Days of New: The Complete Collection (Serials 1-5) (57 page)

Maya sat up and looked down at him, lying in her bed. He smiled up at her, but it was the saddest smile Maya had ever seen. “You can’t save me,” he said. “I’m already too lost.”

Chapter Four

M
aya was alone the next morning when she woke. Lucifer’s demons moved about the house, chattering and cleaning, the smell of coffee wafting up from the kitchen. The activity did nothing to lure Maya from bed. She rolled onto her side and tugged the pillow that Lucifer had lain on against her face, where she could breathe in his rich scent. She had no clue how long he’d slept with her last night, or if he’d slept at all. Though her thoughts had raced after his claim that he couldn’t be saved, her exhausted body had won the game of tug of war for her consciousness.

In the light of day, Maya had to admit that he had a point. He was a lost soul, possibly too lost, even though he said her nearness soothed his troubles. But she couldn’t help but feel like she was fighting a battle that was already lost if Lucifer was so willing to give up on himself. How could she save him when he claimed himself too far gone?

Feeling frustrated and helpless beyond measure, Maya let out a muffled scream into the downy plushness of the pillow. She should have known it wouldn’t make her feel better.

A soft knock sounded on her bedroom door. “Come in,” Maya called, hoping it was Lucifer again.

Instead, Dante walked in, carrying a breakfast tray laden with scones, bacon, and a steaming cup of coffee. “Good morning, Miss Maya,” the little demon said as he carefully settled the tray on her bedside table. He stepped back with a bow.

“You don’t have to bow to me, Dante.”

“Sorry, Miss.”

Maya reached for a scone. Its flaky crust was warm against her fingertips, and her mouth watered. “This looks delicious, Dante. Did you make them?”

“No, Miss. I’m a terrible cook. Can I get you anything else?”

Maya considered for a moment before asking, “Would you mind keeping me company while I eat?”

Clearly, her request surprised the demon. His wings fluttered and his bulging eyes blinked slowly. “Company?”

In answer, Maya tucked her legs underneath her and patted the covers next to her. “Would you like some bacon? This is too much for me to eat by myself.”

“If Master—”

“
Lucifer
isn’t here, and I would like the conversation. So, bacon?”

Dante considered it for a moment before flapping his wings, rising into the air, and settling with a thump on the bed. He smiled at her as she handed him a strip of bacon. He ate the meat like it was something to savor and cherish, which made Maya more convinced of her idea.

“Dante, I’ve been wanting to ask you something, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Maya started.

The demon looked up, holding his bacon strip between two fingers and licking a tiny morsel of grease off his other hand. “Yes, Miss?”

“It’s about Lucifer.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t be worried!” Maya said quickly before handing Dante another piece of bacon when he quickly gobbled up his first and looked ready to spring from the bed and race toward the door. “I just want to ask you if you’ve noticed anything different about him lately? Maybe his moods or routine?”

“You mean,” Dante said, his voice a whisper as he glanced at the closed bedroom door, “since he came back?”

“Yes.”

“He is different, Miss. More troubled.” Dante nibbled on his bacon and sank deeper into the comforter, making him look like a soccer ball lost in snow. “He doesn’t sleep much. And his tendencies have only gotten worse.”

“Tendencies?”

“Miss has noticed his desire for cleanliness? And for his clothes to be a certain way?”

Maya’s mouth popped open. “He has OCD?” At Dante’s confusion, Maya continued, “It’s an anxiety disorder that makes people develop certain compulsions or obsessions.”

Dante nodded. “Yes, Miss! Master is very particular about certain things. He yells when they aren’t right.”

“And have you noticed the headaches he gets sometimes?”

“Master always looks in pain now,” Dante said, sadness evident in his low voice. He slowly munched on his bacon, his thoughts far away.

Maya reached over and squeezed his hand, surprising the demon once again. His skin wasn’t moist, like she’d expected; instead, it felt like soft velvet beneath her touch. “You love him, don’t you?”

“He was always kind to me…before. When Master created me, I wasn’t very useful like the others. My hands and wings wouldn’t work right. Master let me do small things, like picking the flowers and arranging them in the vases until I could do more. He never let the others pick on me.”

“That was nice of him.”

“Master is a good man,” Dante said, meeting Maya’s eyes and searching their depths. “But you know that, Miss.”

“I do.” Maya smiled. “I want to help him, but I don’t know how.”

“Just being here is helping a lot, Miss. Master doesn’t look to be in as much pain as before. But…”

“But what?”

Dante set aside his bacon and scooted closer to Maya. His eyes searched the gap below the door for a long moment. Finally, he leaned in close to Maya and whispered in her ear, “The fallen ones trouble Master. They hiss in his ear about doing bad things. I believe they sneak into his dreams and haunt him with dark images. One night, I heard Master calling out in his sleep. He was making horrible noises, like he was screaming and drowning at the same time. When I went to check on him, the fallen ones were outside his door, deep in mediation. Master doesn’t sleep much after that night.”

“The fallen ones?” Maya whispered, her eyes wide.

Dante nodded. “The Archangel reapers.”

Suddenly, Maya understood. “Emim and Irin.”

Dante shuddered at their names, but he nodded. “They constantly plague Master with their conniving presence. They’re horrible to the demons: mean and vicious. Once, they buried a demon just for fun. It took an hour just to dig her back up.”

“Does Lucifer know?”

“No, Miss. All the demons are too scared of the fallen ones. We’ve met some bad angels, but they are the worst.”

Maya nodded, lost in thought, as she sipped on her coffee. She didn’t know much about the once-holy Archangels, but she knew that they controlled the elements: earth, wind, water, and fire. They were ones who had caused so much destruction at the compound when Lucifer had attacked the first night she’d met him. She shivered.

