Page 20

Chapter Twenty

It was my day off.

Usually, that meant lounging on the couch, devouring bucket loads of candy, and laughing at Vol and Purrgatory’s antics. Not today, though. Today, there was no lounging, no candy, and definitely no laughing. Instead, there was a whole lot of broodiness, gloominess, and doominess—all compliments of one Rathiel.

Ever since last night, he’d been trying to keep his distance. But such a feat was next to impossible when sharing a cramped living space like my apartment. Every time I turned around, there he was, underfoot. I’d tripped over his behemoth-sized body more times than I’d tripped over Purrgatory—and that said a lot, because Purrgatory was a sadistic little nugget when it came to winding through my legs.

It was beyond frustrating.

Naturally, Vol found our situation utterly comical. So much so that he’d decided to make matters worse, as Vol oft did. In the last hour, he’d found Purrgatory’s stash of toys and had turned the apartment into his own personal battlefield. Armed with a makeshift slingshot he’d cobbled together from a rubber band and a bent spoon, he kept launching cat toys across the kitchen—and right at Rathiel. With alarming precision, I might add.

“Fire in the hole!”

I whirled around at the sound of Vol’s shout and watched as a small jingly ball smacked Rathiel right in the forehead. Rathiel went deathly still, his terrifying glare aimed right at Vol. That should have convinced the imp to knock it off—it would have convinced me—but instead, Vol just grinned and loaded up another toy, this time a fuzzy mouse. Apparently, he’d chosen death today.

As he pulled back the rubber band, I took a step forward, about to snatch the stupid slingshot from his little hands, when Vol released the ammunition, and struck Rathiel in the shoulder.

Rathiel snarled and lunged forward.

With a small gasp, I snatched Vol up, my fingers pinning his arms—slingshot and all—to his sides.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s just take a breath,” I said, my voice deceptively calm.

Vol squirmed against me, but truly, the six-inch imp was no match for me. I merely tightened my grip and held up the menace so I could look him in the eyes.

“Knock it off,” I growled at him. “Or next time, I’ll let Rathiel kill you.”

Vol rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious, Vol,” I snapped. “Sense the mood. Neither of us is enjoying your antics today.”

I set Vol down with a sigh—knowing full well he had no intentions of listening to me—then watched him scamper off, abandoning me to the tension-filled kitchen.

I snuck a glance at Rathiel, who averted his gaze. Yeah, that was it. I’d had enough.

“Come on,” I said, pivoting on my heel. I stalked to my piddly little coat closet and pulled out our jackets. I tossed his over without a word, then reached inside for my bag of blades. With a quick unzip, I grabbed Inferno’s Kiss and strapped it on—hidden beneath my jacket but accessible.

Rathiel’s gaze sharpened as he watched me gear up. “Where exactly are we going?”

“We’re going to check out the portal,” I replied, pulling my jacket on. “Make sure all’s well with it.”

“Now?” he asked, sounding skeptical.

“You got a better idea?” I replied, my tone sharp. I couldn’t stand being cooped up in this apartment another minute. I adjusted my collar and stared at Rathiel. “We both need some fresh air, and who knows,” I added with a smirk, “maybe we’ll find a hellspawn or two to kill. Might help you snap out of this funk.”

“I don’t have a funk.”

“Oh, you have a funk,” I corrected him. “Trust me. You stink of funk.”

Rathiel paused mid-zipper, eyeing me like he wasn’t quite sure if I was serious.

“You’ve been moping around here like a kicked puppy, and frankly, it’s driving me insane. I figure cracking a few skulls open might improve your mood.”

Rathiel’s mouth twitched, caught between a smirk and a scowl. “And if we don’t find anything at the portal?”

“Then you get to enjoy a walk in the cold with my charming company.” I shot him a mocking smile and opened the door. “Don’t forget your sword.”

* * *

It was a long walk to the Alberta Legislature Building, but I didn’t mind it. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d needed some fresh air. By the time we neared our destination, night had settled in, and the streets had quieted. We passed a few couples out for walks, bundled against the chill, and paused to take in the view of the North Saskatchewan River. By the time we reached the grounds, security was out in full force, patrolling close to the building.

I led Rathiel toward the portal, hoping no one would disturb us there.

“So…” I started, glancing over at him as we walked. “Now that we’re out here enjoying this lovely winter air, care to tell me what’s bothering you?”

