“Then you would be a fool a thousand times,”Jophielsneered, marching up to stand toe to toe at the barrier with Bal. “As opposed to just twice.”
“Twice?”
“To defect,”Jophsaid, ticking off the offenses on his fingers, “and then to run your mouth as if Lucifer’s protection doesn’t wane with each minute passing.”
“Your lack of comprehension is astounding,” Luce grunted. Slowly, achingly, he leveraged himself from his knees to his feet. He was utterly drained—between the barriers around theproperty and his Fallen, and healing Michael, he had nothing left to give.
But he did not waver. Carefully watching each step, Luce picked his way through the debris until he reached Uriel’s side.
“Hurts,” Uriel muttered, shivering against the pain that wracked his back; the searing heat of his wing stumps where the nerves were flayed and exposed.
“I know,” Luce said gently, and placed a hand on the other man’s arm. “But I have something for you.”
He snapped his fingers and a little bottle appeared in his palm. Uriel laughed when he saw the familiar liquid within.
“Drink up,” Luce poured the sedative into Uriel’s trembling mouth, and the other man sighed in relief.
“That is the good stuff,” Uriel murmured weakly, and Luce pressed a soft kiss to his sweating brow.
Then without warning, he sent a quick blast of healing energy into the throbbing flesh of Urie’s back, making him gasp and flinch. The stumps of his wings crumbled to ashes, the dark flesh knitting roughly together where they had been.
“Those might scar,” Luce said. “I can try to do more once my magic isn’t so depleted.”
“That’s… okay.” Uriel tried to smile, giving more of a bared teeth grimace. “Makes me look more badass.”
Lucifer gave him a gentle pat and smiled kindly, but it vanished as he turned back to face his brother. “Would it have killed you to heal him?”
“He is your responsibility now.” Jehovah lifted his nose haughtily. “He should see the extent of your ability.”
“This is not my limit,” Lucifer laughed. “Not truly.”
“Is it not? Go on then. Lick your wounds, put on a show.” Jehovah scoffed. “It changes nothing. I am leaving here with my prisoners.”
Luce stilled. “Prisoners... plural?”
“Oh yes,” it was Jehovah’s turn to smile, a smarmy, nasty thing. This was the time to play his final ace. “Surely you didn’t think I would allow Michael’s crimes to go unpunished?”
A chill rolled down Luce’s spine, and he shifted his stance. “And if he defects as well?”
“That is not an option. He flouted my laws, not to mention my direct orders, and he will be held accountable.Jophiel?”
“My King.”
“Seize the traitor, if you would.”
There was no hesitation this time.Jophielmarched to where Michael sprawled in the grass, halfway between where he had fallen during his fight and where Uriel hunched on the ground. Even with his wounds lingering, with his damaged wing dragging awkwardly in the dirt, he had been trying to crawl to his best friend.
“Give up, Michael,”Jophielcrouched beside him, digging his fingers into Michael’s golden curls as if trying to soothe him, in a strange way. “Aren’t you tired of fighting? Broken, beaten… and for what? Let it be over.”
The angel was tempted. Luce could see it in the exhaustion that settled over Michael like a weighted blanket. Hell, he felt it himself. The angel’s shoulders slumped, his chest falling into the grass when his arms gave out from the weight.Jophielgripped his shoulder and pulled him up.
“Sometimes you need to quit, Mikey. Rest.”
Michael tensed, pulling away fromJophielslightly, and looked to Lucifer.
Luce weighed the situation. He looked at Uriel, still kneeling hunched over, but no longer shaking. He looked at the Fallen and found Remi looking back at him with tangible intensity. He looked at his brother, smug and cold, and he looked at Mags, small and shrinking in his shadow. Then he looked back at Michael.
The few days he had spent with Michael—had it really only been two days?—had gone a long way toward helping them feel at ease around each other. Where things had gone wrong, the root of their falling out… Luce could say he understood things much better now, but it didn’t completely erase the pain.
