He moved to the closet and took a hammer out, then went out into the hallway. His offices had glass walls, so visibility from the front of the waiting room to the back wall was clear. The only rooms closed off were the bathroom and a couple of closets.
I glanced up as he moved into the hall, distracted by a piece of video that hadn't come out right. I'd either have to get myself in the same outfit and look exactly right to reshoot or leave the mistake in it. An editor's nightmare.
Freezing, my mouth dropped as I watched Lucian fall flat on his back. I couldn't see from the desk what he'd slipped on, but I saw the hammer fly out of his hand all too well.
As he hit the ground, probably unhurt but for his pride, the hammer circled into the air, straight up. As it changed trajectory and fell, I realized it was heading straight for his head.
So did he. He scrunched his eyes closed and threw up his hands to protect his face, but I twitched my finger. At the last second, the hammer deflected and buried its pointy end into the tile beside him.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed.
Linda and I ran into the hall. Lucian struggled to his feet and stared down at the hammer, the wooden end sticking up. It had buried itself deep. "Sorry for the language," he said to Linda. Certainly not to me. I cursed worse than he did most days. "That thing was headed for my face." He looked around the office as if the answer to how it hadn't hit him would appear. "If it had hit me, I would've been hurt badly."
I wrapped my arms around him. Damn Gabriel. I hadn't even seen him. "What made you fall?"
Lucian turned around and showed me a dark spot on his pants. "Water on the floor. I think my pants absorbed it all. It was just a little."
Water. Nice try, Gabe.
"Are you hurt?" Linda asked. "How'd the water get there?"
Lucian shrugged. "I don't have a clue. I'm okay." He rubbed his butt. "Tailbone is a little sore."
I chuckled. "Come on, hammer-boy. Let's go home. You said it's slow, and now you're all wet."
He nodded. "Yeah, okay. I could use the afternoon off." He turned to his secretary. "Linda, why don't you forward calls to my cell and take the rest of the day?"
Her face brightened. "Sounds great!"
In a few minutes, we were locking the office door and heading for our cars. What was the good of having a flexible schedule if we couldn't take the rest of the day off when my lunatic angel mate decided to kill my husband?
10
Lilith
Previous lifetime...
I staredout at the flickering torches outside the window. My time here was coming to a close, and I still hadn’t seen Gabriel. Apparently, he’d been busy, but I never thought he would miss these last days with me. So, I’d gone to his room on the side of the castle in the between. And waited.
Even though it was a rare thing for the Queen of Hell to wait.
A light knocking came at the door, and I frowned, knowing Gabriel wouldn’t be knocking on his own door. “Come in.”
A female Fallen named Bea opened the door. Her soft brown eyes found me where I sat by the window, and some of the tension melted from her face.
“What is it?”
She hesitated, then pushed forward. “Lucifer wanted me to let you know he wouldn’t be home for a short time. He had some… things to take care of.”
Things? That was all he had told me? And what was more, he was leaving with only days left in our immortal bodies?
I barely recognized the man Lucifer had become. It was as if he was forgetting me altogether. Or maybe not forgetting me, just not caring about anything outside of himself and his power. It bothered me more than I wanted to acknowledge.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I forced out.
Bea gave a little bob of a bow, then closed the door behind her.
I stared out at Hell and saw Lucifer and a group of Fallen walking together, heading to who knows where. Unable to help myself, I cast out toward them, searching their auras. I felt Lucifer’s aura instantly, but it surprised me how different it felt now. It had always been darker than either Michael or Gabriel’s, and with an edge, but it was like all the softness was being overrun by that darkness inside of him.
