The Gates of Paradise (11 page)

imi completed the long journey back to the underworld well before Jack. She wasn’t sure how to read his delay—had he struggled to fail at his quest, or had failure simply been impossible? The difficulty with being Abbadon and Azrael was that it was easier to do things well than to do them poorly. It was all she could do to force Kingsley to succeed in winning the cup, although certainly he’d always been good at stealing things from her. Like her clothes, or her heart.

She tried to forget the look he’d given her—right before she’d disappeared—a combination of shock and displeasure. He had been confident she would fall into his arms—downright
smug
, even. And while Kingsley was right to believe in her love, she couldn’t help feeling a little irritated, especially now that she knew how he had been spending his time while she was working so diligently on breaking her bond so they could be together.

The bastard had expected her to kiss him.

And why hadn’t she?

Because then all would be lost. Lucifer would know immediately, and everyone would be vulnerable. Not just her and Jack, but Kingsley and Schuyler as well. If their betrayal was discovered, it would bring death to the two of them as well as to the ones they loved the most.

Where are you?
she sent to Jack. But there was no reply.

She waited anxiously for his return, pacing the rooms of their apartments. The Dark Prince had been made aware of her failure, but so far had not requested her to come before him to answer for the fiasco at Rosslyn. Days felt like weeks, which felt like months, which felt like years, while she flinched at every knock on the door, fearful that someone had realized she’d thrown the fight with Kingsley. That she was a traitor. This couldn’t go on forever; it would make her insane.

She tried to distract herself, remembering her last time in the underworld, when she’d waited anxiously in her room; when she’d gone back for Kingsley. She’d indulged herself then, with massages and facials and hair treatments, and glorious meals with fancy wine, but those didn’t help now. She was too fidgety to sit still, and too nervous to eat. Late nights at the clubs helped release some of the tension, but she couldn’t dance forever.

Finally, late one night, Jack returned, weary from his trip. She could tell from the look on his face that he’d failed, which is to say that he’d succeeded in doing Lucifer’s bidding. He’d retrieved a cup. “What happened?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“We were so close,” he said. “I found the cup, and I’d set up this fantastic battle with the monks for it. They’d just about succeeded when you called me.”

So it was her fault. She’d insisted that Jack help her get rid of Danel, and in doing so she’d sabotaged his efforts. “I’m sorry,” she said, one of the rare occasions she was willing to admit it.

Jack shook his head. “That wasn’t the problem. It was a little trickier to make sure the monks won with Danel there, but I made it happen. They destroyed their precious chalice rather than letting us have it. No, the problem is that Danel is a little too good at his job. He figured out that the monks didn’t seem sufficiently devastated by the loss of their treasure.”

“Do monks ever really seem all that emotional?” Mimi asked.

“It’s pretty subtle,” Jack admitted. “Even I didn’t catch it. But Danel was all over it. Before I fully realized what he was doing, he’d tracked the monks to a second cup.”

“What? They had two? How did we not know that?”

“We’ve been tracking the strongest chalices, the ones that we were sure would suffice to carry the godsfire. The one the monks were hiding isn’t among them, but Danel thinks it will work—it’s still a cup of Christ—so Lucifer is over the moon that we managed to bring it back.”

“Wasn’t there anything you could do?” Mimi asked. “Couldn’t you steal it when he wasn’t looking, or something?”

“Believe me, I did everything I could,” Jack said. “Danel was too vigilant. I don’t think he was actually on to me, but we have to remember that none of the angels really trust us, still. It would take centuries for us to reestablish their loyalty to us, and we don’t have that kind of time right now.”

“Not to mention the fact that they’re right,” Mimi pointed out. “We are traitors.”

“There is that,” Jack agreed.

“What are we going to do now?”

“Well, finding a chalice was one of the last steps in being able to use the godsfire as a weapon, but it’s not the final one. Lucifer wants to meet with us tomorrow to discuss our next series of tasks.”

The work of the Dark Angels was never done, Mimi thought.

