“Do monks ever really seem all that emotional?” Mimi asked.
“It’s pretty subtle,” Jack admitted. “Even I didn’t catch it. But Danel was all over it. Before I fully realized what he was doing, he’d tracked the monks to a second cup.”
“What? They had two? How did we not know that?”
“We’ve been tracking the strongest chalices, the ones that we were sure would suffice to carry the godsfire. The one the monks were hiding isn’t among them, but Danel thinks it will work—it’s still a cup of Christ—so Lucifer is over the moon that we managed to bring it back.”
“Wasn’t there anything you could do?” Mimi asked. “Couldn’t you steal it when he wasn’t looking, or something?”
“Believe me, I did everything I could,” Jack said. “Danel was too vigilant. I don’t think he was actually on to me, but we have to remember that none of the angels really trust us, still. It would take centuries for us to reestablish their loyalty to us, and we don’t have that kind of time right now.”
“Not to mention the fact that they’re right,” Mimi pointed out. “We are traitors.”
“There is that,” Jack agreed.
“What are we going to do now?”
“Well, finding a chalice was one of the last steps in being able to use the godsfire as a weapon, but it’s not the final one. Lucifer wants to meet with us tomorrow to discuss our next series of tasks.”
The work of the Dark Angels was never done, Mimi thought.
“We’ve got time to sabotage the process, still,” Jack said. “Whatever these last tasks are, we can fail at those as well. And if we have the opportunity, we’ll steal and destroy the cup.”
“They’ll know it was us,” Mimi said. “If we do it here, there won’t be any hiding it. And we’ll never get Lucifer to dissolve our bond.”
“We’ll find a way,” Jack said. “There’s got to be a way.”
They were summoned to the Dark Prince’s chambers the next morning. His white robes gleamed against his golden throne, and Mimi was awed once again by his otherworldly beauty. This was the face of the Morningstar, Lucifer of the Dawn, the most beautiful angel in history, who had been banished for his vanity, for his greed. This was the Prince of Heaven, consigned to an eternity in Hell. He was smiling, and his joy radiated an intense, almost angry happiness. He was very close to getting what he always wanted, and he knew it.
Danel and Barachiel stood on either side of the throne, dressed in formal golden raiment, wings spread. Danel was giving Mimi the same look that boys from Duchesne used to give her, after she’d given them a taste of the Sacred Kiss. The lascivious anticipation of physical delight that meant he couldn’t wait to be alone with her again. Ew! She should never have kissed him at the train station, but it was too late now.
“My Dark Angels!” Lucifer said, his voice seductively sweet and melodious, as beautiful as the rest of him. “Welcome back. I’m so pleased Abbadon was successful in retrieving the chalice; though I must admit, Azrael, that I’d anticipated more success coming from you. Perhaps you were distracted by the thought of Araquiel as your foe?” he said, using Kingsley’s angel name.
“It wasn’t a problem,” Mimi said. “He’s a formidable opponent, that’s all.”
The Dark Prince grunted. “Formidable is not a word I would use to describe that weakling. I was surprised to hear he defeated you in battle. A first for the mighty Azrael, is it not? Regardless, we shall not concern ourselves with that, for now. We have more important things to discuss. There is one more final task we need to complete before we wage war upon our enemies. For the first, I will need Abbadon’s assistance.”
“At your service, my lord,” Jack said.
“We have discovered the location of the Gate of Promise, but before we are able to return to Paradise, a sacrifice must be made, as before,” he said. “But not just any sacrifice.”
Mimi nodded.
“The gatekeeper must be destroyed in order to obliterate the gate.”
“Then we shall destroy the keeper, whoever it is,” Jack said.
Lucifer looked amused. “I’m so pleased to hear you say that, Abbadon.”
Uh-oh. Mimi had a feeling she knew what was coming.
“The gatekeeper is Gabrielle’s daughter, the human Abomination,” Lucifer said. “Her blood is the key to our salvation.”
Schuyler Van Alen.
The Dark Prince folded his hands under his chin and looked straight at Abbadon. “My spies report that you were once involved with this person, that you went as far as to bond with her. Is that true?”
He knows. Lucifer fucking knows. Mimi felt her body grow cold with fear. This whole secret agent thing was a charade. He had been laughing behind their backs for believing that they could earn their unbonding. The Dark Prince knew all along what Mimi and Jack were up to. He had taken them back into the fold only to screw with them precisely at this moment. This was his revenge. Mimi drew her hand on her hip, where her sword was within reach. We can fight it out. We will die trying, but we will fight it out.