Angel of Chaos (Imp Book 6) Page 24

  A light of understanding gleamed in his ebony eyes. “We were unaware of your claims, Iblis.”

  “That’s no excuse.” I snarled, holding my hostage tighter.

  “The Nephilim and any of their resulting offspring fall under the governance of Aaru. They’re angels, not demons.”

  “They’re the products of Fallen,” I shot back. “Were not the members of the tenth choir deemed Fallen? Is not the sin of improper relations with humans, to say nothing of deliberately impregnating them, enough to warrant the status of Fallen? Again, I assert that they are mine.”

  Gregory shook his head, smiling as if he were humoring a petulant child. “The tenth choir was given penance by us, not the Iblis.”

  “Only because there was no Iblis at the time to assert his rights in the matter.”

  Again he smiled. “Let the angel go, and we can discuss this in the next Ruling Council meeting.”

  I scraped my sword close enough to the angel that I would have nicked his flesh had he been corporeal. “No. You angels will just kill them all before the next meeting, or delay for centuries. I want to discuss this with you now, and have a ruling concerning my authority within the next two days.”

  He nodded. “Let the angel go and I’ll meet with you in your house right now. I promise you will have your chance to present your case before the Ruling Council within the next rotation cycle.”

  Awesome. I was never so grateful that Gregory seemed to know where I was going with things. I might have surprised him with the angel in my basement, and throwing Bencul through the gate to Hel, but he caught on fast. Still, I hesitated, reluctant to release the angel and gate to my house. It would take me a while to actually arrive there. Outside of Aaru, I never seemed to get to the place I wanted to be on the first try. How many places I’d need to visit before I actually arrived at my house? Hopefully Gregory and Gabriel would wait for me, because I might be a while.

  “Let the angel go, put the sword away, and I will accompany you to our meeting. I vow no harm will come to you as long as you let the angel go.”

  Whew. I should have known Gregory would realize my dilemma and propose something face–saving. “Deal.”

  I released the angel, who hightailed it back into the crowd. Gregory went to open his arms in his customary gesture and halted, his hands an awkward angle from his body. Something inside me crashed. He’d always held me close when we traveled this way. He’d always crushed me against him as if he wanted to merge my physical body with his own, but this was an act before an audience of angels. I had played my part, and now it was time for him to play his. I’d never been truly welcome in Aaru, but my actions recently had driven the animosity towards me into overdrive. Gregory could hardly treat me the same as he always had before in front of their watching eyes. And he probably wouldn’t be able to once I stood in front of the host with a band of demons and demanded a slice of their territory.

  I nodded to him as if it didn’t bother me, and he lowered his hands to his sides. This was killing me. I know I chose the path I now walked, but it pained me.

  With a flash, we were in my living room, safely behind the magical barrier that masked our presence. Gregory grabbed me, holding me close. His spirit–self merged slightly with mine, and I felt his distress.

  “I’m putting you in a terrible position, aren’t I? Forcing you to choose between me and Aaru? You’ll need to distance yourself from me or risk losing support.”

  “That’s my problem, Cockroach, not yours.”

  But it was my problem. I had no issue with the painful changes my chaos was causing in Aaru, but I couldn’t take him down with me. He was the Angel of the Host, and they needed him. We had an eternity to be together. I could wait until things settled down a bit, and then we might be able to pick up where we left off.

  “I can’t do this.” My voice was muffled against his shirt. “I won’t be responsible for your fall.”

  “You won’t be responsible. I’m over six–billion years old. I think I’m capable of making my own choices. This is my decision to make, not yours. You go on being the Iblis, and I will do as I choose.”

  He rocked me gently back and forth. I felt oddly soothed by the motion. “What about Aaru? What will happen to Aaru if you openly support me?”

  “They’ll accept it or they won’t. If they don’t, then someone else will have to step up.”

  I pulled back and punched him lightly in the chest. “That’s not the angel I love. You’re the Angel of the Host. It’s your responsibility to make sure Aaru and its inhabitants are on their path to good vibrations, or whatever the fuck you guys consider your life goals.”

