The orange glow and scorching lava of the Lake of Fire flashed in my mind, and I tried to shove it away, but the long-ago memory of the flesh melting from my body forced its way into my thoughts.
“This is the price of failure, Cain,”Lucian had said while sitting on his obsidian throne, his cold, dispassionate eyes meeting mine as Malachi lowered me into the burning pool of fire.
Shivering, I refocused on the present and banished the distracting memories of past punishments. I stabbed my palm. A line of blood fell onto the parchment, near the bottom, then I leaned into my chair and waited, resealing the wound with a tap of power.
The metallic walls of my home gave an occasional groan with the temperature difference of the cooling evening. Many decades ago, this area had been abandoned and forgotten. Now, it suited my needs perfectly.
I’d been alone since the day my brother, Abel, had died, and I’d finally found a place to become mine. I smiled and ran a finger over the cool, smooth wall, closing my eyes and relishing the echoes of destruction lingering in the molecules of the structure.
With one flick of a button, someone could have delivered millions of souls to Lucian.The thought of such power caressed my skin, seductive and encouraging.They would have deserved it.My own kind had shunned me since the beginning of this world, and it would be delicious to feel such a rush of power as they perished and their souls released.
I could’ve persuaded those men to push the button all those years ago.
But Lucian wouldn’t have been happy, and it hadn’t been my assignment. He demanded moderation and careful planning. The scales of balance were always in motion, and such a destructible act would mean a rebound of the scales back to the light. Contrary to what most people thought they knew about the Prince of Hell, Lucian controlled his destructive wickedness to achieve two goals: to irritate and taunt God and to keep the balance.
Whatever advice or command He directed toward the Phoebe predicament, I would obey. Very few humans gained enough favor to be transformed into a full angel, and I was close, so damn close. I could feel it in my bones, all the way down to each individual cell.
Bam.
The light in my study disappeared and a cloying oppressiveness settled around my shoulders, pushing me to my knees.
True blackness blotted every trace of visible light.
So, not Malachi this time. The boss himself.
I licked my lips. Meeting with Lucian would be tricky because his moods could swing in a multitude of directions.
A trickle of sweat dripped down my forehead and slid into my eye. I blinked, staring into the pitch black, fighting an urge to use my power to peer through the sudden veil of night.
When he wants me to see him, I will.He treasured patience and obedience most of all, and I loathed his disappointment.
All sound, from the soft ticking of the old-fashioned grandfather clock in the corner, to the steady drip farther away, ceased. My ears rang from the sudden lack of noise.
I concentrated on my breathing, willing it to remain even and unlabored.
Something rustled nearby, as if dragging along the floor, then stopped.
“Tsk.” A warm hand cupped my cheek. “Cain, my ever-loyal servant.” After a firm pat, he removed his fingers from my skin. “Your power strengthens and grows. This pleases me to no end.”
The light returned, and I blinked, letting my vision adjust to the sudden brightness.
My gaze rose to his, and I suppressed a shiver.
His irises, completely black, were two pieces of obsidian glass sucking in the light. His dark hair had not one strand out of place. Groomed and immaculate, he looked as if he’d stepped out of a high-priced salon.
“Thank you, my Lord,” I breathed, not daring to move or say anything more.
A small smile played about his lips, but I couldn’t tell if it was a grin of amusement, condescension, or cruelty.
With lazy grace, he unfurled his dark wings. Their entire span end-to-end measured around twenty feet. Along the top ridge, the feathers were a luxurious sable hue, and farther down, they faded to a deep crimson, reminding me of rich blood gushing from a carotid artery.
“Rise.” His voice, smoky with a hint of roughness, sharpened with his elegant, cultured accent.
I stood, shifting my eyes to the cold, concrete floor under my feet. One could only investigate his fathomless irises for so long before the first pulls of his otherworldly force slid inside the mind, seeking to take hold.
Standing before his majestic presence, how I yearned for my own pair of glorious wings. Yes, I could use my power and will myself to appear wherever I wished, but with wings, I could enter the hidden realms.
More than anything in the universe, I wanted full Chosen status.
