Update

So, I wanted to give you all an update since I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m late on my next chapter. The problem is I don’t have my next chapter ready and I’m not sure when it’s going to be ready. Before, I had a backlog of chapters, but that quickly went away when I started to write my first book and half of my second. Then school hit.

I am now going to school full-time and I’m working full-time as well, so finding time for writing has been rather difficult, especially since I’m a Secondary Education Major with a focus on English. Basically, I’m writing a crap ton of papers and I’m reading a lot. The reading is fun, the papers, not so much. This semester is pretty paper heavy since I had to sign up for all English classes, all my Education classes having been full. It’s a little tough, but I’m making it.

As soon as I get a spare moment, I plan on trying to get the next chapter done.

I’m also trying to figure out exactly what I want to do with the serial. I really want to turn it into a series of books, which would make it radically different than what it is now. Characters and setting would all be the same, but almost everything else would change. I really don’t know how long the series would be either. The goal would probably make it between 5-7 books.

Honestly, I’m leaning more towards making this into a book series. I just don’t feel like web serial is the medium for me.

5.6

There were too many people in the club. Bodies pressed against each other, sweat mingling while swaying to the time of the eardrum shattering music. Grace hadn’t been into going to clubs before, and now, with her heightened senses, she would have rathered bashed her head against a wall for a few hours than step foot in that place again. She couldn’t even take a shot to alleviate the pain. But, Tony was having a good time, which was the important part.

He had needed to get out of his hole for an apartment and find himself a partner for the night. Surprisingly, he had. She had expected it to take a little longer for him to find someone, to be pickier than he had been. The first guy that showed some interested Tony swooped in like a hawk with his prey. The two had been together since, leaving Grace alone.

Not that she minded. It left her to go outside. The back alley was quiet, only the sounds of rats scurrying keeping her company. After the noise called music in the club, the rats were welcomed noises. Soothing almost, if not a tad bit creepy. Rats weren’t her favorite creatures in the world. Some people liked them, thought they were cool. She was not one of them, though she would have been alright with one from the pet store. Of course, those weren’t crawling in disease and filth.

She had been grateful Chase had never wanted one. When they had gone looking for his first pet, he had stared hard at one, considering it, but then moved onto another animal. Grace had never felt so relieved in her life. Even more so when her son decided that he didn’t want a pet at that moment. He wanted to wait until they had a house so he could get a dog. Another idea that Grace hadn’t liked. She had no problems with dogs, obviously, but she never thought they would have enough money to get a house.

Paws padded softly against the ground headed toward her. Grace turned and looked, spotting a brown and white mutt. A huge smile spread across her face. “Hi there!” she called to it, squatting to seem less threatening. She stuck her hand out, hoping the dog would get close enough to sniff it. “I won’t hurt you.” The promise was genuine, not that the creature knew that. It probably didn’t even understand a word she was saying.

The dog got close enough that it had to stretch its head to take a sniff of her hand. It was nervous about her, not that she blamed it. It could probably smell the hellhounds on her, and they were pretty freaking scary, even to her. Not to mention she made some humans nervous, as if knowing she was their natural predator.

Satisfied she wasn’t going to murder him, the dog licked her hand before coming in petting range. Her smile grew until it felt has if her cheeks would cramp. She scratched the mutt on the neck and behind the ears as it started to pant.

The hair on the back of Grace’s neck stood on end, and her head snapped to where the dog had come from. A man stood there, dirty clothes and disheveled hair, watching her intently. “He likes you,” he told her as if she should be amazed. She was, all things considered, but his glassy eyes made her want to dismiss the drunk.

“It seems so,” she replied, standing. Her body was telling her to run. To get out of there as fast as she could, but something glued her to the spot. There was something familiar about the man that she couldn’t place. “Who are you?” Not normally how she tried to get away from someone, but her nerves were so shot with him that close it was hard to think.

The man tilted his head to the side, much like his dog would have done. “I’m the Observer,” he said, as if she should know that.