  “I think six–billion years is a pretty good term of office. If I’m no longer effective there, so be it. I can work toward the betterment of Aaru elsewhere. I don’t need to give up on my home and my kin because of a difference in viewpoint.”

  Odd. That same difference in viewpoint led to a major war two–and–a–half–million years ago, ending in our exile. I hoped this wouldn’t lead to the same.

  “What would you do? To better Aaru without being the big baddy of the Ruling Council?”

  “Oh, I’d still be on the Ruling Council, I’d just focus on less divisive tasks.”

  He’d spent so much time running back and forth between here and Aaru with his dual responsibilities as Gregori and on the Ruling Council. Maybe it would be a relief to concentrate on just one for a while. I would welcome the extra time with him — if I could somehow manage to shrug off some of my own duties, that is. Although that wouldn’t be likely, with me making a bid for the Nephilim and werewolves. I tried to envision our lives and couldn’t.

  “I can’t imagine Aaru without you in charge.” I confessed. “You’re the one with the clout to keep everyone in line. What would heaven be like without your firm hand guiding it?”

  He laughed, the sound sending a thrill through me. Maybe this would work out. Maybe I needed to trust him to do what was right for himself and Aaru and mind my own damned business. I looked up at him and ran a finger along the angles of his cheek and jaw. In return, he caressed my spirit–self with his own.

  “Ah, Cockroach, your punishments will be far less enjoyable without me to help you pass the time. Maybe one of the other angels can be persuaded to hold you tight during your time of contemplation?”

  I smiled at his teasing tone, but he had a valid point. Punishment would totally suck without him there. And there was no fucking way I’d let some other angel ‘hold me tight’. Blech.

  “You’ll need to make sure your successor does as good a job as you did.”

  The teasing tone disappeared, and his eyes were thoughtful. “I don’t think I did all that good a job. A bloody war. Aaru fractured in two. Nearly three–million years of stagnation.”

  I wasn’t about to let him turn this into a heap of “woe is me”. “Well, to err is human, so you’re right at home here. Stay with me and elect a puppet dictator to do your bidding in Aaru. You can do your Grigori thing and keep me in line while someone less controversial runs the show under your orders.”

  His eyes widened. “That’s a brilliant idea. I still maintain my control and influence, but through a less controversial member of the Ruling Council.”

  “I should have known you’d never really give up control,” I shook my head. “Angel of the Host to his very last breath, even if someone else is in the limelight. So, who do you have in mind as your puppet dictator?”

  Gabriel appeared just inside my front door, cutting off whatever it was Gregory was about to say. The dark–haired angel cast a disapproving glance at his elder brother then turned cold blue eyes on me.

  “I believe you wanted to speak to me?”

  It suddenly hit me. Gabriel was just as Jaq had described when recounting her angelic visitor. Tall and lean, with short black hair that stood upward as if he had an electrical current running through him. His eyes changed like a storm–tossed sea, from grey to blue to green and ev
erything in between. I strode toward the younger angel, pointing at him as I walked. It had to have been him — the one watching over her all these years. Could it be possible that the pious and sanctimonious Gabriel was Jaq’s father? Well, there was one way to find out. I only wished I had a plate full of pastries to throw.

  “You fucking hypocrite. How dare you sit on the Ruling Council throwing down all that judgmental crap on others when you are just as bad.”

  I could swear Gabriel became even paler, although his eyes blazed crystal blue.

  “You insane, witless fool. What are you ranting about this time? Your attempts to divert our attention from your own misdeeds will not succeed.”

  “Jaq.” His eyebrows knitted at the name. “She’s the Nephilim in West Virginia. You’ve been watching over her since she was an infant. She’s your child, you piece of shit. You’ve been fucking humans, discarding the mothers, and letting others raise your half–breeds. How can you call yourself an angel?”

  Not that we were any better, but we didn’t get all high and mighty and act like our shit didn’t stink.

