“I’d like to make the appeal. My mother’s a god, and she deserves better.”
Azrael studied me through Cynthia’s wide, unblinking eyes. “Your mother bled your father to death, slowly. And then she ate him.”
I glanced toward you, but you didn’t offer up anything, only grabbed my hand. I was shocked into silence, trying to process that my father was cannibalized by our mother. But even if she had bled him to death, it was probably because Azrael had been starving her in the first place.
“There are laws governing a bloodborn’s imprisonment,” you said, saving me from my stumble, “and one of those is access to human blood.”
“Lena lacks the discipline to temper her thirst. We cannot provide an endless buffet of human life in a fruitless attempt to satisfy her hunger.”
“There must be a way to ration her portions,” you argued. “Isn’t that her guard’s purpose?”
Azrael fell silent. I wished I could get him in a body so I could seduce him because that angel was made of secrets.
“There is a prophecy regarding your bloodborn apprentice,” Azrael said, even though he obviously knew my name. “Would you care to hear it?”
“No, I would not,” you said gruffly. You shut that shit down. I could certainly see why.
“What news do you have regarding the search for the Belial demon?” Azrael asked, trying again to change the subject.
“I haven’t made much progress,” you said. I honestly didn’t give a shit whether we found that demon or not. We had bigger problems.
“Well, allow me to make this offer to you both,” Azrael said. “Deliver me the demon named Seneser, and I will consider your appeal. There will be no blessing today, for you have inconvenienced me greatly with nothing of consequence to report.”
A few seconds later, he was gone. What a dick.
Cynthia blinked, then glanced between us with a goofy grin. “You two look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said in an attempt at humor.
“Your boss is an asshole,” I informed her. In fact, he reminded me a little bit of my dad.
Cynthia shrugged. “Most bosses are.”
With a few more words of thanks and a not-so-subtle exchange of cash, which Cynthia spread like a hand of cards and fanned herself in delight, we were back on the streets outside Glitterati. I was grumpy and frustrated. I hated Azrael. Even more, I hated that you had to serve him. How could you be so decent to him? After all that he’d done to you and to us?
“I suppose we could enlist Lucian’s help in locating Seneser,” you mused while I fumed. “He does seem to have eyes in all of the casinos.”
I was already thinking about what it would take to bring down a god like Azrael. He would only continue to manipulate you and make impossible demands. He didn’t give a shit about you or anyone else. I didn’t care that he was some all-powerful being. I was a god too, and I alone ruled you.
“Didn’t you say something about being able to summon an army of demons?” I asked.
You gave me a worried look. “Let us first see what the three of us can accomplish when we work together.”
“I know when I’m being placated, Henri.”
You leaned closer and whispered in my ear, “Patientia, Vincent. Leo et patientia.”
Patience and timing.
Not if, but when.
“Fine,” I growled.
I made a silent vow to free you from Azrael’s bondage. Only then could you fully commit to me.
24
Henri
Lucian was a little too enthusiastic about joining our mission to track down Seneser. It made me suspicious, though to be fair, even if he hadn’t, I’d still be suspicious.
Once he’d been briefed, we set up communications via untraceable phones, which I delegated to you since you excelled at technology. There was no telling when the alert might come, so we took turns monitoring the phone. I was in a deep sleep when you woke me one night, or rather, early morning, to tell me Seneser had been spotted.
I bolted out of bed and urged you to get ready. “Don’t forget your weapon,” I said, and then into the phone, “Lucian, report.”
“I got a call from a seedy little place named Ruby Slippers.” I shook my head at the irony while Lucian continued, “I’m on my way there now. My contact suspects your target may be, and I quote, ‘off his tits.’”
That could make our job much easier, or much harder, depending on how the demon operated within a compromised human