Praefatio: A Novel (34 page)

Unafraid, I stepped forward into the thick fire air, awash in hues of yellows, reds, blues, and oranges.
Little devil,
I thought, and marveled at the lack of burns on me, despite it being hotter than a million ovens.

“Thank you.”

I took his hand. It was the same temperature as the fire air.
Curious
. The unexpected place filled me with the urge to act as I would not normally have. I picked the sun-kissed boy up into my arms, something I’m sure no one has had the courage to do previously, or ever will after hearing what happened next. “Is Gavin here?” I did my best to remain calm, appear unaffected, as I steadied Lucifer in my arms.

“Piggy back?” he asked in a voice I could not resist. I probably would have given him daggers to juggle had he asked.

I hoisted him onto my back as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and using his mind, he led me through the orgy of bodies strewn across the grass, and past three dead trees and up a pathway leading to the only house for miles around.

We entered the large, ornate Mediterranean-style house.

“Oh, the boys are around here somewhere. Shall I summon them for you? You will not be able to communicate with Gavin, or anyone for that matter, down here. Did he not explain this to you?” he offered as he tightened his grip around my neck.

The boys?
I kept cool. “I was asking because I was kind of surprised to hear that Gavin had a father, considering how angels are born and all. I mean, his mother, their mother, she must be human or Fallen right? I mean, how come no one speaks of her?”

“My son does like his secrets,” he snarled, flipping his ringlets behind my back. “In the meantime, let’s discuss business,” he said as he jumped down.

“Business?” I asked, dumbfounded. By the time he was in front of me, he had aged to around twenty-five and was drop-dead gorgeous—like,
hot
gorgeous. So much for staying one step ahead. Lucifer 1, Grace 0.

“What are your intentions toward my sons?” he asked plainly, ignoring the affect his change had on me. I really had tried to close my mouth.

“I’m not sure I understand,” I managed, searching his face for answers. His grownup hair was wavy with a hint of the former ringlets, though still golden blond.

“Gavin is a fool. But you know this already, since he did go after your twin sister.” Light danced behind his eyes. My stomach soured. “He is willing to give up his birthright to be with you, and Tyler is too blinded by hatred and jealousy to think straight. He’s so busy trying to one-up his brother, he can’t focus on what’s most important, getting rid of the real threat and taking back our rightful place; no offense, of course. But now that your brother is one of us, maybe things will change.” He smiled the sweetest smile ever.

“Luc—”

He stopped me with a wave of his hand before I could finish. I began to swallow my own tongue and watched as Lucifer orchestrated it with the movement of his index finger. Sounds of my own choking echoed in my ears. I grabbed at the air, hoping to find someone to help me. But Lucifer just talked at me, ignoring the fact that I was going to die. I sank to my knees.

“I can be very reasonable when it comes to business, and even more so when it comes to my sons. Michael has given his blessing for the two of you to marry. Yes. He came to me. It’s the least he could do since Gavin nearly died asking for his permission. Silly human tradition, but Gavin thought you would appreciate it.” He paused, letting that one sink in. “I rather fail to see the point since your marriage does
nothing
to change things. I will have my throne in the heavens; I will take even more angels for my army, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me—not you or your sorry father. My collection of new soldiers has already begun to grow. Lex is doing a fine job, don’t you think?” Lucifer lowered his hand.

Suddenly, my choking fit was over. My breathing was still erratic, but my mind was reeling. Lex was enslaving angels under Lucifer’s command.
How could Dad think I could stop it? And Gavin? Wants to marry me?

Darkness passed over Lucifer’s face, threatening to ruin the small bit of happiness that welled inside me at the thought of Gavin wanting to ask for my hand in marriage.

“I will agree to this … so-called
marriage
. But I am warning you, angel.” He paused, and I swear I saw smoke behind his eyes. “You are not to give birth to a child. I will not condone the birth of such a being. I will not tolerate the proliferation of a new race of angels. Disregard my
request
, and I will retaliate. Neither you, nor Gavin, nor that abominable offspring will be safe.” He smiled as he said the last part.

