Daystar (61 page)

Apple flew by.
 
“Then we can take up opposite sides of the sun.
 
Berith and I will stay on the other side and we can both have privacy.”

Berith frowned.
 
“How will we share information?”

Andy snapped his fingers, sending a sound wave out from the sun.
 
“You can feel that?”

Berith nodded.

“Then that’s our signal.
 
We call this side, go away.”
 
Andy smiled.

Apple and Berith looked at each other and shrugged.
 
Apple grinned.
 
“I’m not going to say no to that.”

Apple and Berith bolted.
 
Belial wrapped her legs around Andy.
 
“Andrealphus, you are so smart.”
 
She kissed his cheek.
 
“And funny.”

He wrapped his arms around her.
 
“I might resemble those statements.”

Belial laughed.
 
“May we be intimate again?”

Andy blushed.
 
“You do not need to ask my permission!”

Belial bumped his nose with hers.
 
“I did not want to be presumptuous, I was not sure.”

“Of what?”

“What you and I are.”

Andy squeezed her.
 
“You are my girlfriend and that means you may take liberties with my body at will.”

She arched an eyebrow.
 
“Really, at will, whenever I want?”

“Whenever you want.”

“Do you get to take liberties with me—”

“No!”
 
Andy shook his head.
 
“No, boyfriends don’t get to do that.”
 
He frowned.
 
“It is your decision.”

Belial pulled a face.
 
“Okay.”
 
She kissed his neck.
 
“For now.”

“For now?”

“You may have a grace period, but then I expect you to take liberties.”

He smirked.
 
“That sounds almost like an order, Belial.”

“Does it?”
 
She tapped her lips.
 
“Perhaps it is.
 
For now, it remains a suggestion, but do not test me with your stalling.
 
I remember that behavior of yours well enough.”

Andy pinched her bottom.
 
“Ooh, I’m scared, that sounds almost like a threat.”

“Almost?”
 
Belial threw her arms around him and bit his ear.
 
“I am threatening!”

“I’m terrified!”
 
Andy drew her into a kiss.

Belial broke it.
 
“I
am
terrifying!”

“Yes, continue to say it, you look cuter each time.”

Belial cut him off with a kiss.
 
The pair drifted in space, kissing and touching against the backdrop of the sun.

A boom shook them.
 
Andy’s head snapped up.
 
“That’s not good.”

Apple and Berith appeared around the side of the sun.
 
Berith had his swords drawn.
 
“We heard your signal.”

Apple looked at them intertwined.
 
“You don’t look like you want to be disturbed.
 
Why did you call for us?”

Belial shook her head.
 
“We did not make the boom boom.”

A second vibration travelled through the space around them.
 
Andy cocked his head from side to side.
 
Another boom and his eyes were drawn towards the sun.
 
“It’s coming from inside.”

Berith shifted into flame and dove into the sun.

Apple drew her blades and kept watch at the rest of the dark space and stars, but nothing came.
 
Belial formed her silver surfboard quietly at Andy’s side.
 
Andy gripped her wrist and drew her to him.

Berith shot out of the sun.
 
Angels tracked him, sending off rays of searing light.
 
Berith grimaced and slashed at them as they drew near.
 
“We have legions of beamers coming, wailers behind them!”
 

Apple nodded.
 
She focused and the angels exploded.
 
She launched herself at Berith as the next rank of beamers flew out of the sun, their sights trained on the pair.

Andy did not wait for an explanation.
 
He grabbed Belial’s hand and raced away.
 
Belial clung to him, as everything became a blur.
 
Andy’s muscles tensed, his arms locked around her.
 
Minutes passed, the Earth grew larger in their view.

Andy stopped within inches of Lucifer and Dahlia.
 
“It’s started.
 
They’re teleporting into the sun itself by sound of it.”

Dahlia went pale.
 
“Right.”

Lucifer flashed in the sky sending the alert to the planet below.
 
He pointed at Andy and Belial.
 
“You are midrange messengers, stay between the Earth and the sun.”

Andy nodded and pulled Belial back into space, a speck within seconds.
 

Lucifer kissed Dahlia and pulled away breathless.
 
His eyes were electric blue.
 
“You will be fine?”

“You are going to stall the explosion?”

“Of course.”

“Then I am fine.”

Lucifer looked at the planet.
 
“You are here in case I fail.”

“Do not worry about this planet; I will keep it safe no matter what occurs at the sun.
 
You just focus on yourself and do what you do best.
 
Control the light.”

Lucifer grinned and kissed her once more.
 
“I love you.”
 
He shot towards the sun.

Dahlia watched him go.
 
“I love you too.”

***

Paimon and Furcas smiled at each other from across their mess of bedding.
 
Furcas yawned and stretched like a cat, he curled up in blankets.
 
Paimon kicked Furcas lightly.
 
Furcas smiled.
 
“Yes?”

Paimon grinned.
 
“I want to ask you something.”

“Then ask away.”

Paimon took a deep breath.
 
“Hold on, stay right here.”
 