  Gabriel’s eyes widened, and then he did something completely unexpected. He threw back his head and laughed.

  “Judging everyone else by your own moral license, demon scum? I have never lain with a human, and I never will. Yes, I’ve watched over that child as she’s grown, but not because she is mine.”

  “Yeah, right. Why would you swoop in unannounced every year to make sure this child was safe and happy? A year is a blink of an eye to an angel. That’s a lot of attention to pay to a child that’s not yours.”

  Gabriel’s face hardened. “There are responsibilities to our own that you cannot even conceive. Each angel in my choir is mine to guide and nurture. One of them may stray from the path of righteousness, but that does not negate my accountability to him.”

  My mouth hung open in the most unbecoming way. “The father is one of your choir? But why would he not watch over his child himself?”

  The younger angel glared. “Because he is still in rehabilitation following his disgraceful violation of our laws. Even if he were able to travel outside Aaru, he would not risk his child’s safety by attempting to see her. The girl’s mother died soon after her birth, and he worries about her wellbeing. What would you have me do?”

  “I don’t know — maybe what you’re always spouting off at the meetings? Kill the baby as well as hold the father accountable. Instead, you watch over the child and hide your knowledge of the Nephilim sanctuary. You don’t report that you have proof of the link between werewolves and Nephilim. And during the raid, you find and rescue not only Jaq, but her vampire girlfriend and a woman pregnant with a Nephilim child. What the fuck, Gabe?”

  Suddenly all Gregory had told me made sense. Gabriel was still a stick–up–the–ass prick, but he had a core of empathy that actually backed up his high vibration pattern.

  He tilted up his chin, looking down his nose at me. “As much as it pains me to admit it, we angels must change on this issue. Lying with humans is sinful. The angelic sires of these children must be punished, but the offspring are innocent and should be judged on their own merits.”

  “Then why do you always vote otherwise in Ruling Council meetings?” I’ll admit my attitude was a bit hostile, but given what I’d experienced of this angel, it was understandable.

  A faint smile flickered across his face, and suddenly the resemblance to Gregory was pronounced. “Sometimes the best way to sway a group of people is to introduce small adjustments over a long period of time. We tend to move at a snail’s pace when it comes to change. Being a stickler for the rules has allowed me to gain the trust of the most conservative angels. They support me and will agree as I slowly adjust our course on this matter.”

  Damn. He would have made a great demon if he didn’t take so fucking long to act.

  “Look here, Dopey, the werewolves and Nephilim are in immediate danger. They are all innocent. An entire race is facing extinction. Fuck the need for a snail’s pace; you angels have to get off your asses and fix this problem before it’s too late.”

  Gabriel raised one jet–black eyebrow. “Some angels feel that the ‘fix’ is in killing all of the werewolves. I have a great number of supporters, but even I cannot stand against Aaru. Even if Micha and I unite, we are not strong enough to force this through. Maybe a few will survive, and after a–few–thousand years, we will be able to allow some accommodations.”

  I bristled. “We don’t have a–few–thousand years. These lives matter. And you know that, or you wouldn’t be spending your precious time out of Aaru standing over a crib and looking at a freckled half–angel baby.”

  It was as if a shadow flashed across the angel’s face. “I know that as well as you, but the end goal is worth some occasional losses and defeats.”

  “Bullshit!” I poked Gabriel in the chest with a finger, struggling to keep my wings hidden. “Wrong is wrong, and to delay corrective action is to be lower than a cockroach. How can you live with yourself?”

  I actually heard him grind his teeth. “I have no idea what my esteemed eldest brother sees in you. My eyes are always on the goal, and if it takes a few steps backward to achieve that, so be it.”

  “I never go backwards.” Which was more than a bit of a lie. I went any way I needed to, any way that suited my purpose. But this statement had the drama the moment called for.

  Taking a deep breath, I met Gabriel’s eyes in challenge. Here goes. I’d hoped the angels could right this themselves, but if not, then it was back to plan B — the one where I risk it all.

