“You don’t think you suffer from the sin of pride?” he asked. “I don’t see you bowing to the will of Heaven.”
The comment stopped me in my tracks and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I hoped he wouldn’t notice in the gloom. “Oh, yes,” he continued. “I know a hell of a lot more about you than you think.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know I’ve never seen anyone so small and harmless collect so many enemies.”
“Why are you even wasting your time on us?” I burst out. “We’re not worth it, you have nothing to gain here.”
“It’s hardly a waste of time when I’m enjoying myself so much.”
“What do you want?” I leaned over him, demanding an answer.
“Just to be part of the family,” he replied innocently.
“I know you have an agenda,” I told him. “And it’s not just to make my life miserable. But believe me when I say you won’t succeed. I’ll never let you.” My eyes flickered over Xavier’s face, remembering it the way it used to be. “You’ve gone after the wrong guy. When it comes to him, there’s nothing I won’t do.”
“It will be interesting to see how this plays out then.” Lucifer smiled pleasantly. “I’m just here to see it through … right till the bitter end.”
19
Old Wounds
AS if on cue, a thunderous rumbling sounded and the washer and dryer began to shake so violently, they bounced on the concrete floor. I looked around uneasily, knowing for a fact that the power switch was turned off. The sound of scampering started up in the walls, and the old record player let out a scratchy tune of it’s own volition, filling the room with hoarse noise. Finally, the naked lightbulb overhead sizzled and then went out, plunging us into total darkness.
I stopped my ears and closed my eyes but refused to budge. Lucifer could pull all the tricks in the book, but he wouldn’t drive me from Xavier’s side. I sat rigid; my limbs felt leaden and my brain numb from the clamor that was threatening to drive me mad. Suddenly everything went quiet and when I opened my eyes, I knew why. Gabriel and Ivy stood at the top of the stairs and their presence had changed the mood completely. They had the ability to drive away even the most penetrating darkness with their bright auras.
Seeing them lifted my sprits instantly. Showered and rested they looked more like their old selves, formidable and ready to face anything. I wasn’t sure if they’d dressed deliberately, but they were both resplendent in white: Ivy in a crisp dress pinched at the waist and cowboy boots and Gabriel in a soft white shirt with his customary faded jeans.
They both descended the stairs slowly, as if tuned into some secret messages encrypted in the air that no one but they could hear.
“How long have you been down here?” Gabriel asked casually. There was no censure in his voice, as if he knew full well he’d find me here.
“A few hours,” I said, trying to sound vague.
“Get any sleep?”
“Not much,” I admitted.
“Why don’t you go up into the house,” he said with surprising kindness. “We’ll take it from here.”
I wanted to go, to run upstairs and bury my head under a pillow and hope that when I woke up, everything would be better. But I couldn’t leave, I’d promised Xavier and myself. Besides, if Lucifer was going to see this through to the end then so was I. I was shaken and exhausted but nothing could convince me to leave … not until I knew Xavier was safe. I realized then that my siblings were alone. Had the angels refused to come to our aid?
“We’re going to try this on our own first,” Ivy said, and I instinctively shook my head, thinking she was probing through my thoughts. But she wasn’t, she was just my sister who could read me like a book. Gabriel was too focused on the task at hand to pay me much attention. He gave me a fleeting glance that seemed to say, If you must stay then be quiet. I nodded to show I understood and accepted their terms.
As they approached, I saw Xavier stiffen slightly. He kept his eyes averted, refusing to acknowledge their presence. When they fanned their hands over him, he was bathed in a hazy yellow light. Xavier squirmed at first then struggled violently against the restraints that held him.
Ivy filled a gray plastic bucket with water at the sink and placed it at Gabriel’s feet. Xavier seemed to be growing more and more alarmed as Gabriel uttered a prayer of renewal—blessing the water and turning it holy with his words. When Ivy cupped it in her pale hands and approached, she might have been carrying a lethal weapon by the way Xavier was looking at her. But Ivy didn’t flinch, even when he bared his teeth and snarled like a feral animal. Instead she calmly sprinkled the water over Xavier’s bare chest. Every droplet sizzled as if it were landing on a hot plate rather than on smooth skin. Xavier bellowed in pain, a sound so unbearable that I ran forward to help him but Ivy held me back.
