The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness (37 page)

“It’s bearable,” he shrugged and leaned in for more.

“Why did you really throw me into the realms against Lucifer’s orders?  I know it wasn’t because of my suicide.  You used that as an excuse,” she offered him more soup and waited.

“I’m not the one who threw you into the realms,” he stiffened when he saw her eyes tighten.  “Fine, I wanted you to leave, one way or another.  Lucifer has been obsessing over you for so long.  I knew it would only get worse once you were here. When I saw the effect you had on him I panicked.  I thought if you were miserable enough, you would want to end your life.  You are a complication that he doesn’t need, and I don’t want.  He started spouting love poetry.  Do you know how frightening that was?  I had to step up my game.  I was afraid he would do exactly what he did and put you into power, just as he promised Gabriel.  Three people in power doesn’t work here, it never has.

“Tabbris made things unbearable.  He did nothing but whine about how we went too far in punishing the mortals, yet he thought they should be eliminated.  He never liked mortals.  He saw no point in their redemption.  He thought it was useless to torture the mortals and did everything he could to block us from doing our jobs.  He came here just to prove that creating a Hell would be a waste of time, though we proved him wrong and he thankfully left.

“Maraquette was selfish and only concerned about her own bullshit, and you seem to know about Serena.  Lucifer and I make things work.  You will only screw things up and I will have to clean house.  I’m tired of failure.  I’m tired of attempting to make things work only to have a third in power cause more chaos.  If you think you can rule this place without making things worse, then you don’t understand Hell,” Hades sighed and took another spoonful of soup.

“I understand Hell better than you think.  I’ve had nightmares about this place since I was born as Michelle.  Didn’t you ever wonder why I didn’t break while in the realms?  Didn’t you wonder why I didn’t come crying to you, pleading with you to free me of my pain and end my life?  I had suffered in all the realms long before I ever officially met you.  Every night I was burned alive, skewered, stripped of my flesh, and every morning I woke up knowing I had to face it all again the next night.  You merely gave me what I was used to.  I lived in Hell for eighteen years, unable to tell a soul, save one.  In all that time, I never understood why and I never had a way out.  It was relentless.  What you failed to realize, Hades, is that I was well prepared to endure the real realms.  On top of that, you gave me something that I didn’t have before, a reason to fight.  It was my anger and need for vengeance that allowed me to fight back.  I hated you and it forced me to grow up and take control.  You gave me the means of unlocking my power.  The darkness inside of me gained strength every time you forced me to protect my existence.  I embraced my darkness and unleashed my power, because of you.  You only have yourself to blame for what I have become.  Who knows what would have happened if you had left me alone.  You certainly wouldn’t be sitting in here tied up, losing blood.  I should be thanking you,” Anjali smirked as she witnessed Hades comprehend the truth.

Hades was shocked but tried not to seem defeated.  He could kick himself for the mistakes he’d made with her.  In his attempts to push her over the edge, he had roused a sleeping Destroyer, which wasn’t exactly what he was going for.  Damn, he should have left her alone.  Threats would only increase her anger and her need for vengeance.  He knew those temptations all too well.  It would only escalate their fight if he continued in this vein.

“You’re going to end up like the others.  You already have darkness inside of you.  Maraquette and Serena were Heavenly Angel, filled with love and goodness, and they couldn’t withstand the evil here.  They weren’t the only ones.  Lucifer tried to keep a few different mortal women at his side.  He wasn’t terribly serious about them, at least not enough to put them on the throne.  You don’t want to know what happened to them,” Hades grimaced.  Being honest with her was the only way to make her see the truth.

“I’m not them,” she shrugged.

“I meant what I said before.  Your life will not be easy and the path you are on will bring you much sadness.  Mark my words; there will come a time when you come to me, begging me to end you.  That offer has expired.  I’m going to watch you beg for death and I won’t grant it.  Here’s a fun fact for you; go check out the Realm of the Destroyer.  I dare you to face the people who died from your little killing fits.  They are stuck in Hell until a full Apocalypse is created and paradise is once again achieved.  If you think you’re strong enough to survive here, then look into the eyes of the people you condemned to an eternity of pain,” Hades looked her directly in the eyes.

