Page 44 of Anarchy
He looked like that idea absolutely terrified him. My grandmother was big on family history, and she used to tell it to me all the time. For as far back as she knew, the angels hadn’t bothered us.
“Not as far as I know. At least, not as far back as my grandmother’s stories went. We’ve all been witches and warlocks. My family hasn’t been big on mixing with other species, but a few took lovers that way. There are Morningstar shifters and vampires now. There might be more, but you have a fairly large legacy on Earth.”
Lucifer smiled sadly because I could tell he really wanted to meet them but didn’t want to put them in danger. I was glad I did this. He was nice, and I could tell he was lonely. He hadn’t introduced me to a new wife. I guess the witch he had left behind had been it for him.
“If you put that app Ripley and Balthazar have on their phones, we could keep in touch when we go back to Earth. If Bram gets to come with us, he could bring us back here for visits. I’m sure he’ll want to come back to talk to Talvath. We could all have dinner.”
“You’d do that?”
“Well, yeah. I’m not a monster, and you’re my family. You weren’t the one that made the deal, and you didn’t make him. All you did was leave for your own safety. You tried to do what was right for your family. I know that. I’d love to keep in touch.”
That was the truth. I needed this just as much as Lucifer did.
“Can I be honest with you about something, Gabriel? IknowTalvath and Lilith will want Bram to go back with you, especially since everyone there loves him. It’s the next stage in his journey. I think Bram knows that too, deep down. He might not want to leave, though. There’s quite a lot of work to be done with the Hellhounds still. It’s not enough just to free them. There’s housing, jobs, and education. Bram is probably one of the few Hellhounds here who can read and write.
“I know what all of you want. I know what Lilith and Talvath want. I love happy endings and want one here. But, in the end, the final decision is Bram’s. He could do a lot of good if he stayed here for a little while helping out. The Hellhounds are looking to him for answers. I’m not trying to be mean, and I think he deserves love and happiness. But, unfortunately, his life may end up like mine where he has to leave those he loves behind.”
I shook my head. He didn’t know Ripley, and this wasn’t an era without cellphones and apps like when he had to leave. Ripley and Reyson had both claimed Bram.
“Ripley and Reyson aren’t going to stop Bram if he wants to stay here and help, but you don’t know them like I do. They can and will make a long-distance relationship work until Bram can come back to the library. Ripley is dedicated to her library, but she’ll find a way to help Bram. I can’t picture Reyson getting and keeping any type of job. He takes his snack seriously, but he’s also very caring, considering he’s the God of Chaos.
“Even if Bram chooses the library, I wouldn’t be shocked if you find Reyson wanting to come back and help. Shit, Felix doesn’t even have a social security number, and the records for his birth and death might not exist anymore. He’ll probably unvelcro himself from Ripley’s side to help. Balthazar can probably write an app to help.I’llhelp.”
“You’re a pretty great warlock, Gabriel, and I like the people you made into your new family. I know it means nothing, but I’m proud of you.”
I grabbed Lucifer and pulled him into a hug because itdidmean something to me. My grandmother was the only person in my family who had ever said that to me. My parents just wanted me to accept the way things were and keep my head down. They didn’t want me to fight to change things. My parents wanted me to take a boring job with humans like they did.
What I did for work bothered them, even if I was doing exactly what they created me to do with magic handed down from my family through the ages. Lucifer rebelled and broke the rules. He wasn’t an obedient little angel accepting the status quo.
I didn’t come here for a pat on the back or because I thought it would change a damned thing for me. I came because it was the right thing to do.Thatwas what Lucifer was proud of, but I knew if I told him I was trying to fight back against a community that would shun me in whatever ways I could, I knew not only would he be proud of that too, he’d probably want to help.
Ripley was right. She usually was. I needed this just as much as Lucifer did.
33
Reyson
Dorian Gray was an irritating little monkey. Rich people back in my day liked to keep them as pets as a sign of their status, but they always tried to domesticate the wrong type of monkey. Some of the bigger apes were wonderful and had ways to communicate. However, some of the smaller monkeys could have been created by a trickster god because as soon as you took them out of the jungle and invited them into your home, they started flinging feces and pulling hair. Dorian Gray was definitely one of the poop slinging monkeys.
Kaine was running in between the rooms we had Dorian and Akul in. Talvath, Lilith, and Bram were handling Akul, which left me with Dorian. Honestly, this could have been solved in five minutes if they had let me, but they wanted them alive for some reason. Theonlyreason I was holding back after I found my witch in a cage was that this wasn’t my realm and Bram’s future and the future of every Hellhound here rested on whatever the fuck Lilith’s long game plan was.
I knew Dorian's portrait that gave him immortality was around his neck now, but I hadn’t removed it. Mainly so I could take out some rage on his face without killing him.
“It’s over, Dorian. This plot of yours failed. Tell me what I need to know. Who did you give those sigils to?”
Dorian smiled through all the blood on his teeth.
“You think I didn’t take into account that if Akul was willing to betray his people that he was also going to stab me in the back? I still have an ace up my sleeve.”
If this smug little asshole thought he hadanythingthat would manipulate Lilith or me into letting him go, he had another thought coming. We crashed his little party when he tried that the first time. I wasdonewith Dorian Gray and his ego.
“This is how things are going to go, Dorian. Perhaps your mommy spoiled you and told you that you could do anything you wanted because you were destined for greatness. Perhaps all those people who celebrated you for making that deal and told you how pretty you were made you think you could piss off two gods and still get what you want. Unfortunately, there is no card you could possibly play here.
“You’ll notice I left your portrait around your neck, so I don’t kill you. Lilith wants you alive. I have this neat little trick and a theory. You see, I can just put my hand on your head and find outeverythingI need to know. It has an unfortunate side effect of totally liquifying your brain. Now, this is just a theory, but I think necklace will keep you alive through all of that. You’ll feel everything. I would imagine regrowing an entire brain while your body heals would beagonizing.Still glad you raised the God of Chaos, Dorian? Still think it was a good idea to kidnap my witch and put her in a cage? You have nothing. You can tell me, or I can take it as painfully as possible.”
He was still smirking. I was a fucking god. I helped create the entire universe. Iearnedmy massive ego. What did Dorian Gray actually do that he thought I wasn’t totally serious about any of that? I had a feeling Lilith wanted him alive because she had something much worse planned for him than what I was thinking. I hoped we could collaborate on that because I had some good ideas.
“Hear me out and pass this on to Lilith.”
