Page 14 of Divine Intervention (Black Rose Auction #2)

14

TLALLI

T he antechamber outside of the viewing room was a mess of whispers and hunched figures, and tension hung like a thick cloud over it. Tlalli tried not to turn toward the door every time someone new entered, berating herself for her unyielding desperation. It was embarrassing for real. She wasn’t trying to be out here investing herself in the whereabouts of a grown-ass man literally old enough to be her father. In fact, she shouldn’t have been investing herself in him at all. Especially when he would continue to get older and she would not. She’d vowed after her mother passed to keep her distance from mortals, and she’d renewed that vow after Anthony. There could be no exception. Not even Cahuani.

The doors in front of them opened, at last admitting patrons into the viewing room.

“Stay close,” Anthony growled.

She didn’t bother answering him. It would be easier to get through the evening if she simply let him think he had any control left where she was concerned.

There didn’t seem to be too many people participating, and the room itself was arranged to create an air of intimacy that warmed Tlalli’s skin. As they strolled along the carpeted floor, she took in the vast variety of rare items arranged upon pedestals around them.

“Where the fuck is Elias?” Anthony hissed, turning back toward the door abruptly and forcing the people behind him to quickly reroute. Tlalli stepped to the side, eying him warily in spite of herself.

He was anxious, and Tlalli hated when he was anxious. When he was anxious, he was reckless, and when he was reckless, he was dangerous. She could overpower him if need be, but she would put it off as long as possible. She could not promise she wouldn’t kill him, and whether Cahuani had accepted that possibility or not, she wasn’t sure how he would look at her if Anthony fell at her hand.

Nevertheless, Anthony’s outburst did seem like enough of a justification for her to reach out to Elias and see where he was.

“Hey, where are you? He’s asking.”

She waited as patiently as she could, feigning interest in a diamond necklace on one of the nearest pedestals. The design was nothing special, and soon, Tlalli found herself more focused on a blue dress in another case, one that pulsed with something she nearly recoiled from.

When she drew closer, she noted the negative energy and obvious magic bleeding from the expensive fabric. Definitely a curse of some kind, a good one too. Nonetheless, Tlalli broke it with a quick wave of her hand if only to cleanse the atmosphere of its effects. No mortal should be fucking with a curse that bad.

She moved on down the line past a few more items, her eyes eventually coming across a petite form on a pedestal down the way. It was a mortal with red hair, pale skin, and a very proud look upon her face. Though before Tlalli could move any closer, Anthony gripped her arm, and she had to focus on not swinging on him. She might’ve done it anyway if he hadn’t immediately let her go.

Regardless, with each passing second, she grew more anxious, wondering if he was trying to get the chalice at this very moment. Had he come across Acheron, the demon thief? Were they fighting each other for it?

Though she assumed if two ancient beings were raging anywhere in the house, there would be some kind of sign she would be able to discern even if the mortals could not.

And if that were the case, she didn’t know what her next move would be. She would want to get as far away from Anthony as possible, but she wasn’t willing to leave Cahuani behind either. He had changed his plans so as to help her escape. She would pay him back for that at least.

It was then she realized that checking the door for him had been pointless all along. She could feel him the moment he entered, not in the way she preferred, but in a way that mattered .

Her heart began to beat faster. Her wings, buried beneath her skin, fluttered. She could not get enough air into her feeble lungs. She nearly let out an audible noise when a voice suddenly echoed in her head, although she realized a moment later that it wasn’t Cahuani’s. Strangely, she wasn’t disappointed.

“I’m on my way in,” Elias replied. “I was—I tried to see if I could maybe get to the chalice before the viewing, see if I couldn’t create a temporary replica of it to put on display, but there’s a concealment charm on it. A very good one.”

“So you couldn’t find it?” She tried not to let her smile bleed into the words.

“Naw, so we’ll stick to the plan for now.”