“He’s not hurt,” she said firmly.
“He is!”
“It’s part of the cleansing ritual.”
Gabriel tossed me a bottle of water and I gulped half of it down without stopping for air. I needed to steel my nerves before I could get through this. A moment later, manic laughter filled the basement and the tortured expression was gone from Xavier’s face. He was grinning now from ear to ear.
“Really?” he said in between bursts of laughter that wracked his chest. “Holy water? On me? What is this, a B-grade movie?”
“He was faking!” I cried, forgetting my promise to be quiet. “He didn’t feel anything!”
“Laugh if you like,” Gabriel said calmly. “But we’re just getting started.”
As if in retaliation, the shadow of a serpent appeared on the wall above Xavier’s head. It proceeded to perform a macabre dance around the room, coiling itself around the bed, slithering over the floor and twisting in and out of the ventilation grate, causing clouds of dust to be coughed out into the air. Finally it came to rest at my feet where it formed a swirling hoop of black mist around my ankles. Each time I tried to kick it away, it dispersed for a few seconds but then re-formed. It seemed to be sending a clear message: You can’t catch me.
My siblings remained unfazed. Ivy lit candles and arranged them in a triangle on the concrete floor so they cast elongated shadows around the room. From nowhere a gust of wind blew in to extinguish them. No sooner did that happen than Ivy waved her finger and the tapers sizzled back to life. This seemed to go on for some time in a tedious game of cat and mouse. Finally the gusts of wind stopped and the candles stayed alight. A tiny smile twisted the corners of Ivy’s mouth. Had we achieved some small victory? Or was Lucifer just bored and ready to see the next trick we had up our sleeves? I didn’t know. All I knew was that this was taking way too long. I had expected a long, protracted battle, but I was losing patience.
Gabriel finally approached the bed and drummed his fingers against the cast-iron frame.
“Who are you? Tell us your name,” he began.
“She knows,” Xavier’s head jerked in my direction. “Why don’t you ask her?”
“Because I’m asking you,” Gabriel replied. It was no secret who the demon was inhabiting Xavier’s body but a vital part of an exorcism was getting him to admit his identity. I knew Gabriel couldn’t begin until that happened.
“Who are you?” he repeated dourly.
Suddenly, the doors of the chipped cabinet’s lining the far wall of the basement flew open and various implements—screwdrivers, hammers, and jars of nails—went hurtling across the room. I had to fold myself over and cover my head with my arms to avoid the line of fire. I caught sight of a hammer heading straight for Gabriel and gasped. But when it collided with his shoulder, it bounced off as if it were made of rubber and clattered to the floor without leaving any mark. Gabriel strode across to the bed and grabbed Xavier’s chin, turning his face toward him but Xavier refused to meet his gaze.
“Give us your name,” Gabriel said more forcefully.
A subhuman tongue answered him, bearing no resembl
ance to Xavier’s gentle voice.
“Do not toy with me, Archangel. You know who I am. Look deep inside and you will find me.”
“Your name,” Gabriel insisted, upon which the creature began irreverently humming a tune. “Unless you do not answer because you fear me.”
If this was a calculated move on Gabriel’s part, it worked. The expression on Xavier’s face changed from amusement to superiority. Finally, he locked his startling blue eyes on Gabriel.
“I go by many names but know that I am your adversary, the one you helped cast into the abyss.”
It wasn’t new information but it still made me break out in goose bumps. When Ivy spoke for the first time, it was in her Seraph’s voice, all the sweetness gone from it.
“What is your business here?”
“I’m putting my affairs in order,” the creature replied cryptically.
“Speak plainly,” she commanded.
