Page 111 of All's Hell That Ends Well

“Azazel,” Daevi said, “is my grandson, child of Naamah and Azrael. He is one of the seven archdemons and has been chosen by Lucifer himself to ascend the throne, and his connection to Naamah will guarantee that he will uphold the truce for the sake of her well-being.”

At that, Raphael’s gaze slammed into mine, and his nostrils flared as he looked me over. If possible, his expression became even more glacial.

“So, this is a fait accompli?” Gabriel asked. “You come here to present us with a change in leadership and a new partner to the contract and expect us to accept it like a change of weather?”

“Since when,” Daevi purred with a threat woven through her voice, “does Heaven have a say in the internal politics of Hell?”

Gabriel’s face hardened. “This is not just internal?—”

“Do not,” Daevi thundered, extending her wings to their full span and letting her power thicken the air, “dare to dictate how we manage the realm we carved out of existence with the blood of our people!”

All three archangels almost shied a step back. Almost. They caught themselves at the last second, firming their stance.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Verrin cock a brow, clearly impressed by Daevi’s outburst.

Daevi’s mahogany eyes glittered as she glared at Gabriel. “Lucifer has led ourgodforsakenkingdom since your master threw his rejected children at our feet, to be punished for their sins—by someone other than God, for he would not sully his holy hands. For thousands of years, my king has done God’s dirty work, with more faith than any of you could muster. He has every right to step away from it and choose his own destiny for once, unburdened by the past. He has done his penance. He will go free now.”

Gabriel returned Daevi’s glare for a moment, before he huffed and turned to me. “And this pup of a demon is supposed to stand in his place?”

“Careful,” I said with a growl—and let a pulse of my power shake the air.

The stone of the cupola underneath us shuddered and groaned at the impact of my magic, and with a crack that sounded like a booming clap of thunder, a huge fissure appeared in the roof—right underneath the archangels.

With a quick flap of their wings, they changed position and moved away from the crack in the cupola. The stone held at the moment, though the future stability of the roof might be in question. Shouts of alarm went up from the streets below, humans pointing at the fissure in the mighty cathedral, which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They couldn’t see us, since we’d kept ourselves hidden from view for this meeting.

I glared at Gabriel in cold anger. “I have no qualms about destroying a house of worship on this Earth for every insult you deal me. I am”—I gave him a smile that was little more than an aggressive flash of teeth—“very much my grandfather’s blood.”

Gabriel regarded me for a moment, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “And your mother’s, it seems.”

“You’d do well to remember that.”

“And you will keep the truce for her sake?” Doubt shone in Gabriel’s eyes.

“Yes.”

“Were you not the one,” Uriel chimed in, her expression thoughtful, “who gave Daevi the information necessary to parley for a new truce after the death of Lilith?”

“That’s correct.”

Surprise registered on Gabriel’s and Raphael’s faces. They hadn’t known.

For the benefit of her fellow archangels, Uriel explained, “He approached Daevi during the fight above New York. They seemed to speak mind-to-mind. Daevi then asked to parley and proposed a new truce based on a pardon for Naamah.” Her ancient eyes studied me intently. “He is the reason the war ended, the reason we even have a new truce to speak of.”

Gabriel regarded me with a new kind of curiosity and—it seemed—respect. Raphael only glared.

“I, for one,” Uriel said with a flare of her wings, “do not doubt Azazel’s willingness to keep the truce. I believe that his intentions about this align with ours.”

I acknowledged her vote of confidence with a nod. I didn’t need her or the others’ permission to succeed Lucifer, but it would make things easier if they weren’t opposed.

“The transition will occur shortly,” I informed them. “After which, the terms and conditions of the truce will transfer to me, though I do have one amendment.”

Raphael bristled. “Which is?”

“I will be free to visit Earth as I please.”

Gabriel’s expression darkened. “That is a substantial change to the terms. The provision that the King of Hell not step foot on Earth has been a vital part of the agreement since its inception.”

“I do not give a fuck.”

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