Shattering Halos (26 page)

“What?”

Okay, so I was surprised. Big deal, it happened. My disbelief made her gloat unnecessarily, and she took her sweet time explaining the reasoning behind the new number.

“You never got to actually read the Tomes, did you, Fallen One?” She smirked at me, eyelashes lowered.

“I did not. Some of us didn’t choose Hell.”

“Yeah, yeah—interesting reading, though,” she cooed, sweeter than nectar.

Patience, Cassiel, patience.
Not my strong side.

She stretched her stunning body, and the lust reignited as I scanned her curves. Ignoring the urge to assault her, I waited.

“So here’s the deal. Everybody knows Gabriel won’t go evil for us. If he did, we would only get the one million demons as long as the Celestials didn’t catch him first. Fat chance of that happening.”

“I know.” My edginess gathered momentum. I’d have to still it somehow if she didn’t move on to actual news soon.

“Well, there’s a fun, little clause to the whole Celestial violating Heavenly Rules without punishment deal. With the help of the seven purest souls of mankind, we can generate seven million demons even if
we don’t win over the white angel. Pretty cool, don’t you think?”

“‘Cool’ should cover it, yeah. How about one untainted Earthling? Wouldn’t that give you what you needed, one million demons?”

“No, no. Seven is the magic number. Seven. It doesn’t work otherwise.” She rolled her eyes, clearly bored with having to spoon-feed me. Did I mention I liked her? “It’s got to coincide with an unpunished Celestial, a bloody lunar eclipse…and some other ingredients. Doesn’t happen too often.”

“So you’ll need the purest and kindest living souls on Earth, I’m guessing, not a pick-your-own from the top fifty list?”

“Aw, sweetheart. I knew you were bright,” she crooned, “They’re like twinkling lights on Earth. Easy as hell to spot. Ooh, and guess what? I’m getting two of them myself!”

“Uh-oh, bundles of joy?”

“Geez, you think all I care about is kids?” She was a terrible actress. Her faux outrage fell flat on its belly. “But yes, I do get to pick up the little ones.”

“As in abducting them.”

“Whatever.” Her contented smile remained suppressed for a millisecond.

I shook my head and considered how to collect facts without suffering through heaps of excruciatingly dull details. Females and their incessant chattering. So much, yet so little to say. Who the hell cared?

“That’s wonderful. Who are the children?”

“My adorable ones?” Lilith sighed, pleased. “Have you heard of Rosetta Morante, a seven-year-old from Rome who’s dying from bone cancer? She’s got an amputated leg and some more stuff going on because of the disease.”

“And she’s being a particularly good girl, I’m guessing?”

“Hell yes, Douma says the Heavens are crushing like crazy right now. They can’t wait for her to arrive. At the moment, she’s saved about a thousand sinners from us. She’s already pretty annoying.”

“How’s she saving them?”

“Oh, the usual, Catholic stuff. Offering up her suffering as payment for their sins, writing hundreds of letters to the Baby Jesus to make sure he’ll grant her wishes. Unfortunately, she’s so void of sin she pulls off every one of those pranks. The Catholic Church has already proclaimed her a Servant of God and a Venerable.”

“Right, and she won’t know what hit her when you swoop in, I take it?” I gave the rope of peacock green hair I’d wound around my arm a violent tug. Her amused laughter rang out.

“Exactly. After I’ve seized her, she’ll be compelled and turned into the blackest sin. Piece of cake. Soon, we’ll have the group of them converted to pure evil in one fun, restricted area, and we’ll be good to go.”

“And the location of the fairgrounds…?”

With her eyes glittering at me like that, I couldn’t help getting a little enthused myself.

“Galdhopiggen, where else? Ramiel kills them, and our seven million demons spring off the shelves, ready to be unwrapped!”

“Ah, your calculations are off.” Oh, bland. What was I, an accountant now?

“Why?”

“Seven million demons and seven sinners. Because of the people you slay.” In an attempt to divert Lilith from the snarky comment she was about to let slip, I grabbed her chin and sucked those lips into a charring kiss.

“Who’s the second kid?”

“Another girl, she’s a toddler, though.” Lilith’s eyes softened into something akin to tenderness. Very out of character.

“Mariana Gonzalez, a two-year-old from Buenos Aires. She doesn’t speak much yet, but her heart overflows with such goodness that she’s already attracted Heaven and Hell. This baby’s in danger of ending up as a pope, a saint, whatever she wants. I can’t wait to get my hands on the little piece of candy!”