“All right.” Xavier’s head twisted at an unnatural angle to look at her. “I’m here for revenge. Did you think I would let my loss go uncompensated? What’s the expression humans like to use? Oh, yes, The Devil must be paid his dues.”
“We owe you nothing,” Gabriel countered.
“You killed my son.”
“He was a monster.”
“With all your big talk about a father’s love, you of all people should understand how I feel,” Lucifer snarled. “Speaking of which, where are your brothers? Have they abandoned you in your hour of need—oh, dear.” It was disconcerting to hear the voice morph and take on the melodic quality of a child.
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Don’t take out your inferiority complex on me. Did you really expect us to defend you?”
I was momentarily confused until I realized they were no longer talking about the present. They had both traveled back in their minds, back to the very beginning where it all began.
“I expected a little backup from my brothers,” Lucifer replied. “But you were all more than willing to watch me burn.”
“You wanted to be served,” Gabriel said coldly. “We only serve one master. You never did understand His sovereignty.”
“He should never have favored men above us,” Lucifer said. “Men in all their pitiful weakness.”
“Perhaps that is exactly why he chose them,” Gabriel answered. “Because every day brings with it a new struggle for them that we cannot understand. Faith from men is more powerful than faith from angels, because they suffer more in choosing to walk with Him. Besides…” He folded his arms. “It is not for you to question who finds favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
“I wondered if experience might have changed you,” Lucifer said. “But I see you’re the same righteous jackass you always were, singing His praises like a blind fool.”
“Spare me,” Gabriel muttered. “Nothing you say has any effect on me. I’m only here to return you to the bowels of the earth where all things foul belong.”
“Give it your best shot!” the twang-filled voice replied.
Gabriel drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. “In the name of all that is holy I command you, quit this vessel!”
Xavier’s body jerked briefly on the bed. We waited with baited breath but nothing happened. The low throaty chuckle that followed seemed to go on forever.
“That’s all you’ve got? I’m afraid that’s not gonna cut it, Brother. He’s still mine.”
I watched as Xavier writhed with pain, clenching and unclenching his jaw. From the corner of his mouth came a trickle of dark blood. He must have bitten down hard on his tongue. I was desperate to help. This must be taking its toll on his body. Yesterday, he had been clinically dead and bringing him back once had been a major struggle. How much more could his body handle before it gave out altogether?
I knew I should silently stay in the shadows, but the words spilled out before I could help myself.
“I’m sorry about what happened to Jake!” I blurted out. Gabriel threw me a look like thunder but I pretended not to notice. “It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault but his. I wish things had turned out different, I wanted to help him … I tried but I couldn’t. I’m sorry he’s gone, but don’t take it out on Xavier.”
“You’re sorry?” echoed the sardonic voice. “Well, I guess that makes everything better.”
“Hurting Xavier isn’t going to bring your son back.”
“That’s true.” There was a long pause. “Only you can bring him back.”
“Excuse me?” I almost fell over in shock.
“He’ll come back for you,” wheedled the voice, “if you call him by his given name.”
“What…” I stammered. “Why would I do that? How does that help? He’d still be dead…”
“I never got a chance to say good-bye.” Lucifer sounded almost sincere. “I want to give him a chance to settle the score, to set his soul at rest.”
“What soul?” Gabriel muttered.
“Don’t even think about it, Bethany,” my sister warned.
Xavier’s body shook its head in disappointment. “His only crime was to love you and you repaid him by sending him to his death.”
“That’s not what happened!”
“Beth, don’t listen to him. He’s baiting you.” Gabriel looked at Ivy with deep concern. “We should get her out of here.”
“What do you mean settle the score?” I demanded, ignoring the nervous hovering of my siblings behind me.
“Here’s my proposal,” Lucifer said. “You’re the only one connected enough to summon his spirit. Why don’t you call him and we’ll let him decide what’s fair?”
