This isn’t good. Our chances of survival were slim at best before, but now…we might as well surrender to whatever cruel fate we’re due and get it over with. Niko is getting weaker, and with Lucifer not able to control his lesser demons, I don’t see how we can save these humans and save ourselves. People are going to die, and I have a good feeling it will be us.
However, it seems like the Alliance aren’t here to challenge us. They’re battling against the rival demons as if they’ve come to help. They’re fighting with the Se7en, ones they’d deemed their adversaries for as long as the Alliance of the Ordained has been around, instead of sitting back and allowing us to be ambushed.
I only give myself a split second to marvel at the turn of events. Then, feeling suddenly energized, I form two more orbs of light and launch them towards the demons, careful not to hit any agents. A group goes down, stunned and possibly hurt, but not dead. I can live with that.
“You’re getting pretty good at that, kid,” a familiar voice shouts on approach.
I spin around, and my eyes nearly fill with tears as I spy the reason for the Alliance’s aide.
“Crysis,” I rasp, as he jogs over to us. Even the Se7en look relieved to see him, giving him quick nods of appreciation.
“Don’t look so shocked. You thought I’d skip out without a proper goodbye?”
“What…? How…?” I stammer, trying to connect the dots. I thought it was me. After our fight, I thought it had been my temper that had pushed him away…had forced him to abandon safety and security and trade it for the unknown ills of the city. And knowing that I hadn’t lost him, that I hadn’t completely fucked up our friendship…I could honestly kiss him right now.
He takes aim and hits a fast approaching lesser demon right between the eyes. The bullet doesn’t penetrate, yet attaches to his forehead, emitting jolts of electricity that bring him down in seconds. So that’s how they’re doing it.
“I’ll tell you all about it later.” Aim. Shoot. “But I knew there were still good men out there who had no part in Uriel’s plan. I had an idea of what we were up against, and I was right. I just had to get them on board. I couldn’t do that holed up in a mansion with the Se7en. And I wasn’t going to sit around and let you or anyone else get hurt if there was something I could do.”
“Thank you,” I nod, overcome with emotion. Five minutes ago, I thought we were done for sure. Then Crysis swoops in and literally saves our asses. And as miniscule as it may seem, considering what’s going on around us, I’m happy that I got my friend back.
“If you two are done squawking,” Cain derides from behind us, a wicked grin on his already sinister face, “I think it’s about time we get in on the fun.”
His words flip some internal switch, and right on cue, the rest of the Se7en assemble to shed their cool demeanors and awaken the beasts within. I had only gotten a glimpse of the monsters that lurked underneath their human forms, and that terrified me to my core. However, seeing them now, their bodies twisting and writhing as they unleash their inner evil, I’ve never been so glad to be in the company of six of the most feared and revered demons in history.
I’d done my homework on the legends and myths of the Se7en, so I shouldn’t have been surprised at how truly frightening they could be when they loosened the reins on their true nature. But even the lesser demons pause and gawk as the six assassins loom before them—bloodthirsty for carnage and pissed the fuck off.
“Stay back,” Crysis says under his breath. “Once they start, they won’t be able to stop.”
Even the Alliance know better than to stand in their way. The mob of lesser demons has thinned considerably, thanks to their help, but we’re still outnumbered ten to one. Apparently, the Se7en are fine with those odds.
It’s Cain who leads the charge, a hulking mass of muscle, twisted horns that sprout from his skull, and broad, black, bat-like wings. He’s still him—sorta. But he’s definitely more beast than man. He launches into the fray with a terrifying roar that shakes the ground beneath us and begins to tear into the demons, tossing them around like ragdolls. The lesser demons are no match for his incredible brute strength and skill, and within seconds, they’re already trying to flee to escape his wrath. But with Toyol right behind Cain, they don’t get very far.
