Constance-Lilith
Once we got home from the office, I convinced Lucian I needed a nap, and that I needed him beside me for it. As soon as he dozed off, I tapped into the magic coiled inside me. I couldn't use much of it in a human body, but I trickled enough into Lucian's mind to keep him asleep for several hours. It was a dirty trick, but he'd be safe enough in bed while I ran next door to talk to Adam. Michael.
Damn it!
There was a path between the properties, but it was rocky and uneven, so I walked around. Down our long driveway, about a quarter mile up the road, then up Adam's long driveway. Living out in the country had its benefits, with no close neighbors being one of them. Until you needed to go talk to a neighbor. Then it was like, damn, if I'd been in the city I would've already been back home by now. Should've driven.
Walking gave me time to contemplate my situation. What was I going to do with a baby? If it came out human, I couldn't take it out of the Earth realm. A human entering Hell or Heaven took an extraordinary amount of magic, and the human's earthly body died when they entered the ethereal realms. It was how we made new Angels and Fallen.
Taking off with my husband asleep felt so underhanded. I wanted to tell him everything, as well as get his advice on how to fix the problem.
Maybe we could just unlock his memories. He might have the answers we needed.
Whatever we decided, I needed more information and advice. A way to get through this until we solved it. I needed Michael on my side, to help me keep Lucian alive for the time being.
I stomped up Adam's porch steps and rapped on his door, realizing belatedly that I had no way of knowing if he was even at home.
The door swung open to reveal Michael standing in front of me in all his glory. His Light glowed from every pore. "What the hell?" I asked.
He wasn't in his Michael-as-Adam human body, he was ethereal. An Archangel once again. "What did you do?" I hissed and shoved him backward into the house. I looked around his front yard to make sure a random stranger hadn't happened into his yard and witnessed him in all his glowing glory. When I was sure nobody had seen him, I slammed the door shut. "Did you kill yourself?"
That would've been bad. One of the few rules we had was not to commit suicide. God had done some of his special magic to make sure that we wouldn't be likely to decide to do it when human. An angel could die: A direct hit to the heart with Light, suffocation by Darkness—a Fallen's weapon. Or suicide.
"Of course not." He took my hand and kissed it. "Gabriel did it while I slept."
Panic swept through me. "While you slept?"
He nodded. "Yeah, the asshole stabbed me not thirty minutes ago. I just got back from Heaven. But it's okay, I paid him back."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Tied him up and put him in a locked box at the bottom of the ocean. It'll take him a few hours to get out of that."
I sighed in relief. "Good. Then we have time to talk."
He cut me off by sweeping me off my feet and into his arms. "You could give me a proper welcome." Michael's gaze was glued to my chest. "I'd like to get to know this human body of yours."
I slapped his arm. "I'm pregnant with Lucian's baby!"
He shrugged. "So? If you have this baby and we work out the details, I'll raise it as my own, right?"
I nodded. He damn well better if he knew what was good for him.
"Then you're pregnant with my baby."
It was strangely good to hear him talking about our baby like this.
Laughing, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "He’ll be gone for a few hours? Are you sure?"
He closed his eyes and focused. "He hasn't even woken up yet and started trying to untangle himself. I layered some good spells on the ropes. We've got time."
I wanted to give in. I hadn't been with Michael in three decades, before my birth on Earth. We were due a quick romp, but it felt strange without Lucifer remembering all of this. "Maybewe could, but we have to figure out what to do. He keeps trying to kill Lucian, and it can't happen yet."
Suddenly, Gabriel appeared.
Michael groaned. “I thought that would take you longer.”
Gabriel, dripping wet and looking pissed, glanced between us. “So, I’m at the bottom of the ocean, and you guys are about to have sex? Without me?”
