Battle With Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

“Please, I’d like to see Darius,” I said, my voice not much more than a whisper. “I need to say goodbye.”

I swore I’d already asked that. I didn’t think my dad would deny my last wish, would he?

“Hold on,” Lucifer said, looking upward. “They’re coming.”

I meant to ask who, but my head was unbearably heavy.

Not to rain on your parade, I thought, since it was so much easier than talking, but I don’t have long. I screwed up with that wound.

“I know. Shh,” he said, and the glowing orbs grew brighter and brighter, nearly hurting my eyes. Sound diminished until I could only hear Lucifer breathing. I’d already stopped. It took too much effort.

One of the orbs grew and grew as it came nearer. Only then did I realize it wasn’t an orb at all, but a person with snow-white wings beating at the air.

I frowned and let my head loll that way, blinking against the ethereal glow emanating from the man’s dewy-soft skin.

You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought. Is that an angel? Like, for real? I’ve heard them talked about, obviously, but a part of me didn’t believe it.

“They spawned those horrific stories for the humans, yes,” Lucifer said, his voice filled with annoyance and disdain.

“Lucifer,” the being said, but not with his mouth. Also not in my head. It was very confusing. He smiled at me, a serene sort of expression that annoyed me for reasons I couldn’t really understand. His face was the image of loveliness, as perfect as Vlad’s but not obnoxiously so. His disposition was as polite and graceful as Romulus’s, but in a more pleasing way.

“Michael,” Lucifer said. “Thanks for coming.” He didn’t sound all that grateful. More like spiteful. They clearly didn’t have a great relationship.

Michael’s smile stayed in place, and he bent his head a little while spreading out his hands. He wore a flowing shirt and pants so wide they almost looked like a skirt, obviously not a fan of color, since everything was the same shade of cream.

“I was not expecting to hear from you,” Michael said without speaking. “The last time I saw you, you were so adamant that we’d have no more interaction. When was that?” He tapped his chin in thought.

“You paid me a visit after your people spared and ruined the druid,” Lucifer supplied.

“Ruined?” Michael’s beautiful face turned quizzical. “Ah, with our magic, you mean. You detest it.”

“Your magic. I remade mine.”

“Yes, of course. How could I forget.”

He’d clearly not forgotten, judging by his mocking tone.

“Your people altered the druid’s magic,” Lucifer said. “In their heavy-handedness, they disguised his ancestral magic, dooming him to walk the earth alone. You wouldn’t know this, of course, because you abandoned him.” Lucifer tsked. “Very bad form, dooming your favorites.”

A lovely frown pulled at Michael’s features.

“That’s not why I call you, though,” Lucifer said. “Some things are more important than my hatred of you.” He looked down at me. “She is dying. She’s in need of healing.”

Michael looked down on me with compassion and pity. “She has your magic, does she not? I cannot heal the likes of what you have become. A disastrous, disgusting sort of monster.”

“Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten what your heritage feels like in the veins of mortals?” Lucifer asked, and I thought that was rich coming from him. He apparently hadn’t recognized my mother’s heritage, or he never would have taken up with her. “And I am the black sheep? At least I pay attention to a world other than my own.”

Again the lovely frown, this glowing fellow very slow on the uptake.

“Godly magic,” I whispered, too tired to put any oomph behind my words. The only good news was that time seemed to have stopped. That, or everyone below had gone totally still, and they were all looking on like a very polite audience. Given Lucifer’s feelings regarding angels, I didn’t think that was likely behavior for the demons, at least.

“Her mother is of your line,” Lucifer said. “Well…” He paused. “Hopefully not yours. I’d hate to think there was a smug dick somewhere in her past.”

“Such colorful language you have accrued.” Michael pursed his lips and bent a little more, sniffing as though smelling me. He peeled back one of my eyelids, studying me with gorgeous, deep blue eyes. “Ah. It is true. How interesting.” His smile stretched wide, his gaze returning to Lucifer. “You sought out a woman with magic from your past and married it with what you are now. How do you find the result? Better than the previous, I should think, if you are asking for my aid.”

“Not your aid specifically,” Lucifer said. “I would’ve given all the gold in my kingdom to keep you from coming.”

“And yet all the gold in your kingdom wouldn’t have been enough to save your daughter.”