiled softly.
“We can sign our names in the book of alliance. We can have a child.”
Everything seized inside me.
It’s all I’d ever wanted. At least before I’d found Ursula.
For a very long time, Rosalind had been my future.
I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t miss Heaven, because I did, and I missed my wings so much that some mornings when I woke, I was convinced they were still there, positive I heard the rustle of my feathers and felt the stretch and pull of the muscles on my back from their movement.
“And you want this?” I asked her.
Her cheeks grew darker as she curled her slight fingers around mine. “Very much.” She squeezed my hands. “We were meant for each other, and you were always meant to be our champion, Silas. You are our best warrior, and Michael hasn’t forgotten it.”
“He said this to you?”
She shook her head. “You know Michael. He is a male of few words, but it was most ardently implied. He knows it’s the truth, and so does our brethren.”
My heart was racing. Being exiled had hurt in ways I didn’t know were possible and had left wounds that would never heal. I missed Heaven so badly that I ached to go home—but this?
Ursula would never forgive me if I betrayed her again.
She also despises you. You have no future with her.
“Will you do it?”
Would I? Could I do it?
The scars on my back throbbed. It was probably all in my mind, but the absence of my wings was suddenly too much to bear. I dragged in a shuddering breath.
“Silas?” She squeezed my forearm. “I need your answer.”
I’d be a fool to say no. “What does he plan to do with the prize?”
“He only wants to ensure our good fortune, nothing more.”
Even if I’d still had my foresight, it wouldn’t have been able to guide me in this instance.
Not when angels were directly involved. I had no idea if Rosalind or Michael had come to me with this deal in good faith.
“And you’re sure that’s all?” The things Lucifer said, that the angels were up to something, kept playing through my mind.
“You know Michael. Are you truly questioning his motives?”
Michael was good. If there was anything fucked up going on, he wouldn’t be the one behind it. “This request is unusual; can you blame me for being suspicious?”
“Michael is only concerned with maintaining balance, that is all. You know Hell doesn’t play fair. We need as much good fortune as we can get.”
It definitely sounded like something Michael would say.
He’d always been fair, and what Rosalind said made sense.
Before I’d fallen, he’d covered for me, protected me, until I’d made it impossible for him to do it any longer.
“I want to believe you, but you must understand that until today I’ve had no communication from any of you. You cast me out and forgot I existed.”
“I never forgot about you, Silas. I have prayed for you every night since we lost you.” A card appeared in her hand. “But if you need proof, this is from Michael, with the assurances you require.”
His seal was on it, his name scrawled above.
My heart raced faster. She was telling the truth. “If he can assure me that no harm will come to my teammate—”
“You’ll do it?”