“We’ve got time to sabotage the process, still,” Jack said. “Whatever these last tasks are, we can fail at those as well. And if we have the opportunity, we’ll steal and destroy the cup.”

“They’ll know it was us,” Mimi said. “If we do it here, there won’t be any hiding it. And we’ll never get Lucifer to dissolve our bond.”

“We’ll find a way,” Jack said. “There’s got to be a way.”

They were summoned to the Dark Prince’s chambers the next morning. His white robes gleamed against his golden throne, and Mimi was awed once again by his otherworldly beauty. This was the face of the Morningstar, Lucifer of the Dawn, the most beautiful angel in history, who had been banished for his vanity, for his greed. This was the Prince of Heaven, consigned to an eternity in Hell. He was smiling, and his joy radiated an intense, almost angry happiness. He was very close to getting what he always wanted, and he knew it.

Danel and Barachiel stood on either side of the throne, dressed in formal golden raiment, wings spread. Danel was giving Mimi the same look that boys from Duchesne used to give her, after she’d given them a taste of the Sacred Kiss. The lascivious anticipation of physical delight that meant he couldn’t wait to be alone with her again.
Ew!
She should never have kissed him at the train station, but it was too late now.

“My Dark Angels!” Lucifer said, his voice seductively sweet and melodious, as beautiful as the rest of him. “Welcome back. I’m so pleased Abbadon was successful in retrieving the chalice; though I must admit, Azrael, that I’d anticipated more success coming from you. Perhaps you were distracted by the thought of Araquiel as your foe?” he said, using Kingsley’s angel name.

“It wasn’t a problem,” Mimi said. “He’s a formidable opponent, that’s all.”

The Dark Prince grunted. “Formidable is not a word I would use to describe that weakling. I was surprised to hear he defeated you in battle. A first for the mighty Azrael, is it not? Regardless, we shall not concern ourselves with that, for now. We have more important things to discuss. There is one more final task we need to complete before we wage war upon our enemies. For the first, I will need Abbadon’s assistance.”

“At your service, my lord,” Jack said.

“We have discovered the location of the Gate of Promise, but before we are able to return to Paradise, a sacrifice must be made, as before,” he said. “But not just any sacrifice.”

Mimi nodded.

“The gatekeeper must be destroyed in order to obliterate the gate.”

“Then we shall destroy the keeper, whoever it is,” Jack said.

Lucifer looked amused. “I’m so pleased to hear you say that, Abbadon.”

Uh-oh. Mimi had a feeling she knew what was coming.

“The gatekeeper is Gabrielle’s daughter, the human Abomination,” Lucifer said. “Her blood is the key to our salvation.”

Schuyler Van Alen.

The Dark Prince folded his hands under his chin and looked straight at Abbadon. “My spies report that you were once
involved
with this person, that you went as far as to bond with her. Is that true?”

He knows. Lucifer fucking knows.
Mimi felt her body grow cold with fear. This whole secret agent thing was a charade. He had been laughing behind their backs for believing that they could earn their unbonding. The Dark Prince knew all along what Mimi and Jack were up to. He had taken them back into the fold only to screw with them precisely at this moment.
This
was his revenge. Mimi drew her hand on her hip, where her sword was within reach.
We can fight it out. We
will die trying, but we will fight it out.

Jack remained impassive. There was no change in expression, no sign that the information had dug deep into his heart.
Stay strong,
Mimi sent.
Don’t let him see.

Jack did not reply. His stance was relaxed, and his tone conversational. It was as if he had expected to hear as much. “My lord, forgive me. You are correct in that I once had feelings for this half-human girl. But there is nothing between us. She was merely a passing fancy, a plaything. I realized my mistake and severed our ties. She means nothing to me. Do with her as you will.”

“That is good to hear.” Lucifer smiled. “Distractions can be very harmful. Her mother, as well, was nothing but a distraction. And an annoyance.” He regarded Jack thoughtfully. “You will bring the gatekeeper to me. Her blood is in your veins, and will call to yours when you are aboveground.”