“Do you think the demons would be able to find it if they looked? Even with the concealment spell?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“Honestly, I don’t know. It is their creation, their magic, but I mean, we’ll know for sure in a bit. If it is on display, we’ll put a locator spell on it, so I can find it later even if it’s hidden.”

Instinctively, she looked toward the door, but it was Cahuani’s eyes she found gazing back at her. Weakness stung her knees like nests of angry wasps, and she only remained upright by sheer power of will.

He looked as impeccable as always beneath his black cowboy hat, his beard freshly trimmed and his red-and-black suit accentuating his muscular arms and chest.

She was instantly transported back to his estate on the eve of winter, watching a massive black bear, larger than any common bear, race toward the woods from the back of the house. She imagined if she saw that same bear now, his fur would be streaked silver, and he would still look like the most powerful animal in existence.

Though even in his human form, Cahuani commanded the room in a way she could not deny. The demons flanking him only emphasized the power he wielded. It was beautiful.

But she could not stare for too long, as moments later, Elias appeared behind him, throwing a glare at the demons. He quickly recovered and instead searched for Tlalli, who waved him over.

“Who the fuck are you—” Anthony began before he saw Elias approaching.

“Have y’all seen it yet?” Elias questioned, saving Tlalli from having to decide whether to scold Anthony this time.

“No, we were waiting for you,” Anthony shot back. “Good job waiting for the fucking demons to get here. What, did y’all walk down together?”

Elias didn’t even answer him, instead turning his attention toward the row of pedestals nearest to them. He read down the numbers until he came to the correct casing, then looked in at the Noli Oblivisci.

To anyone else, it was a simple chalice, golden in color, with red jewels set into the sides. Some kind of intricate writing in a language she couldn’t discern from here was inscribed upon the handles, and the base was studded with smaller black stones. It wasn’t all that unique or interesting on its own, but even at this distance, she could feel the power that coursed through it.

Or was that merely the strong scent of bait?

It would seem safe to assume the demons had already retrieved the real chalice, given that Acheron was now at Cahuani’s side. Acheron also didn’t look particularly disappointed, but of course, she did not know the demon well enough, meaning she could not see his true face. And who knew what was etched there.

So she focused on Cahuani again, telling herself it was strictly business but refraining from reaching out telepathically anyway. She didn’t trust her expressions this close to Anthony, and she didn’t need him causing a scene.

Cahuani, too, seemed to be masking his emotions, his jaw tight and his lips pursed. Yet amidst all this regal formality, Tlalli caught sight of his breast pocket, a familiar piece of red lace sticking out in a way that maybe could be mistaken for a pocket square. If you weren’t her and hadn’t put those panties there yourself at least.

She hid a smile behind her hand and turned back toward Elias, who was still inspecting the chalice.

“Is it the one?” Anthony asked, sweat beading along his temple.

“Yeah, feels like it,” Elias stated. “Can you feel it too, Tlalli?”

“Very much so,” she returned dutifully. “That has to be it.”

“Not that she would tell you the truth anyway,” Anthony sneered.

Both of them ignored him.

“Go ’head,” Elias encouraged her.

“Naw, I got it,” Anthony said, but Elias put a hand on his chest before Anthony could move toward the chalice.

“Absolutely not,” Elias said sternly. “Go ’head, Tlalli.”

Tlalli didn’t hesitate, moving around both of them and quickly placing a locator spell on the cup. It was over and done in a matter of seconds, and the three of them moved away.

“I’ll grab it the moment the house goes quiet tonight,” Elias said.

“And what if it’s a trap?” Anthony shot back. “What are the odds the demons won’t get it first? Or that they haven’t already gotten it? We should just wait until?—”

“I’m not doing this with you again, Anthony,” Elias returned immediately. “Our job was to get the chalice back. As far as I’m concerned, it’s right there. We stick to the plan.”

“Fuck the plan. We?—”

“Unless Michael calls me to tell me ‘fuck the plan,’ we’re sticking to it.”

Anthony mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like “we’ll see,” but before Elias or Tlalli could question it, he was storming back toward the exit.

