Page 99 of Spit

My stomach gurgled as the demon spoke, and he shot me a sympathetic look.

I scooted closer to the glass. “Legion said that you could…” I tapped my forehead.

A look a pain crossed Quinn’s face. “The drugs block the bond.” His hand fluttered to his chest. “I don’t know how much longer before the bond breaks.”

“What happens if the bond breaks?” I lowered my voice to a death bed whisper.

The look Quinn gave me was all I needed to know.

I didn’t remember falling asleep, but one moment I was in the cell, counting my heartbeats to pass the time, and the next, I was somewhere else entirely.

The walls were made of sprawling vines, crossing over each other with flowers budding, their perfume thick and real enough that I could smell it even though I knew I was dreaming.

A single window sat in the middle of the vines, an open arch in the wall without glass. Outside the room, the sky was made up of a sunburst of colors I had never seen before. It was as if sunrise, sunset, and dusk had combined. Purples, pinks, reds, and oranges swirled together across the sky. The clouds looked strange, but I thought nothing of it because it was a dream. Weird shit happened in dreams all of the time.

Voices arguing echoed down the hallway, and I felt the world shift until I was in a different place, standing in a room filled with people who weren’t people.

At the head of the table sat a woman with skin so bright that it hurt to look at her. She was a supernova made flesh. Next to her was a man with long platinum hair, who simpered over her, giving her smiles that made my skin crawl. I had no idea who the couple at the head of the table was, but I knew that she was a God, and the man next to her, who looked like an elf from Lord of the Rings, gave me major skeevy vibes.

On the back of the glowing woman’s chair, propped up like a forgotten umbrella, sat a scepter made of tarnished silver, emitting the same glow as the goddess.

Scepter…scepter…scepter…

My eyes widened. I was looking at God. The literal God. The one that made angels and turned rivers to blood. The person next to her must have been Lucifer. The devil.

Once I had worked out who the glowing woman was, I looked around the table and at the other people dining with the divine. I didn’t know which angel was who—witches weren’t big on Christianity. I was looking at history in the making, and though my mind could have been making it up as it went along, I got the feeling that wasn’t the case.

Further down the table, past the golden halos and the glowing red eyes, I stopped and did a double-take.

Sev had told me that Legion and the other facets had been angels, aka fallen angels, but I hadn’t thought about it. It didn’t change who they were to me, and it didn’t change the job I was set out to do. But as I stared down at Legion, Arlo, Trey, Quinn, Mars, and Sev, enjoying wine together and laughing, something broke inside me just a little.

They had fallen from heaven. Legion had told me they had spent most of their lives imprisoned in Hell. What had happened?

There were two other angels sandwiched between Quinn and Sev. One was bald-headed, and the other with red hair. Mars. The demon I had watched in his homemade sex tapes.

I glanced up at the head of the table again as the glowing goddess placed her hand on top of the devil’s.

Legion snorted under his breath and rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand how he can sit next to our lady and pretend all is well. We lost so many of our kin on the sands of Hell, all because ofherhubris.”

Arlo hissed a warning. “Not here, brother.”

Sev snickered, lifting a goblet of wine and taking a hearty sip. “I believe our Lucifer has plans beyond what you see.”

“Nova unleashed those beasts on hell to kill her sister. She lost control of them. It happens.” Trey rolled his eyes, leaning his chin on his hand. “Though I don’t see why she tried to claim the dimension. Surely it would have been better to leave it to the devouring beasts than to try and take Hell for her own.”

“Perhaps Lucifer wants hell for his own now that we have done all the dirty work.” Pride snarled.

“Calm, brother.” Sev lifted his glass in a toast.

“What do you know?” Legion’s eyes narrowed.

“I know Lucifer is creating a group of like-minded angels to go down to Hell. That he is planning to take the scepter.” Sev smiled to himself as he swirled the wine in his glass. “If you have grown tired of watching your kin die at Nova’s behest, perhaps you should join him.”

“I should join him?” Legion quirked a brow. “What about you?”

Sev smiled a secretive smile.

“Regardless,” Arlo cleared his throat. “Do not talk of sides here. It is not the time or the place.”

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