15. Lucifer

I portal myself into Brianna's apartment, searching for any sign of my fellow angels' auras. There"s nothing. Not even a blip of residual anything. It's not possible!

Following the essence of Bree, I look into her son's room, finding her cradling him in his small bed. They can"t be comfortable. I move towards her, disentangling them and lifting Brianna into my arms.

The son wakes with my movement. His eyes blink open and focus on me. He doesn"t seem scared, only confused. I"m frozen in place as we stare at each other. His eyes aren"t normal. They"re the same green as his mother, but there's a gold ring around them… Not very different from my own purple and gold eyes. Mine were completely gold before I fell, becoming just the gold ring to show my angel status while my irises turned purple to represent my sin.

I search his essence for any sign of anything that"s not human but there"s nothing. His essence and aura are what you"d expect of a young human child.

"What are you doing with Mommy?"

"I'm bringing her to her bed. She's too big for yours."

"Okay." He grabs a stuffed superhero off his bed and leads the way to Brianna's room. Climbing into the bed, he pulls the covers back so that I can place down Bree. I tuck her in, watching as the boy gets himself settled in. Even in her sleep, she wraps him in her arms. I turn away, intending to leave the apartment to search for anything holy, when his small voice rings out. "My name is Rellick."

I turn back, curious about him. He seems smart. Maybe he knows more than I gave him credit for. "My name is Luc."

"I like your wings! Is Santa your brother? He has wings, too! His are red. Bubby has wings when he"s scary. I want wings. Can you fly? I-"

Wow, this kid can talk. I cut him off with a stern "Rellick." He immediately stops talking and waits. "Didn"t your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

"I"m not a stranger. I"m Rellick Rafe Theriot." His smile widens to show his baby teeth. It"s infectious.

"I'm a stranger." I point to myself, emphasizing my statement.

"No, silly. You"re Luc!" Rellick speaks slowly and loudly, as though I"m deaf or slow and don"t know my own name.

"You didn"t know that a minute ago. You didn"t know me. I could have been here to take your mother. Would you have let me? You would never see her again." I understand that he's young, but has she never said anything about strangers?

Rellick's eyes begin to water before a loud sob leaves his throat. "You can"t take my mommy!" He yells. Fuck! "You can"t! No! No! No! NO!!" His wailing gets louder with every word, and he wraps his arms around Brianna"s neck, holding her tight. "You can"t take her!"

Brianna's eyes blink open, and she immediately begins to comfort her son. "Hey, sweet boy. It's okay. What"s going on?" She hasn"t even acknowledged that I"m here or that she"s been moved. Her only worry is Rellick.

"He said he's going to take you!" He points to me, making her aware of my presence.

"What the Hell, Angel?! Why would you say that?" Brianna turns back to Rellick, ignoring me and my response. "Hey, baby. He's not taking me. Mommy won"t leave you, okay? Where you go, I go." She cradles his tiny face in her hands and puts their heads together. "Deep breaths, sweet boy." Their breathing mellows out after a few minutes, and Rellick crawls into Brianna's lap.

With her son settled, she finally focuses on me. "What are you doing here, Angel? And why are you terrorizing my son?"

I scoff. "I wasn"t terrorizing him. I told him not to talk to strangers. I picked you up out of his bed and he let me. Followed me to your room. I could have been anyone! And you never woke up!" How is this my fault?!

"He's three, Lucifer! He doesn"t understand that stuff yet!"

"Well, he needs to learn! I could have taken you and he would have just watched. Or followed along!" Honestly. Does she not see how big of a deal this is?

At my words, Rellick goes into hysterics again. Brianna shushes him, rocking side to side. When he"s calmed down once again, she turns her bright green glare to me. Her eyes almost glow in the dark of the room. "Jesus! Why are you even here?"

How much information do I divulge? I"m not sure what my chosen siblings have told her. "What do you know?"

Her eyes roll with an unnecessary amount of attitude. "About what, Angel?"

"The ‘bet.'" What else would I ask her about?

A heavy sigh leaves her luscious red lips that I"m definitely not paying any attention to. "Y"all are helping me commit sins to see who's saving me. I already committed four, and that"s enough for a week, I feel."

"Who was the last person you saw?" Maybe she knows an angel without realizing?

"Sweetie." Who the fuck is that? She must see the confusion because she clarifies. "Beelzebub. We… Did things… And then he gave me my grandmother's necklace and left when I asked for space."

"And you haven"t seen anyone else? Rellick's father, perhaps?" There has to be a reason his eyes look like that.

"No. I haven"t seen his father since the night I got pregnant. Rafe was a one-night stand." Brianna actually sounds bitter as she speaks of him. Rafe. I don"t know an angel named Rafe.

"His choice?" The smugness in voice flushes her cheeks red. She's getting angrier by the second.

"Does it fucking matter?" Her voice is raised, confirming the answer is yes. Attempting to hide my smirk fails. "Get the fuck out!"

Her pride is taking a hit with every word I speak. I'm loving it. "What's wrong, Brianna? Did he not think you were good for more than one night? Or was it only a couple hours? Were you that unsatisfactory that he left while you were asleep?"

I venture into her mind… it's so easy to get in. She has no walls or mental strength to block me out. It's refreshing. She probably can't even feel me digging around. I can easily find the memory of her night with ‘Rafe'. He gave her a bath, washing her from hair to toe. Room service brought her favorite foods. She felt incredibly loved by this man. More than she should have felt for it only being one night. I can see it all through her eyes, but… something is wrong. He has no face. He has no… anything. I can only see a silhouette of his build. No skin tone, no hair color, nothing. The fuck?

