The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,186

I also managed to fix the tear in the Daemin veil. Okay, so I destroyed the hole instead, but whatever. It worked. And I think I'm starting to figure out this whole Devil thing."

Good, God said, because we have a plan to destroy their church.

"Do I want to know how?" I asked.

The tiny little dragon huffed in amusement. Yes. I think you should be the star. It is time for humans to finally see the Devil. And their God.

"Wait," I begged. "I thought we didn't want to feed into what they were doing. We didn't want to complicate things for people who wouldn't believe it anyway?"

God pushed off the table, fluttering up to hover level with my face. I will not let them use me to harm my creations. They have broken the rules, Sia. You need to punish them, and I am going to help. Drink your coffee, catch your breath, and be ready to go back for tonight's service. It is my command.

I just lifted my hand so she had someplace to land. "I don't think you can really command me, can you?"

Her four little feet clasped the back of my hand for stability, she folded her wings against her back, and then she twisted her head to look at me. But it sounded so good. I was just trying to get into my role.

I struggled not to laugh at her very serious little lizard face. "Well, the pretty little dragon-butterfly-thing you are right now? It doesn't do a whole lot for intimidating people. But yeah, I'm in. Now, would someone tell me the plan?"

42

Sienna

By five o'clock that evening, we were ready. The late service at the Fellowship of Angels would start any minute - but I didn't want to be early. Oh no, this time, I had every intention of making one hell of an entrance. Gone was the pretty blue dress and my adorable Mary Janes. Trying to push around the angels in heels, even blocky ones, hadn't been as much fun as I’d expected. Instead, I wanted to give a completely different impression.

I wanted everyone in that room to see me as the hand of God.

My shoes were steel-toed boots. My jeans fit a little too well. My shirt, however, was white, and I left my hair down in all its flaming copper glory. I also wasn't taking my legion. This time, it was just God and me. My demons had something else to worry about.

At exactly seven minutes after the hour, we all headed out. The guys slipped first, letting me know that all I had to do was summon them to bring my legion back to help. And once they were gone, I reached out my hand for God. She crawled into my palm and clasped my thumb for stability, because this time I was driving.

Remember, she told me, you want to make an entrance.

"That is one thing I definitely know how to do," I assured her.

Then I stepped back into the corridor. But before I could push my way to the church, I made the mistake of looking at God. No longer was she the tiny little dragon-butterfly hybrid I’d gotten used to. Instead, a swirl of prismatic fog clung to my hand. The colors were so vibrant, and they glowed so brightly - but I couldn't get distracted. Pulling a deep breath, I took us to the lawn right in front of the building Michael was using to enslave my people.

When I stepped back to Earth, God immediately let go and fluttered away. At the same time, the heavy clouds above rumbled in complaint. The thunder was more the rolling kind than the booming type. Even before I took my first step into the building, the wind began to pick up. It seemed that God was already at work.

By the time I reached the door, my hair was swirling around me like it had a mind of its own. Pressing both hands in front of me, I didn't slow down when I hit the doors. Instead, I shoved them open hard enough that they clanged against the wall inside, and kept going. The people in the back rows turned to look at the commotion, but I ignored them. My eyes were locked on the man with the brassy hair waiting behind the podium.

"Gabriel!" I called out, interrupting his little sermon. "I don't go away that easy."

The man let out a heavy sigh and closed his Bible. "This is neither the time