“Yes, my lord.” Jack bowed.

“I hope you will not be tempted to drain her completely before you bring her to the gate. We will need her alive for the sacrifice.”

“Indeed, my lord, I shall resist the temptation.”

“Danel will join you in this task and make sure everything proceeds smoothly.”

“Yes, my lord. I will be glad for the help. He was instrumental in acquiring the grail. I could not have done it without him.”

“Schuyler Van Alen should never have been allowed to live. Her life is a mockery of our glory,” Lucifer declared. “She is her mother’s greatest mistake, and will prove to be her deepest sorrow. I will enjoy draining her life’s blood and subsuming her spirit.”

What a hypocrite, Mimi thought. To call Schuyler an Abomination when you yourself unleashed the half-demon Nephilim into our world. Silver Bloods mating with human women to create a half-mad race of demon children. And good luck with that plan to kill Gabrielle’s daughter. I’ll believe it when I see it. Schuyler Van Alen is nothing if not hard to get rid of.

“I want nothing more than to please you, my lord. Her blood is yours.” Jack bowed.

“And me?” Mimi piped up. “I mean, and me, my lord?”

“Yes, Azrael?”

“Am I going with them?” Mimi asked.

“No, I trust they will be able to handle this on their own.”

Can you?
Mimi asked Jack, using their bond.
Handle this?

But Jack did not reply. His face was impassive and as hard to read as ever. It couldn’t have been easy, listening to the Dark Prince’s plans for him.
What do we do now?
she sent.
Talk to me.

Jack? Hello? Jack?
she sent, standing with a rigid smile in front of Lucifer.
What are you going to do?

What I have to do,
he finally replied.

Mimi wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Would he do what he had to to survive? Or what he had to in order to make sure Lucifer failed and Schuyler was kept alive? Mimi couldn’t imagine any reality in which Jack would actually kill Schuyler, of course. His great love for her had ruined both of their lives. He had bonded to her. No, of course not. Jack would find a way to make sure it never happened.

Mimi found the thought of being rid of Schuyler once and for all somewhat appealing. But she knew that, after everything, she would never allow the Dark Prince to touch a hair on that girl’s head if she could help it. Just as she knew Jack would never allow Lucifer to hurt Kingsley. They would protect the people they loved. They were in this together.

I’ll help you in any way I can
.

ow that Andreas had returned, Tomi wondered how she could have doubted him. She should have trusted herself, but she had not, and now she would pay the price. But the reason for her misgivings could not be dismissed: it lay in the memory of what Andreas—Michael—had done so long ago. The last time they had encountered the Dark Prince. Though she had tried in her heart to understand, she had never accepted his choice. She had never forgiven him for what he had done during the Crisis in Rome.

What happened in Rome should never have been allowed. She had tried to accept, had tried to understand, but now Tomi had to admit that after the crisis passed, it was too late. Ever since then, she had mistrusted Michael’s capacity to lead them.…She had wondered if he still understood the reason for their sacrifice. The reason for their existence was to seek redemption for their people, to bring hope to the banished, to bring light to those who had been cursed into darkness.

They had come so close to victory in Rome. Michael had been so close to ending it.

Now they had both been punished. As the centuries passed, Tomi’s doubt had only grown; and in that doubt, Lucifer had found a way between them, to unmake what could not be unmade.

Their great love for each other.

It was only a matter of time before Andreas would find out what she had done. Lucifer’s child. This was a new spirit, a new entity. This was no ordinary pregnancy for their kind. This was a new soul. She could sense its fear, its wonder, and uncertainty. Somehow, Lucifer had stolen the gift of procreation from the Red Bloods and used it to create a child with her.

Their child. Born of love. Gio—Lucifer—she had loved him. Whatever she had done, she had loved him, and she loved this child.

She would do everything to protect her—and it was a daughter, she knew that for certain. She would do everything to protect her from Andreas.

What would happen once he discovered the truth?