“Trust me, I won’t be begging for you to kill me anytime soon.  I’m stronger than you think,” she picked up the spoon and fed him more soup.  She decided not to comment on his taunt about the realm until she saw it with her own eyes.

Hades wasn’t allowed to hurt the girl, even if he wanted to.  Lucifer promised to do worse than kill him if he harmed Lady Black again.  He would be thrown out of Hell and forced to go back to Heaven.  As much as he wanted to go home, he knew he wouldn’t survive.  The grief over the deplorable things he’d done would make him beg for death.  Of course, she didn’t need to know that.  It was better to make the girl believe that he would lash out at her at any moment.

“I have a feeling you would stab me through the heart, if given the opportunity,” Hades chuckled, and then sheepishly took another spoonful of soup.

“If you think that, then you know nothing about me,” Anjali gave him the last of the soup and stood up.

“Does this mean that my sentence is over?” Hades asked hesitantly.  He was still afraid she would beat the shit out of him.

“Answer me this.  When I first arrived, you were startled when you saw me.  Why?  Don’t bother lying to me.  I saw the fear in your eyes.  I’ve never heard you stutter before, even when your face was broken.  You almost bowed to me.  Why did you fear me?” she stared at him pointedly.

Hades took a moment to think about his answer.  He had been caught off guard by her sudden appearance in the Throne Room.  He’d expected a parade in her honor, but instead, she was standing in front of Lucifer looking small and helpless in her pink pajamas.  It took less than a second to realize that Lucifer had stolen, or tricked the girl.

“I admit that I was surprised by your appearance.  There was to be a formal ceremony when you arrived.  Since there was no pomp and circumstance, I knew something was very wrong.  I was afraid he had taken you against your will and that you would release your power and raze Hell.  I didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire.  When I saw your clothes, I knew that he had stolen you.  I did expect Gabriel to storm the gates and take you back.  I was not looking forward to that fight.  Serena’s dress in Lucifer’s hands didn’t alleviate my concerns.  I thought he would hand over the dress and the throne on the spot.  It wasn’t until he called you Mistress that I understood the level of deception he was employing to keep you in Hell,” Hades shrugged.  It cost him nothing to tell her his version of the events.

“Yet you did nothing to stop him from lying to me.  Have you always hated me, or is this something new?  Did we know each other in Heaven?” she quipped.

Hades rolled his eyes.  He hated being questioned; he preferred to do the interrogating.  “I never knew you before you arrived in Hell.  You were created long after I left Heaven.  I’d heard of your exploits and I assumed that you were cruel, unyielding, and brutal.  To my dismay, you are boring, insipid, and useless to me,” Hades smirked, waiting to see her frown.  He didn’t know why he delighted in making her miserable, but he considered it his new favorite pastime.

Anjali flicked her wrist and used her power to pull Hades off the ground and suspend him in midair in front of her.  “I’ll let Dmitri know that you are ready for your next round of pain, or better yet, I’ll call Katarina, so that she can tuck you in and give you a kiss.”

The smug look on Hades’ face quickly disappeared, replaced by fear.  She needed to remind Hades that she was no longer the confused girl in the pink PJs.  She was the Bringer of the Apocalypse, not his bitch.

Lucifer paced around the partially reconstructed Throne Room, waiting for Anjali to arrive.  He wanted to discuss the renovations to get her opinion on a new dais, which was a strange thing for him to desire.  He rarely cared about what anyone had to say.

He smiled when he thought about the first time she had ascended the steps to her throne.  She seemed hesitant and flustered, which was adorable, but once she took the throne and looked up, she acted like a queen.  She listened to each problem and every time he asked her opinion, she reflected on the conversation and responded with a levelheaded suggestion.  It was an amazing sight.

He saw the difference from her predecessors immediately.  Tabbris had looked cocky and bored.  Maraquette was indifferent, and too wrapped up in her fantasies of them living happily ever after, while Serena looked like she was ready to bite someone.  Yes, Anjali would make a fine addition to Hell.