Pulling out of her mind, I focus back on Brianna. There are tears in her eyes, but she's refusing to let them fall. Her pride is such an aphrodisiac.

My punishment is different from my brothers. While they are fed by someone acting on their sin, I feed on what someone won't do. Pride doesn't have time to be humble. Brianna is refusing to cry right now, though she's incredibly hurt by my words. For every second it takes for those first tears to fall is another modicum of power gifted to me.

This puts her back in the race of sins. What else can I get her to commit? Wrath seems like an easy one for her. She's incredibly violent for a tiny person. It's always her first sin on the list. "Are you going to cry, Darling?" She flinches at the endearment. When looking through her memories, I picked up on one of her most treasured. Brianna with her grandmother as her mother lays dying in a hospital bed. Darling is what her mother called her. "Are you no better than your child? All I did was ask a few questions."

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and centering herself. When she opens them again, they focus entirely on me. "Get. The fuck. Out." The words are spoken low, brimming with the power of her two mates that she doesn't even know she has.

I stay still, waiting for a bigger reaction. Our eyes are locked in a staring contest that I know I won't lose. Brianna realizes it too after a moment, kissing Rellick's head before placing him under her coverlet. She stands, walking towards me calmly considering the storm I know is going on in her head. When we're face to face, or face to chest really, I give her my most condescending smile. "Did I hurt your feelings, Darling?"

I never saw the punch coming. It was a good hit to my chest, and I may have even taken a step back, but with the hit also comes my laugh. "Say good-bye to Heaven, Darling." I teleport out of the apartment, leaving the fuming woman behind.

"Samael." Spinning, I see my former brother, Gabriel before me. "You and your chosen family have been spending much time here on Earth, lately. Is your punishment through?"

Gabriel has always been a nosy shit. As the Messenger of God, he feels it is his duty to know everything about everyone. He once had a fallen angel be his spy. I didn't care for that. "No one has called me Samael for some time, Gabe."

"You chose the name Lucifer for yourself. Father gifted you the name Samael when he created you. That is what I shall call you." Whatever. You are not the first of the Seven to visit this woman. Is there something about her Heaven should know?"

How do I find out what he knows without giving away what I know? When in doubt, divert attention. "How is God? Still here? The world has gone to shit lately. Just wondering if he still cares."

Gabriel flinches at my crass language. Such a holy cunt. "God is great, as always. Do not stay for too long, Samael. Though you are punished, Father has still gifted you the position of Purgatory's keeper. You must protect it, and thereby Earth with your gift." In the blink of an eye, Gabriel is gone. My brothers and I must be more careful when pursuing Brianna. Whoever is/was watching over her will be even more vigilant now. I don't know whether I have helped or hindered our cause. Though, while I am Earthside…

Moving to the side of the apartment complex, I use my power to draw a sigil on the wall. I think of my sister as I press my hand against it. "You called for me, dear brother?"

"Hello, Jofie." I wrap Jophiel, angel of beauty, art, and creativity, in a tight hug. "I have missed you, dear sister. You always were my favorite in Heaven."

Her laugh is melodic. She pulls away, pushing her rainbow-colored hair behind her shoulder. Her golden eyes smirk with glee and her wings flare behind her at the praise. "What do you need of me, Sammy?"

"Can't I just summon you because I missed you?"

Her black eyebrow cocks, and she chuckles. "I miss you, too. What do you want?"

I scoff. "Typical little sister."

"You were created three minutes before me!" Her response is overexaggerated, just like her. Jophiel might be the only thing I miss about Heaven. "Do you need something from me, brother? I'll help if I can."

A purple strip of hair falls over her eyes and I push it back into its place. "Are any of our brothers playing favorites? With a human, with a supe, with anything?"

"If they have, I haven't noticed. You're the only one who plays favorites, Sammy."

"Has Adon?" Her smile falls at my question. Either God has abandoned Earth, or he has banned them from speaking to me about him.

Jophiel's hands cross over her chest. "The Father has only ever had one favorite, and that was you, Samael." Does she sound bitter? "Why are you here? On Earth, I mean." She's changing the subject, effectively telling me Adon is not a conversation she will have.

I can trust my sister. If ever there was an angel who understands, it's Jophiel. She is the muse for all the beauty in the world. "There is a woman that lives in this apartment complex." My sister's smile widens at the mention of a woman. She is such a romantic. "Her name is Brianna. She's a single mother and she's all alone. Her pride is enviable for her circumstances."

"Is she your favorite?" Jophiel pokes me in the chest with a delicate finger. "You seem very interested in her." Her singsong tone of voice tells me immediately that I've fucked up. "Maybe I should meet her. Put in a good word for you."

"Jofie, no." Her eyes widen, fake in her innocence. "Leave her alone."

She nods her head but doesn't give any verbal consent that she agrees to leave Brianna be. Her golden eyes turn white, a message from Heaven attracting her attention.

I pull her against me, hugging her tight as her arms wrap around me. "I miss you, Jofie. I'm glad I got to see you, even if for only a few moments."

"I miss you, too, Sammy." She kisses my cheek, then pulls away, waving good-bye before teleporting to wherever she needs to be.

My head hangs as I laugh to myself. I know within the next week Jofie will be Brianna's new best friend.