Peace (6 page)

Lam sniffed. “I wonder why. No respectable angel would be caught dead in your presence.”

“Intriguing turn of phrase,” Daystar commented. “Where are your manners? I gave you my name. I’m eager to hear yours.”

Lam forced himself not to wince when Daystar stepped closer. He expected his skin to crawl when Daystar’s fingers touched his cheek, but instead a bolt of electricity shot through him.

“Hmm…”

Some tone in Daystar’s voice told Lam the fallen angel had felt it as well.

“You may call me Lam.” His voice was rough and he cleared his throat. Every instinct he had screamed at him not to show any weakness in front of Daystar.

“Right. None of the angels except for the Quad need names. No individuality or independent thought, because those things might lead to a rebellion. Once was more than enough, I’m sure.”

Daystar bent, pressing a kiss to Lam’s lips. It was quick and featherlight, but it struck Lam as heavily as though he’d been hit with a brick. Straightening, Daystar rested his hand at the small of Lam’s back before urging him toward the cabin.

“Welcome to my home, Lam.”

He knew he should say no and leave. He had a mission to complete, plus angels were forbidden to have any contact with Daystar on threat of banishment themselves.

Yet there had been a shadow of loneliness in Daystar’s dark eyes. An emotion Lam sympathized with, so he allowed Daystar to lead him up the walk to the cabin’s large oak door.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,” he muttered as he stepped over the threshold.

“What did you say?” Daystar shut the door behind them.

“Nothing.” Glancing around, Lam was impressed by the sheer opulence of the decorations and furniture. There were a few items he didn’t even recognize. He shot Daystar a look. “No sackcloth and ashes for you, huh?”

Daystar shrugged. “Why be a hypocrite? I’m not sorry for what I did. The Quad has way too much power. The Judge doesn’t care about what they do. His concern is for mortals and their pathetic souls. I’ve never understood why he’s invested so much in them. They are fragile, finicky creatures, not interested in anything besides their narrow, miniscule lives.” Daystar sneered and headed down the hall.

Lam strolled after him, not as worried as he probably should have been about being in Daystar’s presence. He’d always been curious about the fallen angel. He was sure Daystar didn’t remember him, but Lam had never forgotten the one time he’d seen Daystar before his foolish rebellion.

Lucifer Daystar had been second only to Michael in power. He’d been breathtaking in his golden beauty. The rest of the host had practically worshiped him. Well—as much as angels could worship any being besides the Judge.

Lam hadn’t been created to stand out. He was one of thousands of messenger angels all under the rule of Michael and the Judge. He’d never once thought about how the heavenly realm worked. How much power and control the Quad had over the lives of angels and mortals alike.

Then he’d walked in on an argument between Michael and Daystar. He’d been shocked to hear Daystar accuse the head archangel of corruption, of craving power over all the realms. Of course, Michael had denied it. He, in turn, had alleged that Daystar was jealous of Michael’s position as the leader of the Quad.

They’d seemed close to physical violence, but Lam must have made a noise—or moved—because suddenly they’d turned to glare at him. There had been so much anger and hatred in their eyes, he hadn’t been able to say anything before leaving the room.

Shortly after that, Daystar had led a coup against the Quad and had been banished. Lam had been on assignment and had gotten the news secondhand, yet the fight he’d witnessed was foremost in his mind when he heard about it.

* * * *

“Wait a minute— You interrupted a fight between Michael and Daystar?” Kibwe broke into Lam’s memories. “Also, how are you remembering all of this? I thought they’d have erased your brain when they banished you.”

“How is it punishment if you don’t remember you used to be an angel?” Gatian spoke before Lam could say anything. “If you don’t remember your power and your former life, how can you be tortured and realize what you did wrong?”

He nodded. Gatian was right. The reason he could still remember all the things he used to be was because the Quad wanted him to mourn what he’d lost. And while he would miss being an angel, he wouldn’t miss dealing with all the bullshit the four leaders forced him to wade through.

As long as he could find Day and make sure he was all right, Lam would be happy being mortal and living a normal life.

Aldo studied him for a moment then said, “I don’t think you’re going to mourn anything about the heavenly realm, are you?”

