“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just rip the band aid off,” Lucifer’s voice was terse with no sign of the welcome Anael was used to. “Lady Zoltus has escaped, probably assisted by her consort and is nowhere on the realm.”
Zagan cursed. “She could be anywhere.”
“She’s in Seattle.” Lucifer pushed a piece of paper with the Head Office logo on it across the desk. “I’ll bet you a fiver she’s either in your house or club. But that’s not why I called you here. Until she’s recaptured, her and her consort, I want you two to remain down here.”
“I can’t.” Anael knew Lucifer wasn’t someone to argue with, but he had his position and he wasn’t doing a lot of good in the Underworld. “My work’s important and it’s not as though she’s after me anyway. It’s Zagan she wants to get her claws into; or his legions at any rate.”
“You’re definitely her target,” Lucifer pressed his fingers together like a temple. “One of the guards let it slip you and King Zagan are true mates. She’s humiliated and angry and she believes you’re all that stands in the way of her getting what she wants. Many of her rantings, which I have on tape if you want to listen to them, imply she believes she’ll be saving your mate from a fate worse than death by getting rid of you.”
“Sounds a lot like Uriel and look how that turned out.” Anael chewed his bottom lip. “Can’t you just get her back? You know where all your demons are at any one time.”
“I can and I do,” Lucifer opened his hands. “But in this instance, these hands are tied. At the moment, she’s not causing any trouble with humans. While she’s on earth, providing she behaves herself, I’ve got no reason to drag her back here. Technically, I shouldn’t have locked her up. All she did was spout nonsense in my office. She never actually did anything except give me a headache.”
“You’ve jailed people for less, boss.” Zagan didn’t seem overly concerned and neither did Lucifer. But Anael felt a rush of frustration alien to him.
“I need to do my job.” Anael straightened his spine and fluffed out his wings. “It was bad enough when I spent a week pining over you. Thanks to you, I now feel a lot stronger and I need to be on earth. It’s not negotiable.” Anael wasn’t sure if he should be holding Lucifer’s gaze, or Zagan’s, so he did neither, staring out the window behind Lucifer’s shoulder instead.
“Anael….”
“Precious….”
“Not negotiable,” Anael repeated. “I don’t want anything to happen to you Zagan, so I’ll ask you to stay here as your boss orders. I don’t want you getting into trouble. As for me, I’m not going to let some overdressed fire demon stop me from spreading love among humans. That’s all there is to it.”
“I can only make suggestions regarding your safety, angel. Obviously, you don’t fall under my jurisdiction,” Lucifer smiled. “However, I will insist King Zagan remain here. A fight between him and Lady Zoltus is something that can’t happen on human soil.”
“But….” Anael’s heart plummeted. He truly believed that if he made a stand, Zagan would accompany him purely because they were mates. He obviously put a lot more faith in Lucifer’s friendship than he should have. “Fine.” He turned to Zagan. “I’m sorry, my mate, but I have a job to do. I’ll check your home and club while I’m on earth and be back by sundown. Love you.” Rising on tiptoes, Anael placed a quick kiss on his mate’s stunned cheek and ignoring Lucifer completely, he shimmered back to earth.
/~/~/~/~/
Zagan reached up, touching the spot where Anael kissed him, his mind still stunned by Lucifer’s betrayal. Every instinct implored him to chase after his feisty mate, but Lucifer’s eyes held him captive.
“It won’t do any good, you chasing after him,” Lucifer warned. “We can only hope that Lady Zoltus and her accomplices will follow him when he returns at sundown.”
“But what if she catches him in the meantime?” Zagan snapped out of his stupor. “You heard her brand of crazy; she doesn’t care about the laws restricting her behavior on earth.”
“The moment I get word she’s put a foot wrong on earth, I can bring her in,” Lucifer said. “Until then, you heard your little mate. He’s got a keen sense of duty and he’s following it. You’ve got your own work to do. Carmine’s complaining he still hasn’t seen last month’s requisition orders from your legions.”
“Fuck the paperwork,” Zagan roared. “You heard Anael. He’s going to my house, my club, all on my behalf. You said yourself that’s where Zoltus will be.”
“Give your mate some credit,” Lucifer snapped back; his sharp tone reminding Zagan this man could and would have his balls for breakfast. “The first sign of danger, Anael will return to you and Zoltus is silly enough to follow him. You can decapitate her then and anyone else who follows her. But it must be done down here, or I’ll have no choice but to punish you under Head Office guidelines. Now go away. Do the paperwork, train your men, do whatever, but get out of my office. If Anael doesn’t return by sunset as promised, I’ll retrieve him myself.”
“Cutting off my balls in the process,” Zagan snarled. “What’s the Archangel Gabriel going to say when he learns you allowed one of his precious angels to walk headlong into danger.”
For a moment, Zagan swore he saw a flicker of something cross Lucifer’s face, but it was over too quickly to work out what it was. “The Archangel Gabriel is still on retreat. He’s not due back for another six days. When and if he has a problem with me then, I’m sure he’ll let me know. Now leave and don’t slam the door on your way out.”
Zagan stormed out of the office, cutting off Carmine’s imminent complaint with a snarl as he stormed out of the Administration building. There was something nagging him in the back of his brain; something about Lucifer and how he reacted when he mentioned Gabriel’s name. Could it be Lucifer’s using Anael to force Gabriel to the Underworld?
Needing a second opinion, Zagan headed off to find Haures. He would give Anael four hours. Just four hours and not a minute more. If the angel wasn’t back in his arms by then, then hell would reign on earth and damn the consequences. Stupid work ethics.