Page 72 of Wicked Savior
“Enough to cover the Earth,” Lucifer murmurs.
Frustrated, I heave a sigh. “Give them Gabriel. It’s not worth the lives of you, your men, or allies. We’ll figure out a way to do this another time.” He looks at me in disbelief. “As you’ve said, the beasts aren’t going anywhere.”
He searches my eyes and finally dips his chin in agreement. Before leaving, he signals to Ishkova to remove the canisters. We don’t want that much power in anyone’s hands.
“I’ll return shortly with Gabriel,” he informs the angels, then shimmers out. Seconds later, he appears as promised with an almost unrecognizable Gabriel.
If anything, he’s worse. Unkempt and hunched over, he’s a shadow of his former fastidious self, and the maniacal gleam in his eye has an edge of darkness now.
He stalks over to me, and I flip the knife into my palm. Upon seeing it, he laughs. “Just like your mother. Stab first, talk later. Look what good it did her. She’s gone. Didn’t even say goodbye. Now, here you are, trying to repeat her mistakes. Why couldn’t you die?” he roars.
I step into him, face to face. “Tell me what you did to her.”
He shakes his head, as if it’s sad I don’t know. “She went into the portal.” He points to the entrance of the beasts. “Her plan was to annihilate them. She failed. Never came out.”
Lucifer grabs my hand and squeezes.
I turn my head to look at the portal. She sacrificed herself. I exhale in relief and smile. I needed to know what happened to her, and now I do. And it’s more than I hoped. When she returns, I’m going to give her a big hug and tell her how proud I am for trying to right the wrong.
Gabriel snarls. “Did you not hear me? She’s dead.”
With an apologetic glance at Lucifer, I shake my head. “She’s eternal. Sometimes it takes a while for a god to return, but one day, I’ll see her again.”
Lucifer leans down and whispers, “And you?”
Before I can answer, a loud scream of outrage pierces the air. Gabriel. I turn to face him, but he shimmers out of sight.
“Fuck,” Lucifer whispers. “He must have traded the monsters for that piece of knowledge. Do you see him anywhere?” His head swivels around to look for his nemesis.
He reappears in front of us with Ishkova locked in his arms. Jerking his head, he calls forth the five angels from earlier. “What is in those canisters?”
Lucifer hesitates.
Gabriel jerks his chin in an unspoken order, and the five angels from earlier grab Ishkova.
“They’re bombs,” I reveal, glancing at Ishkova. “We can get rid of the beasts. Forever.” I hold my hand out to Gabriel. “Take me. Return Ishkova.”
Lucifer grabs my hand and pushes me behind him. “You won’t fucking touch her, or I’ll end you forever, Gabriel, just like I did Satan.”
Several of the angels look surprised at his statement.
Fury rises like a storm in Gabriel. “Kill him.”
“Don’t,” Lucifer orders. “You kill him, and we go to war. I’m tired of dancing around this ego trip of yours. One day, you’ll abuse your power and he’ll take it from you forever. Then what will you be? An angel. That’s it. Nothing more or less.”
Vargas leads the demons closer.
The angels begin to spread out to encompass the entire battlefield.
“Do it,” Gabriel orders, his eyes locked on Lucifer. “You don’t rule this world. I do. The humans belong to the one I serve. You chose your side.” He tosses his head toward the demons behind Lucifer.
“You’re right,” Lucifer states loudly and firmly. “I chose to take a stand and eliminate Satan. For years, I blamed you. But I caused my own downfall. I used my free will. I knew I could save the world, so I did. It’s that simple. I had no desire for power. It was only when the waters rose, and the people were gone, that I chose to enter Underworld and take it for my own.”
He holds his arms out wide. “I didn’t choose the side of evil. I chose the shades of grey. All the races, including humans, who stand in the in-between. Neither good nor evil. All of them, like myself, flawed and imperfect. Full of free will. And truly brilliant creations. But I also inherited the deepest of sins, the blackest of evil, and all those void of humanity or a speck of grace.”
He looks into the eyes of the angels behind Gabriel. “I accept and claim all of them as mine. And when the end comes again, I’ll stand for them—against you and whatever army comes to end them. Tell me, Gabriel, is today the end?”
His voice dies.
