A Gift of Wings (7 page)

G-Ma’s warning echoed in Lucky’s head all the way back to Hyde Park. Fortunately, she didn’t have any more encounters with tall, menacing men who might or might not have wings and tails. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean she saw nothing out of the ordinary. While waiting at the stop between buses, she glanced at a beautiful blonde woman with striking lavender eyes. When the woman returned her glance, Lucky could have sworn her eyes lost all their color, becoming blind white balls. Lucky gasped. Then the woman’s lips curled in a small smile, and her eyes were lavender once again. Lucky looked away.

After she boarded the #6, Lucky sat by the window and made it a point to direct her eyes out toward the passing city; she didn’t want to watch her fellow passengers anymore. While the bus was stopped at a light, she found her eyes drawn to a homeless man who was walking down the sidewalk toward the bus, pushing a shopping cart. As the bus began to pull away, he looked up at her, and Lucky suddenly saw two silvery wings unfolding from his shoulders, as if they’d grown from his back right through his tattered coat. The bus passed him by, and Lucky turned around to catch another glimpse of him, but the angle was all wrong, and she could no longer see him.

Disembarking the bus at Lake Park, Lucky covered the blocks to her building in record time. She was breathing fast when she reached the top of the stairs and put her key into the lock. Stepping inside, she found Josh and Ben slouched on the couch watching a movie. Josh paused the video as she threw her keys on the table by the door, dropped her backpack beside it, and flung herself into the faded paisley chair.

“How was G-Ma?” he asked.

“Okay. It was good to see her.” Lucky hesitated. She wanted to tell him about the painting, but she wasn’t sure what there was to tell. She didn’t know how to convey the real sense of menace the dark cloud had given her, or how she couldn’t help but connect the painting to G-Ma’s warning about the dark, and she didn’t want to sound crazy. Of course, given the things that were happening in her life lately, maybe
sounding
crazy was the least of her worries.

“Have you eaten?” Ben asked. “There’s leftover pizza.” He nodded at the box on the coffee table.

“Thanks, but I had lunch with G-Ma.” Lucky grimaced. “Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. Old people food.”

Both young men chuckled. “Sorry,” Josh said.

“No, it was okay, and I got to meet some of the other residents. G-Ma seemed to get along with everyone, and they all talked to each other. The conversation was a little weird sometimes.” Lucky’s voice trailed off. As if she had any right to talk about weird.

After several moments of silence, Ben directed a pointed look at Josh, who shifted uncomfortably, cleared his throat, and said, “So, um, Ben is planning on staying over tonight.” He paused and continued in a halting manner. “We just wanted to let you know. You know, in case it… bothers you,… or you want to talk about it… or anything.”

“That was smooth,” Ben muttered, with a smirk.

“Relax, Josh, it’s fine,” Lucky said. Then she raised her eyebrows and gave a toss of her head. “Just as long as you’re okay if
I
have a guy stay over sometimes.”

Josh frowned. “Not until you’re eighteen,” he said. “After that, fine. Until then, no way. And I mean it. I’m older than you, so that makes me the master of the house.”

Lucky snorted. “Master of the house? You’re not even master of your own domain.”

Ben burst out with a laugh. “You must admit she’s got a point.”

“You don’t even know what that means,” Josh said to Lucky, blushing.

“Of course, I do.” Lucky chuckled. “We have cable. I’ve seen almost all the episodes of
Seinfeld
. Besides, I’m well versed in YouTube.”

“Nevertheless,” Josh said over the laughter of the other two. “Not until you’re eighteen. Your birthday is only a week away. No big deal, right?”

“Fine,” Lucky said, grinning. “It’s not like anybody’s in the running anyway. Although, Aidan did hint that he might ask me out.” She paused for effect and then continued, “For some reason, though, he insisted that he was going to wait until after my birthday.”

“Aidan?” Josh said with a frown. “He’s too old for you. What’s he even thinking? I’m going to have to talk to him about this.”

“Josh, no,” Lucky interjected, embarrassed. “I was just teasing you. I don’t think he meant it anyway.”

Ben put his hand on Josh’s knee. “Calm down, sweetie. You can’t do that to her. Can you imagine how embarrassed she’d be if you had this little heart-to-heart with Aidan? Besides, you know him. He’s a good guy. Sure, he’s a little older than Lucky, but he’s trustworthy. You should know that.”

