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  “Idiot,” he muttered, then finished dressing.

  “I see you decided Joan might have information you’ll need for the unrepentants.”

  He didn’t react to Mika’il’s appearance in the corner of the room. “I don’t think she has any information.”

  Mika’il followed him from bedroom and down the hall to where the coffeepot was brewing in the kitchen. After taking two mugs out of the cupboard, he set one on the counter by the archangel, then poured himself a cup. He got out milk and sugar, knowing that Mika’il liked his coffee sweet.

  Christian sat at the table, sipping while he waited for Mika’il to finish what he was doing, and talk to him.

  “If she doesn’t have any information, then what were you two doing?” Mika’il asked.

  “Seriously?” Christian couldn’t believe Mika’il had asked that. “You have to ask what we were doing? I know you don’t have sex, but I’m pretty sure you know what goes on when two people go to bed together.”

  “I’ve had sex.” Mika’il paused, then continued, “You slept with her?”

  He shrugged. “That’s usually what happens when two people who are attracted to each other end up in bed together.”

  Mika’il shot to his feet before pacing the floor. “I can’t believe you’d do something like that.”

  Christian snorted. “Why are you shocked that I chose to sleep with her? It’s not like I haven’t slept with other mortals.”

  “I know, but not in years. I thought you were losing yourself in the darkness, Christian. That’s why I gave you this job, and made Dominic call you to Chicago. You need to get involved in the world around you again. You can’t start isolating yourself, or you’ll lose the very thing that makes you an angel.”

  Shooting to his feet, Christian heard his chair hit the floor behind him. “An angel? I’m not an angel any more, Mika’il. Remember you took my wings? You and the Father took the very essence of what I was from me. I lost everything I ever wanted or needed a long time ago, and I’m never going to get that back.”

  Mika’il paused in the midst of his pacing, and turned to face him. “You’re the one who chose to fall. You didn’t rebel like the others. I never truly understood what you were thinking when you gave up Heaven for this.”

  The archangel waved his hand around, and Christian took his gesture to mean Earth, not just his apartment. As much as he wanted to punch Mika’il on general principle and for taking his wings, Christian knew he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t truly fair to lay all of his pain and anger on his oldest friend. Mika’il was right. He had chosen to leave Heaven and the presence of God for the dirt and decay that was the mortal world. At the time, he’d thought he had a valid reason to do it, but he’d found out that there was no reasoning with God.

  “I chose to leave because I wanted to prove that God did love us, and he did care about us. Little did I know that there is no leeway with him, and that once I left, I was done. I was one of Lucifer’s fallen, to be abandoned by the Father and all my fellow angels.” Christian took his mug over to the sink then dumped out his coffee. After setting the cup down, he rested his hands on the edge of the counter. “I suffered because I believed he’d take us all back. That his forgiveness and love for us was stronger than his anger about Lucifer’s rebellion.”

  “He does love you all, Christian. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have given you the option of becoming an Enforcer. Do you understand how important it is that he didn’t just throw you all away? He might have had me take your wings, but he didn’t have me strip you of your power,” Mika’il pointed out. “He has given you a way to redeem yourself.”

  “How exactly am I supposed to do that? By destroying my fellow angels? They might have turned their backs on him, but they don’t deserve to die any more than the mortals that he loves do.” Christian threw his hands in the air. “We’ve been over this a thousand times, Mika’il. You can’t convince me that he’s done this out of love, and I have to admit I’d rather you didn’t try to save me from going insane. Right now, it’s looking better than the other choice, which is to stay here and continue to destroy people I thought of as family.”

  Christian didn’t take the time to form a mental image of a place in his mind. He gathered his power and dissolved, wanting to be somewhere other than in Mika’il’s presence. When he appeared again, he was standing on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. He waited for a second while his brain adjusted to the sudden change.

  “Why are you here? Are you following me?”

  He jumped at the sound of Lucifer’s voice. Turning slowly, he hoped he wouldn’t see the fallen angel anywhere. Hoped that those questions were his imagination, not reality. No such luck.

  Lucifer stood as close as he could get to the edge of the platform. Christian had the feeling that Lucifer would prefer to climb right out on the edge to look down on the city, but the barriers kept him from doing so. Of course, he could just use his power to get on the other side if he wanted.

  “I wouldn’t follow you back into Heaven if we were allowed there again,” Christian said as he strolled closer to where Daystar stood.

  Lucifer laughed, and Christian remembered when he would’ve joined in, swept up in the joy that had colored his friend’s voice. Yet his laugh now mimicked the peal of a broken church bell, off key and sad.

  “I remember the days when you and I would spend all of our time looking out for these mortals. They’re so fragile and their lives are so short in the grand scheme of the universe.” Lucifer turned to look at Christian. “Then it all went to hell, and here we are, adversaries. You’re still protecting them while atoning for something you didn’t even do.”

  “And what are you doing? Are you atoning for something or are you just trying to hurt them?” He shoved his hands in his pockets as he moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lucifer. “It’s my job to keep you and your fellow unrepentants from doing any more damage to them then you already do.”

