Soul Conquered (3 page)

“I guess you’re right. Lucifer thinks I’m stuck out in the
desert, and he’s busy right now. I might as well relax a little. I could use a
good night’s sleep.” Maybe it’ll get my mind off the man I kept from his true
love.

“So that’s it? You’re drinking now?” Keira’s taunt stops me
in my tracks, but I hang onto the bottle.

“So what if I am? Who’s it going to hurt?” Talk about hypocritical.

Keira sighs heavily. “Lucifer always wins. I just thought it
might take more than two weeks to get to
you
.”

Just when I thought Keira couldn’t piss me off anymore… I
spin to face her. “You’re one to talk. Just because I want to relax a little
doesn’t mean Lucifer’s won. I haven’t done anything seriously wrong yet, and I
don’t intend to. But if stopping some guy from breaking up a wedding gives me
more time to get through to my brother, then that’s what I’m going to do.” My
grip tightens around the neck of the bottle, and I realize I’m shaking.

“Hmmph.” Keira leans back into the bubbles and rests one
foot on the edge of the tub.

“Hmmph? That all you got?”

She shrugs, popping the cork from her bottle with one hand.
I jump at the sudden noise. “Want more, Gracie? Okay. Aren’t you supposed to be
asking, ‘what if the guy you delayed is supposed to stop the wedding, marry the
girl, and father the next Mother Theresa?’ Or, how about, ‘what’s going to
happen when Lucifer tells me to do something I know is wrong, and I can’t
reason it away?’”

The fight drains from my body, and I nearly collapse on the
thick carpet. My voice comes out weak when I answer. “If it’s meant to be, it’s
going to happen either way.” But it’s exactly the opposite of what I believe.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Keira toasts the air
before guzzling a glass.

I turn and head back toward the bedroom. I
haven’t
been sleeping well, and I’m hoping the alcohol will help with that. But Keira’s
words dig a ditch in my hopes and my excuses.

“Any word from Josh?” Keira calls as I pull the crystal
knob. “Maybe he can talk some sense into you.”

And she’s done it—crushed whatever was left of my
bravado. In lieu of an answer, I press against the top of the cork with my
thumb and send it exploding toward the skylight before slipping away into the
silent darkness of my room.

Keira

Drama Queen. Gracie’s just
upset because I’m right. She’s weak when we all need her to be strong. She’s
supposed to be the Angel. She’s supposed to resist Lucifer at least a
little
bit. But so far all she’s done is play along and fall right into Lucifer’s well
of self-loathing and doubt.

My eyes burn, so I slide backward, dunking my head
beneath the bubbles. A hiss meets me as I rise back through the surface and
breathe deeply. Instead of being soothed, I’m agitated, so I reach for my glass
with one hand while rubbing the nape of my neck with the other. It’s the spot
Maxwell, my asshole ex-husband, bruised while holding me underwater in my
washbasin. I’d all but forgotten until Lucifer’s last punishment when he forced
me to relive my death.

Guzzling champagne takes some of the edge off, but I’m
done with the water, so I climb out, yanking the plug and willing myself dry. I
wrap myself in one of the complimentary white robes with the hotel insignia on
it. It’s as soft as a cloud but not as comforting as Noah’s arms. I decide to
ease the longing by making sure Gracie’s asleep and pulling out some good
old-fashioned pen and paper.

I crumple the sheet up and toss it over my shoulder, where
it disappears. Too sappy. I am NOT sappy. Let’s try again.

“I want your body against mine,” I say as I write. “I
want to share your sweet breath. I want to be so into each other that nothing
and no one else matters.”

I groan, tossing the next sheet over my shoulder. I do
want all that. But it’s still too sappy—and too revealing.

I read it over twice to be sure and send it to him along
with my signature black rose.

“Please don’t forget me while you get heady with power.
Don’t become Lucifer.” I say a prayer to Noah since there’s no one else to ask.

I’ve just cleared away the paper and pen when Lucifer
appears, startling a gasp from me. Damn. I have to be more careful than that.

“Having fun?” he asks, taking in the room and the
champagne in my hand.

“Randy’s out cold for now, and Gracie rang.” I gesture
toward the room where she’s sleeping, blissfully unaware that I’m throwing her
under the bus.

Lucifer’s gaze remains locked on me. “And you thought
you’d help her out. Such a Good Samaritan, Keira. And here I thought you may be
helping her get to Noah.”

