Devil Without a Cause (22 page)

Authors: Terri Garey

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” The Devil sighed. “Such devotion, such self-sacrifice.”

Finn ignored him, for the only thing that mattered was the feel of Faith in his arms, the softness of her hair against his cheek. If he could die like this, holding her, then he would die a happy man.

“Very well,” Satan said, almost wearily. “Luckily for you lovebirds, I occasionally find myself a sucker for a happy ending.” A flash of lightning and a huge clap of thunder shook the room, and as it died, rumbling away into the distance, they both heard the Devil say, “I release you both from your bargains.”

In disbelief, Finn searched the shadows, still holding Faith close, but the Devil was gone, vanished into thin air.

“I got what I wanted, and may you both have everything you wished for,” came the familiar voice, still taunting, but with an undertone of finality. “Go forth, keep your promises to each other, and live happily ever after . . . one big, happy family.”

Laughter, cruel and mocking, died away into the distance.

“Of course, should you ever make the mistake of inviting me in for another visit, I can’t promise to be so merciful next time.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

“A
n employee of the Ritz-Carlton was found dead this morning, apparently by his own hand. Herve Morales, night shift manager, leapt to his death from the roof of the hotel, his body landing atop the parking garage. A suicide note at the scene has not yet been released to the press, but authorities revealed that Mr. Morales was under investigation for violating child pornography laws and unlawful use of company equipment. Management of the Ritz-Carlton had no comment, other than to say that they will be cooperating fully with authorities.”

The television clicked off, filling the hotel room with silence. Without stirring from his chair, Sammy said idly, over his shoulder, “How rude of you, Gabriel. I was watching that.”

The Archangel Gabriel sighed, sinking down on the couch, which gave him a glorious view of the city of Atlanta. “Nothing is ever simple with you, is it, Samael?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Liar,” Gabe said softly, without heat.

“What does it matter,” Sammy said, just as softly, his eyes on the city, spread out before him like a banquet. “The Darkness must have its pound of flesh, after all. You should be grateful I let your little protégée off the hook. You can go back to the One and report that Faith McFarland will live a long and happy life, just as you desired.”

“That’s all well and good, but I was never appointed Faith McFarland’s guardian angel,” returned Gabriel, with a smile in his voice.

Samael the Fallen sat up straight, twisting in his chair to regard his old friend. “What?”

“I was appointed Nathan’s,” Gabe returned, eyes twinkling. “Faith was just a bonus.”

Once again—for it was happening all too often lately— Sammy found himself speechless.

But only momentarily.

“You bastard,” he growled, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Oh, Sammy,” the archangel answered. “You and me both. We have only one parent, after all. Thanks to you, Nate now has two.” Gabe took a step back before adding, “And perhaps, one day, if you’re lucky enough, your son, Cain, will, too.”

And then he was gone before all hell could break loose, in a flash of light that could’ve been the sun, reflecting off the tall buildings outside the window.

Leaning back in his chair, the Devil began to chuckle, laughing at himself, and at all the world. The trickster had been tricked, and one must give credit where credit was due. His laughter died, though, after a moment. He sat there, staring at the view, lost in thought, for several more.

“Fuck it,” he finally said, and snapped his fingers.

Gone was the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, and in its place was Ariadne’s cavern, the black pool still and quiet beneath the tainted ground, the atmosphere cloaked in silence.

“Welcome back, Samael,” said Ariadne, from her place beside the pool.

He said nothing, merely looking at her, knowing she knew all she needed to know without him saying a word.

“Past, present, and future,” she said, “patterns and circles, all repeating endlessly in one way or another.” She reached out a hand to wave it over the pool before turning and gliding noiselessly into her cave, leaving him alone.

Always alone.

Then, because he couldn’t help himself, Samael the Fallen knelt beside the black pool and looked into its mirrorlike surface, seeing not himself, but the future of the one he most longed to see.

There, in the dark depths, a scene emerged: a dark-haired young woman, pink streaks in her hair, a babe in her arms. She cooed down at the child, holding it close, moving the pink blanket away from its face as she gazed into it, obviously enraptured.

The two were joined by a third, a tall man with dark hair who leaned in, slipping his arm around the young woman’s shoulders. Together they gazed at the new life they’d created, a touching tableau that pained the heart Samael thought he no longer had.

“And they all lived happily ever after,” he murmured, reaching out a hand to swirl the black water and erase the scene from his sight.

“Enjoy your family, Nicki, my love, and don’t forget the Devil who loved you.”

He rose, ready to return to Sheol and face the eyes that constantly watched, judged, and demanded.

“There’s no fool like an old fool, and I’m one of the oldest, after all.”

Acknowledgments

Having always been fascinated by legends and stories surrounding Satan’s biblical fall from grace, I hope you’ll enjoy reading a new version of this age-old story from a different perspective, that of the arrogant fallen angel whose lust for the flesh led him to defy his Creator. Tales of the Devil exist in almost every culture, with the battle of good vs. evil often reduced to horns vs. wings and pitchforks vs. harps. Somehow I tend to think that it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Huge thanks, once again, to Erika Tsang and all the great folks at Avon HarperCollins and the Jane Rotrosen Agency, and to everyone who asked to read more about the wickedly complex character of Sammy Divine.

Special thanks to Jyrki Linnankivi and Finnish rockers The 69 Eyes, who not only provided some of the inspiration for this novel, but are living proof that good guys can wear black.

About the Author

A Southern girl with an overactive imagination,
TERRI GAREY
grew up in Florida, always wondering why tropical prints and socks with sandals were considered a fashion statement. A former computer analyst, she now spends her time writing demented tales from the dark side. Please visit her on the web at
www.tgarey.com
or
www.harpercollins.com/terrigarey
.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

By Terri Garey

Devil Without a Cause

Silent Night, Haunted Night

You’re the One That I Haunt

A Match Made in Hell

Dead Girls Are Easy

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE
. Copyright © 2011 by Terri Garey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

EPub Edition June 2011 ISBN: 9780062079510

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

25 Ryde Road (P.O. Box 321)

Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor