I don’t quite know how it happens.
In one second I’m standing there, being held back by Phenex and Andras. Then in the next, I’m lunging across the courtyard with glowing orbs of holy light in each palm, my vision painted in red.
I’ll kill him. I’ll make him wish I were never born. I’ll make him regret his entire fucking existence.
Uriel remains as smug as always, not even bothering to flinch at my cries and curses. It’s as if I don’t even exist in his realm. I am nothing, no more than an ant crawling in the earth. Now I see…I see what Crysis meant. We are nothing to them. They come to our world, they create us, yet they feel no familial attachment. He is not my father. I’ve never had one. And now he’s taken one of the only people I had left.
“I’ll kill you!” I screech. Cain catches me around my waist as I’m airborne, pulling me back. “I’ll fucking kill you, you piece of shit!”
Just the tiniest of tics and the dip of his head to the side indicate his intrigue. “You’re a light wielder,” he comments. “Interesting.”
“I will rip your fucking head off!” I glare back at Cain, desperately trying to struggle out of his steel-like clutches. Toyol steps in front of me for reinforcements. “Let me go! Let me go!”
“I can’t,” Cain grits. “I won’t. He’ll kill you.”
“Let. Me. Go!” I demand, not giving a damn about my own mortality. Uriel is a murderer. He has to pay for what he’s done.
It’s Lucifer who turns and lays a firm hand on my shoulder, stilling my thrashing. He dips his head to meet my fury-filled eyes, and suddenly the red eases away. The anguish, the rage…it’s easier to see through it all and just focus on his face.
“Eden, I need you to believe in me,” he whispers. “You shall have your vengeance. Just trust in me, ok?”
Still panting and shaking mad, I momentarily cease my struggle. Lucifer knows Uriel better than anyone. Letting my emotions get the best of me could be the most human mistake I could make. And we still have too much to lose for me to ruin it all.
But still…my heart is shattering within my chest. Angry tears stain my cheeks. I can’t believe this. How could he? How could he? What kind of monster does something like this?
“You never loved her, did you? She was nothing but a waste receptacle for your revenge.”
Uriel’s expression remains impassive. “Your mother is human. I loved her like I love all God’s creatures.”
“Bullshit. Look around you, you sick fuck. Is this your definition of love?”
A smile plays across Uriel’s lips as he raises a hand and snaps his fingers. As if they have been woken from slumber, the body-snatching lesser demons all begin to rise. Most of them sport cuts and bruises, but for the most part, they’re all ok. They don’t move; they simply stand, waiting for direction from their leader. An archangel is controlling lesser demons. How?
“We did not brutalize them. You and your friends did. See how easy violence is for you? How you take pleasure in inflicting pain? You must have rejoiced when you defeated them.”
“But I didn’t kill anyone,” I retort.
“Oh?” Uriel takes a simple step forward, challenging my claim. “Are you sure about that? Because that little boy you sent to step in front of a bus did not survive. But you knew that. You saw the way his brain seeped out after his skull was smashed like a melon. You saw the way his mangled, lifeless body was drained of its blood. Tell me, Eden. Did you cry for him? For his poor parents who lost their young son? Or did you simply walk away with a sense of victory and pride swelling in your chest?”
I open my mouth to respond, but no sound comes out. I’d tried to block it out all these years. I told myself that it didn’t count—he had deserved it for assaulting me. He was the bad one, not me. I was just defending myself.
“You see, Eden? There will be casualties in the war between good and evil. Your mother, unfortunately, was one of them.”
“Really, Uriel?” Lucifer interjects, facing him. “You’ve resorted to killing defenseless human women? I’m disappointed.”
“Defenseless? She awakened the Legion of Lost Souls. The beast who will unleash Hell on Earth. I’d say she was anything but defenseless.”
“And you expect us all to believe that you had no influence in that decision?” Lucifer takes a step towards him, yet still keeps a healthy distance from his estranged siblings. “This is exactly what you wanted. If this world were ravaged with evil, you’d be justified in your quest to destroy mankind. Father would have no other choice but to see reason. Wipe the slate clean and start over. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“Humans are flawed. Sinful. You and Samael saw to that.”
“And that’s why it was your job to protect them!”
I don’t truly understand why, but Lucifer is furious. Since the beginning of time, he’s taken pleasure in the corruption of humans. And now he wants to save them? That’s what he wanted all along? I don’t know if I can believe that. I’m not sure I should. But here he is, pleading on behalf of all mankind.
“Belial, you made your choice,” Uriel reasons, as if anything about him or his sycophants is rational. “This realm is doomed and has been for much too long. They are slowly but surely executing their own extinction. It is our job as the guardians of the realms to keep them from succumbing to self-destruction.”
“By killing them,” Lucifer deadpans.
“Yes. It will be quick. Unlike what would happen if Samael had his way.”
Lucifer heaves out an impatient breath. “You don’t know what Legion would do. How do you even know he even wants to destroy this world?”