I laugh despite my blood freezing at his accusation.
“Actually, I came because she said ‘Vegas.’ But I can drive her ass back out to
the desert if that’s what you want, Boss.” It won’t actually hurt her, and if
it convinces Lucifer I’m still 100 percent loyal, so be it.

“So much for female bonding.” Lucifer sits on the
pristine sofa, popping a nut in his mouth from a crystal dish on the coffee
table.

I shrug and down the remainder of my bubbly. “Every
Demon for herself.” If he wants her in the desert, that’s where she’s going, no
matter who puts her there.

“Well, I’d like you to take her under your wing like
you did with Josh. Show her how it’s done. Tell you what—bring Randy to
Vegas. He can stay here with you both. Two for one corruption.”

I sigh.

“Problem?” His eyes light with danger.

I shrug again. “Of course I’ll do it. It’s just that Randy’s
so damn boring. There’s no challenge in him, Lucifer. I suppose that’ll make it
easier for Gracie, though.” I circle behind him and trace a finger along the
top of the sofa.

“He’ll do for now, Keira. Aren’t you attracted to him,
at least?” Lucifer’s considering whether I’m falling for his plan. If I sound
too eager, he’ll never buy it.

“He’s got the Adonis body,” I admit, “but will that be
enough for Gracie? I do admit that he gets much more enticing when he does his
thing
.”

Randy’s a magician, and the “thing” I’m referring to
is his ability to plan a great con or burglary using sleight of hand to
redirect attention. It’s the ability I’m supposed to nurture, which feels so
obviously unnecessary that it’s laughable. The real reason Lucifer assigned me to
Randy was to have sex with someone other than Noah and get my mind off him. There’s
also a worse possibility—he assigned me to Randy so he can show Noah that
I’m having sex with someone else and make him angry.

“It’s a great natural talent, isn’t it?” Lucifer asks
while pointing to the half-drunk champagne bottle sitting on the edge of the
Jacuzzi.

He could conjure himself anything he wants. He just
wants to remind me that I’m his servant. I comply by handing him a glass and
leaning over him from behind, running my hands down the arms of his suit
jacket.

“Anything else you require, Boss?” I purr in his ear. As
far as I know, Lucifer’s asexual. He gets off on the pain and misery of others,
not physical or emotional love, but it never hurts to suck up a little.

Lucifer grabs me by the scruff of the neck, and I
wince because it feels like the bruise is still fresh and tender.

“Yes. You have a job to do. Get to work. I have a
world to take over, and I can’t be babysitting Demons.”

He releases his grip on my neck and stands to face me,
tugging his jacket into place. “Oh, and Keira? If I so much as see you in
Washington state, you will be Maxwell’s plaything for the next two hundred
years. Got it?”

“Yes, Boss. I never liked it there anyway. Too dreary,”
I lie.

As Lucifer disappears from view, the Jacuzzi roars to
life, full of water, and the bruise on the back of my neck throbs.

*
* *

By the time Gracie finally
comes out of her room, Randy’s made himself at home—he’s lounging on the
sofa with a beer in hand, trunks still dripping all over the furniture from his
morning swim.

“Hey, babe.” He raises his beer hand in salute, first barely
sparing her a glance, then doing a double take when he sees her in the little
outfit Lucifer left her with.

“Um, hi.” Grace shoots me a look that says both
WTF
and
what am I missing now
?

“Gracie, Randy. Randy, Gracie. I hope you don’t mind,
but I told Randy how you invited me to crash and, well, you always say the more
people, the bigger the party, right?” I bat my eyes innocently, hoping she’ll
catch on.

Grace still looks mad enough to set the room on fire,
but Randy doesn’t notice. He’s not staring at her red face.

“Sure. Hey, Keira, can you please help me with
something in my room?”

I toss my new, longer hairstyle back over my shoulder
and follow her into the bedroom, lying back on the cushions.

“You brought your assignment here?” she asks, demanding
an explanation.

“Lucifer paid me a visit. He’s your assignment, too,
now.” I fluff one of the pillows. “He wants you to help corrupt Randy.”

Gracie’s face drains of all color. She matches the
sheets she sits on. “But you said he wants Randy to distract you from Noah. So
that means…” Her voice trails off.

