The hard clack of booted feet echoed through the hallway asRazr went to open the door.
“Hey, Razr, hold up.”The Mohawked guy was walking towardthem, shirtless, his color-shifting pants making Jedda dizzy.A statuesquefemale, her shiny mink-brown hair piled in a knot on top of her head, walked astep ahead of him with the authority of a queen.She was a bright light in thegloom that surrounded them, her flirty yellow sundress flapping around herknees, her matching flip-flops snapping against her heels.
“What’s up?”Razr asked.
“Azagothwants to see you in thelibrary.Lilliana will take care of your female.”
“I’m not his female,” Jedda said, hoping she didn’t sound asflustered as she felt.“We’re...business partners.”She held out her hand.“I’mJedda Brighton.”
Mohawk stared at her hand.The femaletskedat himand took Jedda’s palm in hers.“I’m Lilliana.Azagothis my husband.”She jacked her thumb at theMowawkedguy.“That’s Hades.He sometimes forgets basic manners.”
“Don’t need ’emwhere I live.”
Razr snorted.“Don’t believe him.His mate keeps him inline.”
“Pfft.”Hades waved his hand in dismissal.“She knows whorules the roost.”
Lilliana laughed.“Cat does.”
Hades’s shoulders slumped.“Yeah.”Suddenly, he grinned andwaggled his brows.“But she has sex with me, so it’s all good.”
If anyone had told Jedda she’d ever be standing in front oftheHades, she’d have given them the same colorectal procedure she’d performed onTom the Walking Whisky Dick.The thought made her realize she could use adrink, and she really wasn’t even a fan of alcohol.
“Come on, asshole.”Hades clapped Razr on the shoulder andstarted him down the hall, leaving her alone witha completestranger.In a strange place.Full of strange things.
She was going to startpoofingdiamond dust at any moment.
“Don’t worry, Jedda,” Razr called back from over hisshoulder.His gazebored intoher, assuring her with alook that he meant what he was saying.“You’re safe here.I promise.”
Was it crazy that she believed him?Someone she’d justmet?Probably, but she’d never encountered anyone whoseenergy synced so well with hers.It was as if he was somehow reaching insideher and grasping her life-stone’s essence, streaming directly from the Enochdiamond.Was this what love felt like?Was she as crazy to think that as shewas to believe in him?
“Would you like a tour?”Lilliana asked, thankfullyinterrupting Jedda’s insane thoughts.“The boys could be a while.Razr willfind us when he’s done.”
Jedda agreed, not having anything else to do.Besides, shewas curious.This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she might evendiscover some new gemstones in the material that made up this mysterious realm.
The tour proved to be fascinating.She and Lilliana walkedthrough forests full of animals from the human realm, and they watched dozensofMemitimangels spar and play team sports.Apparently,the teamsports were Razr’s idea todevelop their teamwork skills.Lilliana said there’d been a lot of complainingand even fights at first, but now theMemitim––whowere, unbelievably, allAzagoth’schildren––weregetting along better.
As they walked, Jedda bathed in the vibe of the place, alow-level energy she couldn’t describe, but she was pretty sure she knew thesource.Realms such as this, including her ownelvenrealm, were constructed with rare, specialized gems purported to be leftoverbits from the universe’s creation.She’d never seen one of the interdimensionalcrystals, and she wasn’t sure we wanted to.According to legend, their powercould flash millions of people out of existence or open rifts into otherdimensions.
So Jedda didn’t get to see an interdimensional crystal onthe tour, but she did get to meet a few Unfallen angels.Apparently, Unfallenangels were neither good nor evil, having been kicked out of Heaven but withouthaving enteredSheoul-proper.Doing so would completetheir fall, turning them into True Fallen angels with no hope of redemption.Razr claimed to not be one of them, so he must be Unfallen.But that didn’tseem right, either, because Lilliana said life was dangerous for Unfallen.Theydidn’t possess the powers of either angels or fallen angels, so many sought thesanctuary ofAzagoth’srealm to stay safe and rarelyleft.Razr seemed to have no problem leaving or facing off with powerful demonsand fallen angels like Shrike, so what was up with that?
Jedda pondered everything she’d just learned as she andLilliana walked back to the main building.
“Youokay?”Lilliana asked,stepping behind Jedda to usher her through the front doors.
“I’m just thinking about the choice Unfallen must make.Exist without powers on the off chance you might get back intoHeaven, orbecome a True Fallen and get massive powers…butbecome evil.I wouldn’t want to face that choice.”
Lilliana nodded.“I admire the Unfallen for their choices,but realistically, they’ll never earn their way back to Heaven.Only a handfulever have.”
Jedda felt her ears droop.“That’s so sad.”
“Well,” Lilliana said wryly, “Heaven isn’t all it’s crackedup to be.”
Jedda thought about Becky, one of her dedicated church-goingemployees.“I know a few humans who would be very upset to hear that.”
Lilliana laughed.“Humans have it pretty good in Heaven.Forangels…it’s all work and politics.”She turned down a narrow hallway.“Youhungry?I had Suzanne put out some tea and scones.”
As if on cue, Jedda’s stomach rumbled.“My favorite.”