Great. Another supernatural being of some sort that assumes Lucifer told me everything, she thought to herself. It does explain why he makes me so uncomfortable. “Yeah. I don’t know what that is,” she told the man, embarrassment lacing her words. “Lucifer doesn’t tell me anything.”

“So, I’ve heard.” He took a step closer and the smell of booze was overwhelming. Grace stood where she was, not wanting to seem rude, even if her eyes were watering. “Why do you think that is?” Another step. He reached down and patted the dog’s head. It looked up at him like he was the best thing in the world.

“Because he’s a dick.” The Observer took another step toward her. This time, she stepped back, a low growl wanting to form in the back of her throat. “Why do you make me so uncomfortable?” Not something she had meant to ask aloud. But it was there, and she couldn’t take it back.

The Observer stopped, and then started to laugh almost maniacally. “I’m a magician.”

That still didn’t tell her anything, but she’d go with it. “Like-pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat magician?” Probably not her brightest moment, but she was working on that.

Another worryingly creepy laugh. “No. Like burn-this-building-down-with-a-snap magician.”

Yeah, not frightening at all. “Cool.” Her voice was shaky and she took another step backward. “I think I’m going to head back inside now.” Anywhere to get away from him. It didn’t seem like he was intent on harming her, but she didn’t know how much longer she could stand the ants-crawling-under-her-skin sensation.

She turned away from him. “He really attached himself to you.” That made her pause. When she turned around he was squatting by the dog, patting its back. For a moment, she believed the Observer had been speaking about the dog. The way he had said “he” didn’t match that though.

“Excuse me?” The man didn’t respond. She should have just left it at that. Should have just walked back into the club and ignored the man, but curiosity was a bitch. “Who’re you talking about?”

“You met Him once before.” Her heart gave a single thud against her ribs. “I helped pull you and Lucifer out of His cage.”

Grace licked her lips, mouth dry. “Thank you,” she said, her voice hoarse. That was not a time in her life she wanted to remember. That thing had instilled a primal fear in her that still made her sweat when she thought about it. It was a good thing she didn’t dream because she was sure it would be about Him. “I really think I should get back inside.” Tony could be looking for her, and she didn’t exactly tell him where she was headed.

“He’s bound himself to you for some reason.”

“Why would He do that?” Stupid question. Very stupid question. She needed to get out of there, not keep talking to this man, and getting a reminder of the most terrifying moment of her life, aside from seeing Chase bleeding.

The Observer stood and stared at her. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure. We never know why He does what He does. Just have to live with it and figure it out.” His eyes went back down to the dog, as if trying to decide if he should tell her more. Their eyes met once again when he made up his mind. “It’s not going to be pleasant. What he’s going to do to you, whatever it may be. Just be ready for it, and the torment that comes before it.”

“Torment?” All the man did was nod. “Is there a way to unattach him from me?” It was worth a try, right?

“The only being powerful enough to do that, doesn’t give a shit.” The man offered her a sympathetic smile and pat on the shoulder. “Take care of yourself, Grace.” And with that, he left. Left her alone to the panic and despair threatening to consume her.

“Thanks, dick,” she muttered under her breath before headed back into the noise. The plan was to find Tony and tell him that she was going to take off. Hopefully, he was too busy making out with his dance partner to pay her any mind. If he was paying too much attention, he was going to ditch his date for her, and she wasn’t going to let that happen. She had forced him to come out, and he was going to have a good time whether she was there or not.

Before she could even locate Tony in the dense crowd, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, ready to tell an asshole to keep his hands off, but the words died in her mouth. Standing before her in all of his attractive glory, was Iblis. She gave him a meek, “Hi.” Though it was his club, he had been the last person she expected to see.

There was a charming smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes as he took her by the arm and led her upstairs. The noise died down when they got into his office and he left her go. “I thought I said never to come here.” His voice was ice and fire all in one. Grace had to suppress a shudder.

“I didn’t plan on coming here. I forced Tony to go out and he said this was the only place safe for him.” No point in lying to the man. He was going to try and kill her either way. “Getting him laid was more important that pissing you off.”

