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“Stop, none of this is true. It can’t be. If you need faithful souls to exist, then your plan of killing all the humans is suicide.”
“Allow me to reiterate then: I planned to kill all non-faithful humans. Eliminate the competition as such. Of course, none of the other Gods were happy to just die and let the most obviously powerful deity remain. Me. They’re crawling out of the woodwork to take a stab at me. That’s why I need an army, and that’s why I need you to lead them.”
“I won’t lead your armies.”
“Oh, but you will. Nobody says no to me. Your boyfriend didn’t refuse me, and neither will you. Not once you see how much sense it makes.”
I shuddered. “I don’t know what you did to Abaddon, but I know he didn’t join you willingly.”
“I have to admit, it took some convincing. He was a little sore about the whole throwing you into the Pit thing. Boy, he really was not a happy puppy. But, when I told him I would get you out of there one day, he warmed up to me. Not that he really had a choice, but it was nice to hear him say the words—I’ll do whatever you want, just bring her back. Touching, really.”
Just bring her back.
Was that what Abaddon had really said to Lucifer, or was Lucifer lying again? He had just tried to convince me that angels—our kind—and God—our God—weren’t the progenitors of the universe. Why wouldn’t he also lie about Abaddon’s motivation for joining him when it was clearly a weakness of mine.
Glancing at the ground beneath us, I saw the last of Missolis’ demons pass through the portal and into Helena. There was only Azrael left, guiding Missolis through, Hekata slung over her shoulder. Azrael looked up at me, her eyes pleading for me to come down and join them. To leave with them.
It was time.
“Well,” I said to Lucifer, “It’s been fun, but you failed.”
“Failed?” Lucifer asked, tapping his chin with his index finger. “How?”
“You brought all your friends so you could destroy these demons, but I’ve kept you talking long enough that they’re all safely through.”
“Is that what you think has happened here?”
I swallowed. “It’s exactly what’s happened here. You love to talk so much; you’ve missed your chance.”
“Sarakiel, let me explain something to you. Those demons of yours crossed through that portal because I allowed them to. You see, now they’re all in the same place. Every angel and demon that dared to oppose me, all holed up in the same bastion ready to be slaughtered together—that is if they don’t all kill each other first.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. I shook my head. “No,” I breathed.
“I’m afraid so, and I’m afraid it’s your Abaddon who will lead the charge and ensure the work is finished. Once Helena falls, and the last true resistance to my rule is gone, we can start the good work of… well, total domination over the cosmos. Pretty cool, huh?”
I turned my head to look down at Azrael and yelled. “Azrael, it’s a tr—” my throat sealed before I was able to finish the sentence. I found myself choking, gasping, clawing at my throat to get my airway to open again and failing miserably.
Lucifer floated over to me. “I’m going to tell you something,” he said, his tone lowering. “And I really want you to listen to me. I couldn’t care less about those angels, or those demons, or anybody else. I’m only looking out for number one, and you can either get with the program, or I can throw you back into Hell for the other Abaddon to play with, yes? I’m sure he’s only going to get lonelier and angrier down there as time goes by.”
I couldn’t breathe.
My vision was starting to darken.
I thought I saw Azrael turn tail and head for the portal. That should’ve filled me with relief, but it didn’t.
“So,” said Lucifer. “Do we have an understanding here?”
I wanted to tell him to go and fuck himself, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to let him throw me back into Hell, not again. I nodded, and as soon as I did, my airway unsealed, and I was able to take a gulping breath.
“There we go,” he said, patting me on the back. “Much better, isn’t it? See? I can be good for you, Sarakiel. Stop fighting me, and let’s go and take over the cosmos together. It’ll be fun!”
His and my idea of fun were vastly different, but as long as he thought he had some kind of control over me, I had a shot at ending his existence once and for all. And staying with him right now meant I was about to be reunited with Abaddon.
For better, or worse.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ithought Lucifer was going to feed me to his demons. He didn’t. With a cheeky grin and a tap on the forehead, Lucifer sent me far, far away—racing on the back of a flash of bright Light. I didn’t feel a thing. No nausea, no dropping of the stomach, not even a rush of air. One moment I was floating in the sky above the pyramids, the next I was standing in a dark corridor lit only by firelight in sconces.
