Mercy for the Fallen (20 page)

“In the middle of what?” Parker took two steps toward me, but he disappeared in the next instant. 

“Fine,” Lucifer said, his tone crisper, as if he was done playing games.  “Now then, I think I’ve presented any number of arguments in my favor.  I think I’ll have your decision now.”

The moment of truth.  I could try to delay him further, but we’d both know it was an act after my bit with the sword.  Eve showed no sign of stirring, and I started to think the paralysis wouldn’t wear off until Lucifer was good and ready for it to.   Drawing myself up to my feet, I gathered the blanket more firmly around me. 

“Alright, I’ve come to a decision,” I declared.  “I won’t ever willingly submit my child to your twisted version of a childhood
.
  I don’t care what you offer me, it ain’t gonna happen.  So if you’re so worried about keeping her safe from a traumatic upbringing, why don’t you try leaving her the hell alone?”

Lucifer nodded gently, blinking a few times as he found a genial smile.  “Ah well.  You can’t say I didn’t try.  Goodbye, Mercy.  It might have been fun.”

Chapter Nineteen

I took an involuntary step backwards at the flawless, placid smile on his face, the back of my calf hitting the side of the old bed with a creak.  Coupled with the sinister goodbye, it made the base of my spine shiver like I’d been hit with an ice cube down the back of my shirt. 

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Not a blessed thing,” he smiled. 

I gripped the sword tight, even though I knew I was supposed to hold it loosely, from my lessons with Sam.  It was too bad I couldn’t give Sam a holler, but he was probably too busy with his secret mission stuff.  Hell, I would’ve settled for Bert and Hubie if I thought they’d come when I called.  It started to look like Lucifer meant that literally, when no blow came, and I didn’t find myself frozen in place. 

His smile slowly faded, and I understood that he must have tried something on me and failed.  Whatever it was, his look of disappointment was like a tube of Chapstick in the desert. 

“What the devil…”

I didn’t have time to poke fun at Lucifer invoking himself at the botched move, because the archangel Michael appeared in a blinding flash of light.  If ever there was a good time to look the part of an Angel of God, this was it.  Michael was magnificent enough to give Lucifer pause. 

“Hold, in the name of the Lord,” he declared, immediately inserting himself between Lucifer and me. 

“This has nothing to do with you, Michael,” Lucifer snapped, the furrow between his brows deepening as he tried something else that didn’t work as planned.

“Thy magics have no effect upon me.  Be gone, I will not let thee bring harm unto this child,” he commanded stiffly.  He still sounded kind of poncey to me, but as long as Michael was on my side, I wasn’t complaining.    

“I’ve no intention of harming her, brother,” Lucifer’s tone turned sweet, cajoling, but Michael wasn’t having any of it. 

“Dost thou not consider taking the child from her mother’s arms harmful?”

Lucifer tried to look contrite.  “I have learned from past mistakes.  I offered to bring her along this time.  I offered her everything her heart desired, as a matter of fact.” 

“You can’t offer me a single thing in my heart but your absence,” I bit out, wanting to make it clear where I stood, once and for all.

No trace of a smile lingered on Lucifer’s lips.  “Have a care, Merceline.  Your tongue would not easily be replaced should you find it torn from your body.”

And the guy wondered why I didn’t want to take him up on his offer.

“Remember what happened when last we fought,” Michael said in a low voice.  “The Clarion can command the entire heavenly host at a single call.”

I could?  Why the hell hadn’t anyone told me that one before?

Lucifer drew himself up, regaining the polite façade once more.  “I see now is not the time to trouble you, Merceline.  I shall have to pick my moment more carefully.”

“Yeah, you think good and hard before you come after her again.”  Not that I had a lot to threaten him with from my usual bag of tricks, but that calling a legion of angels down sounded promising.   

“You can’t keep her from me forever,” Lucifer warned in parting.  “You can’t safeguard her from her own destiny.”

I opened my mouth to say something cutting in return, but… I had nothing.  “Destiny schmestiny,” came out. 
Lame
. 

