Mercy for the Fallen (19 page)

Adam was stuck the same way I was able to freeze humans.  His cheek was still warm and soft, but he was utterly unmovable.  Officially time to panic.

“Remiel?” I called out, squeezing past Adam to the door, knowing in my heart I wouldn’t hear a response.  Abandoning any hope he might come to the rescue, I skidded down the hall on damp feet, almost losing my towel as I careened into the cowboy room Eve slept in. 

My heart squeezed painfully when I found Lucifer there, gazing down at the bed where Eve slept on undisturbed – or was she frozen too?  Nelo sat unmoving, his eyes wide and staring beside her.   So much for him being able to hide her in the shadows when push came to shove.

“How the crap did you do that?” I gasped, clutching at the towel as I slipped into the room, trying to edge my way toward the bed. 

Lucifer turned to me with a polished smile.  Everything about him was elegant, from the
exquisitely tailored suit, to the diamonds winking at his cuffs and the pin in his scarlet tie.  His blonde hair was slicked back from a perfect brow, and the smooth curve of his lips framed gleaming white teeth.  Almost too pretty to be a man, he would’ve looked equally impressive in drag.  All the archangels were, I supposed, even the Fallen ones. 

“You’re looking fetching as always, Merceline.”  His eyes dipped lower and I tugged the towel around me like a shield, feeling like I needed another shower. 

“How did you freeze them?” I repeated, and he turned back to Nelo, gazing at him thoughtfully. 

“I’ve powers you can’t comprehend,” Lucifer boasted airily.  Leaning forward, he tapped Nelo on the head, and the demon disappeared with an audible pop. 

“What did you do to him?” I demanded, rushing to insert myself between him and Eve before he did the same thing to her. 

“I merely sent him home.”

“To Seattle?”

“To Midian.”

Poor Nelo!  “Can you bring him back?”

A faint line appeared on Lucifer’s smooth brow.  “Why would I want to do such a thing?  I’ve returned him to his people, where he belongs.” 

“He belongs with us.” 

“We’ll see what we can do about getting him back for you if you’re cooperative.” 

“You’re mental if you think cooperating means I’m going to let you take Eve again.  Any second now Adam’s going to unstick, and while he’s having fun playing shish kabob with your ass, I’ll take Evie someplace where you’ll never ever get her.”  Obviously we’d made a mistake in hiding out with one of Adam’s known friends.  That meant I’d have to take her somewhere more obscure.  

Lucifer ignored the threat, taking a seat on the edge of a scarred dresser.   “
It was pathetically easy for me to find you, you know.”  He smoothed a wrinkle from his pants leg and looked up at me, his smile sending a shiver down to the base of my spine.  “I could have easily frozen you with the rest of them.”

“Why didn’t you?”  The words came out barely above a whisper.  How could one man, even a former archangel, have so much power?  Here I’d thought myself to be pretty kickass with all my angelic traits, and I was nowhere near approaching his level. 

“I have a proposition for you.  One I’d much prefer you conscious for.”  His eyes dipped to the towel again, but I tried to focus on the big picture.  For whatever reason he wanted to talk.  As long as that bought me some time, I was all kinds of up for distracting him.  I shifted my position on the bed, crossing my legs. 

“What kind of a proposition?”

His eyes followed the shift appreciatively, the faint smile lingering on his lips.  “There’s no need for this enmity between us.  We both want the same thing.”

“For you to die in a freak cattle stampede?”

Lucifer’s smile stretched wider, his hand coming up to point in my direction.  “See, now there’s the spark of life I admire in a person.  You triumph over adversity like no one I’ve seen in a millennium.”

“Thanks, I like your shoes.”  I waited patiently for him to get over his amusement and get to the point.   

“I speak of raising your child to adulthood with nothing unpleasant happening to her.”

“Which is why you took her to a Hell dimension,” I said, my dry tone speaking volumes.  Lucifer had the gall to look embarrassed.   

“Oh dear, you’re not going to forgive me for that, are you?”

“Is there any reason why I should?”

“She was well protected, surely you saw that,” he said earnestly. 