He was deep in thought when he heard a thud behind him.  He turned and found his servant from the Mortal Realm Jimmy, aka Creeper, disemboweled on his floor.  Not that it was an unpleasant sight, but it was a surprising one.  He wondered whom his servant had pissed off this time.  He looked to the doorway to see who had thrown him to the ground.

Lucifer’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the familiar blue fire of a Celestial Sword, but was shocked to see who was wielding it.  Gabriel.  It took an extra second to acknowledge that Creeper had not only been gutted, but had also sustained a blow to the heart.  His servant was truly dead.

Lucifer quickly regained his composure and glared at Gabriel.  “Mind telling how you got into my Hell, again?  Oh, and you owe me a new servant,” he remarked casually, refusing to let Gabriel see his fear.

“I swore to you that you wouldn’t like the repercussions if you failed to honor the contract.  Summon the guards and Creeper won’t be the only causality.  I am merely returning your wretched servant to you.  I know he was the one who followed me.  You don’t have any spies in the Mortal Realm that have the skills to find me.  Using the Council’s servant against me was low for even you, but he’s the only one who could have tracked me.  The traitor deserved death,” Gabriel sneered.

“It’s true that he deserved death, but he was a good spy for me.  Tempting Heavenly servants is so easy, given the right motivation. I will miss the information he gave me so that he could see his former lover again,” Lucifer smirked.

“You truly know no bounds.  I should have known better than to trust you.  First, you tortured Mark, then my daughter.  You have no idea how close I came to hunting you down the second I saw her in that dress.  She was supposed to be royalty and you made her your own personal servant. I would say that you should be ashamed of yourself, but you know nothing of the concept,” Gabriel growled at Lucifer, holding his Celestial Sword tightly.

“Yes, you should have known better.  You were so desperate to keep the world safe that you made a deal with the last person in the entire universe you should’ve bargained with,” Lucifer knew he would one day face Gabriel but he’d hoped it would be a long time from now, and when he’d caught Gabriel off guard and asleep.

“I will kill you,” Gabriel’s expression was fierce and deadly as he approached Lucifer.

“Before you try to kill me, know this, she came to me of her own free will and, therefore, I had no reason to honor the agreement.  You made no provision for her if she were to come to me before the agreed upon time, so I was under no obligation to honor the original contract,” Lucifer shrugged.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to escape Gabriel’s wrath by talking his way out of it, but he needed to buy some time to figure out how best to handle his brother.

“How dare you stand there and lie to me!  You and I both know she didn’t come to you willingly.  You tempted her using deception and fear.  What did you say to her?  Did you threaten to kill her?  Did you tell her that you would bathe her in agony?  She would have never come to you if you hadn’t cheated, you miserable wretch,” Gabriel spat on the ground in front of Lucifer’s feet.

Lucifer knew he had to work quickly if he wanted to save his ass.  “I may have made a suggestion or two, but you of all people should know that she has a will of her own.  No one can make her do something she doesn’t want to do.  She came to me; let’s get that part straight,” Lucifer’s bravado was holding strong, even if he didn’t like the cold look in Gabriel’s eyes.

“I will never accept that.  She knew nothing of you.  She told me about the nightmares she was having.  You were only a voice to her.  She didn’t even know that the devil existed.  Why would she go with you willingly?” Gabriel stepped forward, testing Lucifer.

“Maybe I made an impression the first time I saw her.  Did you ever think of that?  Lord knows how she has influenced me.  Maybe I left a mark on her too.  As to why she didn’t see me in her visions, I don’t know.  Perhaps you had more control over her than you think.  You made her forget about me the first time, maybe she forgot about me completely.  Either way, it doesn’t matter.  She is mine now,” Lucifer knew he had the ruling of the Council on his side; otherwise, Gabriel would have dragged the Council along with him and ripped Anjali away.  No, Gabriel was acting on his own and was in a precarious position.  He was acting against the ruling of the Council and could be punished for his actions.  Of course, Lucifer wasn’t stupid enough to volunteer to dole out the punishment.  He had some common sense, even if it was minuscule.