“You can’t ask that of me. It has already been ordered … by … God,” I said with tears in my eyes. I hadn’t known any of it until it came out of my mouth—something that seemed to keep happening.

Lucifer spat pure anger and disgust. “I don’t answer to your God. Or haven’t you heard?” He cleared the space between us, becoming even more attractive as his anger grew.

Tyler appeared beside his father. “You want everything, don’t you, you selfish little—”

Gavin showed up and shoved Tyler to the ground. He then punched Tyler in the face repeatedly as blood littered the once pristine travertine floor before Lucifer shouted, “Enough!”

Tyler was beside his father again, laughing as he wiped blood from his swelling nose. Gavin moved next to me and placed a protective arm around my waist, the battle lines clearly drawn.

“Gracie,” Tyler teased, just like Gabe would have said, as blood dripped from his engorged nose. “We don’t want there to be any ‘oops’ moments, if you know what I mean.”

“Keep talking and I’ll rip the tongue from your head, you vile excuse for a brother,” Gavin raged through clenched teeth. Blood colored his face crimson.

“Please, Gavin,” I said as I saw a faint, fuzzy vision of me talking into a microphone. The vision disappeared quickly. It was a bizarre thing for me to see given what had just transpired.

“So is everyone clear on what the rules are from now on? Play nicely, children, and we should all be fine,” Lucifer advised.

“Father,” Gavin begged. He moved forward to reach for Lucifer, who stepped back out of his reach. It was clear that Lucifer’s mind was made up and who the preferred of his sons was.

In an effort not to overstay my welcome, I figured I’d make the first move toward peace. “It was nice to meet you.” I offered my hand for Lucifer to shake, but Gavin took it instead and started to move us toward the exit.

Lucifer was in front of us by the time we got there.

“While our family may be somewhat dysfunctional, it is all we have.” He took a strand of my hair and placed it behind my ear. The warmth of his fingers felt like fire on my skin. “I hope you know I truly mean it when I say that I am pleased to welcome you, Grace Ann Miller. You will be my brightest star.” By the look on Lucifer’s face, I knew he meant it. He was, after all, a being of great pride. He took my hand, raised it to his mouth, and kissed it, letting his lips linger on my skin longer than necessary.

“Thank you very much.” I blushed and took my hand back as Gavin and Tyler both shot him a disgusted look.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Lucifer added as Gavin and I started toward the dark exit.

“Yes, Father,” Gavin said, turning to look at his dad.

“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I will not tolerate the killing of our people. I expect you and Grace to leave Kheiron in the morning. I cannot afford to have it said that I am feeble in attending to the transgressions of my sons,” he directed us.

Tyler smiled, putting his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Oh don’t worry, father. I have already made provisions for their departure.”

“Of course you have, son,” Lucifer said. He nodded to Gavin and me, giving us permission to leave.

Unhappy Ever After

I really believed that giving the Larsons their Jenny back was the best thing for them, even if it was a lie. And yet, no amount of bubbles or hot water could absolve me of the crushing guilt that threatened to take the breath from me.

Instead, the bubble bath reminded me of my humanity as it soothed the aches and pains I hadn’t let myself feel until then. The hot water and jetted tub worked tirelessly to repair the damage done by all I had been through in the past few days. Complete exhaustion befell me, in my mind, body, and soul. I closed my eyes and sank deep into the water.

Giving in to thoughts I had been afraid to think since this had all begun, my mind wandered. Of my birth mother, I knew only her name. The rift between Gavin and Tyler weighed heavily on me. Now that Gavin and I could no longer live at Kheiron, we had no real place to go. And his dad scared me to death.

Then there was Remi. What would become of him? Nico was the most important thing to come of his betrayal. I needed to protect Nico at all costs, even it meant protecting him from his father, and that would make me Remi’s enemy.

How to protect the Larsons from the two Fallen living under their roof? I had no clue. Whatever happened would be totally on me, and there was nothing I could do about it. I sank deeper into the water.

Then there was the issue of enslavement of the Lesser Angels. I promised Michael I would find Lex and bring him to justice. But I only did so to get him off my case. I hadn’t the slightest idea how I would go about doing that. Seriously, selling angels into slavery and helping build an army for Lucifer? What was I supposed to do about that?

