“You wish to know what it is that I feel.”
I nodded, unable to speak further, every part of my body focused on the point of contact between us, the touch of his hand on mine.
“You wish to know that I have not had a restful night’s sleep since the first moment that I laid eyes upon you. You wish to know that every time I see your face my only thought is to possess you utterly.”
I closed my eyes. “Yes.”
“You wish to know that the love that you showed me by fighting the Maze humbled me absolutely. You wish to know that the longing that I feel has brought me to my knees, that I am powerless against it.
“You wish to know that there is no one for me but you in all the ages of the worlds, that I love you so completely that it consumes me, that every day that I cannot have you my heart is torn to pieces inside me.”
He moved forward, eliminated that tiny increment of space between us so that I could feel the heat of him pressed against me, my face turned to his like he was the sun.
“That is what I wish to know,” I said raggedly. “Now show me.”
This time he did not hesitate, and it was like being consumed by a ravaging hurricane. I met his ferocity with my own, the intensity of his longing matched by mine.
“This is what I have wanted,” I said as he kissed me, his hands under my coat, under my shirt, sliding over my hips. “This is what I have always wanted.”
We fell to our knees, the snow-covered grass warming beneath us, the ice melting in the heat that was quite literally generated between us. Angels are born of the sun, and our meeting was like the collision of two blazing stars in the coldness of space.
I pushed Gabriel to the ground, rolled on top of him, slid my hands beneath his shirt and heard him groan in response.
“Am I interrupting something?” an amused voice said.
I knew that voice, and so did Gabriel. He pulled away from me, his eyes panicked, but I pressed my hand to his shoulder so he wouldn’t dump me on the ground in his haste to stand up. I put my forehead against his, made him meet my eyes.
“This was not a mistake,” I said for his ears alone, even though I knew our observer could hear me.
Gabriel shook his head, and I could see everything he had just revealed sinking back inside him, and his regret at showing me in the first place.
“This was not a mistake,” I said fiercely. “Don’t you dare go back to the way you were before.”
His face was stiff as he nodded. I knew I had lost him, again. And that made me angry. I pushed off him, and Gabriel scrambled to his feet, bowing low.
“Lord Lucifer,” he said.
I stood up and crossed my arms at my distant relation. “What the hell do you want now?”
I heard Gabriel’s sharp intake of breath.
Lucifer chuckled. He seems to find my defiance amusing. It was probably the only thing that kept me from being blasted from the face of the Earth, because I knew for a fact that no one else was allowed to talk to Lucifer this way.
He leaned against the tree that stood in the corner of my backyard, wearing a particularly natty suit and very shiny shoes. His golden hair shone under the light from the streetlamps, and his glossy black wings were folded behind him. He pushed away from the tree and walked toward us. Gabriel stood at parade rest, his hands crossed in front of him, his face revealing nothing.
“Perhaps I just wanted a visit with my grandchildren, immediate and otherwise,” he said.
“Or perhaps you’ve come to ruin my day, as you seem to enjoy doing that,” I snapped back.
I never liked seeing Lucifer at the best of times, and I was particularly irritated that he had shown up just in time to drive another wedge between Gabriel and myself.
“I must confess that I do have an ulterior motive for my appearance,” he said.
“Color me surprised,” I muttered.
Lucifer stopped in front of me and reached toward my hair. He pulled a dead leaf from my no-doubt completely tangled mess and dropped it wordlessly to the ground, his eyebrow raised.
I lifted my chin. I was not going to apologize for breaking the laws of his kingdom when those laws were stupid to begin with. Especially if he wasn’t inclined to enforce them at the moment.
“The Grigori are convening in two days’ time to try Samiel ap Ramuell for his crimes,” Lucifer said.
My arms dropped to my sides. I felt cold. “They can’t.”
“They most certainly can. Samiel has broken the laws of the kingdom. He released a nephilim from its prison and willfully set it forth to harm.”
“His mother forced him to do that, and you know it,” I said fiercely.
“Did his mother force him to harm my own blood?” Lucifer said, grabbing my left hand and holding it up. The missing two fingers were like a condemnation.
I yanked my hand away. “He’s your blood, too. If I don’t blame him for that, then it’s none of the Grigori’s business.”
Lucifer looked amused. “You would be surprised, I think, at what the Grigori consider their business.”
“I promised Samiel that I would keep him safe,” I said.
Lucifer shrugged. “Then it is, I suppose, your duty to keep your promise.”
“He’s your grandson. Why don’t you just call the Grigori off?”
He spread his arms wide. “Even I must cleave to the law if I am to maintain order.”
“That’s a load of bullshit,” I said. “I think you just want to see how it all plays out.”
Lucifer smiled like the Cheshire Cat.
“What are you doing delivering the message, anyway?” I asked angrily. “Don’t you have some toady to do it for you?”
“You killed my messenger,” Lucifer reminded me.
“I’m sure you’ve replaced him by now,” I said tightly.
“One can never replace a child,” Lucifer said, and there was a flash of real sorrow in his eyes.
I didn’t want to see that emotion, to know that I was responsible for it. Baraqiel had broken the rules of the kingdom, too, and he’d tried his damndest to kill me. “I told you before, I didn’t know he was your son.”
“And I asked you before, would that have made a difference?”
“No,” I said decisively. I wasn’t going to quibble or make excuses.
Lucifer gave me his enigmatic smile again. “The court will convene two days hence at noon in the home of Azazel. I trust you know how to get there.”
“I think I can figure it out,” I said.
“I wonder. Your father tells me he has seen little of you since your visit to Amarantha’s court.”
I was not going to get drawn into a conversation with Lucifer about my duty to my father. It would have given me great pleasure to never see Azazel again, but no matter how hard I tried to avoid him it seemed I was always drawn back into his orbit. I was certain the location of Samiel’s trial was not a coincidence.
“Is there anything else you wanted?” I said.
“Have I managed to ruin your day?” Lucifer asked.
I said nothing, and Lucifer laughed.
“I will see you in two days’ time, then,” he said. He looked at Gabriel, who bowed low again. “I think you should attend the court as well, thrall.”
I narrowed my eyes at Lucifer. “What for? And don’t call him that.”
“The Grigori respect strength,” Lucifer said. “And I will remind you, Madeline, that in my kingdom I will do as I wish. If you desire something different, you may remember my offer to you when last we spoke.”
I remembered his offer—his offer to be his right hand, to be the heir to his kingdom. He’d dangled Gabriel’s freedom in front of me in exchange.
“And you may remember my answer,” I said.
“Things change,” Lucifer said. “And I have all the time in the world.”
His wings spread out, and he took flight. I watched him until he was gone.
When I turned to Gabriel, I found that he was gone, too.
I stood alone in the dark, and watched the stars winking above me, and thought I heard the echo of Lucifer’s