He dashed out of their room and skidded to a stop.
 
Bean stepped through the doorway, bloody, soot-stained, and weeping.
 
Paimon’s inhale was audible.
 
He jumped over the couch and wrapped her up in a hug.
 
“Furcas, get out here
now!
”
 

Paimon held Bean lightly, aware of the injuries covering her from head to toe.
 
She trembled against him.
 
He touched her shorn hair.
 
“Bean, what happened to you?”

Furcas joined him in a blink.
 
He touched her cheek.
 
“Bean?
 
You’re hurt?”
 
He touched her wounds lightly.
 
“Why aren’t you healing these?
 
You can you know, I can show you if you do not know how.”

Bean shook her head.
 
“No, they should not heal.
 
I should be ugly, unwanted,
forever
unwanted by anyone, revolting to all.”

Paimon hissed.
 
“Where is the little shit?”

Bean grabbed his wrist.
 
“He did not touch me.”

Furcas brushed soot off her face.
 
“Then who did this to you?”

She sobbed.
 
“I did!”

Paimon rubbed her back.
 
“But Bean, why?”

“I don’t want to be a slut!
 
I don’t want anyone to desire me!
 
I want to be ugly so that no one will ever be with me.
 
I’ll be good.
 
I’ll be wholesome, just like he wants.
 
I’ll be good enough for him!”

Furcas went red in the face.
 
“I am going to torture him to
death
.”

Bean wailed.
 
“No!
 
He didn’t do this to me.”

“He might as well have!”
 
Furcas punched through their wall.
 
“He called you a slut and he said hurtful things to you.”

“Honest things.”
 
Bean held her sides.
 
“I am terrible, vile, debased.
 
He is too good for me.”
 
Tears poured down her cheeks.
 
“I want to be better so that maybe he’ll love me.”

Furcas held her.
 
“You’re not vile.
 
We know all about being horrid and you’re certainly not that, Bean.
 
Get that out of your head right now.”

“Yes.”
 
Paimon hissed.
 
“He is obviously confused about the definition of those terms, but we can educate him.
 
We can show him what vile and debased truly mean.”

Furcas rubbed his cheek against hers.
 
“Where is he, Bean?
 
Tell us where he is and we’ll take care of it for you.”

Bean sobbed.
 
“I...”

Paimon massaged her hands.
 
“Just tell Mommy-daddy where the little bastard went and we’ll make him go away permanently.”

Bean wiped her eyes.
 
“I don’t know.
 
He flew off; he said he was not going to come back here.”

“Good idea on his part!”
 
Paimon stomped towards the door and threw it open.
 
He gazed into the twilight.
 
“No matter where he is hiding, I
will
find him and drag him back so that she can watch.”

A bright flash filled the city with light.
 
Paimon looked to the shield.
 
“Shit!
 
Furcas, we have to go!
 
That’s Lucifer’s signal.
 
Bean, you do not leave this house understand?”

Bean frowned.
 
“Why?”

“The attack has started.
 
It won’t be safe outside the city, stay on the ground floor.”

Furcas nodded.
 
“This is serious, Bean.”

She stared towards the door.
 
“But Jegudiel is out there.”

“Fuck him!
 
Hopefully he dies!”
 
Paimon ran inside.
 
He kissed Bean’s cheek.
 
“If he doesn’t, we will deal with him for you when this is over.
 
That is a promise, he’ll die painfully.”

Bean held on to him.
 
“But Jegudiel flew to the woods!
 
He won’t be safe!”

Furcas pushed her back towards the living room.
 
“Are you listening to us?
 
You are not leaving this house, young lady.
 
If he gets killed out there then it’s his own fault and he deserves it for hurting you.”

Paimon ran into their bedroom and grabbed pants.
 
He threw a pair at Furcas.
 
“Let’s go!”

Furcas hugged Bean one last time.
 
“You’ll be okay.
 
You’re not a slut.
 
He’s just a stupid idiot and his opinion does not mean a thing.
 
You are a wonderful, beautiful girl.”

“But—”

“He is confused and he’s hurt so he took it out on you, which just goes to show how immature
he
is.”
 
Furcas kissed her forehead.
 
“What he said was not honest and he knows that, Bean.
 
He’s just being an asshole.”
 
He whispered, “You are worthy of love.”

Paimon pulled Furcas outside.
 
He called back to Bean, “He’s soon to be dead, so forget about him and what he said.
 
We
love you and really that’s all that matters.”
 
They waved from the porch, shut and locked the door, and took to the air.
 

Bean dropped to the rug in the living room and stared at the floor.
 
Air raid sirens went off around the city.
 
She held her hands to her ears and cried.

***

The sound of the sirens jolted Jegudiel awake.
 
The forest around him stirred with frightened wildlife.
 
He got up, stumbled, and held his head.
 
He felt as if he had taken a beating.
 
His heart was sluggish; his lungs couldn’t seem to pull enough air in.
 
His mouth tasted awful.
 
He opened his wings and noticed their light had dimmed.
 
He was drab.
 
His skin had lost its glow.