The Devil's Wife (29 page)

      "Come on," Clarissa said as I pulled the shirt on over my head, "Bee and Levi are back. And they have our prisoners."

~ * ~

      Clarissa had her own wings now—temporary, like mine—so we flew out to Lucifer's Throne. We landed either side of the stone chair as Lucifer appeared from the crowd, leaving Aspen circling above us. He was trying to get used to flying again, spending as much time in the air as he could. Lucifer pulled Clarissa into a kiss while I watched the people of Hell. I could see Billy in the middle of the mass of people, along with a few other familiar faces.

      "Gather."

      Lucifer was standing with his arms around Clarissa's waist, both of them facing the Demons and the humans below us.

      "Four days ago, my Queen's sister was taken off the street by the Hellraisers, a gang of sadists run by her onceboyfriend and backed whole-heartedly by God."

      Lucifer gestured out at the crowd, and I was amazed to see that Jason and the other Hellraisers were standing there in one big group. Those that had been at the bottom of the Frozen Lake were apathetic, staring at Lucifer with broken eyes. I shivered. I didn't want to know what Levi had done to them to make them like that. Jason was standing a meter or so from the others, watching them as warily as the Demons were him.

      "While my Queen and I were out searching for Jayce, these Hellraisers stole my Clarissa and Aspen away."

      The humans and the Demons stepped away from the Hellraisers, watching Lucifer. I think they knew what was coming. Aspen landed, crouched, on the thick back of Lucifer's throne, and sat on the very top of it, watching what was going on below with pale, furious eyes.

      "They killed him. They raped and tortured my Queen and her sister."

      The Demons were shock-silent now. The human faces blanched.

      "For their punishment..." he lingered on the word.

      There was utter silence from the Hellraisers, except for one. He was sobbing, his hands to the sides of his head as he shook it furiously, trying to block out Lucifer's words.

      "...I am leaving the decision to Jayce and Clarissa." He looked at me, then at Clarissa. "What do you decree to happen to the Hellraisers, ladies?"

      Clarissa and I looked at each other. In that second of sight, we agreed on who would be the speaker.

      "Remove their arms and send them back to Earth," I

ordered, glaring at the Burner and his crew. "And, while you're at it, remove their dicks as well."

      The men in the crowd below—human and Demon alike—winced and grabbed at their crotches. The women looked empathetically uncomfortable, while a few—ones I presumed were victims of rapes themselves—were grinning maniacally.

      The Demons that were standing around Lucifer, Clarissa and me closed in on the Hellraisers, separating them and grabbing hold of their shoulders.

      "So you have chosen," Lucifer said, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Take them to the Pit of Terror, and tell Baraquiel my orders."

      The Demons nodded and dragged the humans along. Even the broken-eyed men fought them, instinctively trying to escape what they knew was coming. Jason tried to break away from the Demons, trying to run to Lucifer. The humans eyed him and, as one, decided that it would be a better idea to leave than to watch the scene.

      "You bastard! You swore I would be freed for helping you!"

      "Bring Jason to me," Lucifer amended, and the Demons holding him brought Jason to where Clarissa and Lucifer stood.

      "I told you I would release you if you helped me in finding Clarissa and Jayce," Lucifer said to Jason.

      He was forced to kneel by the Demons, the pair pressing down on his shoulders until he was on his knees before Clarissa and Lucifer. Lucifer's former outrage was smothered now, covered up. I had no doubt he would be visiting the Pit of Terror in the near future to remove a few limbs himself.

      "I lied. You're a sick prick," Lucifer said, watching Jason. "You relentlessly tortured Jayce, you refused to face your responsibilities, and you think only one act of good will redeem you?"

      "I was following God's orders!" Jason screamed, trying to stand. "I was doing His fucking work! Let me go!"

      The Demons slammed him to the ground and I heard at least one knee break. Clarissa and I winced, but no one else seemed to notice.

      "God does not rule here, de Bowver." Lucifer grabbed his jaw, forcing him to shut up. "I do."

      "You're nothing!" Jason screamed through his teeth, his voice cracking with pain. "God is going to pay you back for all the shame you've brought Him!"

      "Is that why you took my Clarissa and tried to break her?"

      Jason tried to twist out of the Demons' grips, attempting to bite Lucifer. He looked like a desperate animal caught in a trap. "You'll pay, Lucifer! God will free me like you won't! He'll destroy you, break you into pieces and scatter everything you hold dear across the universe!"

      Lucifer drew his fist back and slammed it into Jason's jaw. The man went flying back a few feet, and didn't stand up. I couldn't even see where Lucifer had hit him. For all I knew, Lucifer had broken his nose and forced the pieces into his skull—enough to kill a living person, but what about the people of Hell?

      "Take him to the Pit," Lucifer said through clenched teeth, and I noticed he was only loosely balling the fist he hit Jason with. "Tell Baraqiel that I, and only I, am to touch him."

      "Yes, sir," the Demons said, dragging Jason's unconscious body to its feet. I could see the shadow of a bruise along Jason's shattered jaw.

      When the Demons had gone, Clarissa rushed forward and grabbed Lucifer's arm, lifting it so that she could examine it.

      "You broke three knuckles, Luce," she said, running her fingers lightly over his hand. I could see his hand twitch, his mind obviously fighting the urge to pull his hand away.

      With a couple of snaps that made me wince and Lucifer curse, she pushed the bones in his hands back into place and he bit his lip.

      "Thanks, Clarissa," he said hugging her.

      "No worries. I didn't know you could hit someone like that."

