Angel of Chaos (Imp Book 6) (15 page)

“We’ll trade you for it. Name your price — or favor.”

These angels caught on quick. Any other demon would have been wondering how to weasel out of his vow to protect this woman and hopefully get something in return. Not me. Not anymore.

“She’s not an ‘it’, and neither is her unborn son. Besides, you’ve got nothing I want, and favors from you would be worthless.”

One of the angels narrowed his eyes. “Then we’ll just have to take her by force.”

I got the feeling he meant lethal force, and that collateral damage wouldn’t matter. Nyalla, Boomer, Harper, and Nils, plus my three horses in the barn — I couldn’t let anything happen to them. I adjusted my grip on the sword, hating that I was so inept at using it. But there were many forms the sword could take, and one of them had served me well before. If only the sword would comply.

“Over my dead body.”

As I raised the sword, it transformed in a flash, and I now held a shotgun. Unfortunately, the angel I was aiming for had already launched a burst of energy at me. My offensive move became defensive, and I instinctively blocked the blast with the barrel of my gun.

My hand shook as I struggled to keep my grip, but the gun sucked in the energy like a magical vacuum. Unwilling to see how much the weapon could absorb, I fired. My aim wasn’t the best, and I was shooting one handed, but whatever came out of the gun barrel acted like an angel–seeking missile. A burst of color hit the angel in the middle and threw him to the ground, where he screamed and convulsed.

I hesitated, uncertain what to do. My plan had been to shoot each of them, but the drama coming from the one I’d hit gave me pause. Was he mortally wounded? I could kill all three of them, claim self–defense and deal with the stupid fucking reports later, but what price would I pay for my actions? And how long could I keep this up? I remembered Haagenti’s endless stream of hit–demons and wondered how many angels were going to come after me. If there were this many with the Nephilim unborn, I could only imagine the army at my door once he popped out of Harper’s womb. I needed to take care of the root cause of this problem, just as I had in the Haagenti situation.

The other two angels seemed equally uncertain what to do. They stared in horror at their friend, then up at me in fear. In a blink, they were gone, leaving their buddy behind in a very un–angelic manner. These dudes would never have made it in the Marines.

Their departure left me staring at the remaining angel, still thrashing on the ground. What the fuck was I going to do with him? I already had one angel restrained in my basement plus Nils running around. I could net him, but then he couldn’t heal. It would suck if he died while in my elven net.

Nils.

I kept the shotgun handy and leapt to my feet, racing back through the maze of shrubberies to my pool. Nils wasn’t where he should have landed after being shot, but a smeared line of pinkish–white led to the house. I found the angel there, propped up against the glass door, a determined look on his pale face. His left arm hung useless, a mess of ground meat.

“Why haven’t you healed yourself?” I was relieved to find him alive, but why
hadn’t
he healed himself? I’d repaired my leg in a flash once the angels were gone. He should have been able to do the same — unless he’d also lost that skill when he’d fallen.

“Pain,” he panted. “Can’t concentrate. Needed to protect the humans first.”

I dismissed my shotgun and frowned down at the angel. “I’ve seen you guys brush off far worse. Shit, I’ve seen the big guy take a bullet to the head and barely blink. What’s the big deal about a little wound to the shoulder?”

He grimaced. “Threat neutralized? All okay?”

First the haircut, now the cop–talk. What exactly happened to angels when they fell?

“Yep. Well, except for the one bleeding all over my field. I’ve got no idea what the fuck to do with him.” Part of me hoped the angel would die. I had one too many in my basement and only the one restraining collar. It would be easier to bury his corpse and deny everything than toss him into my basement in a net for an eternity.

Nils slumped, leaving a smear of his weird blood on the door glass. “I’m not used to this much sensation. Can’t focus.”

Oh, for fuck sake. Guess I was going to need to heal him myself. I stalked over to the angel and dropped down, grabbing his face with both hands as I pulled him to me.

Even with the pain he was in, Nils recoiled from me. “No. Don’t. I’ll do it myself. Just give me a minute.”

“Fine.” I didn’t have time for his nonsense. Moving the angel’s leg aside with my foot, I pushed the door open and went in.