  “Ah, yes. That’s right. I’m the evil devil who convinces the world that I don’t exist, so I can take it over, one poor pathetic soul at a time.” Lucifer threw his arms wide, then spun around in a circle. “You do understand that I could take over at any point in time. It doesn’t matter how many Enforcers there are. My power is greater than even yours, Christian. Such is my right as the one who holds dominion over earth.”

  Christian pursed his lips as he breathed in deeply. “Yes, I’m perfectly aware of what you are capable of. I guess I’ve always wondered why you haven’t done it. I would’ve thought that you would have taken advantage of your place to ruin the lives of the mortals you see as weaker than you.”

  Lucifer shot him a look. “Maybe you should do some more thinking about that. Maybe there are other reasons why I’m here, and doing what I do, instead of searching for my touch in all the bad things that happen around the world.”

  “I’m looking into the gathering of several unrepentants at abandoned warehouses here in the city. Do you have anything to do with that?”

  Sure, Daystar could lie to him about it, but Christian had never thought his friend was a liar. Lucifer was much like Mika’il in the way he would evade most questions he didn’t want to answer, so Christian figured he could trust Lucifer.

  “Do you think I’m gathering my minions to take over the city?” Lucifer paused, as he seemed to think about that idea before he continued, “I don’t have minions, Christian. You know that. I can barely tolerate you when I run into you. I’m certainly not going to be able to endure any of the crazy fallen for any length of time. I’m not their leader anymore. The instant Mika’il took their wings, they turned their backs on me.”

  “They see you as the one who led them astray. You were the one who said angels should hold a more important place in God’s heart than mortals. You were the one who wanted to be like God.” Christian couldn’t help but remind Lucifer of his rallying cry.

  Lucifer grunted. “Did I say all those things?” />
  “Yes.”

  “What a pretentious jackass I was,” Lucifer murmured.

  Christian slapped his former friend on the shoulder. “I’ve been telling you that since the fall. Now, do you have anything to do with them gathering?”

  “Of course I don’t. I have no need for them to help me with anything. I’m doing fine on my own.” Lucifer glanced down at the Rolex on his wrist. “I must be going. I have to visit a friend.”

  Before Christian could overcome his amazement that Lucifer had friends, the fallen was gone, and Christian was left wondering who Lucifer would go and visit in the city.

  “Sir, I’ve got some information about Phillip and the unrepentants.” Samantha’s voice interrupted Christian’s musing.

  “Good. I’ll meet you at the same coffee shop as before,” he informed her as he gathered his power once more.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Within a minute or two, Christian was standing in front of the café. He went in and ordered while he waited for Samantha to show up. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to tell him, and he wasn’t looking forward to cleaning up the mess.

  Christian sat, knowing it would take Samantha a little while to get there. She wasn’t as powerful as he was, so travel took a little longer for her. As he waited, he pulled out his phone to check his messages. He smiled when he saw something from Joan.

  Hey there. Had a great time last night.

  He typed in a return message.

  Me too. Are you busy tonight?

  Have class after work, but get out at ten.

  Pausing for a moment, he thought about his response. Was he really thinking about maybe starting a relationship? How could he be sure Joan was even interested in having more than just sex with him? Maybe she only wanted a fuck buddy because she certainly seemed confident about getting what she wanted.

  “Why not do it? You need to make some connections to other people again. It’ll keep you on this side of sane.”

  “I hate it when you pop into my head like that,” Christian complained as Mika’il laughed.

  “I know. Why do you think I do it? Go and sleep with her again. Sex is good for you.”

  Christian blinked at the rather incredulous feeling of having the archangel tell him sex was good for him. He decided that maybe no reply was the best answer. Before he could stop himself, he typed again.

  Want to get together? I can pick you up after school.

  Great. I’ll send you the address. See you at ten.

  See you then.

  He sensed Samantha’s presence as she entered the café. After tucking away his phone, he gestured for her to come over. She dodged the other customers, and the frown on her face told Christian she was upset about something.

  Flopping in the chair across from him, Samantha heaved a loud sigh. Christian pushed one of the coffees he’d gotten over to her.

  “Thank you,” she said before taking a sip.

  “Welcome.” He waited while she drank a little bit before he asked, “What did you find out?”

  “Phillip was heading to this warehouse when he disappeared.” She held out a piece of paper. “From what I’ve dug up, he wasn’t expecting any unrepentants to be there. Everything he found out said they had moved on to a different place.”

  “Yet they were there.”

  She nodded, and Christian resisted the urge to rub his neck. It sounded like not only were they gathering, they were organized enough to plot the death of an Enforcer. He had no doubt that they had left clues for Phillip to follow because they’d wanted to get him alone. Only Christian was strong enough to deal with several fallen at a time, but he had the feeling he might need to call in some help.

  “Does anyone have any idea how many of them we’re dealing with?” He pulled out his phone, then glanced at Samantha.

  “Between ten and fifteen. At least that’s what I’ve been able to put together while looking around. Phillip didn’t have a chance.” Her hands shook before she wrapped them around her cup.

