“No, Lilith!” I snapped at her, coughing up more black sludge. “It’s not fucking worth it. Go back to Hell. Hazai will take care of you.”
Her eyes darted from me to Rafael and back to Yahweh.
“If you leave here, I will unmake him, and you will never see him again,” Yahweh drawled, and Shem hissed, his face contorting into his cat demon form before reverting back.
“What do you want?” Lilith asked, decay dripping from her perfect fingers.
“I want things to return to the way they were meant to be. I would like you to manage death, and I would like Ramel and Shemhazai to return to my side where they belong. They are my angels. They belong here in Heaven with me, and you belong in Hell—alone.”
“Fine,” Lilith said, nodding. “I accept.”
“No!” I snapped. “I refuse. I will not serve Him again.” I met her mossy green eyes and tried to imagine what my life would be like without her safe in my arms. “I would rather be unmade.”
Lilith shook her head, her gorgeous eyes filling with tears. “I cannot exist in a realm where you do not, Ramel. I need you,” she whispered. “Even if I can’t have you, I need to know that you exist.”
My heart was breaking, and Shem looked like he wanted to raze the entire fucking planet.
“This is a problem,” Yahweh said thoughtfully. “I cannot force my will upon you, Ramel.” He turned to Lilith, raising a brow. “Perhaps we can come to an agreement. As the mortals and the animals work to replenish their numbers, we will not have as much of a need for death for atleasta generation. If you allow me to put you into purgatory, your torture may be enough to convince Ramel to see reason.”
What!?Fuck no!
“Absolutely not.” I felt like I might throw up again, but not from the magic of the scepter. I felt sick with fear. Lilith’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and Shem brushed past her. The pupils of his eyes were pinpricks and before I knew what was happening, he was launching himself at Yahweh.
Shemhazai’s power was great, perhaps even greater than mine. It rippled like a shockwave through the choir of angels that guarded Yahweh, Rafael, and I. He reached forward, and dark, curved claws bloomed from the tips of his fingers as he reached for God’s throat.
Yes. Get him Hazai!
I silently cheered. Rafael stepped in front of Yahweh and brought down the scepter, striking Shem in the back so hard he coughed up a mouthful of black oil. It was as if his powers were ripped from him, and he hit the cloudy ground and slid toward me. Several angels moved forward with another noose and bound him while he struggled to regain his footing. That fucking scepter was a weapon to behold.
Shem and I stared at each other as he was bound and shoved to his knees nextto me. We both knew it was over. There was no getting out of this.
We had lost, we had lost…
Lilith was screaming again. She tried to rush forward, but Raf brought the scepter back down just over Shem’s head, an evil smile curling across his lips. She froze in her tracks.
“Oh, Lilith. You are about to lose them both if you take another step,” Yahweh sighed as if He were disappointed in her.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and my heart hurt so much I felt I might be unmade from that pain alone.
“You’re a monster,” she whispered, and Yahweh chuckled,
“No, Lilith. I amGod.” He snapped his fingers. “Bring me my bowl of nothing,” He said to no one. There was a rustle of feathers, and one of His angels brought forward the crystal bowl of purgatory, setting it down before Him.
“Luckily for you, I am a forgiving and benevolent God,” He lied, and Lilith choked on a cross between a sob and an indignant snort.
“You can agree to my terms and get into the bowl, or I can unmake your sinful demon lovers before your very eyes,” He purred, and she glanced at us. We both shook our heads.
“No, Lilith,” I whispered. “Go home.”
Shemhazai growled. “It’s not worth it. You worked so hard to save all those souls. Without you, the world will succumb to chaos.”
Nobody loved chaos like Shem did. However, the type of chaos that would befall Earth without Lilith to maintain the natural order of things would be catastrophic.
“I can’t,” she whispered to us. Her voice was so small and tiny that it made my eyes burn. Finally, she turned to Yahweh.
“If I get in, will you let them live?” she asked, and Yahweh nodded.
“Yes. I will let them live.” He promised, though something about the way He said it made my stomach churn.