      "In all truth, neither did I." He looked at me, and I realized my eyes were still wide and my mouth was halfopen. "Jayce?"

      "Yes, Lucifer?" I asked, my voice a little higher than

normal.

      "Your parents are down in Belial's bar, if you want to go and talk to them."

      I grinned and took off, heading as fast as I could to the bar. Bugger Clarissa—I was going to see my Mummy again!

Lucifer Morningstar

      "Luce, come on," Clarissa giggled, pressing a hand to her stomach as she climbed over a fallen log. "Where are we going? Why couldn't we fly?"

      I ignored her question, stopping in front of a tree and placing my hand on it. "This is why you're here, Clarissa. I want you to know the story of the Fall, but from the perspective of the only woman who Fell. Issa, meet Sera."

      I gathered up the magic I could feel in the clearing, gathering it into one space. I called up the spirit of Sera from her place in Limbo, and melted into the background to watch as my former wife stepped from the tree.

      Clarissa stumbled backwards, looking at Sera. The Angel looked like a clone of Clarissa. But I now knew that Clarissa wasn't Sera—Sera was more devious and underhanded than Clarissa, I could see that now. No one, not even Sera, would ever measure up to my Issa.

      Sera's hand fell immediately to her stomach, and she seemed surprised to find that it was flat. "Thank you so much—" she crowed, then slapped her hands over her mouth.

      Clarissa stumbled back another step, and Sera frowned at her, her gratefulness gone.

      "My name is Sera Grigori," she said, slowly and carefully, as though talking to a child. "Did you bring me here?"

      Clarissa shook her head, relaxing slightly. "No, that was Lucifer. He's the King of Hell."

      Sera looked puzzled, then seemed to realize something. "I was married to Lucifer before the Fall. His name was Samyaza then." She smiled slightly. "It wasn't until we Fell that he took on his current name."

      Clarissa nodded, relaxing slightly though, for some odd reason, she seemed reserved, wary of Sera.

      "How do you know him?" Sera asked Clarissa.

      That question seemed to make Clarissa even more wary, and she took a step back. I felt Clarissa's magic flex, and she suddenly looked human, her wings vanishing. Sera was polite enough to do the same.

      "My name is Clarissa Avario. I am the Queen of Hell."

      Ah. I understood the wariness now; she was staking a claim on me. Sera didn't seem as upset about the news that she'd been replaced as she should have been. There was something strange going on here. I tried to stop the flow of magic, but something blocked me. I couldn't move, I could only watch and listen to the women talk.

      "So Sam found himself a replacement for me. How long did it take him?" Sera asked, sounding both bitter and happy.

      "Five thousand years."

      Sera blinked, stunned to silence. Clarissa looked haughty, but I could still see the wariness in her eyes, though there was also love when she spoke of me. It made my eternally-beating heart skip a few beats.

      Sera recovered, frowning slightly. "Do you wish to know something, or be given my blessing to court Sam? Not that you need it."

      "I didn't bring you here, Sera," she said, shaking her head at me. "That was Lucifer."

      "Why would he want us to meet? For all he knows, I could kill you."

      "I've been wondering about the Fall a lot lately, and I think he wanted my mind settled on it once and for all." Clarissa wandered over to a fallen log.

      "And I suppose you want to know my story?" Sera asked, watching her. "Who have you heard the story from?"

      "Well, I grew up learning the 'official version,' the one in the Bible. According to that, Luce got tired of God's way of running things, and tried to take over."

      "Wrong," Sera said quickly. "Sam liked his place at God's side. That's why he negotiated to take Hell rather than be destroyed altogether."

      Clarissa nodded. "Then I know Luce's version, that he refused to sleep with God, and God threw him from Heaven as punishment."

      "That's complete bullshit."

      Clarissa kept talking, watching Sera. "Then I have the story from your brother's perspective."

      "Which one?"

      "Aspen."

      "You have met Aspen?" she asked, visibly puzzled.

      "And some of the others."

      Clarissa nodded, looking up at the Fallen Angel and shielding her eyes with her hand. "Lucifer convinced God to allow Aspen to return as a cat, and he decided he wanted to spend his life with your look-alike."

      "I bet Aspen had a lot of glowing words about Sam," Sera said dryly, sitting down on the log.

      "He hated Luce in the beginning. He told me his version of the Fall, trying to discredit Luce's version. But they were amazingly similar. He said that the male Angels were thrown from Heaven because you became pregnant and God didn't want you to breed."

      Sera laughed, and my lips wanted to twitch. Aspen was fiercely loyal to Azazel and Sera of course, but he would have no qualms lying to everyone—and anyone—else.

      "What?" Clarissa asked, wary again. "Did Aspen get it wrong?"

      Sera nodded, still laughing. "It's the closest, but it's still wide of the mark."

      Clarissa frowned, glaring across the field. "And will you tell me the truth? If I ask for it?"

      Sera nodded, curbing her laughter and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I will tell you the truth, Clarissa, simply because it might put the world in perspective for you. Then you might be able to see which is the good and which is the bad in this universe."

Long Ago

      "Aunt Sera? Sera, where are you?" called Ramon, my nephew, searching through the cubicles of Level Six.

      I was on the telephone, and motioned for him to wait until I'd finished talking to the Technical Department before he could talk.

      "Well, I don't care how many times the guy prays for his computer to come back online, Baraqiel, don't grant every prayer just because you can." I listened for a second, then nodded. "It's your last warning, Baraqiel. Heaven can't afford to pay for all of these granted prayers."

      Something was muttered on the other end of the phone, and I saw Ramon looking around the office, trying to find something in the sparse décor to keep his attention.