  “The Fallen are mine. Humans with sub–par FICO scores are mine. The Nephilim and werewolves are also mine. I claim them as the Iblis. Their lives, their vibration patterns, their redemption or punishment, their eternal souls are my responsibility.”

  His hands fisted white at his sides. I had no idea how Gregory was reacting to all of this drama. The elder angel had remained behind me, silent since Gabriel had arrived.

  “Even if the rest of the Ruling Council were to support your assumption of what has always been our responsibility, I will never give over the wellbeing of the Nephilim into a demon’s care.”

  Yeah, maybe I’d exaggerated that ‘happy to hand this problem over to me’ when I’d discussed the plan with Gareth and Kirby. Gabriel would be my greatest opposition. If I could sway him into agreement, this would work. If not… .

  “You’d rather see them dead?” I backpedaled, seeing Gabriel’s resolute expression. “In spite of what you think of me, I have friends among the werewolves — household members, even. I’ve made a vow to protect both the unborn Nephilim and his mother. I cannot stand by while the angels slaughter them. I have claimed them, and, as the Iblis, I will defend them against any attack by the angels.”

  It was my line in the sand. I held my breath and waited for Gabriel’s move.

  “You can claim them all you want, but they are not yours. We have not deemed them Fallen, and their vibration patterns are not your responsibility. If you face us in defiance, attempt to turn our path by force, we will overpower you with our might. You are one Iblis, and we are many.”

  Asshole. “We are many too,” I said softly, letting the threat hang in the air between us. There was a bit of a Mexican standoff between us, and I needed to give him a way out. “But I don’t want to see this come to violence. I care too much about these beings to see them exterminated while you angels sit around for centuries splitting hairs. You have the capacity for rational thought when you’re not being a pompous bag of wind. Think of some way we can work together to save these lives without starting yet another war.”

  Gabriel ran a hand through his black hair, causing the upward do to shift dramatically to the left. “I cannot go to the Council and tell them that you’ve basically seized control of an entire race — a race that includes those with angelic bloodlines. Every angel in Aaru will take up arms against the demons. There will be another war if you pe
rsist on this path.”

  “But what if it’s your idea?” I tried for a pleading gesture to counterbalance the earlier threat. “Aaru is recovering from a coup attempt. There are splinter groups disrupting your unity and rule. This whole Nephilim thing is an unwelcome distraction. Say that you’re verifying the alleged proof that werewolves are descended from Nephilim, and until a decision is made, they will fall under my wings.”

  “Unwelcome distraction?” Gabriel sniffed. “This is just the distraction we need. It will unite all of Aaru, especially if they think the demons are trying to take something away from us. This is the perfect distraction.”

  My heart leapt as I wondered if I’d made a fatal error in judgment, but then I remembered Jaq.

  “For twenty–eight years you’ve watched over a Nephilim, seeing her grow, watching as she coped with angelic powers. You’ve kept your mouth shut for millennium about the werewolves and their sanctuaries, but you’d sacrifice all of that to unify Aaru? This perfect distraction would only be temporary. Once the dust settled, the angels would return to their rebellions. The only thing that would buy you is time. Would time be worth the cost? The extermination of a species seems a very high price to pay.”

  Gabriel’s mouth tightened. “Sometimes a high price is necessary.”

  “Not this time. Their deaths would be a burden on your soul, Gabriel. What would that do to your precious vibration pattern? This wouldn’t be a noble sacrifice; it would be a coward’s way out. You’d give up the lives of an entire race to stall, to avoid facing a problem in Aaru that you need to face. Is that the kind of angel you are?”

  He snarled, and in a flash of speed, snatched up a chair and flung it at me. I was too surprised to duck and took it right to the face, landing on my back with blood pouring from my nose and forehead.

  “Fine. I’ll support your claim before the Ruling Council as a temporary means to divide responsibilities while we investigate further, but you need to make a public claim on this or it won’t fly.”