His voice was like a cocoon, drawing me in and compelling me to listen. In a bizarre way it made sense. Perhaps summoning Jake was the only thing that would appease Lucifer.
“That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” Gabriel declared. “How stupid do you think she is?”
But I was drawing closer to the bedside. “You want us to let Jake decide whether Xavier lives or dies?”
“No,” Lucifer said in a scolding voice. “We all know how that would turn out. I want you to give Jake something he wants … and in return I’ll give you your husband back.”
I lifted my chin defiantly. “What if his terms are unreasonable?”
“Then feel free to disregard them,” Lucifer said as if it were the most simple thing in the world. “Let’s just bring him here and see what he has to say.”
I felt Gabriel’s ringed fingers grip my shoulder. Did he know how this was going to play out?
“Don’t be a fool,” he leaned down and spoke into my ear. “Trust me.”
“Trust him all you like,” persisted Lucifer. “But he hasn’t helped Xavier so far. I’m the only one who can set him free.”
I knew the idea was risky and part of me couldn’t believe I was even considering it. And I wouldn’t have if Gabriel and Ivy had the situation under control. But they seemed powerless, with no guidance from above. Could bargaining with the devil ever turn out well? It didn’t really matter because I didn’t have a choice. It was a hard thing to contemplate, bringing back someone I’d spent so long trying to purge from my life. Jake Thorn had tormented me, driven me mad, and almost killed me. I never wanted to see his face again as long as I lived. But if I didn’t, I might never see Xavier’s again. And I knew the gain outweighed the risk in my mind. A desperate action was better than no action at all.
“Bethany … please.” Gabriel was almost begging me, but I was transfixed, staring into the blue eyes that were so familiar and so foreign at the same time.
“Do it, Bethany.” The voice curled around me like wisps of smoke. “Listen to your heart. Call him. What harm can it do?”
“Arakiel.” It was a whisper and barely audible but I felt the word hanging in the air like an entity. I knew something was about to happen by the change in Gabriel’s face and the way Ivy was bracing herself as if for bad weather.
The wind that howled outside was so ferocious we coul
d hear it even from the basement. The moment it subsided, smoke began to pour through the bars of the ventilation grate, spilling onto the ground, gradually taking shape until the figure of Jake Thorn stood before us as a wraith. Although I could almost see through him, he looked just the same as he had the day we first met. There was the same pallid complexion, the same sharp cheekbones and eyes like a cat, their greenness sharply highlighted by the fall of dark hair. There was the same shapely mouth, almost effeminate in its rosiness, and the pinched, narrow nose. He was dressed as he had been in death—in a white shirt and tailcoat. His expression too was familiar—an odd mixture of beauty and cruelty.
“Bethany,” he said in a voice that sounded older. “Nice to see you again.”
The casual manner in which he spoke floored me. It was hard to pretend I wasn’t amazed and terrified by what was happening. I was standing there talking to the ghost of a dead demon that I myself had a hand in killing.
“Jake? Is that really you?” I hesitated. “Uh … how are you doing?”
“Well, technically, I’m dead.” He folded his arms and flashed a bitter smirk in Gabriel’s direction. “So I’ve been better.”
Lucifer, mesmerized, watched the phantasm through Xavier’s eyes. Jake floated across to the bed and raised an eyebrow when he saw Xavier’s condition.
“Oh, good, Dad’s here.”
“Arakiel, welcome back.”
“I must say”—Jake waved a hand at Xavier’s bruised body chained to the bed—“I like your thinking.”
“Indeed,” Lucifer replied, but a frown soon replaced his expression of pleasure. “It grieves me to see you reduced to this.” The words sounded wrong coming out of Xavier’s mouth, too scratchy, like it was filled with splinters of broken glass.
“Oh, you know me,” Jake replied. “Rolling with the punches … like you taught me.”
“We called you here for a reason,” Lucifer said indulgently. “To bring you some kind of recompense.”
“Oh?” Jake cocked his head.
“We want you to help settle a score.” Xavier’s lips stretched in a smile.