Page 37 of Give a Devil his Due
“You are not Zadkiel, are you?” My knees bend slightly, and I lift my weapon.
“Come now, Helena.” Her long, graceful fingers flick a strand of silky hair over her shoulder. “No need to insult each other is there?”
Rage-filled roars follow her snotty comment, and dread fills my belly. It sounds like more demons have joined the fight from somewhere in the tunnels.
“Jinn,” I spit the word in disgust.
Very rooky of me to think my mother will be enjoying life while waiting for me to find her, dressed like she is going to a club, and completely unharmed. Instead of gawking like a dumbass, I need to introduce her to the pointy bit of my dagger and get Lucifer and Michael out of here. Now.
“It’s very difficult for you to understand, isn’t it.” When I say nothing, she continues with her monologue. “But”—Her finger comes up—“you really are difficult to kill. I’ll give you that much. My bloodline is stronger in you than I originally expected.”
Unwilling to play anymore games, I jump at her, slashing with my blade. The dagger passes a hairsbreadth away from her torso when she hunches back, sucking her stomach in. Using the momentum, I spin, kicking out and managing to catch her on the side. Stumbling, she laughs, the sound like crystal shards falling over marble. She goes as far as tsking at me with a wide grin plastered on her face.
“Now, now, child.” More giggles follow, and I want to scream. “Is this how you greet your mother?”
“You are not my mother,” I snarl, circling her.
If I can get between her and the two males chained to the wall, I’ll hold her back until the others join us. That’s my plan anyway, as pathetic as it is. Unfortunately, the fight outside in the tunnel doesn’t sound like it’ll end anytime soon, so I don’t have another choice. Unless I end up killing the jinn. That makes me smile.
“Am I not?” the Zadkiel wannabe moves in sync with me. “However did you figure that out?”
“It didn’t work for your buddies when they tried pretending they were Michael, Eric, and even me. They all died.” My bared teeth make a line form between her perfectly shaped eyebrows. “Now it’s your turn.”
Pouncing, I jab the dagger in her shoulder. What I said must’ve really gotten her attention because she doesn’t duck or twist away from it. The blade embeds in her flesh until it hits bone, and the runes flare brightly. A shrill scream bursts through her lips, and the palm of her hand connects to my chest. The impact almost caves my ribcage in before I fly back and hit the wall next to Lucifer and Michael.
“You insolent child,” she snarls, clutching her shoulder.
“Zadkiel …” one of the chained males mumbles, but I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t kneeling next to them.
“It’s a jinn.” Pushing through clenched teeth, I try to get up, but the next words take all my strength.
“It’s Zadkiel …” My head snaps, and I lock onto Lucifer’s one eye dull from pain.
All the blood curdles in my veins.
“No.” My voice comes from somewhere in the distance as my legs crumple under me.
Zadkiel, the real one and not a jinn pretending to be her like I thought, glares at me from across the room with harted burning in her eyes. There is nothing in them but a hungry abyss ready to devour me whole. How is this possible? She tried to save me by giving me to Raphael and the Order, didn’t she? Satanael himself said that she would go to great lengths to protect me. My thoughts must show on my face because her sneer is back.
“Poor Helena. She finally understands that all this is not about her.” Unable to keep her gaze unless I puke, I fasten my eyes on her wounded shoulder. Seeing the golden blood dripping through her fingers stabs me like a hot poker in the chest.
“Why?” I breathe, the words ripped from me despite my desire to stay silent. I don’t owe her anything. “How could you?”
“None of this would’ve happened if you just stayed with that measly human and died in one of your hunts.” Her snarl is more animal than Archangel. How the fuck is this creature an angel? “When I came to make sure you stayed out of my way, my dagger dropped, and that imbecile gave it to you.”
“Run …” Lucifer whispers, but I can’t move an inch. I just stare at her numbly.
“Why?” I hear myself ask again faintly.
“For power, you cretin.” Her scream rings in my ears. “Why else wold I suffer all this idiocy and that disgusting demon’s touch.”
I suck in a breath when Raphael fills the doorway behind her, his already pale face blanching of all color. My mouth opens so I can scream at him to run, but I’m too late.
“Zadkiel?” His shocked whisper has her whirling around to face him.
“You.” With a snarl, she throws herself at him, and hands slick with her blood wrap around his neck.
“No!” My shriek follows them through the door.