I lay a hand on her shoulder. She looks like a lost
duckling. Ugh, I can’t believe I have to spell it out. “He expects you to do
whatever it takes to put Randy over the edge. To do your utmost, no holds
barred. And sex is the easiest way to manipulate others.”

Why must I be in this situation? Of course I have to
corrupt her to keep in Lucifer’s graces, which is going to take a gentle hand
and earning her misguided trust. But the problem is that she’s so damn helpless,
it kills me. It’s, like, I didn’t know anyone could actually
be
like
that, and it only makes me angrier at her. I want her to be so formidable that I
can’t possibly take her down—not be the doormat she is right now.

What the Hell is wrong with her?

“You’re a Demon,” I remind her. “You said it yourself:
you have to play the part if you want access to Noah. You already made the
choice, Gracie. Now it’s time to deal with the reality.” I stand, stretching.

“You’re right. Of course. I… I just… I want there to be
a way I can stay true to Josh. I guess that’s a childish wish.”

No, not childish, just impossible. I know how she
feels. I already sent another note to Noah, explaining what I’m expected to do
and how much I hate it.
I’ll be thinking only of you
, I wrote, wishing I
had the strength to defy Lucifer. But hundreds of years as a Demon have taught
me my place, so I’m resigned to getting this assignment over with as soon as
possible.

“I’ll go start the Jacuzzi. Take your time, but you
can’t stay in here, or Lucifer will make it worse.” I turn to leave, but
something makes me turn back around one last time. I don’t know why I say it,
but I do.

“It’s not so bad. You’ll be fine.”

Josh

My chest constricts when I
hear Keira’s words through the screen in front of me. My fingers tear right
through the leather material beside me on the couch. I haven’t felt this much
anger since I was a Demon. Yet here I am in Heaven while my sweet, innocent
Grace suffers because of me.

Maybe I’m some unwilling part of Lucifer’s grand plan
and I actually still am a Demon. The worst kind. The kind that corrupts the
best Angels. And here I am, having infiltrated Heaven. Only I didn’t do it on
purpose. I hate this!

I rip off the cushions all the way, sending stuffing
and strips of leather flying through the air with a cry that makes Tommy Two
run for the safety of his dog bed.

“I’m not letting her do it,” I say to whoever might be
listening. I’ve given in to Grace’s wishes for as long as I can manage, and
it’s only gotten her in deeper. But this is the last straw. I’m not fucking
letting her sleep with some sleazeball while I sit here and watch the great
Michael Griffith do nothing.

“Oh dear, have I interrupted something?”

I turn to find Shona, Angel Trainer, standing at the
open door with one hand spread across her chest. Her proper English accent
seems out of place in the middle of my outburst.

“Did we have an appointment?” I ask as a few pieces of
fluff float past my face.

She nods.

“Sorry. I guess I lost track of time.” I will the
screen off, but not before her eyes narrow behind her catlike glasses, a
shrewd, yet sad expression on her face.

“How is she?” she asks in a softer voice.

I collapse onto the broken sofa. “Not good. I’m going
down there.”

Shona shakes her head and squats near me, resting a
hand tentatively on my knee. “I told you the last time you said that: what good
will that do? Then you’ll both be Demons under Lucifer’s control.”

“What good does
this
do?” I demand, standing
again and pacing.

Shona stands, too, smoothing down the crease in her
white-and-gold robes. “Watching her? No good at all. Finding the key to helping
Grace and Noah with knowledge? Plenty good. You belong at the library.”

I sigh. I’ve read all of her “finds” already. I’ve
learned about the history of Angels and Earth and all things Heavenly, but
nothing with any good info on Antichrists or Armageddon. And definitely nothing
on Lucifer. It’s like he was erased from the texts after he fell.

“I’m sick of studying,” I say. “I never liked it.”

“You said you’d do anything for Grace.” Shona levels
her gaze at me. She’s thin, but she’s almost as tall as I am, so she’s still
imposing.

“But it isn’t helping,” I complain.

“That’s because we haven’t found the right book. Until
now.” Shona gestures for me to follow and heads straight out the door. No room
for discussion. I glance back at the blank screen. Either I rush in to save
Grace with no real plan, which she told me not to do, or I try to help her the
way she asked me to.

Damn.

I rush out the door after Shona and hurry through the
hallway of stars to the library door.

