Chapter 12

Lucifer

Michael’s presence came as a surprise, but not nearly as much of a surprise as Beatrice’s ability to see him. Angels rarely made their presence known to anyone. In general, only other angels could see them. They weren’t happy that fallen angels could see them. Angels were high and mighty pricks, and few were bigger assholes than Michael. He had good reason for his arrogance. Michael was a great warrior who had fought in many battles in the past. I respected his fighting skills even if I didn’t like him.

I wasn’t certain if he was intentionally making his presence known to Beatrice, or if she was one of the few who could see angels. Michael was sitting at the table of a family who clearly didn’t know he was there.

“Dev,” she pushed. “Who is that?”

“Michael,” I replied.

“The archangel?” she asked with something akin to awe.

“Yes,” I replied. “I need to talk to him outside for a minute. Do you mind waiting?”

She glared at Michael before looking back at me. “You aren’t in trouble, are you?”

I chuckled at her fierce expression. “And what if I am?”

“Then we should leave through the back door,” she said in an urgent whisper.

I grinned at her. “Do you think you can outrun an angel?”

“I can change into almost any form I want,” she explained. “First, I’ll need to strip off these clothes in the bathroom, but that won’t take long. You can make your escape right after I go into the bathroom. The angel will probably go in looking for me before he goes after you. That will give you more time to make a run for it.”

Her escape plan was a huge turn on. Beatrice was smart, resourceful, and definitely not an angel groupie. There were plenty who saw things as black and white. Angels were good. Fallen angels were bad. Beatrice didn’t think that way. Her bravery impressed me. Few would risk angering an angel.

“I’m not in any danger,” I assured her. It was a struggle to keep my hands to myself. I wanted to reach across the table and stroke her cheek or lean forward to kiss her. Michael knowing of her existence was bad enough. I didn’t want him figuring out she mattered to me.

She nodded. “Okay, but if you’re gone too long, I’ll eat the last of the pizza.”

“Then I’ll hurry,” I assured her before standing and walking out the front door of the restaurant. I made my way around to the side of the building to get some privacy before turning to Michael. “This isn’t your usual scene. Did you suddenly have a craving for pizza?”

Michael shook his head and smiled. “Can’t I stop by to see an old friend?”

“We weren’t friends, even before my fall,” I reminded him.

“But we did have fun fighting,” he insisted.

“That we did,” I agreed.

“Who’s the little demon?” he asked.

“She’s not a demon,” I told him. Demons were fair game with angels, but witches had some level of protection. I didn’t like Michael’s interest in Beatrice. “She’s just some witch I want to fuck.”

“With those eyes?” he asked doubtfully. “That’s not your typical witch green.”

“Many wear contact lenses to change the color of their eyes now,” I said with a shrug. “For all I know, witches may even have spells to change their eye color.”

“Vain creatures,” he muttered. “Too bad she’s not a demon. She might be fun to play with. For a minute, I thought she could see me.”

“You know that’s not possible,” I stated. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check in with you,” he replied. “There are rumors of some problems in Hell.”

“No more than usual,” I assured him in a bored tone. What happened in my realm was none of Michael’s business.

“That’s not what I heard,” Michael stated.

“Have you been fucking demons?” I asked.

Michael’s nostrils flared, and his fists clenched at his sides. I braced myself for his attack. “You want to start a fight with me?” he ground out.

“Always,” I replied with a grin.

“Asshole,” Michael said with a laugh. “I’d love to fight you, but we both know that’s not going to happen—not today, at least. What’s really going on down there?”

Now, he was going to try to pretend we were buddies. “Nothing more than the usual minor rebellions,” I told him. “We have them all the time, and we deal with them. This doesn’t concern you.”

Michael looked like he wanted to argue. I wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so curious about what was going on in Hell.

“Fine,” Michael snapped. “Just don’t wait too long to ask for help.”

“Wait!” I called out when he turned to walk away.

He looked at me over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

“What do you know?” I asked him. “It seems like you’re fishing for information. I only know about a few minor riots. Is there more I should be looking for?”

Michael laughed at my question. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

Without waiting for a response from me, the bastard flew off.

I fucking hated angels.