Help
I’m completely surrounded. Solis is with me and I’m powered up, but even I would have a hard time taking on this many demons. Demons who are at the mercy of one of Satan’s chief demons.
“Lucifer,” I scream, hoping he’ll come to my aid again.
“He can’t hear you, but feel free to scream all you want.” His eyes darken until they’re completely black. “I live off the fear. Run, little angel. The chase is my favorite part.”
His wicked sneer would typically garner one of my own. Egotistical demons are usually the easiest to take down, but I know that this time, that won’t be the case. This situation isn’t impossible, but it’s going to test my strength more than it’s been tested since falling.
Demons are notorious liars, so I disregard his warning and yell out for Lucifer again.
“Like I said, he can’t hear you.” He taps on a gaudy oval sapphire hanging around his neck.
“Witches.”
“Very powerful witches.”
“They’ll eventually turn on you. Witches have their own agenda. Always.”
He taps his chin like he’s contemplating my words, but soon, a Cheshire-cat grin spreads across his wickedly handsome glamoured face. “You aren’t wrong. It’s the coven leader’s heart in that box. I figured you’d like to eat the heart of the witch that single-handedly doomed Earth.”
I cringe. “Pass. But thank you.”
“Such manners,” he says, walking closer.
His hand shoots forward, and I crouch, but his action only causes the box to lift into the air and fly into his outstretched arms.
“We’re not going to waste a perfectly good heart.”
He puts the bloody organ to his mouth and inhales deeply before taking a bite out of it. I turn my head away in disgust.
“Between the power that Lucifer bestowed upon me and this charm, even Lucy himself won’t hear your call before you’re in my control.” I turn my head back to the demon.
“What do you want with me?”
“You’ll be one of my first—and favorite—trophies.”
“Since when do demons take angels as trophies?” I ask with a raised brow.
“Never. We don’t allow them to live.”
I throw my head back and laugh, because in all the wars of history between Heaven and Hell, there have been far more casualties of Hell than Heaven.
“You’re the exception because you’re his angel. I’ll take his love and then his throne.”
I stop laughing, because there is so much wrong with that declaration. Starting with the obvious—there’s no love between Lucifer and me. Hate? Yes. Love? Hell no.
Liar.
“Get her, boys. But remember, not a hair is to be taken from her head.”
With that, they all crowd in around me. I’m in my fighting stance with Solis at the ready. The first demon steps forward, and it’s clear he’s already injured, by the way he drags his leg behind his body. They’re throwing their weakest links at me first to try to wear me out. Not a bad plan.
With one solid swing, his head is detached from his shoulders, and his body disintegrates before it even hits the ground.
“Who’s next?” I say, lifting my fingers in a come get it gesture.
This time the entire line of demons in front of me moves forward. I haven’t so much as broken a sweat, but the task ahead has me wishing it were already over.
The line stops suddenly, eyes lifted to the sky. That’s when I hear them. Angel wings flapping in the air, feathers rustling. I didn’t realize how much I missed that sound until now.
“What do we have here?” Leeanna says from my side. “Finally, you showed yourself. Foolish demon,” she sneers.
I watch the thing closely. He doesn’t so much as flinch. No fear, which is something different. He really is arrogant.
In the blink of an eye, he disappears, and demons melt back into the shadows.
Coward after all. Or simply smarter than most, which doesn’t bode well. A stupid demon is much easier to send back to Hell.
“He’s got bigger plans. No way was he going to waste even a portion of his army on this fight,” Leeanna muses. “Glad to see they didn’t have time to tear you limb from limb.”
“I didn’t think you cared what happened to me.”
“We need you for the war. After? I couldn’t care less.” She says it, but the way her chin quivers gives away the lie. Despite my fall, Leeanna does care.
“What’s going to happen when I get back into Heaven? You’ll have to drop this better-than-thou act.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’ve got a long way to go before that’s even a blip of a possibility.”
I shrug. “We’ll see.”
“What was that thing around his neck?” Michael cuts in, drawing both Leeanna’s attention and mine.
“A witch’s medallion. He ate the heart of the witch who gifted it to him.”
Leeanna grimaces. “That only made him more powerful.”
“He’s able to create some type of barrier to shield himself and the surrounding area.”
I leave off the part where I called out to Lucifer and he never came.
“Most barrier spells with a medallion last only a short time.”
Would’ve been great to know that minutes ago. Then again, the angels hearing me call out for help from the devil wouldn’t bode well for me.
“We know you have connections to covens in the area,” Leeanna grinds out. “We need you to find out what they know that could be helpful to us.”
“You want me to consort with witches?”
Michael’s head snaps to hers and she nods, but her eyes are cast down, knowing what she’s asking is wrong.
“In this instance, if they have information we need, we have to.”
“Leeanna, you can’t ask that of her.”
“She’s fallen, Michael. Who else can go to them?”
He purses his lips but appears to come to the same conclusion she did. I’m their only chance of working with the witches.
“Fine, but if I do this, you both have to promise you’ll speak on my behalf if and when the time comes for me to stand trial to get back into Heaven.”
“If that happens,” Michael hisses, “I’ll speak for you. Assuming you toe the line in every other aspect. Work against us, and you’ll get nothing from me.”
It’s my turn to nod.
I step up to Leeanna. “Why did you meet with Zeke earlier?”
She stiffens. “H-how do you know about that?”
I internally cringe, as my source would not go over well for me.
“He let it slip,” I lie. “But he wouldn’t tell me what you talked about.”
She puffs out her cheeks. “Zeke didn’t fall for me. He didn’t fall at all. He’s here to make sure you stay and fulfill your punishment here on Earth.”
“What?” I jerk back. “What does that even mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Michael jeers. “He’s been working against you all along.”
My body sways and my eyes glaze over.
They have to be lying. He wouldn’t. Couldn’t.
“He did, Victoria.” Leeanna’s tone isn’t mocking. It’s sympathetic, and I might hate that more. “He’s here on assignment.”
“I-I’m the assignment?”
She simply nods.
The son of a bitch tricked me. He took my virginity, and straight up lied to me. He’s no better than Lucifer, and he will feel my wrath.