“Charming to the last.  We will meet again.”  His eyes were dark with promise.  “Brother.”  Lucifer nodded to Michael and vanished into thin air. 

“Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny!” I quoted Bob Marley too late. 
So lame
.  That left me and Michael with a house full of frozen angels.  “Oh man, thank you!  That’s twice you’ve saved our bacon.  Is this your new gig or was it a lucky break?”  My words obviously confused him, so I tried again.  “Does this mean you’re watching over us all the time?”  A bit creepy, but useful considering the circumstances. 

“I have been tasked with watching over the child.”  Michael was trying to look anywhere but at me, and I understood my state of undress made him extremely uncomfortable. 

“Thank you, Michael.  I don’t know what we would’ve done without you. 
That was super handy, your being able to resist his magicky stuff.  Did you keep him from freezing me too?”

“I did nothing.  I suspect, he doth not possesses the power to ensnare thee, just as he may not ensnare any of my caste.”

“You mean archangels?” I blinked in surprise.  Did that mean I was one of them now?  “Why would that be?”

“Thou art filled with more Grace than a common angel may possess.”

A
common
angel…  Boy, Michael was a snob and a half.  “Holy crap, I knew I was stronger than Adam, but I didn’t know I was running with the big boys.”  Not that it did me all that much good around Lucifer, but it was a huge relief to know he couldn’t freeze me whenever he wanted to.  “Oh… I forgot about the guys.  Will they be alright?”

“The effect should cease soon enough.  Thou hath ample time to dress in something more suitable.”

A smile curved the corners of my mouth at the stuffy suggestion.  Not that I was an exhibitionist by any means, but I couldn’t help teasing him a bit.  “What’s the matter, Michael?  I’m just standing here as God made me.”

“Thus He made the animals, but He instructed man to clothe themselves.”

“Actually, it was man who decided he was naked on his own after eating from the tree of knowledge, as I understand it from bible school.  But I’ll go get dressed if you promise to keep an eye on Evie.”

“That is why I am here, is it not?” he muttered irritably. 

I dashed into the other room to pull on my spare clothes, concerned to see Adam still frozen in place.  I’d thought for sure he’d snap out of it once Lucifer disappeared.  How long would it take before they were back to normal?  I needed to talk to him.  I needed to talk to Parker as well, to explain what he’d seen – if any of that was real.  It was possible that Lucifer had manufactured an illusion of Parker rather than actually producing him only to return him moments later. 

Dressed down to my boots, I lingered in front of Adam for a moment, touching his still-warm cheek.  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.   For what – there were too many things to list.   

I was surprised to find Eve awake when I returned.  She sat up in bed, talking to Michael, her hand in his, a strange look on his face as he looked down upon her.  “Everything okay in here?” I asked.  “How are you feeling, Bunny?”

“I’m fine, Momma.  This is Michael, he’s my guardian angel,” she smiled brightly. 

“I don’t know if I’d call him that…” I protested, but Michael didn’t correct her.  It was odd the way she seemed perfectly comfortable around him, still holding onto his hand.  “Have the two of you met before?” 

“I saw him before in my dreams.  The nice ones.”

My head came up sharply at that.  “What did you do in her dreams?”

“Nothing… I have never appeared in the child’s dreams,” Michael gaped, tugging his hand free. 

“It’s not his fault, Momma.”  Eve looked disappointed when he pulled his hand away, but she salvaged a smile, looking up to him with a whisper.  “I’m glad you’re real.”

I wanted to ask her what other kinds of things she dreamt about, but there would be time for that later.  “I’m just glad you woke up.  The others are still stuck in place,” I looked to Michael for answers, but he didn’t seem too concerned about it. 

“They will waken soon enough.  The child was merely sleeping, untouched by Lucifer’s magic.”

Damn, she was a deep sleeper then.  Maybe it had something to do with living in a Hell dimension for two years?  Who knew what other things she had to block out? 

“Mercy!” The shout rang out from the other room, an edge of panic to Adam’s voice.  In the same instant, a string of blistering curses filled the air from Remy’s direction. 