“I saw she was little more than a prisoner in a tower with only a dead girl for company,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest.  “You can’t think growing up like that would be pleasant.”

“I admit, it would be less varied than most childhoods, but she would have been safe, I can assure you that.”

“Yeah, but, that’s not what childhood is about.  Kids need those life experiences to help mold them into adults.  You said I triumph over adversity?  How do you think I got that way, from having a perfect childhood?  No, I learned how to take care of myself and whatever came my way.”

“Surely you want better for your daughter.” 

“Yes, I do.  And better has nothing to do with selling her to the devil.”

His brows dipped closer together, the beginnings of a frown tugging at the perfect curve of his lips.  “You mistake me.  I don’t wish to buy her from you at all.  In fact, what I have to offer will benefit you both greatly.”

“I don’t want anything you have to offer.”  I wanted to make that clear, right from the start of whatever negotiation he thought we were entering. 

His face fell, big blue puppy dog eyes and all.  “But you haven’t heard what I have to say yet.  Surely…”

“The only thing I want to hear from you is your apology before you take a flying leap out of here.” 

“An apology,” he nodded slowly.  “You’re quite right, one is definitely in order.  I realize now the folly of my ways in trying to separate mother and child.  It was wrong of me and for that, I do apologize.”

Was he for real?  Was I supposed to say okey dokey and let bygones be bygones for stealing two years of my child’s life?  Still, I was in distraction mode, buying time for the paralysis to wear off of Adam and Remiel.  “Okay, let’s say for a minute I buy this apology of yours.  What is this proposal you have in mind?”

“I should begin by acquainting you with a few facts in my possession that might help you make a more informed decision.”  He sounded so reasonable. I wanted to knock that perfect smirk off his lips with a two by four, but I sat there patiently, waiting for him to get to the point. 

“Thank you, that would be helpful,” I managed in a civil tone, but I couldn’t make myself smile.   

“Now then, as I mentioned before, it was absurdly easy to find you once you returned from Githa.  In fact, t
here is nowhere on Earth you can hide that I won’t find you.  Your daughter’s Grace is like a beacon, if one knows what to look for, which I do.” 

“Why is that?”  If there was a way to mask it, we might stand a chance. 

“She simply has more Grace than my brethren do.  It sets her apart from everyone in the world, human and otherwise. 

“Duly noted.  I’ll accept your claim at face value for the moment.”  Though I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced it couldn’t be beaten.  “Please continue.”

“Thank you,” he said politely.  “I can take her from you now, of course, and eventually you’ll find out where she is.  You’ll take her back and we’ll go round and round, and who will suffer for this?  That sweet girl who hasn’t done a single thing to deserve such a battleground for a childhood.”

“So, stop taking her,” I bit out with a forced smile.

“Or – you can come with us, raise your daughter yourself until she’s an adult and can make her own informed decision.”

“I’ll bet.”  Did it count as an informed decision if you only got to hear half the facts?

His finger came up to scold me.  “I’ve always been about disseminating knowledge above all else.  I give you my word no harm will come to either one of you.”

I pretended to consider the ludicrous invitation for a moment or two, shifting to uncross and cross my legs again the other way.  “Where exactly do you plan on taking us?” 

“It doesn’t have to be to Githa if that doesn’t suit.  I can guarantee you safe passage to any number of realms that will suit my purpose.”

Like that wasn’t a frightening prospect.  “I’m a little vague on what that purpose happens to be, now that you mention it.”

“I told you, my purpose aligns with yours.  To ensure that Eve reaches adulthood in absolute safety.”  His smile was a perfect curve of lips and flash of white teeth, but there was nothing friendly or comforting in it.  Whatever his endgame was, I could bet it wouldn’t have Eve’s best interests at heart.   

“So you expect me to come along peacefully and go along with your crazy plan?”

“To ensure the peaceful, safe raising of your daughter, yes.”

“Have you been mixing your medications lately?” I asked, my head shaking in disbelief.  “What makes you think that’s motivation enough to give up, hand her over to you, and leave everything behind?”

“Isn’t it every mother’s wish to see her daughter grow up happy and whole?”

“Which I’m not convinced would be the case holed up in some demon realm.  Besides, you’re leaving out a pretty important aspect.”