“You stole her and abused her.  You swore to me that you would never do that,” Gabriel’s voice shook as he stepped closer.

Lucifer saw the pain that flashed across Gabriel’s face.  This was the root of the problem.  It wasn’t that he’d stolen her; she was destined to be his.  As a father and a protector, Gabriel was in turmoil knowing that his daughter had suffered greatly.  He was here for vengeance and blood, not to take the girl.

Lucifer put his hands up, grateful to be innocent on this count.  “There was a miscommunication.  Hades was behind her punishment in the realms.  I had no knowledge.  I was indisposed of at the time.  For that, I am truly sorry.  Hades has been punished for his deception.  Now he has to look her in the face every day and I assure you, she’s less than thrilled with him. Suffice it to say your little girl can handle herself.  You should be proud of her.  Hades and the others will think twice about harming her again.”

Gabriel noted the pride in Lucifer’s voice when he spoke.  He was taken aback for a moment.

As skilled a liar as Lucifer was, he could detect no false statement.  It was possible that Hades had acted alone.  It was clear that a fight had taken place in the Throne Room.  He recognized the level of destruction needed to cause this amount of damage to Lucifer’s panic room.  His daughter had certainly kicked the shit out of someone.  Since Lucifer was still breathing and Hades was nowhere in sight, he took Lucifer at his word, for once.

“I’m glad for that, but you and I aren’t finished.  You’re forgetting about my provision of the contract,” Gabriel’s eye tightened as he clenched his sword.

“Provision? I’m sorry I don’t remember that,” Lucifer feigned innocence and braced himself for the worst.

“The clause that said if you took her against her will, you would have to deal with me,” Gabriel growled.

Lucifer watched Gabriel size him up.  Gabriel was the Messenger of God who, more often than not, used his words to do Father’s will, but he was not a scrawny helpless angel who ran to his big brothers, begging them to fight his battles.  He was every bit the warrior that Michael and Raphael were.  Being the Messenger of God sometimes meant delivering the message via the tip of a sword.  He was strong, fierce in battle, and rarely lost.  Lucifer could certainly fight, especially when mired in complete darkness, but Gabriel was legendary on the battlefield.  Lucifer was only given a Celestial Sword when the Council deemed it prudent or when they needed help defending against enemies or traitors.  They were afraid that he would become judge, jury, and executioner, which was true enough.

“I do not wish to fight you, brother.  I have no quarrel with you.  You should leave before you do something you will regret,” Lucifer could see that they were at an impasse and he was at a disadvantage without a weapon and his anger.  He suddenly understood Hades’ warning about becoming ineffective if he were to become kind and compassionate.  It might very well get him killed.

“I regret ever making that deal with you, you underhanded, rotten, festering blight on the world.  I will make you regret ever laying eyes upon her,” Gabriel lifted the sword to strike Lucifer down.

Lucifer backed away.  Nothing could withstand a blow from the sword.  It was not meant to deflect other swords or to fight battles.  It was simply meant to kill.

“Think about what you are doing, brother.  You have no recourse here.  You have not been ordered to end my existence.  The Council will make you pay for this.  You will be the one locked away in the Hall of Shadows till the end of days,” Lucifer quickly took inventory of the room, looking for something useful.

He wanted to avoid using his Hell Fire, lest he be found guilty of burning yet another Heavenly Angel with a torture device.  Michael wouldn’t care that the fight was started by Gabriel.  Lucifer would never be able to get the explanation off his tongue before he lost his head.  That meant he was left with defensive strategies only.

“At least I will be with my daughter,” Gabriel finally snapped.  He lunged at Lucifer, who dove and rolled to the side.

Lucifer was grateful that he had avoided the blue blade, but nervous that he had been close enough to feel the heat from it.  He threw out his hand and used his power to hurl debris from the construction site at Gabriel to distract him.

