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“Wait. I agreed to what you wanted.”

“But you remain an Abomination. How can I trust you?”

I hold up my hands.

“Seriously. We’re done here. Go be psycho in Kansas. Become a Republican. Run for governor. I don’t care. Just get out of L.A.”

“I will, but you must go too.”

“You mean you want to kill me like Chris. I don’t think so.”

“It’s the only way.”

“I knew it. Never trust an angel.”

She manifests her Gladius. There’s nothing else I can do. I manifest mine.

Zadkiel is fast and strong and I’m still not a hundred percent. She doesn’t even bother trying to kill me at first. She has a good old time punching and kicking me around the flying saucer house. Furniture splinters. She knocks the TV off the wall. Pushes me back into the kitchen and kills the microwave, so I can’t heat up leftovers.

That’s when I lose my temper.

I swing my Gladius at her belly, but she sees the blow coming and smashes her sword into mine. The shock wave from the two divine weapons’ meeting blows the kitchen to pieces. I manage to work my way around her and back into the open space of the living room.

Zadkiel bares her teeth at me.

“When I’m done with you, I’ll close the gates again. That’s your punishment for being a fool, Abomination.”

I do the only thing I can think of. I bark some Hellion hoodoo and set fire to her wings.

Zadkiel shrieks in pain and outrage. She spins around, bouncing off the walls, waving her wings, trying to put out the flames. Her screams are like sonic booms, and I have to put my hands over my ears before my skull explodes. The stink of burning feathers is even worse than the Malediction. She falls to the floor. Her wings are nothing but cartilage and gristle hanging from her back.

While she’s distracted, I shoot in with my Gladius over my head and slash her from her throat to her waist.

Her sword flickers out. She looks at me, wild eyed, and grabs my arm. Even dying, she’s strong. Zadkiel pulls me on top of her. She closes her eyes and when she opens them she gives me a last sad smile. We both lie there, beaten and aching.

“You should have murdered me before,” she says.

“I was going to let you live.”

She puts a bloody hand to my cheek.

“I want you to know that this is all your fault.”

“What is?”

She grimaces in pain. Tears run down her face.

“I’ve done something awful. Just awful. You’ll see.”

“Did you close the gates?”

She shakes her head.

“Something much worse.”

Before I can say another word she dies and fades from existence.

I fall onto my back.