Page 10 of When Monsters Fight
“If it’s a part of Lucifer, a part of her soul, I suppose it is. But it’s inert now.” I’m not sure why that makes me feel sad. I wrap the fragments in a blanket from the chest.
“They can’t break,” Sarq says. “Turns out only Shemyaza had the power to damage the relic.”
As soon as he says this, it hits me that this is a question that has been bugging me. “Rue said Shemyaza was supposed to be the messenger, right? He was meant to go take the Morningstar to Lucifer when it was time for her to be free.”
“That would seem so.”
“Because this Morningstar relic was important to God. To keeping the fabric of the worlds intact.”
“Yes. I’m not sure where you’re going with this line of thought…”
“Why make anyone able to fracture it, then?”
Sarq frowns. “I…I’m not sure.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me either.” I pull myself to my feet and tuck the wrapped relic pieces beneath my arm. “Maybe Rue can ask Lucifer once she gets to Gehenna.”
“What does it matter now? Shemyaza is gone.” He turns away. “Come. Let’s get the relics to Rue.”
His sadness is a palpable force that leads me back up the steps and out of the basement. You’d think nothing could hurt these huge, hulking males, but they’re hurting right now.
Shem’s sacrifice won’t be for nothing. The bastard Dominion will pay, and Michael…I hope I have a front row seat when that traitorous fucker gets taken down.
I’m closing the hatch when a shrill scream shatters the relative silence.
Sarq hauls me to my feet, and we run toward the sound,coming to a halt by the cloak room between the kitchen and the study. People are gathered outside.
Someone is crying.
“Out of the way!” Sarq demands.
People stagger away, hands on mouths, eyes wide as they tear their gazes from the scene in the cloak room.
Patrick hangs from a beam. I’m not sure where he found the rope. It hardly matters.
He’s dead.
Sarq exhales sharply then quickly moves to cut him down, but I’m rooted to the spot, pulse pounding in my throat. This is my fault because I gave him two options—stay and risk being eaten by monsters or come with us andmaybenot be eaten by monsters.
Patrick found a third option.
Chapter 7
RUE
We laid Patrick to rest in the cemetery behind the church at dawn. Sissy said a few words, but mostly everyone was silent and subdued.
In a world filled with monsters, death was nothing new, and the last few months had brought more than our fair share, but this…This kind of death weighed heavily on us all. Should we have known? Should we have seen?
Was this my fault? If I’d told them the truth…taken the risk, would he be alive today?
It was all I could think about when I should be focused on finding and opening the door to Gehenna.
The relic pieces sat on the desk, wrapped in a blanket, ready for me. Mira was ushering people to the nave in preparation for their trek.
Things were moving forward despite the tragedy, but guilt held me captive.
“Hey?” Bee entered the study and closed the door behind her. “Jilyana’s asking for you.”