Tomi thought of Simonetta—gutted, murdered, an innocent babe slaughtered in her belly. Nephilim. Demon children. But they were still
children
. Worthy of forgiveness, worthy of redemption. The babe had done nothing to deserve such a vile and violent end.

Andreas would never do the same to her, she knew.

But the baby…

With Andreas back, they returned to their mission, hunting the remaining Silver Bloods in their midst. Tomi tried not to think about the fact that one day she would give birth to the same thing they were killing.

It felt so natural, working with Andreas. Of course he was Michael; of course there was no one else he could have been. But over time she saw him looking at her strangely. He knew that something was wrong, that something had changed between them.

“You are troubled, my love. What is the matter?” he would ask. “We have triumphed over our enemy. There is nothing to fear.”

But as kind as Andreas was, Tomi could not bring herself to tell him the truth. That she had been deceived, that she had doubted, and so she was the one who had betrayed him this time. Instead, she wore dresses that fit tightly at her breasts but bloomed and draped, skimming over her torso, so he could not see the growing bulge of her stomach.

Before long, though, she would not be able to hide it.

At night, she dreamed of Gio. She dreamed of their night together, and she felt the shame in her soul from how she’d responded to his touch. In her dreams, she could see Lucifer in him. Some nights she dreamed that she realized it in time; that she was able to get away; that she realized Andreas was her true mate. Then she would wake up, remember the truth, and the guilt and the shame would fill her again. Some nights she dreamed that she could see Lucifer in him and she did not care: she lay with him anyway.

That was more shameful still.

They were hunting a Silver Blood along the byzantine streets of the city center when Tomi realized she had gotten too big to run. The Silver Blood began to move faster and faster, and Andreas rushed to catch up with him. But Tomi could hardly move. The child was kicking in her belly, and the dress she was wearing to hide her growing waistline was heavy and dragged her down.

She could see Andreas ahead of her, trying to decide whether to catch the Silver Blood or slow down to attend to her. “Go!” she shouted. “Do not wait for me!”

She hoped the pause had not slowed him down too much; she would hate for a Silver Blood to escape because of what she had done. But she could no longer run; she could no longer stand. She sat down on the side of the road and waited for Andreas to return, trying to think of what
she would say to him.

It was nearly an hour before he returned, bruised and bloodied.

“Are you all right?” she asked. If anything she had done led to his being hurt…

“I’m fine,” he said. “It is my opponent you should worry about.”

Tomasia smiled with relief, but her face fell when she remembered what she had to do.

“I should ask the same of you, though,” he said. “I have noticed, of late, that you seem to be a bit unwell. Distracted, perhaps. I did not want to push you to tell me something you did not wish to share, but I must ask now.”

“There is something I need to tell you,” Tomasia admitted. “Though I am fearful about how you will receive the news.”

Andreas knelt next to her in the road and took her hand in his. “There is nothing you can say that I am unwilling to hear. Nothing can change how I feel about you. Our bond is stronger than that.”

Their bond…

“While you were away,” she began, “I became convinced that I had been wrong that you were my mate, that you were my Michael. I should never have doubted; I should never have believed that Lucifer could ever reside in you, but I am ashamed to admit I did. I believed it because everyone else did, and because everything I saw led me to believe it. And Gio…”

“No one could have known about Gio,” Andreas said grimly.

“It was more than that, though. Gio convinced me that we were meant to be together, that he was my Michael, and not you. And I already doubted myself so much that I felt that he must be right.…We became bondmates.”

Andreas stood. “You…you bonded with Gio?”

“Yes. I bonded with him. And…”

“Stand up!” Andreas commanded.

“Please, Andreas—”

“I said, stand up!”

She did as he asked. She stood up straight and tall, and did not stoop forward so the folds of her dress would better hide her burgeoning stomach. It was time for Andreas to know everything.

He saw right away.

“My God,” he said. “He has got you with child? How can this be?”

“I do not know,” she admitted. “But I do know one thing: I cannot let you destroy it.”