And what about Jenny’s spirit? Zane had planned to release it, since she’d died due to engaging a celestial being. She’d need a body since hers was bonded to Emeria. Could Jenny ever forgive me? What was I thinking?

Above all else, I needed to talk to the Larsons so they knew I was in fact alive and well, and had not been kidnapped as the police suspected. I could’ve just picked up the phone, but an in-person visit would’ve been the best way to handle it. At the time, I didn’t think one more day would make a difference. Boy, was I wrong. Again.

“Are you okay, Your Highness?” I heard Cerin’s muffled voice. She was holding a towel and a bathrobe, wearing a terrified look on her face. I thought she’d be gone by now.

Then it occurred to me, what had her so out of sorts. I’d been completely submerged the entire time. New skill alert. Apparently I could breathe perfectly fine under water.
Watch out, Percy Jackson.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I assured her as I emerged. I’d forgotten to retract my wings before entering the bath. They hung soaked and heavy off my back, dripping water onto the floor.

“You’ve been in here for quite some time,” she said, worry still clouding her delicate face. I flapped my wings dry, spraying water everywhere. Cerin was not the least bit unnerved. She merely covered me with the towel and began cleaning the puddles I’d made on the floor.

I moved to the makeup table as if I’d lived at Kheiron all my life. “Cerin, why are you still here?”

She moved behind me and took a brush to my hair. “Because you need me.”

“I can brush my own hair,” I insisted, despite leaning back into the soothing gesture.

“Indeed you can. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should.” The tone of Cerin’s voice implied she wasn’t talking about hair brushing. I reached back and took the brush from her hand.

“Thank you, Cerin. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

She stepped in front of me. “Before I leave, Mr. Vault has made plans for the evening. He asked me to give you this.” Her words crushed me as she handed me the consolation prize—a small red box bound with a white silk ribbon.

My hands shook as I untied it. As ribbon fell to the floor, I removed the lid from the box to expose a platinum key. On the small note card, written in beautiful calligraphy, was “A.G.A.M.”

“Cerin, what is this?”

“Your Christmas gift … I suppose. Come on, let me at least help you dress.”

She led me to my closet and began thumbing through clothes. Cerin kept returning curiously to the same white cowl neck sweater and dark blue jeans. It was as good an outfit as any, so I complied with her unspoken wishes. She pulled my hair back in a ponytail, a style I never would have chosen on my own, securing it with a diamond-accented snowflake comb I’d never seen before. White leather boots completed the outfit she called “festive” as we stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“I don’t know, Cerin. What am I getting all dressed up for again? I’m really tired, and to be honest, I was planning on just spending some alone time with Gavin. If he’s not here, then I’m just gonna turn in. I’m beat.”

“And ruin that perfect outfit? You look like a million bucks, as you humans say,” Cerin said, then cowered in the corner.

“It’s okay, Cerin. You can call me human.” I offered her a smile, but she continued to stare at her wispy feet. “You know what? I think I’m gonna just go for a ride, clear my head. Ambry has a way of making me feel better.”

“The fresh air will do you good,” Cerin exclaimed from behind me as she fixed an out-of-place hair. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to her flitting around the room, mostly unnoticed. But now that she was leaving, I feared I would miss it the most of all.

“Thank you, Cerin.” I turned and hugged her to me. I considered flying out the window and to the stables, but chose instead to leave through the door and down the steps—like a normal person.

***

The entire population of Kheiron was celebrating Christmas. Fallen Angels celebrating Christmas was a sight to behold, as they deliberately separated themselves from other dark beings to bask in the glow of the light of their Father. They danced, laughed, and exchanged gifts like humans, only it seemed to have much more significance. They appeared genuinely hopeful and alive for the first time since I’d arrived.

When I reached the stables, they were unusually quiet and odor-free. Someone had decorated the interior with tiny white lights that hung from the ceiling in a wide X pattern with a large, round, white rice paper shade hanging from its center. My stomach did somersaults, forcing me to question the last time I’d eaten. And then I started feeling lightheaded. I couldn’t recall the last meal I’d had.