During one of our first meetings, Toyol told me that he was depicted as a grotesque baby creature with red eyes and fangs. Now I see what those legends were birthed from. He’s hideous. Stringy black hair over a bulbous head, sickly green skin, and fangs that extend nearly down to his chin. His Katanas are no longer swords, but an extension of his hands, as if they’ve been fixed to his fingers. While he hasn’t shrunk into an infant, there’s something oddly child-like in his red, glowing eyes, like they’ve been sparked with mischief.
I’d gotten just a taste of Lilith’s inner demon self when the Se7en first took me to their home, courtesy of Cain’s slick mouth. But seeing her full transformation not only sends a shiver down my spine, but it also amazes me. Half serpent-like, half human form, and wholly horrifying, Lilith is a goddess of all that is unholy and malevolent. Yet even with her bones and joints contorting in the most unnatural of ways, there’s something oddly sensual about her. She’s a seductress; a queen cloaked in blood and fire. Now I realize that I’ve seen her before. Not when she pinned Cain to the marble dining room table for insulting me. The mural—the spark that created humanity. She was there.
Not to be outdone, her companion and confidant strips down to reveal his true self, and while there is definitely something grotesque about the winged man with the head of an owl, he still maintains the grace and beauty of the demon I had grown to care for. Andras is streaked with hues of brilliant gold and teal with wings more reminiscent of an angel. I’m smart enough to know that it’s an illusion—a façade used to trap and kill his prey. And while he prefers to feast on the flesh of men, his hunger extends to the scattering lesser demons, scrambling for a way around the Alliance members standing guard and locking them in.
Phenex is every bit as radiant as I imagined. Where Andras’s form is more owl-like, the gorgeous mahogany demon bares shimmering wings of fire. His face is that of a predatory bird yet there’s a thoughtful glimmer in his honey eyes, as if the man I know still exists within. Violence is a necessity, although I get the feeling he’s never reveled in it like the others. But that doesn’t keep him from joining the others, trapping in his prey with his wings. He, too, was there at the beginning—the bird that lit the sky aflame. He was once an angel, and his tumble from heaven set the world on fire.
Last but certainly not least, Jinn, the deathly silent assassin, mutates into kindling black smoke and glowing, flame-lit eyes. Every step he takes towards the mob of lesser demons leaves a trail of soot behind. In movies and television, he has been depicted as what we know as a genie. But the monster slowly stalking towards our enemies is nothing out of a fairytale. He is their worst nightmare.
The Se7en leap into action, disarming the lessers with expert precision while the rest of us look on in awe. It’s child’s play, really. There’s a reason why they’ve protected this realm from evil foes for centuries, and judging by the sheer terror reflected in the lesser demons’ onyx eyes, the Se7en’s reputation precedes them.
Lilith and Andras, side by side as always, lunge for a group headed for the Alliance officers. Before they can even take two steps, the formerly blonde duo are on them, knocking them to the pavement and rendering their human bodies useless. Phenex and Jinn take on the mob adjacent to them, the ones who just discovered that this is the perfect time to attack those of us in the center of the chaos while we’re distracted. They cut them off, Phenex catapulting them back with a brush of his wings while Jinn spits flames to create a perimeter around us. Bones are broken. Skin is bruised and bloodied. But no one is dead.
We’ve done it. We’ve won. When the odds were stacked against us, we managed to make it out in one piece, while saving human lives in the process.
But before we can utter one word in relief, what sounds like a helicopter whirls around us. The ground trembles under our feet. And blinding light bursts from above as if the heavens have opened and rained holy light upon us.
A violent clap of thunder and the earth ruptures around us, sending dust and debris to spray over our faces. The Se7en rush to where we stand, abandoning their prey, and create a shield of fire and darkness around us. They shift back into their human forms and unsheathe their weapons, prompting the rest of us to do the same. There is a threat among us, and brute force and mystical powers won’t help us. And, honestly, that scares me.
