Bittersweet Seraphim (31 page)

She whispered to him, just behind his ear. “No. He’s gone. God took him in a pause.”

Jack nodded, unsure how she knew, but trusting her. Then he returned his focus to the matter at hand. Lucifer was a big, freaking, butt-hurt idiot. His meandering complaints against God were nothing but jealousy.

“Can we leave? Can we bust out of here?” Jack wanted Emma far from the red beast. It kept eyeing her wings like she was a snack. Even with God right in front of him, Jack wanted to protect Emma.

“You may,” God responded before Emma had a chance.

Emma hugged him to her and took off, circling in a high arc before plunging toward Earth. She landed softly among the angels and minions, and he felt the ground form under his feet.

“I just want to check on the others,” she said. She pulled him by the hand as they threaded through the crowd to find the half-breeds and minions that had been their travel companions.

Various minions nodded respectfully at Jack as he passed. He tried to return their greetings, but there were just too many.

Emma picked up her pace as she spotted the group she was looking for. Coming up behind her, she touched Seriana’s shoulder, and the half-breed jumped at her.

“Thank you! Thank you for rescuing Mom,” Seriana cried. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

Emma petted the woman’s back, whispering prayers that fell like a veil all around her. “You did all of this,” she said aloud, taking a moment to look at each sibling. “You found your mother and refused to give up. You were willing to find me? To deal with him?” She pointed at Jack and smiled. “I’m honored to know such brave souls.” She stammered a bit before adding, “To love you.”

Jack felt the pinch of jealousy, but he tried to ignore it. It was how his girl was. Dean and Jason hugged Emma, and then Dean spoke for them all. “We’re so glad you’re safe. Mom too.”

Rebecca came tentatively forward and held out her hand. She showed no signs of her years of imprisonment. Emma’s healing work had been flawless. “I’ve never met an angel before,” she said, eyes wide.

Emma nodded. “You have. These kids of yours, for sure.”

Jason touched her shoulder and Emma rubbed his arm, giving him her full attention.

“Kate was able to bring Nero out of Hell. Do you know what’s going on? Should we leave?”

Jack tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, looking for a smoke. The minions and angels close by seemed to lean in their direction, listening. Claudette fluttered down next to the group, offering him one of his favorite hand-rolled smokes and a lighter. He waggled his eyebrows in thanks but didn’t miss Emma’s disapproving glance. He motioned to the battle above them and the giant mixer of creatures before lighting up. There were other things to worry about just now.

“Can you leave?” Emma asked. “It seems we’re all rooted here—held by one or the other of them.” She looked up at God and Lucifer. There was a decided lack of fireworks and explosions now. Just two supernatural beings in heated confrontation.

“I
must
be here,” Nero confirmed. “I know it from a part that isn’t my mind.” Violent nodded as well.

“The angels are tethered,” Claudette added. “We’d never leave God unprotected anyway.”

“Looks like we’re fucked,” Jack said. “’Cause this crew is going to get colorful depending on how that up there ends. God may be planning to win, or He may not…” He swallowed hard. Technically, with Everett vamoosed, Emma was the Devil in angel’s clothes, unless Lucifer was ready to strap on some balls. And fighter or no, he couldn’t think of a being less prepared to run Hell than the sweet, kind girl in front of him.

Lucifer wasn’t sure how he wanted this confrontation to end. He was furious at God. He’d spent entire civilizations-worth of time underground, hiding in a hovel underwater. Because of Him.

God’s patient face tortured him with its unchanged familiarity. For so many years they’d been friends. He raged that God could forget about all those times.

“You know I’d never forget, Lucifer.”

He growled. He wanted his thoughts private. He lashed out at God. “You changed. The pressure of this getting so big made You
so
important,” he yelled, gesturing wildly at the world around them. “You didn’t have time for me!”

God glanced at the crowds below before responding. “I didn’t have time for you like you wished. That’s true. I also thought you’d see my responsibilities and help, not plot against me.”

“You aren’t the only one who can do this job,” Lucifer snapped. “And you know I could handle it.” He flapped his leathery wings.

“You actually proved to me you could handle none of it. And you taught me not to trust even the most devoted angel.” God leveled His stare at him.

Despite his anger, he wanted to hug God. Now that they were face to face, the need of it crushed him. He hung onto the worst of his grievances so he could stay tough.

“Has being tough made you any less lonely, friend?” God shook his head sadly.

“Don’t call me friend. Don’t you do it!” Lucifer shrieked. The word
friend
had sounded condescending in God’s mouth.

God said nothing, waiting him out, and the time broke him. Mere seconds grated on him when he’d had millennia of practice ignoring things.

“We’re not friends,” he declared. “You wouldn’t come to me. Our friendship meant so little to you that it was left to rot—like me.” Lucifer turned his back on God because he was afraid his eyes would fill with tears.

“I came to Hell to meet with the Devil regularly. But that was never you, as it should’ve been. If you’d done your job, I would’ve been with you in your lair, hearing your issues and working things out.”

Lucifer knew it was true. Being thick-headed wouldn’t win this battle. “I wanted to mean more to you than that,” he confessed. “I wanted you to find me.”

“That’s a selfish answer. And after all this time I see that’s what spurred you—not our perceived friendship.” God sounded bored.

