Gates of Death - Rae Foxx Page 0,21

to all return to Abaddon at once. Find the hole that you escaped from and if you can't fix it, do everything in your power to hide it. Stay in Abaddon and do not leave again until I or Lucifer gives you permission. Are we clear?"

They grumbled pretty severely, but one-by-one, they all disappeared. The deer ran off, unharmed but now finding itself in the middle of the city. Demons were bitchy creatures, but they didn't have much of a choice but to do as I said.

Gabe turned to me. "That easy?"

I smiled. "I wish. If that many are here, think about the massive numbers the world over. There's probably that many again here that didn't heed my call."

His face grew somber. "That is bad."

I nodded. "Hundreds of thousands of demons are housed in Abaddon, along with Greater Demons, Spirits, and Fallen. Tortured souls, haints, poltergeists. The list goes on."

"Well, we'd better get busy," he replied. "Where to next?"

"Go to the next large city. What would that be? San Diego?"

Gabe saluted me and grabbed my hand. "Your wish is my command, great Mistress of the Dark."

As we disappeared, my giggles lingered in the warm Las Vegas morning air.

6

The next six cities were much the same. We did stop in at home after a few hours to grab Jellybean. I was confident in his loyalty to me, and he'd help me keep some of the gnarlier demons in line. An irritated vampire had lunged at me in Dallas as we made our way around the perimeter of the United States. Gabriel had dispatched him, sending his soul back to Abaddon immediately, but a guard dog wasn't a bad idea.

We moved from city to city all day, only returning home when we were bone tired and hungry. Lucifer and Michael had just arrived. They had moved around in Europe as we'd done the US and had very similar stories to tell.

We agreed to go straight to bed after we ate and get straight back to it in the morning.

"Did anyone run into other angels?" I asked.

None had. They puzzled over it as we ate the pizza we'd called to have delivered. "Are you sticking to big cities?" Luc asked.

"We are." Gabe grabbed another slice.

"Maybe the other angels are moving around in the country."

We didn't encounter another angel until the next day in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was in the middle of a fight with a werewolf. "Stop," I commanded.

The wolf heeled immediately, pressing his jaw to his paws. He recognized me as his alpha.

The angel, a lower-level cherubim, stared at me in utter shock. "You're human," he exclaimed. "How did you get him to do that?"

Gabriel laughed, drawing the cherubim's attention to him. "Gabriel!" The small, dark-haired angel bowed deeply. "Sir, I didn't see you."

"This is Lilith," Gabe said. "Mother of all Demons."

A rumor. I barely knew anything about demons when it came right down to them. Normally, wrangling demons was beneath me.

"Yes, sir, of course," the angel said. "Your wife."

"Indeed. "She's helping with the demons."

He lifted his eyes to look at me without pulling himself from his bow. "Thank you, Lady."

"It's my pleasure. We don't like this either. You may go. I'll clear this city of demons. I suggest you fan out into smaller towns and cities."

He bowed deeper, then disappeared. I worked my mojo on the city, drawing dozens this time. "What made more gather there?" Gabe asked as we watched them disappear after I gave my edict for them to work on the walls.

"No clue," I muttered.

We were in the middle of gathering demons in Washington, D.C. when Michael appeared. "Joel's back," he said. "Come on."

I dispatched the demons that had gathered so far back to Abaddon and grabbed Michael and Gabriel's hands. Seconds later, we sat down at the kitchen table to speak to Joel.

"Well?" Lucifer asked.

"The Voodoo in New Orleans is willing to speak to us, but she's hesitant because demons are involved."

"There are no demons involved," I said haughtily. "Not with the Ariel situation. We've got two distinct problems going on right now."

"She doesn't split hairs in the differences between Fallen and Demons," Joel said delicately.

I bristled but kept my mouth shut. I needed him and his Voodoo Priestess to help find my daughter.

"She agreed because an innocent child is involved."

"Thank you," I said after biting back a giant slice of pride. "When can we go to her?"

"Now." He stood and held out his hands. We linked in a circle and appeared on the side of a