CHAPTER THREE
Anal analogies for every occasion.
Ihanded the angel of death a can of cold soda and raised a brow at my uncle in question.
“Do you have peppermint tea?”
Will wonders never cease?
The two archangels tracked my movements while I prepared Lucifer’s tea and grabbed a glass of orange juice for myself. They eyed my wings, but neither of them were brave enough to comment.
My back ached as I perched on the sofa. Bella slunk between Abbadon’s legs and launched herself onto Lucifer’s lap, kneading it before settling with a contented purr.
Abbadon sighed. “Update us on what happened.”
The angel of death wasn’t big on manners or pleasantries. “Donn took me to his home, and we discussed Eloise.”
“We couldn’t locate you,” Lucifer noted.
“How unfortunate that you couldn’t control me for an hour.”
Abbadon’s brow pinched. “Don’t deflect what is important for emotional outbursts. I brought you up better than that.”
I snorted. “You didn’t bring me up at all.” He opened his mouth, and I slashed my hand through the air, causing the words to die on his tongue. “I don’t have time to list all the reasons an absent father affected me. Why are you here?” Abaddon’s lips pressed together, but he resisted needling me further.
“His lair must be on a different plane,” Lucifer concluded.
“I agree, but we didn’t discuss that,” I told them.
“You must have made a deal,” Abaddon said.
“One you aren’t privy to.”
“Don’t play this game, daughter.”
I lifted my arms in the air, and my giant wings shuddered, following the motion. “But it’s acceptable when you bend the truth? Double standards, Father.”
Abaddon leaned forward, and his nostrils flared as his gaze dropped to my hand. “You sealed something in blood.”
I fought the urge to tuck it behind my back. “I did what I needed to escape and return to what is important—this war. Idon’t have time for the petty drama occurring in Heaven and Hell, so unless you are here to help, Ieave.”
“Your grandfather is concerned,” Abaddon declared.
My spine snapped straight at the mention of God. “Is he lending us the weight of his angelic army?”
Abaddon shook his head. “No, the rules of the universe still hold. We can’t interfere on that scale. The free will afforded mankind is what holds the fabric of your world together. Unpicking a thread here and there would unravel centuries of history.”
“Then I repeat, why are you here?”
“I have no such restrictions,” Lucifer interjected.
I scoffed. “An army of demons? The sheer power it would take to make them a reality on Earth is unfathomable.”
Lucifer grinned, all teeth. It was unsettling to have the devil smiling at you. “I don’t need an army.”
“You’ve already tried murdering my grandmother and failed.”
“Which brings us full circle. Did you convince Donn to remove his power from Eloise?”
