He walked forward getting close, but it was awkward. Did we hug? Comfort each other? In some ways, we felt like strangers. "I knew you couldn't have children, and anyone with half a heart could tell how much you wanted them. What was I to do, add to your pain with my own?"
"Oh, Luc." I threw my arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to press my body against his. I wanted to comfort him, thank him for trying to protect me.
He stood stiff for a few seconds, but then wrapped his arms around me and lifted me, pressing me into him as he buried his face in my neck. He didn't cry, but he breathed long and deep as we held each other.
"We'll find her," he whispered. "We have to."
He may not have cried, but I sure did. He shifted, scooping me up as I cried on his shoulder, thankful to have him with me and terrified about what my little girl might be going through. We sat on the couch, me on his lap until my tears ran dry, then he asked me about her.
I spent the next several hours telling him every single detail I could remember, which was substantial. Everything I'd hidden from him when he was Lucian and couldn't know the details.
He listened, reacted, and kept his hands on me. We stayed close, touching, comforting.
When I described how hard it was to leave her, he hid his face in my neck again. I kept going, telling him all the details.
"I can't wait to meet her," he said. "My sweet Ariel."
Damn it. I sent all my love to Gabriel and Michael. They were our only hope.
3
Once Lucifer and I broke apart from our sweet moment on the couch, he went back to his solitude. I'd never seen him take to any animal, but he and Jellybean bonded, and Luc spent more time outdoors with the hound than inside with me.
I preferred that to being beside him without him truly being with me. His mind was gone, lost to the heartache and helplessness.
We didn't hear a word from Michael for three days. Gabe sent a few messages, popping in for a kiss and a sandwich. He was doing recon on the family of the witch he'd once known, trying to figure out if any of them had true magic this many generations later.
When I thought I'd go out of my mind with worry, late in the evening on the third day, he popped in and collapsed on the couch beside me. "I'm convinced they have no magic," he said.
I took his hand, and he leaned into me, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to my lips. "I missed you," he said.
Lucifer must've heard him because he walked into my office seconds later. "Well? Any news?"
Gabe shot him a dirty look. "No. But Michael has made some progress. That's why I'm here."
I sat up instantly, ready to roll. "Is he okay?"
Gabe nodded. "He is. He found the angel Raphael trusted with the location of the Scythe."
"How?" I asked. That would've been the most tedious part, I would've thought.
"He held a meeting in Heaven and simply asked." Gabe shrugged. "He told them what Raph has done, what we're trying to do, and asked if anyone knew where the Scythe was. I also asked for any ideas for how to kill Luc to be sent our way. Everyone in attendance was aghast at what Raphael did. And nobody knows why. He kept his own counsel, or if he told anyone, they're not talking."
"Then, let's go," Lucifer said. "What are we waiting for?"
Gabe stood. "Now hang on. We don't know where we might be going after this. The only thing we know is the general vicinity. Plus, you two are human. If you have any weapons, it's time to get them. Michael said he had a few rifles in the house next door from when he was Adam. And, you need to dress to go anywhere in the world. Layers, at the least."
I nodded. "Gabe, go get the guns next door. I'll get ours and change."
He ran from the room with me hot on his tail, but he went toward the back door, and I thundered toward my room. Lucian was right behind me. We pulled on jeans and hiking boots, thermal shirts, and long sleeves. I grabbed a backpack and stuffed both of our thick winter coats inside, then Luc grabbed another and filled it with ammo. He threw my holsters to me, and I had to nearly undress to put the bra holster on, but my small revolver fit perfectly in it. We'd been something of gun enthusiasts as humans, enjoying time at the shooting range. Lucian was an occasional hunter as well. He pulled all his rifles out of the gun cabinet in the back of the closet. "We can't carry all of these," he said. He had to have had a dozen. He chose the four he thought might be most beneficial and then put his holsters on.
"I'm ready," I said, putting a jean jacket on to conceal my shoulder holsters. I had four guns on, and Luc had three. We each put on a backpack and grabbed a rifle.
Gabe appeared with a black backpack full of guns and other things I couldn't see. "Put those in here," he said. "Just in case. And I don’t think you’ll need to carry any yet, either. If at all. Depends on where we have to go.”
They loaded all of the rifles into the large duffel, and I was more than glad to let Gabe carry the heavy bag. Once zipped, he put it on somewhat like a backpack and took our hands. "Ready?" he asked.
"Beyond ready," I said. Lucifer growled.