The djinni was taken aback by her confession. “It has been a while since he had been with anyone.”

Grace didn’t know how the djinni knew that, but if it stopped him from killing her, she’d go with it. “Trying to get him to go out was worse than having teeth pulled. And here I was raised believing that demons loved debauchery of any kind.” She shook her head. “He really has to be the worse demon in the world.”

“You have no idea,” Iblis said, taking his seat behind his desk. “It’s hard to believe his mother is Lilith.” Grace could only nod, not knowing anything about Tony’s mother, aside from the fact she was the current ruler of hell. “Would you like a drink?” The djinni indicated to a bottle of amber liquid.

“Um, no. I don’t want to ruin your carpet.” The confused look she received made her explain. “If I eat or drink normal human food, I start bleeding from everywhere.”

“That sounds unpleasant.”

“It is.” She took a seat in the empty chair across from Iblis. It was clear he had decided not to kill her, and she was happy about that. Her life wasn’t the greatest, but she wanted to live it. “I guess there are worse things in life.” Like apparently having the perfect evil attached to you and unable to remove it. That seemed worse than blood pouring out of every orifice of your body when you eat or drink things you used to love.

Iblis poured himself a drink. “This doesn’t mean that I like you,” he said before the class touched his lips and the amber liquid disappeared. “I’m just letting you have a pass under these circumstances.”

“Didn’t expect you to like me,” Grace retorted, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t really like you either.” If they were going to be honest with each other, she might as well tell him. All of the things that she had heard about him over the past few months had led to believe him a douche. His only redeeming quality, as far as she could see, was his love for his adopted daughter, Ashtat.

He poured himself another drink, which he promptly downed. “You’d like me if you slept with me.”

The snort that filled the space between them was very unlady-like. “I would just like having sex with you. You don’t need to like someone to have sex with them, just be attracted to them.” And Iblis was very attractive. A man that would have been considered out of her league those days when she was alive. Not that she would have paid him any mind. Whether she had liked to admit it or not, her eyes had been on James. She had turned down many men because of him and Chase.

“Touché,” the djinni said, raising his now full glass to her. A silence fell between the two. It was thick as glass. Iblis was the first to shatter it. “Do you want to have sex?”

“God, no!” No hesitation whatsoever. The last thing she needed was to start a physical relationship with someone, human or not. And she didn’t even know if she could have sex. Her body wasn’t exactly consistent on what it could and couldn’t do. “You’re still recovering. Why would you even ask?”

Iblis shrugged. “Thought it would be worth a shot.” Another glass of the liquor downed. “How did you know I’m recovering?”

It was Grace’s turn to shrug. “You looked like shit the other day, for one. For two, the rotting flesh smell isn’t as strong.” It was still there, just not as strong as it was.

“You truly are like no other Sin Eater.”

“Good thing or bad?”

“That remains to be seen.”

Grace could only nod. “Well,” she started, standing up, “I should get back to my friend before he decides to ditch me.”

Iblis smiled. “It’s a little late for that. Ashtat informed me that he left ten minutes. She had failed to mention you had been with him.”

The shock of being left behind made her sit down. “That fucker left me?!” It was hard to believe that was something Tony would do. Then again, he had been drinking heavily and the guy had been pretty hot. Of course, the whole point was for him to get laid, and he couldn’t exactly do that with her there. Unless he was into that sort of thing, which she was not.

“That he did. What are you going to do about it?” Iblis cocked his eyebrow in a challenge.

“I’m going to walk my happy ass back to my apartment,” declared Grace, getting back to her feet. There was no point in moping around. “I guess I’ll see you around sometime. Not like we can avoid each other considering the circumstances.” Supernatural creates were bound to run into each other, or so it seemed.

He raised his glass to her. “Maybe next time I see you, I’ll kill you. Maybe not. Give Lucifer my regards.”

She gave him an acknowledging nod before heading out of the room.