She’s already inside, blowing dust off the top of a
giant tome bound in leather with what must be a thousand yellowed pages, all
frayed at the edges.

“It’s so old,” she says without glancing up, “that if
it were on Earth, the pages would have disintegrated. But here it is.”

“Where’d you find it?” I ask, circling to take a
closer look.

The corner of her mouth twists upward ever so
slightly. “Let’s just say I’ve been combing some unorthodox areas for research
purposes. And it just so happens that the author of this text is our very own
Archangel, Michael.”

“Mr. Griffith? You didn’t ask him—”

“Don’t worry. He doesn’t know I…borrowed it. I
happened to see it on his desk when I was there this morning for a meeting
about training more greeters. It was full of clutter—very unlike him—and
this was poking out. Well, I couldn’t resist when he wasn’t looking.” Shona
bites her lip and blushes slightly.

For the first time in two weeks, I have hope.

Shona bounces a little on her feet and sounds reverent
when she speaks. “And look.” She opens it, flipping about two-thirds of the way
through. “A whole section on the One.”

Excitement builds. Maybe this really is it. The information
we need.

The words are in some ancient text—I’m no
expert, but maybe Hebrew? Whatever it is, it rearranges itself as we watch and
becomes modern English.

“It’s adjusting to a language we can both understand,”
Shona says.

Shona waits, clenching the edge of the table while I
take my time reading it through. Her eyes are lit with anticipation behind her
glasses. “It makes so much sense!” she exclaims the second I look up.

“Why does it have to be so confusing if it’s translated
for our benefit?” I ask. “I mean, if it’s going to turn it into English, why
not just spit it out instead of all the mumbo jumbo?”

Shona’s pitying look makes me back down. “Because,
Joshua, there is no exact translation from the language it was originally
written in. This is as good as it gets. But don’t you see? This is where all
the rumors and prophecies come from. Look.” She points at the page, indicating
I should read.

“‘Herald of the birds’ is the literal sign that
happened when the One was chosen,” I offer the easy part.

Shona nods approvingly. “Exactly! And ‘Death names
him, Hell claims him’ means he must murder before Hell can claim his soul.
See?”

“Yeah, I get that part.”

Shona continues, “‘
Heaven
cannot touch him, for he is the harbinger of the Day of Judgment.’
So
we in Heaven can’t do anything. He’s meant to start the Day of Judgment. It has
to be all him now.”

I finish the text, “‘
Through
the One shall the fate of the Earth be written, for his blood sacrifice crowns
the King of Hell.’
”

Shona jumps in. “So that’s what happens now. He—Noah—brings
Lucifer’s rule to the Earth and sacrifices with blood to rain judgment in the End
Times.” She taps her chin, deep in thought. “Doesn’t sound good, does it?”

“So you’re saying there’s nothing I can do. I can’t
touch Noah, and he’s about to bring a bloodbath to the Earth.”

Shona’s elated face melts, and her shoulders slump
forward. “I’m so sorry, Joshua.”

“Well it doesn’t say Hell can’t influence Noah’s
choice.” Maybe Grace was onto something when she said she could reach him if
she fell. But the problem, as always, is Lucifer. He won’t let Grace get close
enough or give her the time she needs to talk to Noah.
If
that would
even work.

“So there’s still hope,” Shona states.

“I want more than hope. I want a plan of action.” I
picture Grace and that dude in the hotel room. I can’t let that stand. I have
to do something.

“Josh,” Shona warns, somehow reading my mind. Maybe
I’m just transparent when it comes to my feelings for Grace. “We’ve already
made progress. We have to keep to Grace’s plan, or we can’t succeed. Trust her
to be fine.”

And there it is. Trust her. It’s exactly what Grace
asked of me before she left. I agreed. I have to trust her no matter how
difficult it may be. Even if it means not saving her.

But can I do it?

I groan, leaning back in the heavy chair that looks
like it ought to be from the Middle Ages. “Why is trust so damn hard?” I ask.

The library door swings open, and Mr. Griffith strides
in.

“Josh?”

“Shocked I’m at the library?” I ask, trying to lighten
the mood. I don’t want him to know what we’re doing—that we’re still
investigating ways to help both Noah and Grace. He might command us to stop
because he’s so convinced it’s a waste of time, and, though I’d plow on ahead
anyway, I need Shona’s help, and I can’t count on her to disobey him directly.