Gabriel used his own power to deflect the smaller pieces of stones and sliced through the chunks of marble.  A piece a Hades’ throne was obliterated by the glowing sword.

Lucifer tried to put the length of the room between them.  “You’re not acting rationally, Gabriel.  This is not you.  You’re not an assassin.  I would expect this from Michael, but not you.  You are the righteous one, the peaceful one.  You have let my betrayal corrupt you.  You are the one who is on the verge of becoming a Rogue.  If you kill me, your life as you know it will be over,” Lucifer was surprised to feel compassion for his brother for the first time since leaving Heaven.  He was amazed that he wasn’t concerned about himself.  If he died, Hades and Anjali would rule in his stead, Hell would be well cared for, but he didn’t want to be responsible for the downfall of his beloved brother.  Anjali’s influence made him remember his love for Gabriel.

“You are just trying to save your own neck,” Gabriel swung at Lucifer, who dodged to the left and sidestepped out of Gabriel’s path.

“For once I’m not worried about me.  I truly am worried for you, Gabriel.  It was wrong to go against you.  I was selfish for wanting to keep her for myself.  I didn’t understand all that you went through to keep her safe and to raise her properly.  I get it now.  I understand the sacrifices that you had to make to protect her. You had to allow her to make mistakes and fail, while watching someone else comfort her and praise her.  I respect you for all that you have done and I understand your love for her.  I have wronged you both terribly,” Lucifer blocked Gabriel’s arm on the downswing and kicked him away.  Gabriel staggered backward but regained his fighting stance.

“You know nothing of love and sacrifice,” Gabriel was enraged.

He circled Lucifer, who had picked up a piece of the marble dais and was using it as a shield. It would do little more than buy him time.

“You’re wrong, brother.  I do understand sacrifice, more than you do.  I volunteered to leave Heaven and I have suffered ever since.  She is my only salvation.  She has cleared my heart and my mind.  I love her, Gabriel.  I love her as I have only ever loved Father,” the rock in his hands smashed apart and Lucifer fell back into the stone walls.

“I don’t believe you!” Gabriel held his sword over his head, poised to strike Lucifer and end his miserable life.

“Look into my eyes, brother!  You will see that I have been saved!  I offered her freedom and she chose to stay.  She admitted that she came to me because I was lonely.  She swore to me that she would not leave me.  She cares about me, she has told me as much.  I love her!” Lucifer dropped his hands and shakily came to his feet.  He looked into Gabriel’s eyes and prayed he would see the change in him.

Gabriel held his position.  He had been fooled by Lucifer before and was not in a giving mood.  He did not want to lose his advantage.  For his brother’s sake, he did look into his eyes.  He looked into the black soulless eyes of the devil himself and was shocked.  His eyes weren’t black.  They weren’t the shimmering blue of the most immaculate seas, but they were lighter than he had seen them since his brother had taken up his post in Hell.  They were no longer empty, but filled with emotion.  The only emotions Lucifer ever felt were bitterness, anger, and the occasional spark of joy from inflicting pain upon the weak, yet now there was compassion and fear.  His brother feared nothing.  He would sooner take a sword to his own throat than lose to an enemy and be taken prisoner.  Perhaps there was some truth to his words.

“How?” Gabriel spared Lucifer a moment to convince him.

Lucifer lowered his arms and took a breath.  “I didn’t know the impact she would have on me, but I swear to you, I swear on my life, and Father’s life that I have been saved.  The light inside of her has redeemed me.  I’m not perfect and I never will be while I reign in Hell, but she helps to ease my burdens.  I do not suffer the effects of humanity’s evil as greatly when I am around her.  You must have felt the light inside of her, even though you are around Father every day.  I can feel her darkness too, it calls to me, but it’s her light that helps me remember who I really am.  I admit that I have to remove myself from her to be able to carry out my duties, but when I feel that I have strayed too far, I only have to find comfort in her arms and I am whole again,” Lucifer was sincere as he spoke.  He hoped to ease his brother’s mind and give him some measure of comfort.  Gabriel needed to know that he had made the right choice in entrusting Anjali to him.