5.5

The bed shook with every panting breath Grace and Tony took. Their scent mingled as they lay wrapped in each other. “You could have warned me before you teleported us to my apartment,” Grace managed between breaths. She attempted to sit up, before giving up and flopping down against Tony. He grunted in pain when her head slammed against his chest.

“I didn’t think you would say yes.” Of course, she wouldn’t fucking say yes. That shit hurt. It was the worse pain she had ever felt in her life, and she had given birth and been stabbed. Every cell in her body was in pain. “And teleport?” Tony shook his head. “That sounds so cheesy.”

“What would you call it then?” she asked, finally managing to sit up. She glanced around the room. There was no sign of the hounds, or of Lucifer. There was a piece of paper on her counter, which must be a note from the fallen angel. Must have gone to see Jane, she thought, getting to her feet.

Tony sat up as well. “I don’t know, but not teleport. No one has given it a special name since it was something that we could just do.”

“Well, I’m going to call it what it is. Teleportation.” The pain started to recede, which made moving easier. She went to the counter to read the note Lucifer had left her.

Be careful.

Two words was all she got from him. Two words. She didn’t know why she expected something different. It was so like him just not to explain anything and expect her to figure out everything by herself. And “be careful,” really? Like she didn’t already know that? What did he take her for? A careless idiot? Wait. That didn’t need to be answered. Her track record spoke for itself.

Rolling her eyes, she crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash. There was someone stalking her, and someone had put a sword through Lucifer’s heart, she knew to be careful. “Why did you teleport us, anyways?” Her mind needed to be taken somewhere else.

Tony was on his feet, arms high in the arm in a nice stretch. “Didn’t want to take the chance of the cop following us. I saw the way he looked at you. He knows who you are.”

She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you. Even though it hurt like a bitch.” At least someone in this fucked up world had her back. “Now, shouldn’t we be getting ready to go.”

“Right after you find those tennis shoes.”

“There wasn’t a condition before.” And she’ll be damned if there was going to be a condition now. “We’re going out regardless.” Her tone was the same she used with Chase when he was being particularly stubborn about a toy he didn’t need.

“Just find the shoes.” He started to head toward the door. “I’ll be in my room getting dressed and finding something for you to wear.” With that, he left her to her own devices.

Sighing, Grace headed toward her bare closet to see if there were any shoes for her to wear. Low and behold, there was a pair of tennis shoes sitting right next to her extra boots. There were a pair of black flats next to the tennis shoes as well. Huh. Those had not been there before, and that was a fact that she knew. It was creepy how some things just magically turned up in her apartment. As if there was someone listening to everything she said. She had a feeling it was Lucifer, though she doubted he would ever admit to it.

There was a tug in her mind, and she turned her attention to the hounds. May we hunt, Alpha? Mother asked her.

“Of course, you guys don’t have to ask.” She liked knowing they weren’t cooped up in her small apartment, waiting for her to get back. They weren’t dogs, after all. “Just make sure to be careful. You know some shady shit has been going down.” Brother chuckled at that and Grace couldn’t help but roll her eyes. He was like a teenager. Probably was a teenager in hellhound years. And seriously, what the hell was so funny about “shady shit?”

Nothing is funny about it, Father said. Grace could feel his glare even from there. He’s just brain damaged. All that did was make Brother laugh even harder, cementing his father’s belief he had a brain damaged son.

“Just be careful, please?” she asked before moving them to the back of her mind. She trusted that they would take care of each other and would keep themselves out of danger. If not, she wouldn’t have let them go in the first place. She would not lose them. They were a part of her just as much as her arms were. Losing one of them would be like losing Chase.

You already lost him. The thought was so harsh she almost believed she hadn’t thought it. She shook her head violently, as if to physically get rid of the thought. Nope. No more negative thoughts tonight. You’re going to have fun, she told herself in the same tone she just spoke to Tony in. Sometimes, you had to give yourself a mental lashing.

