“What are you thinking, Frank?” Rahim asked with a graveled stutter, his ursine face just inches from mine. Katon stood behind him, his sword wavering in my direction, fury and confusion engraved upon his dark face with equal measure. He’d always thought I’d betray them one day, believing I still owed a debt to Baalth. He might be right about the betrayal, but in my defense, I’d never do it on purpose.
By accident or incompetence was an entirely different matter.
Watching as Azrael and thousands of violent intruders disappeared into Eden’s gate, I felt my chest tighten as the stress of the last few days caught up to me all at once. My legs going limp beneath me, I fell to my knees staring up at the ashen flakes that drifted down toward us. Thunder rumbled so loud it shook the ground, but the gates stayed open, enemies pouring into its gaping maw.
“I’m thinking I just fucked us all,” I answered in all honesty. “How was it?”
Though the original plan never really had any realistic chance of a happy ending-at least not for us-had I stuck to it we could have gone out with some semblance of honor, dying in battle, however futile. Instead, I went with a stray thought that popped into my head after days of sleep deprivation, drunkenness, and plain old fashioned physical abuse. It wasn’t one of my most rational moves.
After a moment of screaming at me, Katon and Rahim stumbled off and I barely noticed. My eyes were frozen on Eden. Not only had I condemned us all, but I’d pushed Uriel and Forcalor under the bus while I was at it. I’m nothing if not generous.
My stomach a boiling pit of guilt and acid, I heard a high pitched whine scream to life. It sliced through my skull. Above us, flickers of light, like a million matches being lit at once, appeared before the gate.
I looked to Rahim as he readied his magic to take him and Katon up to Eden, apparently oblivious to the sound. “Wait!” I screamed at them as the whine grew inside my head. Pointing to Heaven, they glanced up to see the flickers.
Right then, the world exploded.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A wave of energy erupted from Eden, a searing light burning away everything in the sky in a whitewash of brilliance. The piercing whine a physical agony that threatened to shatter my skull, I covered my head and curled up in a ball as the sky rained down on top of us. Hurricane winds buffeted my back and its sharpened tongues licked at any exposed flesh, searing lines of agony appearing red across my arms and scalp, a patchwork of razor cuts.
After a moment of slicing torment, the wind subsided and I braved a quick glance through shredded fingers. The energy disbursed, I could see again, though tiny flashes of pop-lights plagued my vision, flickering in and out to the frantic rhythm of my heartbeat.
From above, pieces of flesh and bone, scraps of clothing, and a wet red rain fell all around us, the ground pooling moist beneath it.
The gates of Eden were charred an ashy gray, wisps of smoke drifting out in great tendrils. The skies around them were blotted out by an oily blackness, the clouds and deadly snow gone. The world was silent, though I wasn’t sure if it actually was or if my eardrums had just burst. I touched my hand to my ears and came away with spots of blood. Both were an option apparently.
Nearby, Rahim and Katon got to their feet, appearing just as disheveled and battered as I felt. There was no doubt we all looked like twice-warmed shit. They glanced at me with questions in their eyes, and I shrugged, all of our gazes swinging upwards as the world suddenly became brighter.
The obsidian dark was squeegeed from the sky in thick swaths revealing shining stars and glimmers of moonlight as the unnatural blackness was washed away. Quiet thunder sounded in the distance and I began to be able to hear the muffled splashes of the morbid rain that fell around us. Guess I wasn’t deaf after all.
Then suddenly, a whispered song fluttered into my head, a melodic chant that seemed to float around us as though it had substance. After a moment, the song rose in volume and a shimmering light appeared in the darkness of Eden’s gate.
Roughly spherical, the light drifted from the gate and hovered in the sky above us. Tiny wisps of dimmer lights circled about the sphere like moons in orbit around a planet. Its light so bright, that after a minute, I had to look away, flickering dots searing on my eyeballs.
A gasp drew my eyes back up, the light having dimmed. At its center floated what appeared to be an old man, a long white beard flowing down his narrow chest. His bald head glistened in the light and golden eyes stared down at the battlefield from under thick white eyebrows. He held out his hands, his light brown robes fluttering despite there being no breeze.
Though I’d never seen him before, it didn’t take a genius to realize that this was Metatron. His power butted against my senses like hurricane force winds, and I was kind of glad I hadn’t chosen to stand, the feeling humbling.
“Begone! Heaven is not yours to defile.” His voice roared through the air and his words slapped against my face as though they were a solid object.
Already in retreat mode, the Nephilim needed no further encouragement to hit the road running. Cockroaches scrambling for cover under the lights, they scattered in every direction but up. There was nothing to see but half- breed assholes and elbows for miles.
I caught sight of Venai as she summoned an escape portal, Jorn’s massive bulk alongside her. She cast a furious glance my direction and slid her thumb across her throat before diving through her gate. Jorn trundled after and the portal disappeared.
The vampires were long gone by then, and what remained of the weres imitated the Nephilim and hightailed it out of sight. After just a few minutes, the battlefield was clear of the living, only the dead and us still in attendance. If I’d had any energy left, I’d have been right there with them.
Metatron watched the retreat for a moment, then turned his focus on us. He looked from Rahim to Katon and then his golden gaze settled on me. It took everything I had not to look away. His power still battered my senses, but it had been tempered to a manageable level.
He drifted down and settled before me, his sandaled feet floating inches above the ground. He shook his head as he appraised me. Still on my knees, I felt a bit awkward so I got back to my feet. Weariness helped keep my fear in check.
“Duke Forcalor told me you were a fool, Triggaltheron, but I would never have imagined it was to such an extent.” He stuck his hand out and there was an empty vial in his wrinkled palm. His face was expressionless, but there was a sense of dire seriousness wafting off his words. Not sure what he wanted me to do with the empty vial, I left it sitting in his hand.
When I had imagined the blood of my uncle rousing Metatron, I hadn’t thought it would actually work. I also hadn’t thought about the consequences of Satan’s essence returning to Heaven after all these years. While I’d hoped it would be enough of a shock to Metatron that it would rile him up and get him to react, I really hadn’t given any thought to what would happen after he woke up and finished dealing with the angelic rebellion. That’s me: one step ahead, two thoughts behind.
Rahim and Katon took a few steps back, leaving me alone before the archangel. I could feel the love, though I couldn’t blame them. I’d have done the same thing.
Metatron cast the vial aside and stared at me a moment longer before a soft chuckle spilled from his mouth, the sharp lines of his eyes softening.
“It seems, however, that we were in need of a fool.” Once more he stuck out his hand, but this time I didn’t shy away, his smile encouraging. I took his hand and gripped it tight. “Long have I mourned the loss of God, blinded in his absence by my self-pity. When I felt Lucifer’s essence, I was startled into awareness with hope that He, too, had returned.” I tried to look apologetic, but I really suck at it. “Alas, though it was not to be, I am grateful to be awoken to world where I once again have a purpose.”
He nodded to me and reclaimed his hand, casting thankful smiles to Rahim and Katon.
My adrenaline dumping and my mind shifting gears to think of all the things I’d overlooked, I asked, “What about Scarlett?” Ambushed by Azrael’s vampires, I didn’t have much hope Metatron’s answer would be a positive one.
