Greg disappeared upstairs, and Gabrielle turned her attention back to Ray and the incarnate demon. Except he didn’t look so incarnate anymore. Aiden flanked one side, so she moved to Raven’s opposite side.
“Moe,” Raven called gently. “Can you hear me?
He turned his brown eyes to her and blinked. Recognition lit his pallid face. “Raven.”
“Can you tell me what happened to you?”
“There’s nothing to tell.” His voice was weak, and when he smiled, his once sharp teeth were now blunted and cracked. “I connected with Thazos as you asked, and planted your ruse.” A coughing fit took him and he hunched into himself.
“Do you want some water?” Gabby asked.
Moe shook his head. “No. “Ironic how everything hurts, except saying the demon’s name.” He dragged in a strained breath. “My time is nearly done. I only waited so I could see Raven, again. Angelis Gloriana.”
“What happened after you planted our ruse?” Ray asked again. “Did Thazos retaliate? Is this his doing?”
Moe shook his head. “No. What you see is my own making. In my weakness, I severed the communication link between me and Thazos, though I neglected to severe the binding link that all princes of hell maintain with hell-born creatures.” He nodded. “There is a difference, though some would argue the point. When I chose to fall from grace and sever ties with heaven, I became demon. Thazos was spawn. Hell-born.”
“What happened?”
“Your blood witches are correct in their assumptions. Every blow Thazos suffered, I felt. I endured. When that celestial blade pierced his heart, it also pierced mine. The difference is Thazos’ existence was ended. In me, the blade only killed that which made me demon. The corrupted part of my soul.
“What you see now is the shell of what I once was. My original form.” His head bent in shame and agony. “My angelic self. Or what’s left of it.”
Raven’s hands gripped the bars. “Moe! If there’s no demon left in you, then I can restore what you’ve lost! Capiria found the ritual. It’s a matter of draining the demonic, which we no longer have to do thanks to the celestial steel, and then restoring that divine part with universal energy. With angelic energy.” She paused. “With my essence and energy. You would become like me. Angelis Gloriana.”
He shook his head, tired but resigned. “Raven, your willingness to unselfishly sacrifice part of yourself is what makes you Angelis Gloriana. You would have to give up too much of your own soul to make even the smallest dent in mine. Thank you for your kindness, but my answer is no.”
“But—”
“You can’t do this without my permission, Ray.” He coughed, shrugging. “Angelic rules.”
“Is there anything we can do for you?” Aiden asked. “Anything you wish to say for the record?”
“If you’re asking for a deathbed confession, I’m afraid there isn’t enough paper or enough videotape in the world. I’ve been menacing this plane for millennia. I will face my punishment at the same gates I teased you about. First heaven, then hell. Except this time I won’t enter as a prince. I will enter as one of the damned.
“However, if you’re asking if I’m sorry for my sins, the answer is yes. The choice was mine. Made freely. I fell because I was avaricious and cruel.” He shrugged again. “Deep down, I probably still am. Helping you against Thazos, and then refusing Raven’s help now, are the only selfless acts I’ve done in eons.”
Raven reached through the salt-coated bars and took Moe’s hand. Gabrielle did the same, but only as protection. Ray could be selfless and kind, but she was more trust but verify.
“Raven, I ask only one thing of you. I would appreciate it as a last kindness.”
“What is it?”
“Let me go out in a flash of angel fire. If I’m to burn for eternity, then I want to do it now by my choice.”
One tear ran down Raven’s cheek.
“It’s what he wants, Ray. It’s his way of atoning. I’ll help if you want. I could zap his balls again. Distract him before you charge up the purple blaze.”
Moe actually laughed. “Little witch, I really am fond of you. If I could wish for anything, it would be that you and Ray find happiness and peace.”
“I think we already have, Moe, but thanks for the thought. I have a feeling I’m going to miss you, too. Not the asshole you were when we first met, but the way you changed afterward. You were almost,” Gabrielle shrugged, “human.”
Gabby let go of Moe’s hand, and then stepped back from the holding cell. Aiden tugged Ray back as well. They both stood with their arms around her.
“Showtime, babe.”
Raven’s hands shook, but she lifted them just the same. Energy poured in from every available source, sparking Angel fire sparked in her palms. Before long, it radiated all over her body. She was a living, breathing violet inferno of purple flame and crackling energy.
With a cry, she hurled her arms out, sending the full firestorm at Moe. His body ignited immediately, and through the flames, he smiled. He opened his arms as it engulfed him, lifting his face to some invisible force before exploding in bright, white light.
There was nothing left. No clothing. Not even the couch or the borrowed books.
It was over.
Aiden kissed Raven’s temple, and she exhaled, resting her head on his shoulder.
“You okay, Ray?” Gabrielle asked, searching her friend’s face.
She nodded. “Yeah, cher. I’m good. Surprisingly at peace. You?”
“Me, too.” Gabby puffed out a relieved chuckle. “I almost don’t know