“Yes,” she agreed. “They’re the worst.”

Dante grabbed her hand again and squeezed tightly. “Miss should avoid them at all cost. Don’t even look at them.”

“Why?”

Dante lowered his voice even more. “They don’t like Miss. They don’t want you here because you’ll take Master away from them. Make Master better. They want to control him.”

A horrible thought crept into Maya’s mind. “Do you think they’re trying to take back control of Hell from Gabriel and Lucifer alike?”

Dante nodded, too afraid to confirm her fears aloud. Maya’s stomach sank. It was worse than she’d thought. Michaela and Gabriel had no clue the fallen Archangels were up to something so nefarious. If such powerful angels as Emim and Irin won control of Hell and its army, the destruction on Earth and possibly even Heaven would be too great to contemplate. Maya had to warn Clark.

“Thank you for the information, Dante. I promise I won’t tell anyone about our talk.”

“Thank you, Miss.” Dante ducked his head, crimson rising up his cheeks. “I’m glad you’re here for Master. He’s lucky to have you.”

Maya hugged the demon, crushing him tight against her as she blinked back her tears. When she pulled away from him, Dante was grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you, Dante. I needed to hear that today.”

“You’re welcome, Miss.” Dante hopped up from the bed and gathered her breakfast tray. He didn’t bow this time, Maya noted with happiness. Halfway to the door, he stopped and looked back. “Miss should know the fallen ones are in Master’s office right now, talking to him about the Descendants,” Dante whispered.

Maya gritted her teeth and swung her legs over the bed. Her energy felt renewed, and she was pissed off. “I’ll take care of those assholes.”

A robe hung at the end of her bed, which she grabbed and yanked on, clenching the belt with a tight knot. By the time she’d turned around, Dante was gone, and she hadn’t even heard the bedroom door open and close. She frowned; the little demon was terrified of Irin and Emim. His fear pissed her off more. If those angels were trying to pull Lucifer deeper into his madness for their own gain, she was going to deal with them once and for all.

Blood boiling, she flung open the door and stomped down the hall. Her footsteps echoed off the stairs like gunshots, but by the time she reached the carpeted hallway leading to Lucifer’s office, she slowed. She was just here to help Lucifer, not take down corrupt fallen Archangels. Irin and Emim, with their reaper powers, were far out of her league. She bit her lip, eyes traveling to Lucifer’s door. The light was on, which meant he and the twins were still inside. She took a few steps closer until she heard the murmur of voices.

If she could get an idea about what the twins were planning, she could warn Clark, who in turn could warn Michaela and Gabriel. They could take care of the errant fallen angels, and she would be free to keep helping Lucifer. Deciding on her plan, she took a careful step closer, making certain her approach was silent over the thick carpet. She didn’t come too close to the door in case the angels smelled her.

When she was close enough to make out their words, she stopped and crouched in the hall, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming. Certain she was alone, Maya listened in.

“—remain at the safe house…”

“…In Kentucky,” one of the twins finished the other’s previous sentence.

Maya narrowed her eyes and pressed closer to the door, straining to hear Lucifer’s response.

“And?” Lucifer asked.

“Would you like us to take care…”

“…Of the situation, Master?”

Maya’s heart stuttered. Irin and Emim were going after Clark, Camille, and Zarachiel? She didn’t understand why they would need to take out Clark. He wasn’t a threat to their campaign for Lucifer’s old spot in Hell. Frowning, she leaned closer to the door.

“Why would I need you to take care of it?”

“Master, the marked one is powerful…”

“…He could threaten Master with his illicit powers.”

From inside the office, Lucifer started to pace. His shoes made the ancient wooden floor squeak and groan. Maya shifted away from the door as the creaks grew near, worried that Lucifer was leaving. But he turned and paced back the other way. She scooted closer and waited for his answer.

“Clark isn’t a threat,” Lucifer said, words firm. “He’s just a young guy. He didn’t ask for that power, and honestly, he can barely use it.”

“But what if he learns, Master?”

“What if he desires darker power?”

Maya nearly snorted. It wasn’t Clark who desired darker powers; it was the twins. Could they be gunning for Clark’s magic and Gabriel’s position as General in Hell? If they attained the Watchers’ magic and coupled if with their ability to manipulate the elements, the twins would be unstoppable. How could Lucifer not see that they wanted to destroy him?

“Clark just wants to be normal. Trust me, he hates that power.”

Maya grinned at Lucifer’s answer. Even talking to the twins, who clearly bent his ear to their will far too much, he was sticking up for Clark.

“Master would use…”

“…That power so much better. Master would…”

“…Be untouchable with that power…”

Lucifer considered their comments for a long, silent moment that set Maya’s teeth on edge. Finally, he said almost reverently, “I would be untouchable.”

Maya frowned, happiness lost.

“Master would be unstoppable. Master would have all that he desired. Master would be the strongest angel in existence.”

“I would.”

Lucifer was thinking much too hard about their comments. Keeping her breathing as quiet as possible, Maya checked over her shoulder to ensure the hallway was still clear. No one had come. She was thinking about knocking on the office door to break up this little party when the twins continued.

“We could help Master…”

“…Win back that power.”

Lucifer paced back toward the door. This time, Maya didn’t move away.

“Oh, I will win it back. In six more days, that power will be on my arms. Clark will have no choice but to give it to me.”

“What if he fights you, Master?”

“He won’t. I have Maya. He will do anything to keep her safe.”

Maya didn’t dare move now. She held her breath, waiting.

“What if the marked one…”

“…And the girl are working together to…”

“…Eliminate you, Master?”

“Eliminate?”

“Yes, Master. What if the girl is just here to make you weak? She is a Nephil. The cursed breed.”