Our first line of defense is the Se7en, considering they are the most trained. Our second is Nikolai, Lucifer, and Crysis. And in the center, cowering like fragile porcelain dolls is Adriel and I. We’re the ones they’ve deemed the weakest. Or the ones that need to be protected the most.
“What’s happening?” I whisper harshly.
She utters the one word that sends spider-legged shivers up my spine. “Seraph.”
It sounds like a series of sonic booms that crash against the earth as each of them lands. There are five that are so loud that my teeth chatter. But then the next three… I feel their descent in my skull. My ears are ringing; my brain is throbbing like I’ve been pummeled with a sledgehammer. I try to sandwich my head with my hands, trying to salvage my eardrums, and I feel moisture dripping down my neck. I don’t have to look to know it’s blood.
When the dust settles, an eerie quiet falls upon us. That or I’ve been rendered deaf. But I can begin to make out their forms surrounding us from several yards away. Shockingly white wings that nearly stretch the length of a baseball diamond close us in, making it impossible to flee. This is what they had hoped for. To distract us enough with the demon body snatchers to isolate us. Each one is more beautiful than the next, with long hair that flows down their backs in waves that seem to be animated by a phantom breeze. Their eyes are captivating and bright, and I can tell their bodies are ripped with muscle even under their pristine suits. However, that’s only the angels. The Seraph, on the other hand, are more gorgeous and mesmerizing than I could ever imagine. Looking at them head on literally hurts my eyes, and I don’t know whether I should weep or worship at their feet.
The one to the left has unblemished ivory skin and rich brown hair that brushes his shoulders. I remember him from the party…the one who was stalking towards me, a look of curiosity painting his beautiful face. He cocks his head to one side, as if he remembers me too, yet can’t quite place where. Nikolai’s magic may have been strong enough to conceal my true identity after all. Although it didn’t repel the archangel completely.
The one standing to the right is magnificent, as I’d expect, but there is one detail that certainly throws me for a loop. She…is a she. A female Seraph. She’s just as statuesque as the others and looks as if she could dominate any runway in Milan. Blonde hair styled in ringlets that fall to the tops of her pert breasts. Even the fitted white suit she dons makes her appear sultry and feminine. Her face is soft, her features perfectly aligned. She’s the picture of beauty. I thought Adriel and Lilith were exquisite. They can barely hold a candle to the dazzling creature before us.
“Selaphiel,” Adriel hisses with disdain. The sharpness of that name on her tongue could cut glass. I turn to her for more information, but she offers none, her focus trained on the Seraph who stands tall and proud in the middle.
Uriel.
Bronze skin and kind, brown eyes as I remembered, although he’s more glorious now that he’s revealed his true self. I want to be appalled by him, yet all I can do is stare. How could I have come from something so unnaturally striking? When I knew him as Rev, I could actually see myself in him. Or maybe I imagined it all, because now…now he is too great for human words. There is no term in any language to define his immense beauty.
A dark chuckle steals my attention for just a moment as a jovial Lucifer shakes his head. “Of course,” he mutters. “Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Fucking sheep.” Again with the arrogant heroics, he cuts through the line of the Se7en and casually strolls forward to stand before his former brothers and sister. “Well, what do we have here? Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel. I’m shocked to see you here, little sister.”
The female Seraph is stony-faced, although her voice sounds like wind chimes. “And why is that, Belial?”
Belial. Lucifer was Belial.
Just as Legion was once Samael.
“I thought you had a mind of your own. Pity I was wrong.” He turns his violet gaze on Raphael. “Now Raph… Raph has always been a sycophant. His presence doesn’t surprise me in the least.”
Raphael snorts, although I can see a shade of annoyance darken his glare. “You’ve just never believed in anything or anyone but yourself.”
“And why should I?” Lucifer shrugs. “Your blind faith makes you weak. It makes you stupid. Why should you wholeheartedly trust in something that you know to be a lie?”