Lucifer whirled around, swirling his wings and steaming the very air they touched. “After all this time you insult me? I guess an apology is too much for you too.” Lucifer’s blood boiled.

“Did you once seek me out, Lucifer? Did you ever wonder if I missed you? What happened when I had to deal with the world’s problems without my best friend as a confidant? No. You didn’t worry about me because you were too busy hiding your tail between your legs.”

Lucifer was stunned. Hearing anger from God was amazing. God
had
missed him. He’d not put himself in God’s shoes. Not once in all that time.

“No. Instead of finding me and apologizing for trying to take over my Heaven, you hid.” God drew closer, power coming off Him like lightning. “A real friend doesn’t do that.”

Lucifer felt as if he’d turned to stone. The scales fell from his proverbial eyes. He’d been wrong, too blind to see beyond himself. What God wanted was simple, and it was real. Perhaps they could have been partners, continued being friends, if he’d just done as God commanded.

It seemed like forever just standing there. He watched God as God watched him. The crowd below grew restless. Could he possibly be forgiven? Did he want this friendship after all this time?

Chapter 34

“It’s you.”

Emma turned as Jack spoke to her in his sweet, sexy voice. She heard him clearly despite the chaos of minions, angels, and half-breeds around them. She’d been so certain they’d never be together again. To touch his hand was a gift.

“And it’s you,” she responded, but she was perplexed as he didn’t smile.

“We’ve got to get you out of here. We’ll fly. Let’s go.” Jack grabbed her around the waist and looked at her expectantly.

“Jack, I have to stay here. Wings and such, you know—I need to be here for God.” She fluttered her wings in his face to remind him.

His voice tickled her ear as he spoke. “No, pretty child, it’s
you
. You’re the Devil. You defeated Everett. So any of the minions can take you on for the power.”

Emma swallowed hard as she realized what he meant. “I did? I mean, God really…” She put her arms around his neck and closed her wings around them like a clamshell, creating some privacy.

“You accepted the last challenge,” Jack said with a shrug. “You’re the one left. You won. Do you feel different?”

Emma took a deep breath. “I don’t feel different. I mean, other than the angel stuff.” It was dark in her wings, so she let some of her feathers glow, throwing soft light on Jack’s face. She traced his high cheekbones.

He rested his head against her palm and closed his eyes before speaking. “I love you. So you know.” He opened his deep brown eyes.

Emma willed this little cocoon to be their own world.

“You smell like sunshine.” He buried his head in her hair, and she heard him inhaling.

She slipped the cigarette from his hand, dropped it, and pressed her sandal over it.

His eyes had a hint of mischief. “Really, angel? You’re so stubborn.”

She wrinkled her nose and hugged him. She put her head on his shoulder and parted her feathers a bit so they could see out. The crowd was restless. Instead of looking up at the sky, they were shuffling and bumping into each other now. Jack, however, was focused on God and Lucifer.

“This is going to get ugly,” he said. “I’m surprised God hasn’t intervened.”

A chill went down Emma’s back. If she was the Devil, she was in charge of the minions and their safety—and the evil they would wreak on Earth. Surely Lucifer was making Hell’s decisions?

As they watched, a minion turned to face the angel next to him. There was anger and a hunger in his eyes.

“Jack?” She pointed to the brewing emotions among the polar opposites.

He exhaled loudly. “I guess we’re doing something. Get us up high. I’ll help with the minions.”

Emma unfurled her wings and took Jack with her. She landed them both on a tall outcrop of rocks.

“Excuse me? Minions?” Her voice sounded tiny in the huge expanse of nature. From this vantage point she could see there were thousands of them, and angel wings threaded through the crowd like checkers. Jack winked at her, even though he looked nervous, then unleashed a loud wolf whistle. It was louder than it should’ve been from a human. Emma looked at him questioningly. The whistle was continued on the ground. Seriana and Jason had added their own.

“We all got a hit of power from Lucy,” Jack explained, pointing at the sky.

She’d hoped the two main players up above would ease up and help out, but they showed no signs of slowing down.

“You call him Lucy?” She rolled her eyes at his audacity.

“That’s what happens when you have balls as big as mine.” Jack bit his lip and looked down his nose at her.

She smiled.

“You’re worth it,” he said simply.

She turned to the crowd, which had finally focused on them. All eyes waited to see what they could possibly say: a fallen angel and a Devil who’d obviously fallen in love. She opened her mouth and had nothing. Not one thing came to her mind.

Jack put his arm under her wing and rested it on her lower back. He leaned in and mumbled, “I’ve got this. Just stand tall.”

“Minions and fucking fairies, please meet a one-of-a-kind being. She’s a seraph Devil. She defeated Everett.” A buzz rose as the minions realized their leader was indeed gone. It was as if they were rising from a drug-induced coma—and their sudden alertness was intimidating.

Jack held up a hand, and the crowd quieted. Emma was just wowed by him. She loved how self-possessed he was. In control.

“So, angels, you have a peer to listen to and respect. And minions? You have a leader to obey.” He leaned down as if listening to something Emma was telling him.

“I’ve not a clue where the Hell you’re going with this,” she whispered, keeping her face neutral.

He nodded as if she’d added something important. “Minions, you’re commanded by your Devil to return to your former positions in Hell as of right now. Any delay will increase your sentences and compulsions tenfold.”

He leaned over and spoke out of the side of his mouth. “Good?”