Lam shook his head. “Not really. I’ll admit having all that power to do so many things was pretty awesome, but it was tiring as well. I had to deal with a lot of problems without help from anyone. Dealing with the Horsemen was something I took upon myself to do because the Quad wasn’t helping them. They—or you, as it were—found themselves thrown into unbelievable circumstances without any sort of training or knowledge. I hope someone else took over what I was doing with them. Of course, the Quad doesn’t seem to believe the Horsemen need help.”

“It was a bit of a shock to die one moment then wake up and be told I could cause a famine wherever I walked,” Kibwe muttered.

“Right, and the others were just as confused,” Lam commented. “I told them it was dangerous to allow such powerful beings to wander around the world without any knowledge of what they could do. The Quad only gave me so much leeway and I did my best.”

“You did help us.” Gatian looked pained to admit it.

After laughing, Lam poked Gatian with his foot. “Don’t sound so unhappy.”

“It’s not so much you that I’m not thrilled with, Lam. It’s all the hoops and shit we had to deal with when we were Horsemen. All the things we weren’t supposed to do and all the ways you could’ve been punished for our transgressions.” Gatian grimaced. “Apparently I didn’t need to worry about that. Your own disobedience was big enough to get you banished.”

That was the truth. Yet Lam had never regretted falling in love with Day and he’d never turn his back on his lover.

“What happened after he took you to his lair?” Baqir spoke up from where he sat.

Lam glared at Baqir. “It wasn’t his lair. He has a very nice mansion on the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”

“A mansion? Why am I not surprised?” Sarcasm dripped from Gatian’s words.

“He has every right to live as he wants, whether it’s extravagantly or not. Plus I’m not entirely positive you have any room to talk.” Lam waved his hand to encompass the opulent room they sat in.

Gatian tilted his head to concede the point.

“What happened once you were in his house?” Baqir asked again.

* * * *

Daystar led the way into a dark
--
paneled room, which Lam figured was probably his study. The heavy, ornate furniture was carved out of some kind of wood. He ran his fingers over the shiny surface of the desk before he glanced at Daystar.

“Why would you waste your time bringing me here?”

“I want to spend some time with you. I’ve been watching you, and I’m intrigued, little angel.” Daystar stepped close to Lam then rubbed his thumb over Lam’s bottom lip. “I can’t help but wonder what you might taste like.”

Lam knew he should protest and rail against Daystar’s wickedness. He should, but there wouldn’t be any strength in those arguments. Just like Daystar had, Lam had wondered how the fallen angel would kiss. It wasn’t something he should’ve imagined—their mouths touching first in a gentle caress then harder until Daystar stole his breath. Yes, Lam wasn’t supposed to fantasize about that—he knew it, yet he’d done it every day since he’d first seen Daystar.

Why fight it? I want to know and he wants to kiss me. Take the opportunity.
Lam pushed up on his toes and pressed their mouths together. As he swept his tongue in, he tasted a rather odd combination of cinnamon, vanilla and sulfur. It was strange, but he didn’t let that stop him from taking the kiss deeper.

Daystar grabbed Lam’s hips then pushed him away a few inches. Lam frowned as Daystar shook his head.

“What? I thought this was what you wanted.” He stiffened before moving farther away, not liking how foolish he felt. How could he have totally misread the situation? Obviously, Daystar was only interested in playing with him.

Daystar licked his lips then smiled. “I do want that, little one, but not yet. I think we should get to know each other before we do anything else.”

Lam blinked and Daystar chuckled at the blatant shock that must have been evident on his face.

“You weren’t expecting to hear that from me, were you?”

“No,” Lam admitted. “I would have thought you’d be all for seducing an innocent angel. Corrupting me could be seen as a gold star in your evil banner.”

Daystar snorted then poured a glass of amber liquid. After strolling over to the window, Daystar stared out and Lam wondered what he saw in the shadows dancing outside.

“It could be seen as that, I guess, if I were truly evil and looking to corrupt every creature I come across. Yet the amazing thing is that I don’t want to change you. I have no interest in it.” Daystar sipped the liquid as he turned to face Lam. “There are so many fascinating things here in the mortal world for me to search out and investigate. I don’t have the time to corrupt people.”