  “So it appears,” Christian muttered as he scrolled through numbers on his phone. When he got to the right one, he punched the send button. While it rang, he tapped his fingers on the table.

  “Celeste Montgomery,” a female answered.

  “This is Christian Vosberg. We met in Chicago.” He leaned back in his chair, staring at the crowd mingling behind Samantha, yet not seeing any of them.

  Celeste hummed softly. “Right. I remember, Christian. What can I do for you?”

  “I have ten to fifteen unrepentants who seem to be joining forces here in the city. I’m not sure why.”

  “Has Lucifer been sighted anywhere in the city? He could be gathering the other fallen for some kind of coup,” Celeste suggested.

  Christian shook his head, even though she couldn’t see him. “I talked to Lucifer earlier this morning. He says he has nothing to do with this.”

  Two unladylike sounds rang in his ears.

  “You believed him?” Celeste sounded perplexed that Christian could consider Lucifer was telling the truth.

  “Yes.”

  “How can you believe that creature? He was the one who lead us all astray. Lucifer told us that we should be equal to God because of our powers. He lied, yet you think he wouldn’t lie about this?” Celeste shouted.

  He held the phone away from his ear as she continued her diatribe about Lucifer for a few more minutes before he said, “Enough.”

  Samantha blinked at the command in his voice and Celeste fell silent.

  “You fell because of your own hubris. You and your fellow fallen wanted to believe in what Lucifer was selling. Don’t lay all of the blame on his shoulders. You must take some of it because you chose to listen.” Christian looked at Samantha while he told Celeste off, hoping she got what he was saying as well.

  “Fine. So you do believe him when he told you he has nothing to do with these unrepentants?” Celeste now sounded annoyed.

  “Yes, because he has nothing to gain by lying to me. The one thing I can always trust is that Lucifer will tell me the truth. Most of the time, he knows it pisses me off, so he does it to get a reaction from me.” Christian clenched his hand. “I need you and Bradford to come to New York to help me deal with this group. You won’t have to do anything with Lucifer. I can pretty much guarantee he won’t make an appearance while you are around.”

  Celeste coughed, seeming taken aback by Christian’s request. “You need help?”

  As much as it irked him to have to ask, he said, “Would you and Bradford be so kind as to join me in New York so that we might rid the world of some insane fallens? They’ve already killed one of my Enforcers.”

  “I’ll call William and get him on the next flight out of Reno. I can be there by tomorrow afternoon, and he will be there in the evening.” Celeste didn’t seem to be gloating or happy that she’d gotten him to admit he needed help and ask her nicely to come. “I’ll call you in the morning with our flight numbers.”

  “Thank you, and there will be a car and driver waiting to pick you up. He’ll bring you to my place.” Christian hung up without saying goodbye.

  Samantha studied him. “Why are you calling in outside Enforcers to clear out this gang? There are more than enough of us here to do the job.”

  “Celeste Montgomery is one of the most powerful Enforcers in the country, second only to me. William Bradford is not only an Enforcer, but an Avenger. He’ll be able to punish any of the unrepentants who need it.” Christian pursed his lips for a second before he said, “In my opinion, any of them who helped kill Phillip deserve to be punished.”

  She didn’t look happy, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. That was what happened when he was the head Enforcer for the entire East Coast—he got to make the decisions.

  “Thank you for getting this address for me, Samantha. I promise you that Phillip will be avenged, and those who killed him taken care of before they do any more harm.”

  “All right.” Sam
antha finished her coffee, then stood. “If you need anything else, you know how to get a hold of me.”

  He nodded then watched her walk away. After he stood, he tossed his cup in the trash before he left as well. He had some recon to do before Celeste and William showed up.

  * * * *

  Joan walked out of the library, tired but happy. She had finished her term paper and was ready to turn it in in the morning. Only one more class and she’d have her Masters in Social Work. Then she’d be able to do something about the people on the street.

  A horn honking drew her attention, and she looked to see that recognizable Jaguar parked at the curb. Christian climbed out before walking around the front of the car to approach her.

  Before she could say anything, he encircled her waist then brought her tight to him. She lifted her chin to offer herself to him as he kissed her. Joan gasped, which gave Christian an opening to slide his tongue into her mouth.

  She gripped his shoulders as lust swamped her, and her knees went weak. Holy cow! He can kiss swept through her mind before it went blank. He cupped her ass in both hands then lifted her up to rub against her mound.

  “Get a room,” someone muttered as they pushed past him.

  Christian eased away, but didn’t take his hands off her body. “I was going to be polite and take you out to dinner. Maybe go dancing, but I find that all I want to do is go back to my place and fuck you into the mattress.”

  “Fine with me,” she agreed. Being able to have him moving over her again would be the perfect ending for the night.

  Motioning to his car, he said, “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”

  Joan giggled as she walked over there. “You sound so formal at times, like you grew up in a different era.”

  “I’ve been around for quite some time. Far longer than you could ever imagine,” he muttered as he opened the door for her.