“
We’re in here!” I called out, only to be tackled in a bear hug when Adam careened into the room.  “We’re fine, thanks to Michael,” I managed to get out when he let go of me to check on Eve for himself. 

“Shit… what happened?” Remy demanded, looking haggard when he appeared in the doorway.  The small room was getting crowded, and I picked up my daughter, tucking her comfortably against my hip. 

“I think we should move into the living room and have a little talk.” 

Remy had picked up a few necessities while I was taking the shower, including a pair of overalls and pink cowboy boots for Eve that she instantly fell in love with.  I made us some hot chocolate the old fashioned way on the stove with milk.  I filled them in on the particulars of Lucifer’s visit, glossing over some of the details like my nudity and anything else I thought would give Adam an embolism. 

Adam began to pace about halfway through, hands laced across the back of his neck as he grew more and more agitated.  “Shit… I’m sorry,” he apologized when I ended with Michael’s rescue.  “I never thought he could track her like that.  I let you down.”

“It’s not your fault, none of us knew he could do that,” I said, feeling hella stupid for underestimating him myself.  “He’s far more dangerous to us than I thought.  Looks like I’ll be the one playing watchdog for now since he can’t freeze me.  Unless you’re going to be around from now on?” I asked Michael, who had retired to the corner of the room, watching us without speaking.

“I will not be playing watchdog, as thou named it,” he said with distaste and I started to wonder why he kept hanging around.  It was obvious he felt we were all beneath him or something, and had better things to do from the haughty expression etched deep into his face.

“Where’s Nelo?” Eve asked suddenly.  “How come he didn’t come back after Lucy left?”

Shit
.  How could I have forgotten all about him?  “I’m sorry, sweetie.  We’ll probably have to go and get him.”

“You’re not going to Midian now,” Adam scowled.  “You need to stay here with Eve.  I’ll go.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Remy offered, surprising us both. 

“Thanks, Remy.  But you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.  Raum knows where things stand between us.  He shouldn’t give us any trouble if either Adam or I go.”

“I’ll pop in and outta there with my ring before ol’ Raum knows I’m there.  It’s the least I can do after I let ya down like that.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I assured him, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder.  “He got the drop on all of us.”

Eve left the dregs of her cocoa behind, her arms reaching up to him.  “Bye, Uncle Remy.  Thank you for my boots,” she said as he picked her up.

“You’re welcome, sweet pea,” Remy smiled, hugging her tight before he set her back down again.  “You take care of that little gal now, y’hear?”   He dropped a quick kiss to my cheek before heading for the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” I asked.  “I thought you were going to open the portal to Midian.”

“Gotta go find me a virgin first,” Remy said with a wink, his grin stretching wide as he went out the door. 

I picked up Eve, bringing her back to the worn couch.  “Don’t worry, sweetie.  Uncle Remy will bring Nelo back, I promise.  In the meantime, we need to figure out what we’re going to do now.  We can’t keep running like this.  He said there’s nowhere on Earth he can’t find her.”  I looked to Michael for answers.  “Was that true or was he trying to scare me?”

“He spoke the truth.  Many will be attracted by the shine of her Grace.”

“So… are you planning on sticking around to help in case Luce comes back?”

“No, my place lies in the heavens.  I will come when I can, but I am not made to dwell among thee.”

Adam rolled his eyes at that.  “It’s the twenty-first century.  Don’t you think it’s time to pull the stick out and start interacting with people again?  It might do you good.”

“Thou hast dwelled too long among the humans.  Their debauchery hath permanently stained thy mind,” Michael sneered, and I lost my temper with him, guardian angel or not.   

“Hey, we may be part angel, but we’re also part human around here,” I pointed out.  “So don’t go human bashing if you don’t want my boot up your ass.”  Eve giggled, and I recalled my pledge to watch my language, which had taken a turn for the worse ever since Adam’s arrival back in my life again.  “Sorry, honey.  Bottom,” I amended.