“But don’t you want to take over heaven some day? I thought that was what your whole coup was about. Take all the power for yourself and destroy the Quad.” Lam edged closer to Daystar, drawn by the rather haunted look in the fallen’s eyes.

“The Quad has too much power and they believe they are invincible. I am the shining case in point.” Daystar tapped his chest. “I wanted to bring them down. I don’t want their jobs. Trust me, I’m not the person who should be in charge of others, especially considering I have enough trouble following orders myself.”

Lam smirked. “From all that I’ve heard about you, that statement doesn’t surprise me.”

Daystar rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything, simply sipped his drink. Lam took it from him then drank. He grimaced at the burn as the liquid slid down his throat.

“What the heck is this stuff?”

“Not entirely sure, but I do know it will become very popular in the future,” Daystar told him.

“In the future?” Lam squinted. “Time travel is forbidden unless authorized by the Quad.”

Daystar raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “It is? Well, I’ll try to remember that the next time I think about going somewhere. Of course, since I’ve been banished, the rules don’t apply to me anymore. I go wherever I want.”

Lam handed the glass back then turned. He headed toward the front door, done with whatever game Daystar was playing.
Why did I stay so long? There’s no point in trying to talk to him.

Even as he opened the door then stepped out on the front porch, he was expecting Daystar to stop him. Silence drifted around him, mixing with the thunderous crash of the waves of the lake pounding against the shore. Disappointment washed over him, but Lam didn’t look back. Gathering his power, he returned to Machu Picchu to finish his errand.

* * * *

“Daystar just let you leave?” Baqir sounded skeptical.

“Yes. I finished what I’d been sent to Earth to do and returned to the heavenly realm. I didn’t tell anyone about talking to him, though I was nervous for a little while afterward that someone had found out about it. The Quad wouldn’t have taken kindly to our meeting like that.” Lam grimaced when a bolt of pain rippled through his back. “Though I doubted they would’ve gone to the extremes they ended up treating me to.”

Gatian sniffed. “You should’ve known what the consequences would be. I’m pretty sure how they treated Daystar would have made it obvious that they wouldn’t be happy with your insubordination.”

He shrugged. “Call me an optimist. I thought it would be okay. Besides, I never planned on seeing him again, so it was all right.”

Little had he known that Daystar would go out of his way to cross his path as often as he could.

Chapter Seven

Daystar stepped out onto the damp sidewalk then glanced over his shoulder to where the Eiffel Tower dominated the skyline. The sun had risen an hour ago and while he’d wanted to go looking for Death, the Pale Horseman, at first light, Daystar had decided it was best to wait.

Of course, he had no real idea where to start his search. He vaguely remembered the hotel where he’d gone with Lam to see the mortal and where he’d been sent to drop off the heroin.
Guess I’ll start there.

Lifting his hand to flag down a taxi, Daystar grunted when Paris faded around him. He blinked when he found himself standing in the barren landscape where he’d met Lam so many times. Was Lam there? Daystar whirled in a circle, hoping to see his lover, but the only creature there besides him was a pale-haired man.

“Death?” he shouted as he stalked toward the man. “I need to find Lam.”

Death tilted his head and frowned. “Do I know you?”

His question caught Daystar so off guard, he froze. “I’m Daystar and we met while you were helping some druggie get clean. I wouldn’t have been part of it, but Lam wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never met you before and I certainly wouldn’t help someone I’m supposed to take to the gates to get judged.” Death narrowed his eyes. “Daystar? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be able to appear on this plane.”

Studying the Horseman in front of him, Daystar realized it wasn’t the same guy he’d dealt with. “Fuck!” He threw his hands up in the air. “Why the hell can’t I find Lam? If he isn’t here, why am I?”

Death took a step back and shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I haven’t seen him for a couple of days. Which is weird, since he’s usually annoying me at least once a day. I got a visit from Gabriel right before you showed up and he said Lam got reassigned. That we’d receive our orders directly from him now.”