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I open my eyes to see the brothers in full battle, throwing each other around the small room.
“Get up,” a female voice orders. I look up to see Lumiel, standing above me with her hand extended. “Get up now, or you will die.”
“I won’t leave him.”
“Then you’re going to die in this room. Come with me if you want to live. Zaphriel will find you if he survives.” She turns toward the raging battle. “You’re running out of time.”
I allow her to pull me to a standing position. Together, we run from the room and into the empty hallway. The building reminds me of an old warehouse with brick-lined hallways and steel handrails throughout. Lumiel is practically dragging me through the hallway, forced to slow to a human pace.
“What’s going to happen to them?”
“One of them will die,” she answers coldly.
We round the corner, turning into a hallway that looks identical to the last three we’ve been through. I don’t know if she’s leading me into a trap or freedom.
She leads us into a large open courtyard surrounded by four-story brick walls on each side. We stand in the middle, frozen in place. “Why are we stopping? She’s going to find us.”“This was far enough.” She smiles, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. What the hell?
“What did you do?” I ask, looking around the open courtyard. “You fucking bitch. You tricked me.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” a voice I recognize from earlier scolds. “Foul language is verbiage of a weak mind.”
Turning toward the voice, the image of a goddess stands before me. She’s at least six feet tall, with dark hair that falls to her waist. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of lavender and perfectly accent her tawny skin. “Lilith,” I whisper.
“The one and only.” She smiles warmly. “It seems Zaphriel has been a very bad boy. Consorting with human women has been outlawed for many millennia. Seems that’s what got several of them in trouble in the first place.” She laughs. “That’s a story for another day.” She smiles, moving closer. “He works for me now.”
“What if he doesn’t want to work with you?” My voice is no louder than a whisper.
“That’s simply not allowed. He has no choice.”
“You can’t force someone to follow you.”
Lilith laughs, filling the courtyard with sound. “I can and will. Don’t presume to know me, human.”
“Maybe it’s time to change that.”
She moves toward me. “Your naivety is cute, but I’m through entertaining it. Look around you, girl. This life you think you’re living is not your own. It never has been. You’re a puppet, just like the rest of them. Caught up in their little matrix of life. Working, sleeping, eating, fornicating…it’s all just part of the game. Everyone knows that game pieces must have a team to play for.”
“Zaph fell to earth for me.”
“Is that what he told you?” She moves close enough that I can smell her sweet perfume. “Angels don’t choose to fall. Your sweet guardian angel was forced from his spot.”
“That’s not true. I’ve studied many works on the subject over the years.” Didn’t I? Now, I’m second-guessing myself and years of research. Dammit, she’s in my head.
The flowy gown Lilith is wearing touches my cheek, lifted by an invisible wind. “Your precious Zaphriel was thrown from heaven, just like the rest of them.” Lilith smiles once more. Her teeth have transformed and look like fangs. “No, my dear. We don’t choose to fall. We’re expelled.” She lifts me from the ground, using the hand grasped around my face.
Instinctively, I grab her arm, trying to hold myself up. The pain that fills my body is excruciating.
“Zaphriel has no choice but to join us.”
“Put her down,” a deep voice says from behind.
Lilith looks up with a smile. “I see who won the fight. I will say, I’m surprised. My money was on your brother, but you surprise me. What a wonderful addition you’ll make to the team.”
“I’m not on your team, and I’m not asking you again. Put her down.”
Slowly, my body is lowered to the ground, allowing me to breathe again.
“Kill him,” Lilith orders Lumiel.