A dramatic pause, and Uriel smiles, his eyes dimming with sadistic satisfaction, and a sick sensation churns in my gut. He knows something. He has information about Legion.
“Tell us what you know,” Lucifer demands, exasperated with these stupid games, as are the rest of us. “And make it quick. We all know you like to hear yourself talk, Uriel, but we’d like to be done with this before the Rapture. Unless you really don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
Uriel barks out an unsuspecting belly laugh that both startles and disgusts me. “Why don’t we ask Samael and see what he has to say about all this. I have no reason to lie to you. But if you don’t believe me…”
Again, the ground shakes underneath our feet, but it’s accompanied with an odd tug within my torso. As if my insides are reaching out to something—someone—and whatever is on the other side is pulling in response. Like I am one half of an unseen whole, tethered by space and time. I stumble back, unsure, almost disoriented by the feeling. I can feel him, as I always have. I can taste his essence on my tongue. I can smell his scent of midnight jasmine and kindled earth. I can hear him growling my name in my ear as if he’s pushing deep inside me, claiming my womb as well as my heart.
Legion. His name echoes inside my skull.
Legion. His name is slashed across my skin.
Legion. His name is an edict, a threat, a prophecy.
And he’s here.
Earth will perish in fire, and he will spark the flame. And if it means we can be together, if it means I can save him from himself, I’ll only be too eager to strike the first match.
He appears before us in plumes of black feathers that disintegrate into tendrils of onyx smoke. Tall, broad, and as beautiful and cold as Death itself. His expression is stony and unreadable, and his eyes—those eyes that were birthed from the brightest stars in the universe—seem flat and dead. What has happened to him? Where did he go?
But as if his refusal to even acknowledge us wasn’t hurtful enough, he stands with them. The Seraph. He’s betrayed the Se7en and his sacred oath. He’s betrayed me.
“Don’t look so distraught, my dears,” Uriel cajoles smugly. “Did you think I was the only one who wanted to end mankind? I mean, certainly Belial has shared his own little insurance plan, considering he’s been planning human extinction since his fall from grace. I thought you would be grateful, brother, seeing as I’m saving you the trouble and sparing your little pets. And my daughter.”
I frown but don’t dare take my eyes off Legion. How can I?
“Lucifer…what is he talking about?” I whisper harshly.
“I’ll tell you later,” he murmurs back.
Of course, Uriel hears every word of our quick exchange. “Why don’t you tell her now, brother? Tell her how the one you now know as Legion was created to be the destroyer of this world. How scripture may depict the great dragon as the Devil, when in fact, it is just you that is pulling the strings, being the master manipulator as Legion does the dirty work. And tell her how you assembled a backup plan in the event he fails. Because he will fail, won’t he? You just needed a scapegoat. The real threat isn’t Legion—it never has been. You protect the threat now like precious chattel, keeping her close to you, infecting her with your influence before she was even born. You even ensured that she would be joined with the other little pieces to your twisted puzzle.”
Now I pull my gaze away from Legion and turn to face Lucifer, who looks more pissed off than I’ve ever seen him. I can literally see Hellfire in his eyes. “Tell me. Now.”
But he doesn’t. Not really. But it’s enough for me to know that my presence here—with the Se7en, with Lucifer—was not by chance. “You needed to be protected.”
Again Uriel laughs, just as he plucks a dark wooden case from out of thin air. It’s over a foot-long and inscribed with ancient symbols that are not of this world. I know what it is before he even opens it, and judging by the low hisses from the Se7en and the way the air seems to be mystically charged, I’m not the only one.
“I believe you all were looking for this,” my father boasts as he relinquishes the blade studded with blood rubies. “You probably thought I wanted it to kill all of you. Well, fortunately for you, I no longer need to. There’s only one who needs to die today. I can’t and won’t leave anything to chance. This world will fall, and he will be the first of many. However, his death is not a tragedy. It is a reprieve.”
On that note, every skin-walking lesser demon cheers with rousing exuberance. Uriel turns towards Legion, and my heart stops. He’s going to use it. He’s going to kill him. And Legion isn’t even trying to resist it. It’s as if he wants this. He wants Uriel to end his life.
“Stop!” I cry out. “Please. You can’t let him do this. Legion, look at me.”
At the sound of his name on my lips, Legion seems to snap out of his trance momentarily, and he does what I ask. He looks at me, his eyes suddenly clear and bright. And a dozen nights spent with me sleeping against his chest as he kissed away my nightmares plays out across his features. The times he watched me with a smile teasing his sensual lips…the moments I stared in awe as he laughed as if the world wasn’t bearing down upon his shoulders. Every touch of his skilled fingers on my humid skin as he sexed me into sweet submission. I see them all reflected in his pained gaze. I feel them stirring in my chest. He remembers. He isn’t gone for good. He’s still in there.
I slowly step forward, and surprisingly, no one impedes my advance. My eyes stay locked on his, urging him to come forth, just as Lucifer commanded that lesser demon. Come forth and come back to me.