Everything was quiet in the house. There was no sign of disturbance. The girls were both still sleeping. It seems I’d intercepted the only angels, or the others hadn’t had a chance to get into the house. Stupid as it had been to attack me upfront, I knew they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Next time, they’d sneak in when I was out. It’s what I would have done from the very first.

Grabbing a fresh role of duct tape and some rope, I headed out to the field, wondering what I was going to do with my second captive. Nils had managed to get his arm functional again, although it was still a bloody, torn mess. I left him to guard the girls and stomped to the field.

The angel was gone, a burned patch of grass where he’d lain. I took a deep breath, knowing I only had a temporary reprieve before they returned. I didn’t even have that. On the way back to the house, I saw Gregory. He was standing by the pool, his back to Nils. The newest addition to my household was blocking the French door with arms outstretched.

“Stand down, soldier,” I told the blond angel, rolling my eyes at his dramatic defensive posture. Gregory could have taken Nils out with the blink of an eye if he wanted to enter the house, and it’s not like he needed to use the door anyway. The thought flitted through my mind that him killing Nils would save me a lot of trouble, but I was starting to get rather fond of my Fallen, and as much as a cat fight between the two angels would turn me on, I didn’t have time for that.

“The Fallen One’s devotion to his new mistress is admirable.”

It was. I caught the teasing tone in Gregory’s voice, but Nils clearly didn’t. His face turned an alarming shade of red, and his fists clenched.

“She’s all I’ve got. How do you expect me to act?”

Gregory raised his eyebrows, a faint smile hovering around the edge of his lips. “I expect you to obey her and protect her interests. Not necessarily in that order.”

I had no idea what the fuck that meant.

“So … what’s up?” I had the feeling Gregory wasn’t here for our movie–night date.

His eyes met mine, and I saw an uneasiness in their black depths that set me on edge. “Emergency Ruling Council meeting.”

“About the Hunters that were just here? I only shot one of them.”

“They weren’t Hunters,” Nils said. “Hunters only work solo. That was a lynch mob.”

Great. Lynch mob meant more angels than the Grigori knew about Harper and her baby.

“Word has gotten out that you are harboring a Nephilim,” Gregory confirmed. “Although I doubt angels would have taken it upon themselves to confront you at this point. The host would await the Ruling Council’s judgment and allow them to handle the situation.”

“Well three did take it upon themselves. And they were demanding I turn over Harper.” I frowned, trying to remember their shouted demands. Had they asked me to give them the unborn baby, the Nephilim? No, they’d asked for the woman. There was only Harper and Nyalla in the house, and angels would have no reason to want Nyalla.

“If you were attacked, it must have been due to something else. Have you been leaving fake vomit in the sixth circle again? Infesting the first circle with bird lice?”

That hadn’t turned out quite the way I’d hoped, but I heard the mites were surprisingly resistant to the degenerating effect of Aaru. Those things took nearly a month to die off, and all the angels there had itchy wings the whole time.

“We can discuss your long list of enemies later. We can’t be late for the meeting.”

“Do I have enough time to change my clothes?” Not that angels would give a shit about me sporting a dirt–covered bikini, but I preferred to face whatever was coming with some additional attire. Did they also know about the angel in my basement? Or the guy who had recently been injured in my field?

“I’m afraid not, Cockroach.”

“Okay. Fine.” I turned to Nils. “Guard the girls?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Nils nodded sharply, and I took one last look at his gorgeous body before turning to Gregory.

My angel opened his arms, and I stepped into them, reassured that whatever I was about to face, at least Gregory still seemed to have my back.

The other angels were already in the conference room. I quickly counted, realizing there weren’t enough chairs for everyone plus Uriel’s placeholder. Evidently I was expected to stand, like a prisoner facing sentencing. Gregory stood beside me in support, even though
he
had a chair awaiting him.

Gabriel got right to the point. Bastard.

“Nephilim are condemned to death per article one nine two three eight, section forty–five, subsection twenty, item two ninety three. Knowingly harboring a Nephilim is in violation of statute twenty–eight ninety–two, section six, item three.”

Yep. They knew about Harper, and I was in deep shit. I wasn’t about to give her up, so I fell back on what I knew best.

“Yeah? I’m a demon. I violate all kinds of things, not just articles and statutes. I’d be happy to violate you, given half a chance, but I don’t think I’m your type.”

“This is serious,” he thundered.