Realizing that she had been staring in her closet for the past ten minutes, Grace grabbed the shoes and then slammed the door. Unlacing the boots was always a chore, but she did so anyways, and took them off, setting them next to the closed closet door. Next came off her socks, and then she put on the flats. They were mildly comfortable. Would be more so if she had socks she could wear with them. She hated to wear any kind of shoes without socks. Oh, the things she did for her friends. Well, friend.

There was a knock at the door before Tony just barged in, never bothering to wait for her to say he could come in. He wore a nice button up light blue shirt, dark slacks, and shoes that might have been a little too formal for the occasion, not that Grace was going to say anything. She was just happy that he didn’t hole himself up in his apartment. “I have a shirt and some leggings for you.” The clothes he handed her were perfectly folded. She was almost hesitant to unfold them. “You have flats?”

“I do, apparently. They just showed up in my closet. Maybe a magical fairy lives in there granting my wishes.”

Tony gave an ungraceful snort. “Fairies aren’t real.”

“Says the demon.”

“Yes, says the demon. Now, get dressed before I change my mind.”

“Alright.” She kicked off the flats she had just put on and started to remove her pants, not caring that there was another pair of eyes in the room. Tony was a gentleman, he would turn around. Sure enough, when she glanced up, his back was to her. She shook her head, smile on her face. He really was a terrible demon.

In a matter of minutes she was finished dressing and ran her fingers through her auburn hair. It had grown over the past two months. It was too long for her taste, but she couldn’t bring herself to cut it. While she had still been alive, she had gladly gotten it cut, but now, it just didn’t seem right. It was the last thing she had of her old life, and she couldn’t get rid of it. If she was going to keep it long, it was time to invest in some hairbands.

“I’m ready,” she said, feeling a little self-conscious. The shirt was a red tank top with a v-neck that went deeper than what she was comfortable with and hugged her hips, just covering the round of her butt. The pants were tighter than she liked as well, but they were leggings and nothing she could do about it.

Tony smiled at her. “You look good.” It made her feel better knowing she didn’t look as awkward as she felt. “Ready?”

“Not really, but let’s go!” She shoved Tony toward the door and they headed out. “Where are we going, anyways?” The only question she had failed to think about much less ask. Tony gave her a you’re-not-going-to-like-this-look. “Oh no. We can’t go there. He hates me!” Hate wasn’t a strong enough word, and she didn’t blame Iblis. She had, after all, threatened to kill his daughter. Grace would loath anyone that threatened Chase.

“I’m hoping there will be enough people there he won’t notice.”

“You know that’s not going to work.” The demon only shrugged. “Why are we going there anyways?”

“It’s the only place people like us can go that’s safe. It’s pretty much a neutral zone. We won’t have to worry about getting attacked there.”

“Ugh. Fine. But you owe me.” Seeing Iblis was the last thing she wanted, but it was going to happen whether she liked it or not seeing as Tony was dead-set on going there. Then again, she would rather not risk going somewhere else and getting attacked, especially since she would lack the hounds, her only defense. She couldn’t until Lucifer started to train her again, something she never thought she would say.

Fighting really wasn’t something she enjoyed doing, but she knew it was necessary in her new life. Otherwise, she was going to die for real this time. There was no third chance when it came to escaping death. And she was determined to stay alive. As long as Chase was still breathing, she would stay alive. She had to make sure he grew up into the great man she knew he would become. It was her job as his mother, the only thing left she could do. When he was old and worn, then, and only then, could she die peacefully.

“Are we going to call a ca-”

“No,” Tony cut her off. “The cab drivers here are terrible. I would rather walk.” Grace tried her best to hide her grin, but failed miserably. “What?! You know they’re terrible. You experienced one last night.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” she teased. “Besides, I thought it was hard to kill demons.”

“Hard, but not impossible. If I’m going to die, it’s not going to be because of a cab driver ramming us into the back of another car, or wall. Besides, you have no money to help pay for a cab.” He had her there. It was the one thing Lucifer had ever failed to give her, stating she didn’t have the need for it. He bought everything for her, and it wasn’t like she could eat. Though, it would be nice to have a tv, something she kept hinting at, which have seemed to go over the fallen angel’s head. Unless he was just ignoring the request. Something entirely possible. Maybe he thought it would kill her already dead braincells.