“Which is?”

“Love.”  I waited for him to reply, but he stared at me blankly.

“I don’t understand the point.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” I muttered.  That much was obvious.  “You expect me to leave the man I love behind?  You know he’ll never stop looking for us.”  I was deliberately vague as to who the “he” was, figuring he wouldn’t be all that worried about having Parker on his tail, but he didn’t seem too concerned in any case.

“Frankly, I think my odds are good at evading him.” 

“You’re missing the point.  I could never be happy sacrificing one love to save another.”  Not that I wouldn’t choose Evie in a heartbeat, but if I could get him to consider taking Adam along, that would help my odds along, quite a lot. 

“It’s true, I haven’t considered your needs beyond the maternal,” he considered aloud.  “However, I could be induced to stay by your side if it proved to be mutually beneficial.” 

“Meaning?” 

In a single move, Lucifer was across the room, the mattress squeaking as he sat beside me.  “Meaning, we could certainly keep each other entertained over the years.”  The perfect smile was back, paired with the sultry flash of bedroom eyes.  A heady combination for someone who didn’t hate his guts, no doubt.  But all I could think was
eewh
.  Was he hitting on me?  Maybe there was a way to exploit this… make him vulnerable. 

“You think you’re up to the task?” I raised a brow, leaning forward enough to allow for the swell of my cleavage to strain against the towel I still held wrapped around my body. 

“I assure you, I have never had a complaint in that department before,” he purred, his entire body looming, taking up my personal space.  “There is nothing you crave that I can’t provide.  I can bring you your fondest desire, before you even realize what it is.”  Lucifer leaned closer still, lips promising delights, his breath hot on my neck.   His hand came up to stroke the curve of flesh across the top of my breast, fingers dipping inside the towel, and it suddenly disappeared entirely. 

He meant for me to feel vulnerable, or maybe even titillated, but all it did was piss me off.  I wasn’t some shy, virginal, schoolgirl.  Sure, I’d rather have my clothes on, but I wasn’t defenseless without them. 

“Mmm,” I sighed, my head falling to one side to give him better access, even as I produced my sword with a snick, swinging it in a perfect arc at his exposed neck.  I felt the blade bite into his skin, but in the next instant he was across the room, cupping a hand to the wound.

“I see I may have miscalculated.”  His smile was tight, but with a brief flare of Grace his cut was healed. 

“You think?”  I picked up the tiger blanket off the bed and wound it around me. 

Lucifer spread his hands, his tone mollifying.  “Come now, I’m trying to be reasonable.” 

“And I’m losing my patience,” I snapped.  “You don’t know a damn thing about what I want.”

“Don’t I?”  A shimmer of light rippled over his skin and in the next instant it was Adam who stood before me.  At least it looked and sounded like Adam, but there was no mistaking the glint of Lucifer’s presence behind the eyes.  “I think I know a thing or two about what you want, Mercy,” he smirked. 

I knew a thing or two about a fallen angel masquerading as someone I loved, and I wasn’t afraid to fight back.  I kept the sword between us, at the ready.  “Come any closer and I’ll split the other side of your neck open,” I growled, but he didn’t look the least bit intimidated. 

“Fine, you don’t want this one?  How about this?”  The light rippled again and he morphed into Parker.  “Come on, angel.  I know you miss me,” he said with the familiar smile, his hands stretched out to me.  “This way we can be together and be a real family.” 

“This is what you call real?” I gaped at him.  How stupid did he think I was?  “
Just because you look like him doesn’t mean you’re anything like him.” 

“Very well then.”  Lucifer shimmered back to himself, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt before he looked back up at me.  “I can fetch you the man himself.”  There were no theatrical waves or gestures, but Parker appeared beside him, blinking in confusion. 

“What the… Mercy?”   

“Parker!” I gasped, truly believing it was him this time. 

“What’s going on? Why are you naked?” he demanded.

Instead of answering him, I appealed directly to Lucifer.  “Please don’t involve him in this.  I don’t want him caught up in the middle.”  The last thing I needed was to worry about dividing my attention between protecting him and Eve, because I knew who would win.