Gregory’s grip on my arm seemed to agree, but I couldn’t stop taunting them. This was stupid, ridiculous, and a waste of time. Like I’d
ever
followed the rules. Did they really think I was going to do so this time?

“I know. I’ve seriously violated three twenty eight, section nine, item forty–two, also. And I’ve violated hundreds of humans, and demons. I’m hoping to violate an angel sometime this week too. Hopefully on our movie–night date.”

“You’ve allowed a member of your choir to assume a title above his station?” Rafael scratched his head and looked at me with bewilderment.

“Yes. And I’ve stolen pens and made photocopies of my naked ass on the Aaru Xerox machine too.”

Gabriel wasn’t as easily sidetracked as his younger brother. “Turn over the Nephilim. Immediately.”

“Vow notwithstanding, I can’t turn over the Nephilim. It’s unborn. I’ve done enough reports in the past twelve months. I’m not adding to them unnecessarily by killing a pregnant woman while ripping her unborn child from her womb.”

“We can take care of that,” New Guy chimed in. “And the mother would not be harmed. She wouldn’t even recall that she had been pregnant.”

Like hell they would ‘take care of that’. So much for angels being pro–life. Did the Pope know about this? He’d excommunicate the whole lot of them if he found out.

“I made a vow. Humans might not care about their FICO score, but I do. Now that I’m an angel, I’m very concerned with my vibration level.”

I didn’t mention that I was concerned it not reach their lofty level. Someone kill me if I ever got as “pure” and sanctimonious as Gabriel.

Sleazy put a thoughtful finger on his chin. “I vote that we wait until the Nephilim is born, so as to cause the Mother as little stress as possible. Then we can take it.”

Yeah, because losing a newborn child wouldn’t be stressful. And I didn’t like their solution of erasing Harper’s memories one bit.

“
Vow
. I vowed to protect the child for its natural lifespan. Granted, I didn’t realize exactly what I was vowing at the time — I was too busy coveting a pair of boots that were included in the deal.”

“Demons.” Rafael shook his head, but he didn’t seem particularly condemning. “How about this? We allow the Nephilim to live out its natural life within the confines of the Iblis’ domicile, under severe restrictions. If the Nephilim violates the terms of the contract, then the Iblis must turn it over to the Ruling Council or their representative.”

Gabriel glared at Rafi, and then turned his dark eyes on me. “If you didn’t fully understand the vow, then you can’t be held to it. Forty–nine, two thirty eight.”

I heard the angel beside me sigh, his grip on my arm loosening slightly. “Brother, Cahor v/s Tagas overturned that statue. You know that. If an angel foolishly gives a vow without due consideration to terms and conditions, it still is enforceable.”

I wasn’t so sure I liked that “foolish” part, but I nodded enthusiastically anyway. I also heard Gabriel grind his teeth from across the conference–room table.

“We cannot allow this Nephilim to live. Once we are made aware of its existence and location, we must execute it. There is no other choice.”

“What if you can’t find it? What if the Nephilim is, say, transported to Hel? Or somewhere not in my house?”

Rafi locked eyes with me, and in that brief second, I realized that I truly had an ally in him. “We have no solid proof that the Nephilim is in the Iblis’ house beyond unsubstantiated reports that may only be rumors. If she says she sent it to Hel, I think we must believe her. After all, an attack on her person or her property would be an attack on the duly appointed representative of Hel.”

I hadn’t been appointed, but whatever. “Yep. I sent the pregnant human to Hel. She’s partying it up with my household as we speak.”

There was a long stretch of silence as the angels of the Ruling Council considered what they must know was a blatant lie. The mind–speak was flying between them so quickly that I couldn’t understand any of it. I got the idea that I didn’t have a majority support, but they were all between a rock and a hard place on this issue. Sliding my hand behind my back, the arm Gregory wasn’t holding, I crossed my fingers and hoped that fickle Lady Luck would shine her favor on me.

She did. Sort of.

“As the Nephilim is no longer within our grasp, we will withhold judgment.” Gabriel scowled. “But if we find that it is still among the humans, we will take any steps necessary to apprehend and kill it. And if we find that the Iblis is harboring it among the humans, she will be removed from her voting position on the Ruling Council for two centuries, and damned to Hel for the same period.”