No, for a long time he hadn’t known how she, or any of hischildrengrew up.Their mothers had placed them with humanparents, and he didn’t see them until they were fully grown, sometimescenturies later, more often never at all.A few had shared with him theirexperiences of life when they’d believed they were human, and their storieswere horrific.
But Azagoth hadn’t felt pity.Or sorrow.Or guilt.BeforeLilliana, he’d been as cold as an arctic stone.His offspring were tough, andthey’d survived.Theirpastshad hardened them, turnedthem into the warriors they needed to be.
No, he hadn’t cared at all about their misery.
Then Lilliana came along and shattered the layer of ice thathad encased his heart.It had been incredible and life-giving, but now thathe’d opened his realm to all his Memitim offspring,more andmoreof his children were showing up and telling him about their “human”lives.With few exceptions, just one, really, their stories were full of thekind of shit that gave people nightmares.
Idess’s storyin particular hadbeen a tale of horror, slavery, and abuse that made him want to go back in timeand slaughter every fucker who had messed with his baby girl.
Lilliana could make that happen.As an angel with theability to time-travel, she could help him get bloody revenge for all hischildren.But doing so would mess with incalculable timelines and would earnhim a death sentence from God himself.His only consolation was that a handfulof the scum who had made his children’s lives miserable were, in fact,imprisoned in the Inner Sanctum, where he could torture their useless souls forall eternity.
His handsactually shookas hejoined Idess and Lilliana at the picnic table in the gazebo Lilliana had builtnear the brook that ran behind his palace.Little Mace gave him a big grin ashe sat nearby playing with building blocks.Lookedlike he was creating a dog.Or, more likely, a hellhound.
“Father,” Idess said, coming to her feet to greet him.Ofall his offspring, only Idess would show him physical affection, and she did sonow, giving him a brief hug and a peck on the cheek as she pulled away.
It made him shake harder.What the everfucking hell waswrong with him?
“Have a seat.”Lilliana, her long chestnut hair framing herageless face, patted the bench next to her.“We were just about to pour somewine and discuss ideas Idess had for bringing more Memitim to Sheoul-gra.”Reaching for the wine bottle, she gave him a playful wink.“Idess seems tothink that more of them aren’t coming to live here because you’re scary.”
Lilliana’s tone was teasing, her smile bright, but theunderlying truth, that his children were afraid of him, suddenly made animpact, cratering out his chest cavity like a meteor strike.He’d never caredabout that in the past.Hell, he was proud of the fact that his offspringfeared him.Fear...respect...It was all the same, right?
“Am I scary, Idess?”he asked, trying to sound...not scary.
Idess thrust her wine glass out at Lilliana.“Um, yes.Absolutely.”
Still standing, he glanced over at Mace, who was tasting abuilding block now.“And yet, you brought your child to see me.”
“Just a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have,” she admitted.“But things have changed.”She gave Lilliana a secret smile that wasn’t assecret as she probably thought it was.
“I’d like to think I played a role in that,” Lilliana said,as if she didn’t know that she was the sole reason he wasn’t still a monster.
Because of Lilliana he had feelings.“Yeah, I’m a real boynow.”
She laughed, her amber eyes sparkling as she finishedpouring the wine.“Look at you, referencing Pinocchio.The movies I make youwatch are paying off.”
“Yeah, well, Pinocchio got turned back into a puppet.”
Idessshook her head.“You’rethinking of what happened to him in one of the Shrek movies.”
Ah, right.He likedthe Shrekfilms.Ogres weren’t usually that funny.
Mace held out his arms and Idess scooped him up.“Do youwant to hold your grandson?”
He stared at the squirming toddler, his heart racing, hismouth dry.Even his palmshad begunto sweat.Thechild was the most innocent thing to have ever stepped foot in this realm, andAzagoth was themost evil.His hands...His hands haddone things that child would never even be able to comprehend, and they didn’tbelong anywhere near such purity.
“I can’t.”He backed up a few steps, hoping he didn’t lookas panicked as he felt.“I’ll drop him.”
Lilliana stood,concerndarkeningher gorgeous eyes.“Darling, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, still backing up.“I just have things todo.Appointments.Ihave togo.”He didn’t care thathe looked like an idiot.He had to get out of there.“Idess, I’ll ah...I’llsee you later.”
He didn’t wait for a reply.He flashed into his office, hisheart pounding, his breath burning in his throat.
What the fuck was happening to him?
With trembling hands, he poured himself a double shot oftequila from the bar on the far wall, downed it, and poured another.As heraised the glass to his lips for the second time, he noticed the flashing lighton his communications pad.
He scanned the message from Jim Bob, one of his Heavenlyspies, and trashed it.He wasn’t interested in low-level gossip speculatingabout the mysterious author of a new comic book series that was outing a lot ofunderworld and Heavenly secrets.
