“You smell that, too?” I asked. “Because I was wondering if Gabriel crapped himself or something.”
“My brother didn’t crap himself,” Lucifer said, and my hands balled into fists. Of course he didn’t listen to me. He came to stand to my left. “Yet.”
“That’s your surprise,” I said, feeling like this was so anticlimactic now. “Surprise,” I exclaimed, throwing in jazz hands in the process.
“I do not accept this gift,” Gabriel snarled.
“Too bad,” I said. “No returns or exchanges.”
Gabriel focused in on his brother. “I knew I felt the taint of your presence.”
“The taint of my presence? Have you smelled yourself recently?” Lucifer looked up at Gabriel. “Your essence—your Glory is rotting.”
“My Glory is not rotting,” the archangel snapped.
“Um.” I drew the word out. “Something on you is definitely rotting.”
“Even mine never smelled that bad.” A twinge of awe filled Lucifer’s tone as he continued to stare up at Gabriel. “You know what that means.”
“You have no idea what you speak of,” Gabriel bit back.
“What does that mean?” I asked, glancing at Lucifer.
The devil smiled. “I have a feeling we’re going to find out.”
Gabriel drew farther back. “You know what I plan, brother. You of all people should be celebrating what needs to be done. I will end this—end this corruption that has become this realm. I will do what needs to be done. And yet you stand before me instead of behind me?”
“Yeah, well, what you plan is my kind of party,” Lucifer said. “But it ain’t my party. You feel me?”
“He probably doesn’t get your analogy,” I told him.
“I understand it fine,” snapped Gabriel. “I give you this one chance, Lucifer. More than our Father ever gave you. Join me, and together, we will end this.”
Lucifer cocked his head to the side. “Now, you know damn well Father gave me so many chances it was absurd. Even I can admit that, but you? Oh, Gabe, what have you done to yourself?”
The twinge of genuine sadness in Lucifer’s voice caught my attention.
He was shaking his head. “You were only ever supposed to be the voice of God. No more. No less. And yet that wasn’t enough. You became bitter. Jealous. So full of pride.”
“You speak to me about striving for more? Of pride?” Gabriel thundered, and I mean, he kind of had a reason to be dumbstruck. “You? You, who wanted to rule beside God?”
“So? I still see nothing wrong with that. What I wanted was the power due to me and for that I was cast to Earth.” A glow began to seep through his skin. “But I was never barred from the Heavens. Tell me, brother, when was the last time you were able to enter the Heavens? When is the last time you spoke to God? Heard the divine Voice? I hear it now. Do you?”
Wait. What?
“Lies,” Gabriel hissed. “You do not hear the divine Voice.”
“Believe what you will, but I’m going to kill you tonight.” Lucifer’s eyes briefly closed. “Know that I will mourn you deeply, if only for a few moments.”
My brows lifted. Moments? He would mourn him for moments? Ouch.
Gabriel drew back as if slapped. “So be it, Satan.”
Crimson streaked across Lucifer’s eyes. “Oh, no, you did not just call me that.”
The archangel flew back, lifting his arms. “I knew you would come to me, child of Michael, this very night.”
My head snapped his direction as tension crept into my muscles.
“So, I’ve prepared my own gift for you,” he continued. “It’s a shame, though, that you will have to witness so many of those you care for perish.”
Movement on the ground drew my gaze to the areas alongside the home. From this distance they were nothing but blobs of different colors and shapes, but I saw enough to know they were demons and there were many.
“How many?” I asked Zayne.
“Hundreds,” he answered, looking across to Lucifer. “That’s a lot of demons mad at you.”
“There will always be demons unhappy with the rules,” he replied. The ever-growing mass continued to bulge out from the house. “Gabriel knew you’d have time to prepare if you learned,” Lucifer answered. “He really did know we were coming tonight. Someone betrayed you.”
Pressure clamped down on my chest. Someone most definitely did.
“I cannot help but think of those angel blades,” Zayne commented.
“Same,” I whispered, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “How many of your legion were you able to wrangle?”
“Enough,” Lucifer answered.
“And when are they going to get here?” Zayne asked.
“Hopefully soon.”
“Kill the Fallen,” Gabriel ordered. “The nephilim must be alive.”
“I’m kind of disappointed.” Lucifer pouted. “What about me?”
There was no answer as a wave of demons burst forward, most on the ground but some in the air. A few looked like imps, but others... Their wings gleamed white in the moonlight.
“What about us?” Roth announced, stalking out from the wood line. Layla was beside him, her black feathered wings always a shock to see, but not nearly as distracting as the baby dragon perched on his shoulder. I didn’t see the giant kittens.