I mean, I had an idea. But that was the issue. I only had an idea. Because Rathiel kept everything locked up tighter than Fort Knox and trying to get an answer out of him was like pulling teeth. Even his secrets had secrets. And it was maddening.

Rathiel’s jaw clenched—oh great, that again—and he gave me one of his signature scowls. “I’m fine.”

Inwardly, I screamed. A long, ear-splitting mental scream that, if I had my way, would have shattered every window in a five-kilometer radius. He infuriated me. I just wanted to grip him by the shoulders and shake him until his aggravating head popped right off.

Instead, I took a deep, cleansing breath and tried another approach. I stopped walking and placed a hand on his arm, all gentle-like.

Rathiel froze, his gaze dropping to where my fingers rested. If I wasn’t mistaken, his breath hitched and his pupils expanded. I wasn’t stupid. Obviously, there was an attraction between us. Anyone with eyes could see that. But the way he reacted to me suggested there was something more than attraction between us. And it pissed me off that he wouldn’t talk about it.

Because it left me drowning in questions he refused to answer. It wasn’t like I had anyone else I could ask, either. He was the only person I could rely on right now. But he guarded his secrets like a dragon hoarding gold.

It made me want to punch him. Hard. In the gonads. Twice.

“Look,” I said, my voice low and deceptively calm. “Something’s clearly bothering you. Let’s talk about it.”

Rathiel blew out a heavy breath, one that fogged in the winter air, before muttering, “I can’t.”

I considered his response, then asked, “Can’t or won’t? Because there’s a huge difference between the two.”

“Both,” he replied.

“Rathiel,” I growled, that murderous rage creeping up in me again. He just had this unique way of pulling it out of me.

“It’s complicated, Lily,” he said.

“Of course it is,” I snapped, sarcasm dripping from my words. “Because, with you, everything’s complicated. Secrets wrapped in riddles buried in puzzles.”

He tore his gaze away from me.

I considered backing off. Again. Like I had every time before this. But backing off hadn’t gotten me anywhere with him. And every time, I was left with more questions. No, I needed to push. And when he retreated, as I expected he would, I’d need to push harder. I refused to continue living in the dark, struggling to piece together scraps of my own life. These were my memories, and this was my life. Rathiel had no right to withhold any of it from me. I didn’t care about his reasons anymore. I didn’t care that it might be too dangerous for me to know the truth. No one had the right to decide this for me—especially not him. Not when he was the one responsible for exiling me here.

I tightened my grip on Rathiel’s arm, my fingers digging in. “This is your last chance,” I told him. “I deserve the truth. And I don’t care what your reasons are anymore. Whatever happened, whatever it is you’re hiding, it’s my life. I deserve to know.”

His eyes fluttered shut, and, shockingly, he didn’t speak. Just as I was about to issue my final ultimatum, he broke and murmured. “You’ll hate me.”

My chest tightened at the sound of his small voice. I’d never heard him speak like that before. He sounded almost…sad. But I couldn’t let that distract me. I couldn’t let my sympathy for him deter me from learning the truth.

“You’re risking that either way,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be better if I hated you for the right reasons rather than the wrong ones?”

His eyes opened and he frowned. “That’s some messed up Lily logic.”

I bit back the smile that threatened to curve my mouth. I couldn’t let him think I was letting him off the hook.

When I didn’t offer him anything further, he sighed and shook his head. “You think you’re angry now. But if you knew the whole story, if you knew everything …”

“That’s not your call to make,” I said. “And things are only going to get worse the longer you continue to hide things from me. The only way we can heal and move forward is with honesty.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes stormy with the battle he was clearly waging inside. “You don’t understand.”

“Then help me understand.” I took a step closer, my gaze never wavering. “Because I’m not backing down this time. And if you don’t come clean about everything—and I mean everything —I’m revoking your invitation to my home.”

His eyes snapped back to me, sharp and almost panicked. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I?” I asked. We both knew I would. I didn’t bluff.

If I retracted the invitation, he wouldn’t be able to enter my apartment again. Which meant he’d spend his nights sleeping on the streets, or making a nest in a tunnel like Deidre had. My apartment was hardly luxurious, but it had a shower and a place for him to rest his head. Not to mention, it had me. I had a feeling he wouldn’t risk losing any of that.

We stood there, the tension between us thick enough to cut. Rathiel scowled at me, as though he believed his glare would force me to change my mind. But nope. It barely affected me. I’d seen worse. My father was Lucifer, for crying out loud. Rathiel might have been his right-hand guy, but he didn’t possess a fraction of the anger, hate, and fury that my father did.