“He’s a
guy
,” Josh grumbled.

Ben chuckled. “Even so. Plus, as you just pointed out, Lucky
is
going to be eighteen soon, so it’s really not your call.”

“Fine,” Josh muttered, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles at the same time as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Lucky gave him an arch look. “I think this is going to be far harder for you than it is for me.” Turning to his long-haired companion, she added, “Ben, I don’t mind you staying over in the least—and thanks for being on my side.”

Ben winked at her, as he pushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “Anytime, sister. We gotta stick together so we can help Josh deal with his control issues.”

Josh looked at Ben through narrowed eyes, but when his softly uttered “Traitor” caused both Lucky and Ben to burst into laughter, his face relaxed and his lips curled into a smile.

“Alright, alright! So I overreacted.” He uncrossed his arms and sat up straighter. “I can’t help it if I’m protective of you, Lucky. You’re like my little sister. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I know, Josh,” Lucky said, smiling at him affectionately. Pushing herself up out of the chair, she walked by the couch and reached out to ruffle his hair. She paused with her hand still resting on his dark curls as she added, her voice suddenly serious, “But I’m not at all sure you can do anything about that.”

Before either of the young men could reply, she had left the room.

***

Aidan was in a bad mood. He’d awakened not much before noon with the strong conviction that he had to go see Zeke again, and he couldn’t help but think that the conviction was not his own. That conniving bastard was messing with his mind again. Now that he had his wings back and had taken the first step by getting in touch with the angel, he was being pulled back into his world, like it or not. Aidan knew better than to ignore his compulsion. If he didn’t follow through, the need to head toward that familiar brownstone would start giving him an itch that would make him want to scratch his own eyes out.

So to Zeke’s he’d gone, and sure enough, the angel had been expecting him. That had been no surprise to Aidan at all. What had been a surprise—and not a pleasant one—was finding his half-brother Kevin lounging in one of the comfortable leather chairs in Zeke’s sanctum sanctorum. After ushering him into the room, Zeke had left, closing the door behind him.

Only out of bed for an hour, and the day just keeps getting better,
Aidan thought now, as Kev’s eyes raked him from head to toe.

“The prodigal returns,” his older brother drawled.

“Not by choice,” Aidan responded, unsmiling, “as you probably well know.”

Kev tilted his head in assent. “Not this time, it’s true. But no one was compelling you last night—or rather, in the wee hours of the morning. Once I found out you’d come to see the old one, I asked him to do me the favor of bringing you back.”

Aidan’s jaw tightened. “So this is your doing?”

Kev responded with a wordless shrug.

“I should have guessed,” Aidan muttered. Dropping into the chair across from his brother, he leaned back, shoving his clenched fists into the pockets of his leather jacket. “Okay, so I’m here. What do you want with me?”

“We want you to come back, Aidan.”

Aidan pushed his hands deeper into his pockets and regarded his brother in silence. He’d figured that much, but that didn’t mean he was ready to comply—and certainly not without more information.

Kev leaned forward in his chair, his features assuming the focused gravity Aidan knew only too well. His brother’s eyes looked back at him from the face of a Captain rallying his troops.

“Let me rephrase. We
need
you to come back. Our situation is more precarious than usual—and getting more so by the day. The Metatron is on the verge of nullifying the Alliance.”

“Right. The Metatron has been making noises about the Alliance for as long as I can remember—usually they’re idle threats intended to make Lucifer toe some kind of line.”

“Not this time,” Kev said, his jaw tightening. “Jahoel has been killed. And the perpetrator did a very good job of making it look like Lucifer was responsible.”

Aidan could feel the blood draining from his cheeks. “Holy hell,” he breathed.

“Yep, that pretty much sums it up,” Kev said.

“Who’s Jahoel’s replacement?”

“Adrigon has been promoted to first of the Metatron. A Principality named Margash has joined as fourth.”

“Jahoel was the only one of the four who was sympathetic to the Fallen.”

Kev nodded. “He was the only one as ancient as Zeke, the only one who was there from the beginning.”

“What’s Adrigon like?”