Grace’s eyes fell down to her shoes. “If I get a blister from this, I’m blaming you.” Flats were never idea to walk far distances in, though there was a chance that she wouldn’t even blister. It was hard to tell what her body would and wouldn’t do.

Tony rolled his eyes. “I will take that blame. Now, let’s get out of here before both of us change our mind.” He had a point there. Grace could already feel an excuse not to go creeping up on her.

“Alright. Lead the way, good sir.” She indicated toward her door. Even though she had been there several times already, Grace still had no idea how to get to Desires. She never really paid attention.

The demon headed out of the door. “One of these days, you’re going to have to learn to get around on your own.” He was right. She was going to have to buckle down and get used to the city. But that day, was not the day. There were other things she needed to worry about.

 

5.4

Maybe visiting Jane had been a bad idea. The lights in the diner were too bright. They set every one of Grace’s nerves on edge. It felt as if an army of ants were crawling under her skin. SHe wanted to claw at herself, just to make the sensation stop. But there were other people in the small room with her, and they already looked as if they wanted to run- something just her mere presence did to most people. No need to make it worse. So, she sat there, dealing with the irritation while Tony glared at her.

“What?!” she said between clenched teeth. If she didn’t force her mouth closed, she would have yelled at him. God, she should have brought her jacket. It would have blocked some of the lights. Why couldn’t she have some kind of foresight.

The demon shook his head. “I don’t know why we’re here. We’re just going to give her false hope.”

“No, we’re not.” He needed to give Jane a little more credit. “If Lucifer were awake, Jane would be the first person he would go to. You know that.”Grace sighed heavily, placing her head in her face. “Maybe it’s a good thing he’s asleep. If he sees that bruise on her face, I’m dead.” The fallen angel had never outright asked, but Grace knew he wanted her to keep an eye on Jane. Why else would he have put her in the same apartment building?

“You’re already dead.” Grace shot the demon a look that made him smile. “I knew what you meant. Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Yeah, well, you suck at that.” She sat back in the booth, eyes falling to the window. The hounds were just outside of it, eagerly waiting for her. They hated staying in one place for too long. “I should have killed him.”

Tony shrugged. “He’s going to die anyways. Lucifer will take care of that.” That was true. Though, it would have been much more satisfying if Grace could have done the honor. Unfortunately, the had been short on time.

It was Chase’s birthday. The thought sent her spiraling. She would have willingly, gladly even, ended someone’s life on the day she had given birth the most important person in her life. Oh, how far she had fallen.

Grace moved her eyes from the window, ready to put her mind to something different. She spotted Jane headed toward them. The young woman was decked out in her food smothered apron, tennis shoes, and her long dirty-blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her dark eyes had the focus and determination of someone much older than her sixteen years. She had two coffee mugs and pot in her hands.

“You guys have to buy something if you’re going to sit here,” Jane said, almost apologetically. “This is the cheapest thing on the menu.” The bruise didn’t look too bad, but it had only been a day. It was going to look a lot worse before it got better.

“No worries.” Grace offered the young woman a kind smile. “I just have to figure out how to pretend I’m drinking it.” Grace had come to discover that her body rejects anything that is not a heart. It had not been pretty or fun. She hadn’t realized how much blood was in her body until it was coming out of every orifice of her body. Worse cup of coffee ever.

“Just put it up to your lips every once in awhile and I’ll come by and pretend to fill your cup.” That was better than the plan Grace had come up with, which consisted of just ignoring it.

“Thank you.” Another smile before she pressed the cup to her lips and pretended to take a drink. It was annoying. Coffee had been one of her favorite things while she was just plain old Grace. Now, she was Grace the Sin Eater and couldn’t eat or drink anything she enjoyed before. Sure, eating the hearts of sinners were some of the best meals of her life, but it had nothing on a bacon cheeseburger. Fuck, she missed those things.

