The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,171

pieces of the same whole. According to Sia, they could be mirror image twins. Ron's damage is to his right side. Stieviel's is to his left side. Their wings are appropriate for the world they are a part of, otherwise, they’re the same."

Uriel's eyes narrowed. "And how did you hear about that?"

"God." Nick dropped that out there like the bomb it was. "Evidently, there is a Great Creator. She - because God is female - designed all of this, including Sia."

"She said she put events into motion to make me," I corrected. "She didn't make me, per se. She made me possible, and her first words to me were that she'd been waiting." I looked over at Kacira. "And she's a little different, but I'd like to say she's one of my friends."

"The creator?" Kacira asked. "The all-powerful intelligence that made existence even possible? Sia, that's a myth."

"Not as much as you think," I told her. "In fact, she's actually hanging out on the flowers on the dining room table."

"The butterfly?" Uriel asked.

"The butterfly with the dragon body," I told him. "She did that so I'd be able to recognize her. It's a really long story, but just trust me on this. She is God, and she's not at all what I expected, but she has the kind of ethereal power that is mind-boggling."

"So do you," Uriel countered.

I just nodded. "According to her, she creates and I destroy. Uriel, it means I'm the Devil. The bad guy in this religion that y'all created? Yeah, that's me, and I have every intention of living up to the reputation. The only difference is that it's not going to be humans I'm taking my wrath out on, but angels. I am going to fuck them up so bad they won't even know what happened."

Nick just lifted a brow. "I take it something happened while you were out?"

"Gabriel ruined my shopping spree," I explained. "He was trying to chase me off, but what I got out of the whole situation is that the angels are scared. Us being here is not at all what they expected. I got the distinct impression that it's a big problem for them, and I intend to make it an even bigger one. I mean, Luke said he knows where they’re keeping the slaves, right?"

"He's pretty sure,” Nick agreed. "Unfortunately, that's not the same thing as being positive."

"Right, which is one of the many reasons why we’re going to church in the morning. But, if we make it clear that this church is the supply line, paint them as a cult instead of a respectable branch of religion, and listen to everything people are saying, we should be able to get a better idea, right? I mean, that's the whole plan, isn't it?"

"Except that one person complaining about religion isn't going to change much." Nick reminded me. "There have been religious battles on this plane for as long as I can remember. Someone is always complaining about somebody else's beliefs. The other side is always wrong and the speaker’s side is always right. So, if you want to ruin this specific branch, then you're going to need a little bit more than just some amazing manipulative skills."

"Your ex-boyfriend," Kacira said softly.

We all looked over at her. "What about him?" I asked.

"You need something more than just someone complaining? Well, he's more." She was getting more excited about this the longer she talked. "Aaron has been with us for months. If I understand this right - correct me if I don't - that means the people here believe he's missing. They probably think he's dead. So, if he shows back up, it's going to make questions. I know that if the malakim found a slave that was presumed dead, they would be very interested in where it had been."

I was starting to see where she was going with this. "Wait. If we bring back Aaron and don't wipe his mind, then he can say he was abducted." Then I groaned, realizing the fault in my plan. "But what's going to guarantee that he'll actually follow through? It's not like he's the most reliable guy in the world. Trust me, I dated him long enough to learn that much, at least."

"I believe you call it mind-fucking," Uriel said. "I can easily compel him to stick to the story. Every time someone asks him where he was, he will be forced to spew the same thing. But, if I'm going to do