“What do you think he’s gonna do?” Elias asked her.

“What can he do?” she replied. “He can’t stop you from taking it, Elias, and as soon as you have it, it won’t matter. So stick to the plan like you said.”

“Right.” He paused. “But aye, don’t... Just steer clear of him tonight, all right?”

Again, he sounded legitimately concerned, and again, it took everything in Tlalli not to have a visceral reaction to that. She had been in this vessel too long. The emotions it held were beginning to weigh on her more the longer she stared into those kind, brown eyes behind his circular glasses. His tongue moved across his lips, and she remembered her phone was under his mattress. Somehow, in this moment, his care felt more intimate than the video on that phone, and she had no means of explaining that. Her fingers twitched at her side.

She took a step back.

“That was always the plan,” she assured him. “But you send a signal if you need me. I’m so serious right now, Elias.”

He gave her a weak smile. “I will.”

She didn’t believe him. Yet what could be done? Truth was, she was more set on believing that Anthony wouldn’t try anything. He had to know going against Elias would be a death sentence, rendering all that glory he had been fighting for null and void. Elias was likely one of the only beings in existence who could kill Anthony and not be shunned for it by the Dominion.

Plus, there was no reincarnation for angels, and she doubted the Puri would welcome Anthony back to Hell for anything other than punishment, so Anthony would just be dead. Not even Michael could save him from that outcome.

Tlalli supposed everything boiled down to whether or not Michael was involved. If he wasn’t, Anthony would either get himself killed or give up and go home when the auction ended. If Michael was involved though and he decided to come to Anthony’s rescue, well . . . it wouldn’t matter because none of them here stood a chance against Michael. It would be up to the Puri to intervene.

Tlalli never knew how exactly she felt about Michael, just like she never really knew how she felt about his god. His god never felt like her god, especially when she had never once interacted with Him.

It wasn’t a question of belief or faith. Those were the woes of mortals. When angel blood ran through your veins, it felt like solid proof of His existence, especially when angels, demons, and everything in between had a name for Him.

Still, Michael had always seemed to be the one in charge. Maybe he had bullied his god into submission too.

Or maybe the Righteous God did exist, and he had simply lost interest in the toiling of mortals and monsters, no longer willing to pull the strings only to watch them cut into his own fingers. Whatever it was, Michael held the reins, and that was more than enough for Tlalli to distrust the entire system. There was no one in Heaven that would save her from Michael, meaning there was no one that would save her from Anthony. She would have to save herself.

As she turned away from Elias with that thought in mind, she once more caught Cahuani’s eyes piercing into her from across the room. Her heart fluttered into her throat, causing her breath to stagger. Without thinking, she reached for him.

“You wanna get outta here?”

He answered straight away. “I’ll meet you at my door in seven.”

“Make it six.”

“You got a deal.”

Though she did hesitate. Something in her held her in place a moment longer than she had meant to stay. Her gaze was drawn back to Elias, who was staring at the chalice with soft eyes. Why did this feel like the last time she would ever see him? And why did that bother her so much all of a sudden?

At last, she tore herself away from him and left the room, then made her way back up to the main house and sought out the nearest stairwell. From there, she projected herself directly to Cahuani’s door, only then remembering that she would have to wait for him anyway. It was shameful how impatient she was, but she needed to be cleansed of the evening as soon as possible. Including the rot of Anthony’s energy and the soft lilt of Elias’s voice.

She hated to celebrate prematurely, but she felt she had won. She would be free of Anthony, of Michael, of all of it, in just over a day, and no matter what came next, she could at least say she had made her own decision and stood by it.

Cahuani came upon her suddenly, pressing her into the door and knocking her out of the fantasy of the very thing that was coming to pass. He kissed her neck and ran his hands down the front of her thighs until he turned his fingers inward. They grazed her bare pussy before she could brace herself, and she moaned against the door.

“That was longer than six,” she managed.

“You’ll get your six.” He grunted.

Then they were falling through the open door.