her very existence is in danger. Otherwise, you will make yourself invisible as only you can.”
“I am to babysit a mortal?”
“Soldier, you’ve lost your place. Find it.”
“I cannot send my people on a suicide mission and stay behind. Let me go with them. She’s just a mortal!”
The windows slid open. Cold winds swept his body and slammed him against the wall. The wall turned to clay, and I trapped him, suffocating him in darkness. From within the clay, he begged.
I released him.
Noditas flickered in and out of his corporeal form. He knelt, a universal sign of submission. “Here, Commander, kneeling before you, I found my place. Forgive me.”
I ran a palm down the side of his head. “Are you asking me for forgiveness or ordering me?”
“Asking.”
“Forgiveness granted. Don’t fail me.”
Noditas stood. “I worry about you during your resting state. How will you guard yourself and the sword?”
Brave, this one. “Evil never rests. Neither shall I. Go.”
He vanished.
I approached the window. Now, the males in my fleet trained to hold the levitational position for a long while so they can rest their wings and still perform in the air. However, this particular position with their wings erected drained both their energy and their power. The stillness required to hold this position was difficult. Some males in the line had dropped a few inches.
“Awwww, are we feeling tired?” I hopped up on the windowsill, my bare feet stepping over the edge, holding position, rising above so everyone could see me and, more importantly, I could see them. Beautiful. Feared. Glorious warriors. Well, most of them were warriors. I eyed the ones who dropped from the line and didn’t recognize them. “Lawd Almighty, what do we have here?”
The slackers rose up, red-faced, wings shaking.
“You better not drop down there and splatter like a fucking egg. Are you an egg, soldier?”
“No,” the fleet shouted as one.
“What are you?”
“We are the Command Fleet.”
I waited. Just a little bit longer.
A few angels fell. Before splattering on the ground, they flew away. I snorted. The last line of my males flew off after them. “Return,” I shouted. “Let them go in shame.” Raphael thought to infiltrate my fleet. Spies could not infiltrate my fleet because they didn’t train like my fleet. I trained warriors. Everyone else trained splattering eggs. Mm-hm.
“Which Court flies the finest angels?”
“Court of Command,” they shouted. Weapons clashed against their chest armor.
“Today is Sunday. We love Sundays, no?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“What do we do on Sundays?”
Every warrior stared back expectantly, for we did whatever I wanted them to do. “We hunt.”
Cheers broke out. I smiled.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The water felt blessed as it poured down my body. Maybe inside this House, water was blessed, but those who stayed certainly weren’t. Or maybe I only felt this way after having Lucifer in my head. When I said he’d been in my head most mornings, I was afraid Michael would freak out, seeing as Lucifer must’ve witnessed what happened between us.
Michael in bed.
On top of me.
Grinding his powerful body into mine.
I touched myself and winced. Sore. Too sore, not that I needed more orgasms. Or babies. I didn’t need babies either, but I didn’t protest, because I imagined having a baby with wings smiling up at me, looking at me the way people looked at Michael, knowing he’d protect them fiercely. I would. I would protect the baby. I would find a way to summon courage, and I would train until my feet couldn’t carry me anymore.
And I would love him or her the way my parents loved me. Even if they didn’t remember me, I remembered them. What if Michael lied, popped into my head. Whose thought was that? I shut off the shower, stood there, tilting my head as if I could hear thoughts. It was not so. I had to sort things out in my head, figure out a way to create barriers. Michael said I had done well. I could do even better.
Liar.
I rubbed my face.
“Who was a liar? Me or Michael?” I asked out loud.
“Your parents lived here, so they remained here,” I answered myself in a voice that sent a shiver down my spine.
“Stop it. I don’t want to talk you.”
“You’re not talking to anyone.”
I shut my mouth.
He would drive me crazy. Fear of madness made me quickly dry and dress in my uniform. I strapped knives into my sheaths, and, out of habit, slipped one into my back pocket. I wouldn’t take a single day off until I was a damn good soldier,