Sariel stood at my side, and his unspoken irritation was almost as palpable as the tension among the Fallen.
“We’re working on it,” I finally said, irritated that I even felt the need to explain myself.
Sariel sighed. “Low level demons are being seen all over earth. Angels are working around the clock to keep them from hurting humans.”
Yeah, I’d been receiving the reports. I knew how bad it was.
I started walking among the Fallen, feeling useless and frustrated. What the hell was keeping Lucifier alive when he was needed here?
“They need to come back,” a Fallen whispered.
I glanced at him, but he was staring at the ground.
“The gates can’t last much longer,” another said.
There was a groan, almost like metal bending. The earth beneath our feet shuddered, and I turned to the gate, fully expecting the magical barrier to crumble like an actual metal gate. Instead, it shook for a long minute, then remained.
A Fallen shimmered into existence near us. “More demons have broken through! We need help…”
I turned away from him as angels vanished around me, racing off to the locations that demons had made it to earth. Every Fallen that remained stared at me, and I felt that terrible sense that somehow everyone expected me to fix whatever was wrong. I wished I could tell them about Lucifer and Lilith, but instead I had to continue pretending that everything was okay, when everyone knew it wasn’t.
There had to be a way to fix what was broken with Lucifer before it brought about the destruction of everything we held dear. So while the other angels and Fallen worked to keep the demons at bay, I had a more important task at hand.
Fixing the King of Hell. And to do that, I had to find Raphael.
Closing my eyes, I teleported to Texas. In an instant, I changed my clothes and glamoured myself to blend in with the locals. Then, I opened my eyes and found myself in an alley near downtown. An angel had reported spotting Raphael going in and out of an apartment just near here.
I was still hoping this was some kind of mix up. I was still hoping he had nothing to do with all of this. But my gut said he did. And my gut wasn’t often wrong.
Leaving the alley, I nodded at people as I passed them, then moved to the door of the apartment and went inside. Instantly, I frowned. This wasn’t the sort of place I’d expect to find Raphael. He struck me as a man who liked expensive things, and this apartment building felt ratty and old. Still, not willing to ignore a good lead, I started up the stairs, climbing all the way until I reached the top floor.
There, I moved down the hall and reached the apartment at the end. The door was left open, and I stared inside at a place with old furniture and a filthy air. Entering, I walked around the dusty space, scanning everything. Food had been left in the trash. Dirty plates in the sink. But otherwise, there was nothing unique in the apartment.
Going to the back, I pushed open the door to the bedroom and found a dark space. As I stepped into the threshold of the room, a lingering awareness of powerful magic was there. I inhaled sharply, and sent my senses out. An angel had been here. A powerful angel. And magic had been performed.
But I searched the room and found nothing.
My gut clenched. Raphael had been seen here. An angel had been here. All signs pointed that I was on his trail, but it worried me what this all meant. Why was I having so much trouble finding Raphael? And if he was really behind Lucifer's issues, why would he do such a thing?
If the gates fell, demons would overwhelm earth. None of us would benefit from that. Right?
I was determined to ask the neighbors questions and check out the neighborhood. This apartment had only brought more questions and fewer answers. But I wouldn’t leave until I foundsomething,anything, to keep on his trail.
Heaven, Hell, and Earth were counting on me.
18
Constance-Lilith
Icouldn't put it off anymore. I could deliver my Turtle at any time, and I had to have somewhere to take her. Deciding the best way to handle the situation proved impossible. Keeping the baby as long as I could meant I'd get more attached if that was possible. But handing her off as soon as I had her, even if it was the smartest thing to do, would mean I couldn't experience what it meant to be a new mom, and that was heartbreaking in itself. I was thirty-six weeks pregnant. Even without any ethereal help, I could deliver at any moment, and once Turtle was out of me, wehadto double our efforts and try to get Lucifer into Hell.
First things first, I had to find her a new family. That was going to take some sneaking around. First, I used my internet skills to investigate the nurse, Anna. She had recently divorced and was newly dating a man that drove a motorcycle. She had two sons from her first marriage and seemed fairly secular, which was fine. I could make sure Turtle had the appropriate religious education by subtly interfering in her life.
I decided to check Anna out further, and if I still liked her, I'd have Michael do his thing and stare into her heart as well as her new boyfriend's. See if they'd be good to my Turtle.
Obtaining her home address and work schedule was remarkably simple. The address was readily available on the internet, and a quick phone call to the hospital told me she was there on shift. I already knew from my tour of the labor and delivery ward several weeks ago that the nurses worked twelve-hour shifts that began and ended at seven. It was a little after noon, Lucian was at work, and I had nothing better to do.
I drove my small, red car to her house and used my limited magic to unlock the door. I couldn't do much in this human body, but at least I could get in.