“Sounds like fun. What’s so special with the rest of them?” Casual, conversational interest worked when you wanted to keep the ladies talking.

“Well, number three is Jonathan Greene, fifty- year-old high school teacher working in the Bronx. Four hours of sleep is all he allows himself. With the most unpolluted of hearts, he spends all his time on charity. He takes in students who are having a rough time, volunteers at pregnancy centers, and even picks up drug addicts from the streets.”

Lilith had gone a couple of shades paler. Since I wasn’t the sweetest creature in the stratosphere, I pulled out my acting skills to help me through the concerned stomach-patting.

“This must be so hard for you. Who else?”

“Number four: Adali Menckner, thirty-three-year-old, from Germany. Among the purest of the pure. Works with Doctors without Borders in Afghanistan.”

Her face scrunched up like she was swallowing bile before she courageously continued.

“Number five: Sherab, a monk from Tibet. The fool is ninety-three and has been one hundred percent unselfish kindness since he was three.”

She growled with discomfort. The selfless love didn’t hurt me the way it did her. I was used to exposure to Earthlings and their random compassion.

“Hush, gorgeous, and number six?”

Lilith was over it, her head suddenly lolling back and forth in refusal. Her skin tone took on a sallow quality I’d never seen before, so I slid a hand between her legs in reassurance. Locating her sleek opening, I let two fingers glide in, momentarily closing my eyes at the sensation.

Then I began the kind of comfort she responded to so well. Once her dark irises glazed over and her cheeks had that healthy, violet glow rising in them, she resumed her story between moans.

“Davion Alexander, a seventy-three-year-old coffee worker from Jamaica. He’s the heart and soul of a charity organization called the Blue Chain Project. Thousands of poor laborers now have meaningful lives without starvation thanks to him. Obviously, he too walks around flaunting the cleanest of hearts.”

“I’m sorry, Lilith,” I said. “Trust me. I’ll make you forget all of this.”

“Oh really, you think you’re so special?” she mumbled.

Her heat was getting to me, making my voice husky.

“I’m not?”

“Eh, you’re not too shabby.”

“One more to go, and I’ll pay you back.”

My other hand traced her hip, a nipple, and she jerked into my cupped palm with an un-Lilith-like whimper.

“King Eirik VII, eighty-four years old. All he’s ever done, thought, and said has been for the good of his people. He’s about to die. When he does, he’s predestined to spark an abundance of compassion and love from his subordinates. It will ripple through Earth like we haven’t dealt with in centuries. No matter the situation, we’d do our best to stop him, so this is a great two-in-one.”

She had goose flesh. From all the talk of kindness or from being about to shudder into another orgasm for me, I didn’t know. Either way, Lilith was positively shivering.

I forced the bumps to vanish with a pillaging only Lilith could appreciate. Afterwards, I plummeted to the tiny town of Spring Hills.

Chapter 26 — Heart

Gaia

On the second day of Christmas, the angels’ absence was getting to me. I loved the idea of relaxing with my family, but there were more pressing issues. My stress levels soared.

I mulled over how my mom wanted Gabriel to come to dinner. When would she understand that I had no control over when he’d drop by? Being the girlfriend of an angel wasn’t always easy.

I glanced down at my ring and smiled. The summer sky blue of the heart sparkled back at me.

On my way down the stairs, a twinge ran through my hand. I cried out and plopped down on the step. After the initial stab, the pain dulled into an even throbbing. It seemed to originate from underneath the stone. I pulled the ring off and examined the skin beneath. It appeared even and unaffected.

I studied the piece of jewelry itself, and my eyes widened in surprise. The aquamarine did not glitter blue anymore. Instead, it burned in a flat, charcoal gray.

Chattering on the porch interrupted my thoughts. Luna’s happy laughter sieved through the walls. A deep, sensual voice cut in, morphing her responses into breathless laughs.

Cassiel.

I slid the ring back on and stomped outside. An idyllic picture worthy of a small town greeting card met me. A happy, attractive couple relaxed on the porch swing, the exception from the norm being that he was oddly beautiful and she eerily young. Luna stared at him with the intense crush of a fifteen-year-old as Cassiel rocked them back and forth with one Prada shoe touching the floor.

