Battle With Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

Smug dick was right. This guy might appear lovely and virtuous, what with the cream and gold and flawlessness, but his arrogance was pretty extreme.

“I didn’t know what Amorette was,” Lucifer admitted.

“Ah, but part of you must’ve. It drew you in, I would wager.” Now Michael’s smile was triumphant.

“Can you guys do this later?” I asked, letting my heavy lids fall again.

“Why should I do this for her?” Michael asked.

Not much for doing things out of the goodness of your heart, huh? I thought. Your image is obviously a false advertisement.

“She seems to have your wit. How truly unfortunate,” the angel murmured, clearly also able to hear thoughts. I’d figured as much.

“She took a wound standing against me,” Lucifer said. “Surely that is worth your good humor.”

“Is that all? Even your friends want to do that more often than not.”

Lucifer’s arms tensed. “Unlike me, she has worthy intentions. She was tortured at the hands of the elves, badly mistreated, and even still, she showed up here, leading a party of loyal friends, to protect the creatures of the Realm from being overtaken by us. As she lay in my arms, waiting to die, she asked that I help the elves rebuild a more fair and just leadership in the Realm so the worlds would exist in balance, something you seem to have forgotten was important when you shut yourself away and turned your back on the humans who worship your kind. She is attempting to sacrifice herself for the greater good, Michael. Surely that is her mother’s magic talking, not mine. She is worthy of your healing touch, as much as it pains me to admit. She is a child—my child. I must ask this of you.”

Michael paused for what felt like ages. A cool hand landed on my forehead, blaring light behind my eyes.

“I see you are speaking the truth,” he finally said to Lucifer. “I see the blackness of her soul and the purity of her heart. How intriguing.”

That sounds like a great compliment, I thought, and would’ve smiled if it hadn’t required so much effort. At least the pain in my leg was gone. Ordinarily that would be bad, meaning I was beyond feeling pain, but with this clown dragging things out, it was nice to have a break from that intense pounding.

“She has a friend graced with our magic,” Michael went on.

“Your magic,” Lucifer corrected him.

“Two mages, it seems. Connected.” Michael turned to look below. “And Cahal Druer is her ally.” He smiled. “I have never met him in person, but I’ve heard such great things. I should like to meet him. Sometimes the ladies can make an average man sound great—”

“Just in comparison to you,” Lucifer muttered.

“—solely because of his appearance. I wonder if his soul matches the accounts I have heard.”

“You wish to see the handiwork of your brethren? Fantastic. You can witness the haunting sorrow behind his eyes,” Lucifer taunted him. “Regardless, that druid has taken a liking to her. He protects her. How much damned proof do you need that she is worthy?”

“Damned, yes.” Michael studied Lucifer’s face and then his body, black as night and demonic in appearance, his flying form. “It seems you have damned her and are looking to us for her salvation, correct?”

I felt Lucifer tighten again. “Whatever sucks your cock, Michael, sure.”

“Good heavens,” Michael said, and I did grin this time. If he’d had some pearls, he’d be clutching them.

Michael looked down at me again, his ethereal glow starting to stress out my eyes. “Release her,” he said, holding up a palm.

Lucifer did so, pulling his arms away and stepping back. Although I didn’t sink or fall through the air, I reached for him in a sudden, inexplicable gush of anxiety. I hadn’t realized it, but while on the brink of a death that I had not seen coming (my bad), he’d been my security blanket. My comfort. I hadn’t been afraid when in his protection.

On my own now, hovering in the air in front of a creature I did not know, I felt vulnerable and exposed.

“Why should you live?” Michael asked me.

“That’s not for me to answer,” I replied. “I don’t make the rules regarding life and death.”

His brow furrowed. He clearly had not expected that reply. “Would you like to live?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

I sighed and tried to get a view of the fields below me. My body tilted up to a somewhat standing position, although it was not controlled by me.

My impression earlier had been spot-on. Everything below us was frozen, as though someone had flipped a switch, turning off time. Angels floated above the highest of the fliers, looking down at the battlefield. Each of them had a sheen or an ethereal glow of varying brightness, the strength of which probably had something to do with their power.