Gates of Death - Rae Foxx Page 0,31

murderer, I remembered. My soul recognized its duty. My mind flowered, the history and weight of my station enveloping me and welcoming me back.

And then, my magic remembered. Eternal responsibility for the damnation of souls meant strong magic, nearly unparalleled. It was mine, part of me, and it wasn’t content being squashed back, unused.

My body flooded with power, every pore expanding with the terrible magnificence of my might. It lifted me off my feet, like the first stretch after a long nap. The power flexed, and I spread my arms and let it expand as much as I could.

But the human shell wasn't meant to hold this much. The atoms and molecules quickly became strained as the magic expanded them to their max. I quickly created a barrier between the power coursing through my soul and the physical encasement of my human persona. When it was in place, seconds later, I landed gracefully on the carpet. The awesome feeling of might had lessened, but my absolute knowledge of who I was hadn’t.

"You're glowing," Lucifer whispered. "Why are you glowing?"

"She has her power," Michael said. All three of them looked at me in awe.

I only had eyes for Vincent. "Hello, my child," I said warmly. "I'm so happy to meet you. I am Lilith. The Queen of Abaddon."

Magic weighed the words and when they hit his ears, he stiffened and screamed. "No! Stop!"

If he had free range of his hands, he would've been clawing at his face.

"You forget who I am," I continued, still sending power into his mind to torment him. "Your eyes keep straying to Lucifer, but he is not the one you should fear. Not you, you violator of children. Innocence thief. He is not your biggest threat."

In an instant, I removed all the pain and torment I’d placed from his mind, leaving him gasping and gaping at me. "I am," I whispered.

"I'll talk!" Vincent yelled. "I'll tell you anything you want to know!"

With a flick of my finger, I pulled the coffee table back. Willing myself into the air, I floated over it as it moved, then lowered myself regally, sitting in the air. A Queen didn't need a throne. She made a throne out of anywhere she sat.

"Now, tell us everything you know of Raphael," I said.

Vincent looked from me to the three men still standing in shock behind me.

"Now, if you please." I crossed my wrists and rested them on my knee, as if at my leisure. Inside, I couldn't wait to eviscerate the loathsome creature.

"I'm only a middleman," he said. After that, the words poured out in rapid succession. "I connect angels who may be of a like mind. There are others that know of some of my preferred hobbies." I waved my hand. No need to hear those details. I'd seen enough in his aura.

"Are there others like you?" Michael asked. The fury in his voice was clear. "With your particular tastes?"

Vincent met my gaze. "I'll have the truth from you the hard way or the easy way," I threatened. "Your choice."

He shook his head frantically. "I don't think so. Honestly. I'm talking about those that believe there shouldn't be a Heaven and Abaddon and Earth realm. There should be one, all on Earth. We should be free to live together, have our own lives. And when we die, we should be reborn, not punished or praised depending on what choices we made. Demons should've never been made from tortured souls. They all need to be destroyed."

One realm. "Well, that's not going to happen." I shook my head. "What fools you are."

Vincent tried to shrug, but Michael and Gabe had too firm of a grip on his body. "That's what they want. I'm sort of the organizer, I help them find Raphael."

"Where is he?" Lucifer asked.

"I don't know. He checks in with me randomly, and I give him any information I have." Vincent's eyes widened. If they got any bigger, they'd pop out of his skull. "I do have the names of the angels I've given to Raphael. The ones that want what he wants."

"Name them," Gabriel said.

Vincent rattled off three names. I recognized none of them, but Gabe and Michael did. They scoffed and rolled their eyes.

"I swear. The names are real." He kept darting his gaze back to me, no longer Lucifer.

"He speaks the truth," I confirmed. I would've smelled a lie on him.

"Now the question is what to do with him," Luc said. "If we take him and Raphael shows