She had her legs tucked under her in a corner of the swing. Beside her, long spikes of hair fell in reckless disorder in front of gleaming cat eyes. Even if he couldn’t pull it off, I think his smirk aimed at gentle. Luna drank him in, undeterred by how out of this world he was. Oh yes, she was hanging onto this Fallen One’s every word!

The anger got to me. Without thinking, I lunged at him and grabbed him by the arm.

“You! Come here.”

Luna looked guilty. “Hi, Gaia, I was about to show him in, but Gabriel wanted to chat for a second.”

I froze.

He did not just impersonate Gabriel!

“No. No-no-no. This is not Gabriel. Cassiel is his brother and has
nothing
in common with him. Go inside Luna.”

“But…”

“No buts! I’m
so
not messing around right now.”

Nobody from my family was going to be exposed to Fallen angels, especially not if she happened to be a pretty teenage girl. Luna plodded to the entrance, lips unexpectedly puckering in a smug grin. In the doorway, she turned and sent Cassiel a gaze I’d never witnessed from her before.

“Do you have any idea how awesome you smell? Like violets and licorice?”

What on Earth?

When the door slammed shut behind her, I wheeled around. “Are you out of your mind? That’s my
little
sister
you’re dazzling!”

His stupid six-pack quaked in hilarity under the black, slim-fit tee. And damn me for even noticing that.

“Hey, she’s a young woman. How did you think she’d react to me? I assure you—no need to dazzle.”

Wow. The balls of this guy.

“Bullshit. And what’s with messing with her senses? You smell nothing like flowers
or
candy. Is this you upping the entertainment value?”

His forehead crinkled into a frown. It actually looked like he was giving it some thought.

“Yeah, I’m thinking her imagination’s playing a trick on her. Haven’t heard that one before.”

I hoped we survived this mission. If we did, I’d do everything in my power never to lay eyes on him again.

“Why did you make her believe you’re Gabriel?”

A mischievous smile spread across his face.

“As a matter of fact, no introductions were made. All I did was tell her you wanted me in your bedroom, and pronto.”

“Cassiel! Screw you and your shenanigans!”

A strangled belly laugh rolled from him as he slinked out of the seat. He caught my hand.

“Nice one. Christmas gift from Lover Boy?”

The ring wiggled from side to side between his fingers as he studied the details. I sighed warily.

“Yes. The stone was light blue when I opened the box, and now it’s gray. Weird.”

He shot me a warning look.

“Let’s take a walk in the backyard, shall we?”

I nodded. Out of sight and perfect for our purpose, the pavilion sat in a secluded corner. The shrubbery had all but overpowered the dilapidated construction. Vines seemed determined to lock us out, but we wrestled our way in. Cassiel soundproofed it before sinking down next to me on the bench.

As he made a show of “dazzling” me, I searched for the feeling of exhaustion. It’d been the saving grace at the dorm. The world depended on my abilities to convince our spectators. If I didn’t pull this off every time we met, I’d destroy everything we fought for.

Okay, Gaia. No matter what he does, no freaking out.

Cassiel found my lower lip with a thumb, his voice slithering past my stage fright.

“First things first. The ring is Angelical. Its stone, the Celestial aquamarine, reacts to any Supernaturals hovering nearby. You’ll recognize the colors as you run into them. For the Fallen Ones, it seems to take on the catchy color of charcoal. Hooray.”

“Wow, insane!”

“Indeed.” Cassiel sounded bored. “Have you sensed a pounding from it yet?”

“What do you mean ‘pounding?’”

“Which answers my question. At any rate, the aqua heart will be pounding when Gabriel’s in the neighborhood.”

“Oh, my God, that’s so awesome!”

“Yes, yes. Awesome. Now, enough chit-chat.”

His arm slid around my shoulder. Leaning me into a much too comfortable embrace, he brushed the hair away from my face. Without the slightest hesitation, he began to blanket my neck with searing kisses from earlobe to collarbone. I gulped.

A low chuckle erupted from him. “You’re welcome.”

“Shut up, Cassiel.” I tried to mask my features with a dazed expression.

“Did the ring sting on your finger when I appeared?”

“Yeah, it needled me.”

“Excellent. He gave you the right kind. If you’re asleep and a Grigori comes, you’ll wake up from the pain before he crosses the threshold.”

“Oh yeah? How many different kinds can you get at the Angel Store?” I was tittering. Stupid nerves.