“He’s young—in angelic terms—arrogant and, from what I can tell, unwilling even to acknowledge the existence of shades of gray. As far as he’s concerned, Light is good, Dark is evil, and the Alliance is a huge waste of energy. If he had his way, there would be no Dark and no Fallen.”

“And Margash?”

“He’s something of an unknown quantity, but indications are he’ll follow Adrigon’s lead.”

“So, where does that leave us?” Aidan was unaware of the pronoun he’d chosen until he caught Kev’s raised eyebrow.

Kev uncharacteristically refrained from comment and just answered the question. “Lucifer has called for an investigation of Jahoel’s murder, and despite their apparent willingness to accept the surface evidence, the Metatron has consented. A team is being assembled with members from both sides. In an effort to strengthen our position, I’ve agreed to serve as
Ha Satan
.”

“
What?
” cried Aidan, leaping to his feet. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Probably.”

Aidan paced back and forth in front of his chair. “Gods, Kev. Caught between Lucifer and the Metatron, you won’t stand a chance. You’ll be dead before next Tuesday.”

The corner of Kev’s mouth lifted in a sardonic smile as he pushed a hand through his shoulder-length brown hair. “Believe me, I’m well aware that that’s a distinct possibility. But it’s the only way I can have access to both Lucifer and the Metatron, and I need to have some idea of what’s going on in both domains. If we don’t get a handle on this situation soon, we could all find ourselves caught in the middle of something much like Armageddon.”

Zeke had entered the room while Kev was speaking. He carried a tray containing a Sèvres tea service, along with an assortment of breads, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and a plate mounded with bacon and sausage links. He placed the tray on the heavy oak table around which the leather chairs were clustered.

“I thought we could all use some sustenance,” he said, as he poured strong, dark tea into the three cups. “Help yourselves to milk or sugar, if you like.”

Aidan shook his head as he lifted one of the cups and studied its pattern. “Zeke, your civility never ceases to amaze.”

“Nor does your enthusiasm for breakfast meat,” said Kev, as Zeke lovingly placed several slices of bacon on a piece of buttered toast.

Zeke’s light eyes sparkled with amusement as he lifted the open-faced sandwich toward his mouth. “Ah, Kevin, one should never underestimate the power of food. Even apocalypse looks less dire when viewed over a plate of bacon.”

Chuckling, Aidan and Kev helped themselves to breakfast, and for a while, the three ate without speaking.

Aidan found his anger at being compelled to return to a world he had purposely left behind abating somewhat as he dropped back into the easy camaraderie he had once shared with his brother and Zeke. The angel could be a controlling bastard at times—Aidan knew that better than anyone—but even in the depths of his grief and anger, Aidan had never lost the respect and affection he felt for Zeke. A huge responsibility rested on the angel’s broad shoulders—and had done so for millennia. Aidan guessed he could cut him some slack for assuming that gave him the right to put compulsive thoughts in other people’s heads. Besides, he had to admit that he probably would not have agreed to see Kev otherwise. He just hadn’t felt ready to face him yet. Now that he was here, though, he admitted to himself how much he had missed his half-brother.

His new fear for Kev reasserting itself, he broke the silence. “Are you sure you have to do this, Kev? Isn’t there any other option?”

Kev placed his empty plate on the tray and settled back in his chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “I wish there were. Zeke, Malachi, and I have talked this over at length, and none of us could come up with a better solution. Really, I am the best candidate. It’s a dangerous role for anyone, but as Lucifer’s son and with my experience as Captain of the Forces, I’m in a better position than most. I’m good at protecting myself, and if it comes down to it, Lucifer will do what he can to protect me. While his familial feelings may be lacking in certain respects, he does have some sense of affection and obligation to us.”

Aidan’s mouth tightened. He questioned the use of the word “us.” Lucifer might well have fatherly feelings for Kev, but any he had ever had for Aidan had been destroyed two years ago. Keeping those thoughts to himself, he asked, “Where do I come in?”

Zeke studied him before he spoke, and when he did, his voice rolled through the room like distant thunder. “Kevin becoming
Ha-Satan
leaves us with a void in the Forces of the Fallen. Malachi has taken Kevin’s place as Captain, but he needs a second. Your Gift and your experience would be an asset to us, Aidan. We’d like you to step into that role.”