There was a lot she missed from her old life. Her job, her nice apartment, Chase, James. Oh god, James. Her chest constricted as if a snake wound around it. That man had dealt with so much shit from her, and he had still stood by her. Even when she was shoving him away, he stood there, waiting for her. Why couldn’t she have accepted her love for him before? She may have still ended up dead, but she would have been happier.

A hand touched her arm, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Are you alright?” Tony asked, his thumb stroking her arm.

She cleared her throat, taking her hand away from her chest. She hadn’t even realized she had been rubbing it. “Yeah. Just realizing how much I missed my family.” Jane had left to take care of her other customers.

“Your son, Chase?” Tony picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. Grace felt a stab of jealousy. She really missed coffee.

She nodded. “And James.” All of her sorrow was thrown into one sigh. “I didn’t realize how much I loved him until after I was dead. I just kept pushing him away.” She shook her head. “I think I was afraid of what I felt for him.” If she loved him, he could have left her. Just like her father did. But James wasn’t her father, and he wouldn’t have left her. Ever. Took her now to figure it out.

“They’ll be fine, Grace.”

If it hadn’t been considered rude, Grace would have laughed in her friend’s face. Instead, she just offered a shake of her head. “Chase, maybe, but not James.” The look on Tony’s face was nothing short of skeptical. “James has loved me since the moment he saw me. We were kids. There has never been anyone else for him, and there never will be. His love for me was all consuming. It was everything to him. The only person he loves more than me is Chase.”

Tony took another sip of his coffee. “No wonder you were scared. That’s a lot of love for one person to handle.”

Grace shook her head. “That’s not why I was afraid. I thought he would leave me.” Saying it aloud made her realize just how stupid she had been. “God, I was an idiot.” All she could do now was laugh at herself. “I really had my head up my ass on that one.”

“Yes, you did,” Tony said. Way to let her have it easy. “But there’s nothing you can do about it now. Showing up at his doorstep would only make things worse for him.”

“True. I would rather him think I’m dead than I just left him. It would kill him if he thought I left him.” He dealt with her rejection just fine, knowing that she loved him and only was pushing him away because of her own insecurities. But if he thought she left him, she had no idea what he would do. Whatever it was, she doubted it would be pretty.

Jane stopped by to fill Tony’s cup and pretend to fill Grace’s, and without a word she moved to the next customer. “What about you, Mr. Relationship Guru? Anybody special in your life?” The teasing tone brought a smile to Tony’s lips.

“You know just as well as I do that there isn’t.” It was rare for Tony to go out and do anything unless Grace dragged him to do so. If it weren’t for her, he would be content to stay in his apartment and work on his clothes.

“Maybe you should get out more.”

“Maybe, but we both know I won’t.”

Grace shook her head. “You can’t be alone for the rest of your life.”

It was a sight to see the demon roll his sunset eyes. “I have you.”

“Pfft. We both know I’m nowhere near your type.” And who was to say she would be there for the rest of his life. Sin Eaters were near immortal. The key word “near.” There was a huge possibility that someone bigger and badder than her would take her out.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I have a vagina for one thing.” Someone in the diner choked on their drink. That was what they get for listening into someone’s conversation. “And two, I’m a little more violent than you care for.”

“Both are fair points, but I never said that I exclusively date men. I do like women as well, just prefer men.” It was Grace’s turn to roll her eyes. “But you’re right. It probably is about time for me to get back in the dating scene. It’s been a while.”

“A few centuries is longer than a while.”

“It hasn’t been that long.” That was a little defensive. Grace was right on the mark then. It was about time her demon friend did something other than hole himself up in a room surrounded by fabric.

“We could always go out?”

“Right now?” There were already beads of sweat forming on Tony’s forehead. He wasn’t prepared for the night Grace was about to take him on.

“Why not?! It’s not like we’re really doing anything else. And it’s Saturday.” The expression on his face said that she was right, but he still didn’t want to go out. That was too bad. He was going to have fun that night even if she had to force him to.

