“Sure thing, V!”
Odin hurried ahead of me to get the door to the right-hand tower. I twisted to angle Az into the stairwell, then jostled him to get his head to flop onto my shoulder. With him curled up tighter, I could navigate the curving stairwell better. I went up to Azrael's room—on the same floor as the twin's bedroom—and took him into the semi-circular space. Odin pulled back the bed covers, and I laid Az down. He helped me tuck Azrael in, and then I leaned down to kiss his cheek.
“I'll find you, Az,” I said. “Wherever you are. You can't hide from me forever. Not even inside yourself.”
“This is the best we can do right now,” Odin said. “Azrael will survive. He'll survive long enough for us to figure out what's happening to him.”
“Has anyone told Luke and Holly?” I asked.
Odin blinked.
“Odin!”
“We've been distracted.”
“Maybe Luke will know what to do!”
Odin held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, all right. Call him.”
“I don't have my phone. I gave it to Trevor so he could call my mom.”
Odin pulled his cell phone out of the inner pocket of his leather jacket. “Do you want me to call him?”
“No.” I reached for his phone. “I'm his daughter-in-law. It should be me.” I opened Odin's contacts and brought up—“I assume Father-in-law of Lies is Luke.”
Odin's lips twitched. “Yes. Sorry.”
“No, it's funny. I wish I was in the mood to laugh.” I hit the call button and sat down on the corner of Azrael's bed. Staring at my sleeping husband, I tried not to sink into despair. I had to look away and found myself inspecting Azrael's collection of treasures. There were photographs of us and the children, his parents, and his brother. A gold tray held cufflinks and a set of keys. A large set. His knickknacks were ancient and priceless. A ruby statue of the Devil; a gold cross set with diamonds, emeralds, and pearls; and a tiny painting done by Michelangelo were just a few of the items my husband had casually displayed atop his bureau and bedside tables. There was also a television, a tablet, and a laptop. Azrael's closet door was open. Most of the clothes were simple—jeans and T-shirts. But there were also a few suits. I recognized the one he wore when he took me out a couple of weekends ago.
“Odin?” Luke answered. “What's up?”
“It's me, Luke,” I said. “We've had . . . there was anaccident.”
The silence felt acidic. Then the Devil demanded, “Is my son all right? Is he alive, Vervain?”
“Yes, Azrael's alive, but he's in some kind of stasis. He bound his Death Magic with Kirill and Odin's recently and—”
“He did what? Why did he do that?”
“To make them stronger. To form a trinity. It worked well. Odin and Kirill started training together, but Azrael had to go down to Earth to deal with the storms. And then we were tracking the god who created the storms, and Az found him. He was with Kirill. Instead of using his elemental magic, he decided to try out their bond. Before Az could finish the casting, we got knocked over the side of a dam by a tidal wave. When they found Azrael, he was unconscious. I tried to reach him through our bond and I sensed him in there, Luke, but I couldn't touch him or feel his emotions. I couldn't hear him as I should have been able to. Couldn't speak to him. I don't know what to do,” I sobbed the last bit.
“Shh, Vervain. All right, I'm on my way.”
“Thank you.”
Satan hung up.
I stared at the phone, upset with myself for breaking down with Luke. He didn't deserve that. He was probably on the verge of a panic attack and there I was, adding to his stress. Az was his only child—a love child he made with Holly when they were having an affair. Az was beyond special to Luke. The Devil would do anything for his only begotten son.
“Vervain,” Odin said gently as he pulled me up into his arms. He took the phone and tucked it away as I leaned into him. “Come on, love. Let's go downstairs to greet—”
“Where is he?” Lucifer's voice carried up the stairwell to us. “Where's my son?”
“Upstairs,” Viper answered. “Odin and Vervain are with him.”
The sound of footsteps came up the stairwell before Viper finished his sentence. Luke knew where his son slept when he wasn't sleeping with me. He knew where his grandsons slept too. He'd put them to bed many times during his visits. So, he was in Azrael's bedroom within three seconds. And Holly was with him.
Lucifer was a fallen angel according to the myths. The reality was different, of course, but myths are what give gods their physical features. It gave Lucifer his sparkling white wings and diamond eyes. It gave him a face that would inspire some of the greatest artists to ever live. Myself included. I'm not saying I'm one of the greatest artists to ever live, just that I've painted Luke and Azrael many times. They were practically interchangeable as models—the only difference in their looks was the color of their wings and eyes. Everything else was identical. Normally, it was heart-warming to see the resemblance. At that moment, it cut deep. But Holly's reaction was even worse to witness.
