Luc hid his apprehension. After all, he had an image to maintain.
“I’ve come to play ‘Let’s Make A Deal.’ You know the game show, I’m assuming? No, wait. You wouldn’t bother yourself to watch something so mundane and human, would you?” he drawled. “Well, the gist is that I offer you a deal, and you take what I have to offer, or you gamble and risk losing it all. How about it?”
Father studied him, giving no indication he’d heard.
The double doors opened, cutting off any reply the Creator would’ve made. Gabriel was shoved inside, bound in chains. From his ragged appearance, Luc assumed he hadn’t gone without a fight. The split lip, bloody nose, and rapidly swelling eye were new additions to his already battered face. His brother would’ve given as good as he got, and Luc suspected Raphael’s minions had taken the worst beating.
Gabriel was positioned beside Luc, and they shared a speaking glance.
The Creator’s gaze shot from them to Raphael before coming back to rest on Luc. “She is secure?”
“Yes, Father. Michael retrieved her himself.”
Luc’s heart plummeted to his heels.
Before he could arm himself, Father pointed his glowing staff. Luc was stripped bare and chained in less than a blink. The metal collar around his neck wasn’t standard iron, which he could’ve melted given enough of a powerful blast. Instead, it was reinforced with celestial symbols known only to deities, rendering him powerless. His arms, bound behind him, were secured with shackles made of the same material.
Rough hands forced Gabriel and him to their knees.
Luc cursed long and loud.
“And the public at large believes me to be the greatest of liars. I have nothing on any of you. You are far more silver-tongued than I ever was.” He spit on the feet beside him. “Know this, Raphael. When I am free, and have no doubt I will be again, you shall pay for your betrayal.”
“My allegiance has always been to our father, Lucifer. I didn’t betray you because, as they say, all is fair in love and war.”
“It’s going to be awfully difficult for you to speak such drivel when I rip out your tongue, you bastard,” he snarled.
If what Raphael stated was true, Nadia was in Michael’s clutches as they sat there trussed up like lambs to a slaughter. She didn’t stand a chance against a warrior as old and mighty as their brother. Not yet, anyway. One day, she would, should she survive.
“If one hair on Nadia’s head is harmed, I will bring the Kingdom down around your ears. The rubble will rest atop your broken bodies,” Gabriel shouted.
“Gabriel took the words right out of my mouth,” Luc said, infusing false cheer into his tone and gracing the Creator with a carefree smile as if being chained naked and kneeling on a frigid marble floor was of no consequence.
They waited for what seemed like hours, tensions at an all-time high, before Michael finally showed up with Nadia. Although she appeared wary of the situation, she seemed to take delight in her surroundings. Luc fought back a grin at her awe. His brother, on the other hand, looked fed up, as if he wanted to murder the woman on the spot. Luc could only assume he’d been under strict orders to bring her in alive.
And miracle of miracles, he did as he was told!
When the crowd parted enough for her to get her first look at the men on the floor, she halted, body rigid. Her eyes flew to the figure on the throne. Inasmuch as Nadia wanted to deny the big man existed before this moment, reality had knocked her upside the head, giving her a look of stunned disbelief. If Luc had a camera readily available, he’d have snapped a picture of her gaping to tease her with later.
He frowned.
How had she justified archangels fighting over her until now?
Michael shoved Nadia between the shoulders, causing her to stumble.
Luc growled his displeasure, and it reverberated around the chamber.
All present watched him warily.
“Easy, brother,” Raphael warned. “I would not see you killed over the hybrid.”
“Why not? I would see you killed over her,” Luc retorted with icy disdain.
Gabriel huffed a laugh, and Luc felt the kinship they’d been missing all these years past.
A ear-ringing pop was followed by a wide fissure along the marble. Spectators hugged the edge of the room in fear. Not since the war had the room suffered damage, and never Father’s prized floor. A few muffled cries made their way to his ears. Everyone’s attention shifted between him and the Creator.
But neither were responsible.