“Legion, please…” I begin, my voice steady and soft. I don’t want to spook him. “You don’t have to do this. Whatever he wants, whatever he’s promised you, it’s a lie.”
“What I promised him, girl,” Uriel snaps, his tone harsh. “Is a life free of the guilt and pain of carrying around countless lost souls. Souls that have tortured him for centuries.”
I ignore his words and keep reaching out to my beloved. “We can get through this together. I don’t blame you for anything. I don’t hate you. You did nothing wrong.”
Legion’s appears to sober even more, as if he’s just now realizing where he is and what he’s allowing to take place. He takes one step towards me.
“He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about me. We are your family. All of us here. And if you do this…we all will die.”
He takes one more step closer, prompting Raphael to do the same, a look of panic in his eyes.
But I don’t let up. I keep moving towards him, even as the lesser demons grow more and more agitated. Even as Uriel seethes with contempt. If he wants to kill Legion, he’ll have to go through me. He’s already killed his human wife. He won’t hesitate to slay his own daughter.
I can tell Raphael is confused as he looks to Uriel for guidance. This wasn’t part of the plan. They didn’t bet on Legion being strong enough to fight his inner demons. They probably told him that his sacrifice would be rewarded—that he was carrying out God’s plan to rid the world of error. But they knew they weren’t bargaining with their former brother. They knew he was trapped within himself, shrouded in shame and sin, and they used it against him.
“Remember the first night we slept in the same bed together?” I ask, conjuring a memory I had kept close to my heart. “And I woke up on the floor, screaming and crying after having a nightmare? You picked me up, pulled me into you, wrapped your arms around me, and whispered that I was safe…that everything would be ok because you were there. I didn’t tell you, but that was the first time I realized what true safety and security were. You had told me you were sent to assassinate me, yet I knew that I could trust you. I felt it. I knew you’d never hurt me as long as you could help it.”
“Shut up, girl,” Selaphiel hisses.
But I don’t shut up because I don’t even hear her. She doesn’t exist in this moment. None of them do. It’s just him and me laying in a sea of dove grey sheets, marveling at the way our bodies fit together.
“I dreamt of you some nights. They may not have been my memories, but they felt like it. And in those dreams, you were so tender, so devoted, just as you’ve always been. No one has ever looked at me the way you do. No one has ever made me blush with just a single crooked grin or a feather-light brush of your fingertips against my skin. I didn’t know what it meant to be truly cared for before you. You made me want to hope. To dream. To want. And all I want is you.”
“Stupid child,” Uriel spits. “You know not what you speak. He does not care for you.”
I ignore my father’s lies and soldier on, moving closer still. Moving closer to the demon who awkwardly deemed himself my boyfriend, even though he was so much more.
“And when you took me to Colorado Springs, and the Dark King did that spell…I never told you this, but I remember. After the veil was shattered and I found out I was Nephilim, I remember that night. I begged you to kiss me…to make love to me. But you didn’t. You made me feel so…good. But you refused to kiss me because you said the first time you kissed me, you wanted me to remember it always. You wanted me to touch my lips the next day and smile at the memory. You refused to take away my free will.”
The brown-haired male archangel is getting antsier. He’s jumpy, nervous to the point of agitation. “Stop this, Uriel!”
“You have no idea what that meant to me. While so many people—mortal and immortal—have used me, manipulated me, you refused to take advantage. That’s when I knew…that’s when I knew I was falling in love with you. I was just too scared to admit it.” Only feet separate us. I can already feel the heat of his body waft over me.
But I never get to touch him. I don’t get to hold him. The chance to kiss his lips and proclaim my love while he wraps me in his chiseled arms is stolen from us. And all hope to bring him back—to save him from himself—is lost.
“Enough!”
Uriel, so stupid and careless, darts between us, the blade raised up over his head. I’m not even sure what I see but something dark and malevolent dims the stars in Legion’s eyes just a split second before he grabs Raphael and yanks him in front of him, using him as a shield. The Redeemer slices through Raphael’s chest and the angel screams, the sound so loud and high-pitched that it brings me to my knees. I cover my ears to salvage my hearing, desperately trying to stay conscious as the screeching noise rattles my skull to the point of excruciating pain. The others behind me have fallen too, as well as the lesser demons. Beams of blinding, brilliant light seep out of Raphael’s every orifice, and I’m forced to turn and cover my eyes before they’re burned from their sockets. I’m screaming. At least I think I’m screaming. I don’t know anymore. I can’t even be sure I’m not dead myself.
When the light behind my eyelids begins to dim, I dare to turn around and see what is left of the brown-haired archangel. But the only thing that remains is a pile of ash and tendrils of white smoke.
And The Redeemer at Legion’s feet.
But the stars have been extinguished. Not even a single twinkle in the dark, dead depths of his eyes. And as he stares down at me, his gaze as black as night, I know that we’ve lost him.
He isn’t Legion.
He isn’t even a rogue soul seeking mischief.
He is many.