Page 63 of Falling for the Devil

She inclined her head to acknowledge his comments. “I am pleased to see you back in one piece. When we crash landed, you were nowhere to be found.”

Diana tried to keep her words pleasant despite her own suspicions about Olivier. He always seemed to disappear in a crisis, he was ignoring the obvious changes in Lucifer, and something about him caused uneasiness to spread throughout her own body. There was nothing specific she could find to back up the feeling, but that deep sense of foreboding welled up whenever he was near.

Was it horrible of her that she hadn’t missed Olivier at all? Hadn’t once considered whether he’d perished, was injured, or just lost?

Puck’s arms wrapped around her from behind in a tight vice. They had lots of stories to share... another time, another place. He sensed her wishes—he had a way of knowing what she wanted when she wanted it—and he pressed his lips to her cheek, before releasing her from his embrace. He didn’t step away but remained glued to her side. His stance was no longer relaxed, but on alert.

Now that they were all reconvened on the same planet, she wanted one thing—hunt down Asmodeus, kill him in the worst manner possible, and then hang Lucifer for his callous remarks and treatment of her since she’d willingly given him all of herself. That was a sin her lover couldn’t tolerate anymore. Whether or not he could be forgiven for his trespasses remained to be seen.

With the fire stoking in her belly, Diana had to admit she would have liked to see him booted out of the heavens and come crawling to her door so she could slam it in his face.

But she wasn’t heartless. A monster needed to be stopped. Angels—and she assumed other life forms—were in peril still. They deserved saving. The ones already lost deserved justice. Her mind flashed with the gory images of the dismembered angel bodies writhing in turmoil in that hellish place.

“Yes.” Olivier guffawed. “That was quite the bumpy landing, wasn’t it? When I couldn’t find any of you, I assumed the worst. Then, as divine luck would have it, I stumbled upon your manservant here.” He stretched his arm out to indicate Puck, who stiffened at her side. “He appeared to jump out of nowhere, grabbed my arm, and yanked me through that secured portal entrance you discovered.” He chuckled. “I hate to admit it, but he scared the life out of me with his beady red eyes.”

She cocked her head. “So, you were unaware of the liminality here?”

This whole liminalities, portals, and alternate time and space realities thing was messing with her brain. None of it made any sense, but she would’ve thought Olivier would know where to find the one where Lucifer’s legions should’ve been stationed.

He chuckled again. “Oh, I was aware of the one you found. You know, the one secured with an angelic cipher lock that you had the fortune to unlock with one try. Where did you learn how to pick locks, little one?” Without waiting for her to answer, he continued. “Is that part of your legendary hunting gifts? Because, I have to say, that part was left out of the lore.”

Olivier’s unsettling eyes bore into her as if he was assessing every inch for signs of change, like his brother in arms. He still failed to offer where he had gotten off to while they’d been falling from the sky over the forests of Methuselah.

Swallowing the bile rising in her throat at his leering and suspicion-tinged words, Diana stared back. “We stumbled across the gate. I simply waved my hands over the symbols and the correct ones glowed brighter. You should invest in better security.” She looked around the hulking angel to where Lucifer stood. “Why so much security around this one but others are left for anyone to accidentally step or fall through?”

Both archangels turned to the soldiers behind them.

Aquifas stepped forward to answer. His eyes squinted at her with wariness written for all to see. “From what is known of liminalities, there are a handful of those that will take you about anywhere else in the universe. They are difficult to find because of the risks you mentioned—someone falling through into another world, another time, another dimension.”

His eyes darted between Lucifer and Olivier before he continued his explanation. Diana understood that wasn’t the entire story, but was surprised when Olivier nodded his permission.

“It would be unfortunate,” Aquifas seemed to be choosing his words carefully, “if an enemy were to accidentally discover any of our strategic military installations.”

Well, that made sense. Of course, they’d use the liminalities for surveillance posts. Come to think of it, why else would masses of angels be hiding in spaces in between other spaces?

“Does that answer your question, my lady?” Olivier turned back to her.

She nodded mutely. Without anything rational to base her ill ease on, Diana stepped back and took a defensive stance. Puck placed himself between her and the archangel. Considering how skinny and unobtrusive he was—all except those eyes—she imagined no one suspected the raging monster reined in that lanky body. With one look, one word, she could unleash the pooka and they’d never know what hit them.

Now why I am having violent thoughts about the other angels? Lucifer is the one I’m angry with. Olivier is an arrogant prick, but why would I wish to inflict such horror on him? He’s done nothing to me. In hindsight, on the initial voyage, he had been quite charming.

Regardless, Diana’s inner senses picked up on hostility and even hatred brimming underneath the archangel’s armor. He disguised it well from anyone who didn’t know where to look. Maybe that was the problem... she was projecting all her animosity onto Olivier. He’d done nothing wrong, as far as she knew.

Olivier pivoted back to the others. “So, now that we’re all reassembled, let’s get to work. We have hunting to do. Let’s find the bastard or bastards responsible for slaying our comrades.”

Lucifer interjected, “We know who. We just need to find out where to locate him.”

Every angel turned to him, their eyes wide like the goggle-eyed koi in the lagoon on Mount Olympus.

“What is that, brother? In your misadventures, you found time to discover the enemy?” A nerve twitched under Olivier’s left eye.

“What a strange reaction,” Puck spoke into Diana’s mind.

“Most definitely,” she replied.

Lucifer strolled—more like strutted—to the center of the group. All eyes followed him as if entranced. He had that effect on people, and more so when it came to his troops. His physical transformation had not dimmed his aura of authority. “My brothers, we are not dealing with an enemy who plays fair, or even knows the meaning of the word. He is vile. He is corruption itself.”

No one dared to interrupt. He was in full control of his audience, befitting the general he was. If Diana hadn’t been so ticked off at his attitude toward her, she might have allowed herself to be impressed.

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