Finally, Rathiel exhaled, a heavy sigh of defeat. “Fine. But you’re not going to like it.”

I smirked, sarcasm slipping back in. “When have I ever?”

Before Rathiel could continue, he stiffened beside me, his gaze drifting away as if something had caught his attention. I rolled my eyes. Classic avoidance.

“Really?” I scoffed, crossing my arms. “I’m not going to fall for that?—”

He didn’t even glance my way. “Shush.”

I blinked, a snarky retort ready on my tongue, but something in the way he stood—rigid and focused, like a freaking bloodhound—made me pause. He wasn’t just trying to avoid the conversation; he’d picked up on something.

“Vampire,” he muttered, the word so quiet I almost missed it.

I sniffed the air, catching the faint metallic scent of blood carried on the breeze. “Oh.”

The irritation faded, replaced with a sharp spike of adrenaline. With the portal so close by, I wondered if we’d stumbled across a stray hellspawn that needed some murdering. We certainly couldn’t let it wander the streets. Guess our conversation would have to wait.

Rathiel began moving, following the scent trail away from the portal. I fell into step beside him, our footsteps silent in the snow as we weaved through the grounds, keeping to the shadows. Soon, a figure came into view—a tall vampire draped in a dark coat, its collar turned up against the cold. He moved with an air of ease, strolling as if he had all the time in the world, his gait unhurried and casual.

I shot Rathiel a glance, raising a questioning brow. The vampire didn’t seem particularly threatening. In fact, as he passed a few bundled pedestrians on the sidewalk, they hardly gave him a second look. Not one person seemed unnerved by his presence, and no trace of alarm lingered in the air. I frowned. “Is he simply out for a walk?”

Rathiel’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he urged me to stay close as we trailed the vampire from a safe distance. For several blocks, we kept to the edges of the street, moving in tandem with the vampire’s leisurely pace as he drifted through the quiet residential area. I was just beginning to wonder if he’d led us on a pointless journey when he finally turned a corner, his steps carrying him toward the gates of a nearby abandoned cemetery.

The wrought-iron gates creaked softly as he slipped inside, disappearing into the shadows between the tombstones. Rathiel and I exchanged a glance before we followed, slipping through the gates as silently as we could manage. Our steps were slow as we navigated the rows of gravestones. Up ahead, the vampire had come to a stop before a modest tombstone, his head bowed, a strange stillness settling over him.

An earthbound vampire, then? Visiting the grave of a loved one?

I sighed, about to signal that we leave, when the atmosphere around us suddenly shifted.

Something dark and far more dangerous, swept through the cemetery like a cold gust of wind, sending a shiver down my spine.

Rathiel stiffened again before he slowly pivoted, his body coiling.

“What is it?” I whispered.

The vampire, who had been still and contemplative just seconds before, suddenly tensed. His head whipped up, and his gaze darted around, eyes wide with alarm. Without a word, he spun on his heel and sprinted out of the cemetery, his steps frantic as he disappeared into the shadows of the night.

I barely had time to register the vampire’s panicked flight before Rathiel grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back hard, stepping in front of me. His wings unfurled so fast and with such force that they shredded his winter jacket, the jagged, blackened feathers tearing through the fabric like paper. In one swift movement, his wings created an impenetrable shield in front of me, blocking my view.

“Rath—” I barely managed to choke out before he lifted his hand and silenced me with a sharp motion.

I craned my neck, leaning out from behind the cover of his wings just enough to glimpse of a figure that clearly had Rathiel on edge.

And my stomach dropped.

Gremory.

One of Lucifer’s fallen angels and a carnage demon. One of the worst.

“My, oh my,” Gremory’s voice slithered through the air, cold and cruel. “Look who we have here.”

He stood perched on a nearby mausoleum, his wings, black as night, stretched out behind him. He was larger than I remembered—and far more menacing. His presence seemed to fill the entire cemetery, oppressive and suffocating like an impending storm.

Rathiel’s stance was rigid, his wings still spread wide, keeping me behind him, but I could feel his entire body vibrating with tension. He was ready to spring, every muscle tight like a predator waiting to strike.

I swallowed hard.

If Gremory was here…well, that could only mean one thing.

The moment we’d dreaded had arrived—Lucifer’s fallen had found me.