I was silent. I rarely lied, even in soul reaping. I despised untruths. Perhaps that was what caused me to align myself with Azrael rather than my mother. I could trust him to be honest in his dealings with me.
“Were we in a more delicate situation, I might feel the need to seduce the truth from you,” she continued, “but knowing what I know and possessing what I possess means I have the liberty to speak frankly. You will soon discover I have left you with very little means to negotiate, so why don’t I just tell you the true nature of this summons?”
I took a deep breath and steeled myself for her next words.
“Your human lover called for me. Many,manytimes. You left him feeling quite forsaken, the poor dear. He somehow got it into his head that you needed a vessel of your own in order for the two of you to be reunited. And so, he’s traded his everlasting soul for your bloodborn body, which I have taken great pains to restore. I currently possess both your body and your human companion. The latter is under enchantment in one of my rooms, and if you ever wish to see him again, you will agree toallof my demands.”
The air left my lungs in a whoosh. The glass I’d been holding shattered on the marble floor. I stood and made a rambling circuit of the hall, searching for you behind those blasted curtains in vain. I considered using the broken glass to slash their throats, but my brother would heal too quickly, and my mother would just inhabit the body of one of her many blood slaves. I’d have to kill them all…
“Sit down, Andronicus,” Lena commanded. “There’s no need for the theatrics. You know you’ve already lost.”
“Orlando,” I shouted, but my voice only echoed hollowly throughout the hall. She was right. She and Lucian were too powerful to fend off alone, and it would only delay the inevitable. I collapsed into the chair and hung my head.
What had you done, Orlando? What had you done?
“These are my terms,” Lena continued, undeterred. “I will be hosting an event here at my home. An exhibition of sorts. Among entertainments of the carnal variety, your lover will perform one of his enticing dances, and you, my darling, will demonstrate your talents for mortal combat.”
To anyone else, demonstrate might mean only that, but for my mother, it meant bloodshed.
“Demonstrate on whom, Lena?”
“My guests, naturally. Humans of exceedingly good breeding who are either well-connected themselves or are companions to those who have influence and information. And a few of my demonic adversaries as well. We’re long overdue for a bit of housekeeping.”
“You want me to murder them?” I asked, astonished by her boldness. She usually dealt in “accidental” homicide and death due to misadventure. She picked off her enemies a few at a time, and she was careful about not getting caught.
“No need for such language. You never know who might be listening.” She raised her brow, but of course I knew she would have enchanted this place. There were no messages or cries for help getting in or out.
“What of their souls? The Potestas won’t miss a massacre.”
“Lucky for me, not all reapers are so incorruptible.”
So, she had found a reaper who was willing to steal souls. She meant to have me slaughter humans for the purpose of demonic possession, with the sole purpose of assuming their identities. These people in power must have something she wanted, something she could only acquire by keeping them alive for appearance’s sake. With their souls stolen, this deception could go unnoticed for quite some time.
“And if I won’t do it?” She had me pinioned, but I’d force her to say it.
Lena’s gaze drifted to the young man still reclined on the divan, practically lifeless. His face swiveled like a doll’s head in our direction, and he gazed at my mother with empty, adoring eyes. She’d chosen him because he resembled you.
“If you refuse me, I will make what happened to your slave boy look like an act of mercy.”
Chilled to the bone and utterly defeated, I sat back in my chair and gazed up at the ceiling, which was painted with depictions of angels and demons alike. There was the avenging angel Raphael, sword in hand, burying a demon alive. And Gabriel famously ripping out a man’s tongue for his insolence. There was a scene with my own master, Azrael, when he was still known as the Angel of Death and Destruction, slaughtering the firstborn sons of Egypt. And not one to be ignored, the black-eyed beauty Lilith, goddess of the night and twin sister to my own mother, beckoning a nude and visibly aroused Adam into her bed.
Lena believed there wasn’t much of a difference between angel and demon, virtue and vice. It was simply a matter of where you got your orders.
“How do you intend to get away with this when your deception is uncovered?” I asked her. Surely it would be. Perhaps not right away, but soon enough the Potestas would catch wind of it.
“I don’t have to get away with anything, my dear boy. There will be witnesses to your crimes of passion, as there were in that dark, blood-drenched forest. We all know how vindictive you can be, especially when it comes to defending your beloved.”
I glanced over at my brother, who had been silent during this entire exchange.
“What say you, Lucian?”
He stared at me with impassivity. His eyes were the same glacial blue that Lena’s had been in her bloodborn body. Their hue always reminded me of a detached indifference.
“Mother has a plan to unite the Grigori elders, and once that happens, there will be no limit to our powers in the earthen realm. The Imperium will topple, our enslaved Nephilim brothers and sisters will be freed, and even your beloved Azrael will be forced to capitulate to our demands. The bloodborn tribe will rise again, dear brother, and your sacrifice to the cause will not be in vain.”
This was why Lucian would always be Lena’s favorite. He believed wholeheartedly in her power-hungry mythos. He didn’t need to be coerced or seduced into her schemes. He was already her most faithful acolyte.
“Take me to him,” I said.