“If memory serves, lies are more your forte, Belial.” Raphael smiles, and while it is dazzling, there’s something sinister in the gesture.
It’s Uriel who raises a hand to put an end to their bickering. “We’ve come to collect my mate. No one has to get hurt. Bloodshed is not necessary,” he pronounces, his voice rich and deep like warm honey.
“And if we want bloodshed?” Lucifer challenges, a smile in his words.
“Then you shall have it. But no need to sacrifice your friends over ego, Belial. This isn’t their fight.”
“Bullshit,” Cain spits, stepping forward. “You kidnapped and tortured our brother—our leader. This is more our fight than anyone else’s.”
“And you took my daughter,” Uriel retorts. “And he was my brother long before you were even a twinkle in your maker’s eye. Besides, we all know how you treat your brother, Cain, Demon of Murder.”
Low growls rumble the chests of every Se7en member. Even I find myself baring my teeth at his words.
“So you want your mate, yet you speak not of your own flesh and blood?” Lucifer interjects, steering the conversation. “Awfully negligent of you. Does Father know of your transgressions? Thou shall not be a deadbeat dad has to be one of the commandments.”
I can’t ignore the stab of pain his realization delivers to my chest. All this…all this for the angel he loves. He created me, abandoned me, deceived me then discarded me. For what? Why even conceive me at all?
“My daughter has chosen her side,” Uriel answers as if I’m not standing here. “Although it pains me, I cannot accept her choice at the risk of my own fidelity.”
“However, you accept Adriel’s choice. She betrayed you. She left you. Yet and still, you pine after her like a lost puppy.” Lucifer shakes his head in awed amusement. “Sounds mighty hypocritical, Uriel. Even for you.”
My father’s expression is blank when he declares, “The girl cannot be saved. Adriel can.”
“And what if she doesn’t want to be saved?”
“She has no choice in the matter.”
Abusive-fucking-asshole. No wonder Adriel fled heaven. He must have tormented her for her affair with Legion. Fuck trading her for my mother. I don’t want to give this prick the satisfaction.
I’m done with this conversation. I’m done with being insulted like I’m nothing more than waste that should have been collected in a condom. I’m done with Uriel thinking he has any authority as to whether we live or die. He’s playing games. And now it’s time for someone to call his bluff.
“She isn’t coming with you,” I pipe up, moving to the front of the line. Unsurprisingly, I’m not alone. They all move with me. “But you knew that, didn’t you? Adriel knew what a sadistic fuck you are, so that’s why she left you. Hell, that’s probably why she cheated on you. So why don’t you do us all a favor and tell us why you’re really here. I’m getting bored.”
Uriel smiles, showcasing white, gleaming teeth. “I’ve brought a present for you, dear daughter. For all of you.”
He’s still trying to goad us, yet I’m too stubborn to resist the urge to reply, “What? What could you possibly have that we’d want?” The Redeemer. My mom. His eviction from the human world. I’m doing a little bluffing myself.
As if this very moment was planned, Selaphiel produces a black satchel no bigger than a basketball. She unties it and holds it out for Uriel, who sticks his hand inside. Once he’s grasped the contents, he tosses it towards us, where it lands at Lucifer’s feet.
I don’t want to know what it is.
I can’t…I can’t look.
But even as I try to persuade myself that it can’t possibly be… I still find myself stepping forward to get a closer look. However, Andras and Phenex grip my arms before I can get far.
“You don’t want to see it,” Phenex urges.
“What is it?”
“Eden…you don’t want to—”
“Just tell me what it is!” I screech.
Lucifer bends down and picks up whatever “gift” Uriel has thrown at us. I tell myself I don’t want to look, but I’m still straining to see. I just need to know if my suspicions are true.
Lucifer turns around, his hand stained with rich crimson. Within his palm is the pulpy source of the bloody mess. His gaze is somber when it connects with mine, and I know…I know…
“Eden, it’s a heart.”