I notice that the book is no longer on the table or
anywhere to be seen, and Shona won’t acknowledge my gaze. Maybe she’s afraid
she’ll give something away. I suppose most Angels aren’t good at lying.

“Happy to see you here, actually.” Mr. Griffith
recovers with a warm smile, clapping his hands together. “You’ve been hiding in
your room—not that I don’t understand. Anyway, this is perfect because I
need to speak to both of you. Shona, I’m going to need you on training duty at
the gates a bit sooner than I originally anticipated. I’ve made it mandatory
for all Angels to focus on greeting now that the End Times have arrived. I’m
grateful that you’ve accepted the situation, Josh. I know it must have been
hard for you.”

My mouth drops open.

“It still is hard, I’m sure. But you’re doing the
right thing coming to Shona. She can help train you to greet as well. You
mustn’t blame yourself for the way things worked out. You couldn’t have known.
Lucifer fooled us all.”

Mr. Griffith pats me on the back.

I’m speechless. I want to argue and shake him until he
wakes up and decides to fight this. But now that I’ve seen the prophecy
firsthand, I get where he’s coming from. Still, it’s only words on paper. We
can’t just give up because of that.

“Well I’ll let you get back to it, then. Shona, if
Josh isn’t comfortable at the gates yet, you can start training him as a greeter
here. Josh, you can always come and chat with me if that would help make you
more comfortable.”

Shona strains to put a smile on her face, but
Griffith’s head is elsewhere, so he doesn’t notice. He nods before swishing out
the door in his golden robes.

“Wow,” I begin. “Now we don’t have to lie or hide. He
gave us his blessing to work with each other.” I rub my hands together.

“I think perhaps I ought to go to the gates for awhile
and do at least a bit of my job. You think about the wording of the prophecy
and see if we missed something.”

I’d argue that it felt pretty final and there wasn’t
much to work around, but Shona’s already dismissed me with a wave, and I know
from experience that that means the conversation’s over for now. Her agreement
to help me is tenuous at best, so I don’t argue.

I need to check on Grace again, anyway.

*
* *

Grace is still in her hotel
room while Keira and the dude named Randy laugh and drink in the Jacuzzi. At
least they’re in bathing suits—not that Keira’s covers all that much. I
hate her. I want to go down there just long enough to touch her and turn her to
ashes. But then I remember how it felt when I really did hurt her finger and
how I wanted to take it back.

I’m filled with hate, but it isn’t for Keira. It’s for
myself. For not doing something. And why am I not doing something? Is it really
because Grace told me not to? Or is it because I’m scared that if I’m within
ten feet of Grace I’ll lose all self-control and we’ll repeat the same mistake
I made when I made her fall the first time? Damn it!

I’m about to say to Hell with it: going down there is
better than doing nothing and protecting Grace is the most important thing,
when Grace lets go of the pillow she’s hugging and stands up, determined.

She throws open the door, and both Keira and Randy stop
to stare.

“I’m going to go downstairs for awhile. I’ve had
enough of this stuffy room.”

“I was hoping you’d join us. There’s plenty of room
for one more,” Keira coos.

Grace shoots her a look. “It takes a lot to impress
me,” she says, speaking directly to Randy. She stalks toward him, leaning over
the edge of the spa with such a sexy look that I can feel the heat from up here
and I’m frozen in place with longing and fear because she’s directing it at
another guy.

“Guys who party all day in the Jacuzzi might be fun
for a moment. But guys who are clever? Guys who actually
do
something to
impress me? Those are the kind of guys I like to invest my time in.”

She blows him a kiss, and they both watch as she swishes
her way out of the room.

I sit down on the still-broken couch.

Tommy Two whines a little.

“I know,” I agree. “Our Grace is amazing.” She’s outshining
Keira at her own job by luring the guy to get up and do whatever it is Lucifer
wants while managing to keep her dignity.

The dog barks and waits, panting, ears raised in
question.

“I don’t know why I doubted her. I was scared I guess.
But you’re right, TT. It’s time I held up my end of the bargain and did
something from up here before she runs out of options down there.” Sooner or
later, Lucifer will stop leaving wiggle room when he asks her to do something.
She’ll have to make a choice between bad and worse, and I know how much of a “choice”
you get when it comes to Lucifer. I wince, recalling with vivid memory the pain
of Hellfire consuming my body.