Tony met her eyes and studied her for several seconds. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” There was a smile on her face as Grace shook her head. “Fine. But we need to go home and change. There’s no way I’m letting you go out in that.” He gestured to her clothes as if it were the worst thing he had ever seen.

There was nothing wrong with what she was wearing. Sure, people don’t usually go out in black jeans, black t-shirt, and military grade boots, but it was what she liked. It was so practical for what she did. But she would have to concede to Tony’s wishes if she wanted him to go out with her. “You’re not going to make me wear heels or something, are you?” She walked like a newborn calf when in heels. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“I don’t have shoes for you to wear.”

“All I have are these boots.” Grace indicated to her feet.

“I thought you had flats?”

A shrug. “If I did, they’re long gone.” It wouldn’t be the first time a pair of her shoes just disappeared nor would it be the last. She had a bad habit of misplacing things. To be fair on this point, she didn’t even remember owning flats after her untimely death. “I’m pretty sure I have tennis shoes somewhere.” That was if the black hole that seemed to swallow her things didn’t get those as well.

Flabbergasted, Tony shook his head. “That’ll work. It’s better than those fucking boots.” Grace’s lower lip jutted out in a pout. She liked her boots. “Let’s pay and then get out of here.”

The pair walked to the cash register and waited for Jane to ring them out. Grace turned around just as two men walked through the door. One black with tired eyes, the other white with a bright smile on his face. Both were obviously cops and had been there before considering how they just walked to seats. A tantalizing smell tickled the Sin Eater’s nose and her mouth began to water. The blonde was a very bad man. Andrew Wood level bad. And he would taste delicious. Too bad he was a cop. Made him off limits.

The other cop didn’t smell as good as the other one, but his scent was familiar. Grace had ran into that man before, but she couldn’t remember where. Then his voice drifted to her ears and her heart dropped to the deepest pit of her stomach. She turned back to Tony. “We need to get out of here.”

Something in her voice made his body freeze. “Why?” His voice was low enough only she could hear it.

“The cop over there, the black one, that’s the one that shot me at Andrew Woods’ place.” She took a quick glance over her shoulder. The blonde guy was looking at her as if she were going to be the next piece of meat on his platter. No one looked at her like that. No one. If she didn’t have better sense, she would have walked over there and showed him who the real big bad was.

“Shit. Jane better get here fast.”

“I’m here. I’m here. What’s the rush?” Jane asked coming from behind them and moving to the cash register.

“We’re going out, and I was afraid this one,” Grace pointed to Tony, “would change his mind.” The young woman didn’t need to know that one of the officers was actively hunting Grace for a murder she committed. Jane didn’t need to be brought into that.

Jane eyed the Sin Eater skeptically. “Uh-huh.” She knew Grace was lying, and Grace could see it, but she didn’t say anything. “It’s three bucks.” Tony handed her a ten and told her to keep the change. Even Grace cocked her eyebrows at that one, but no one said anything. They just headed out of the door.

The hounds were already anxious to get moving, but even more so feeling their Alpha’s fear. They practically ran down the street, heading back to their tiny home. Grace wanted to run with them, but thought better of it. Didn’t want to bring any more attention to herself than necessary.

One last glance at the cop and their eyes met through the window. They stared at each other as she walked down the street. He knew. She could see it, even though he made no move to go after her. He knew who she was.

Her eyes left his as she headed down the road. Shit.

*** *** ***

That was her. That was the woman that killed Andrew Wood, and King had just let her go. Some detective he was. Just watched her continue down the street with her boyfriend, glued to his seat. Fear keeping him seated.

It was how he had known it was her. The last time he felt that kind of fear was when he had walked into Andrew Woods’ house. His palms had been just as sweaty now as it had been then. His heart hammered against his ribs, and his shaky breath was the same. Everything was the same, so why was his reaction different? Why had he stayed seated?

Because you have no proof. All he had was a feeling. You can’t arrest someone because of a feeling. He needed solid evidence, and they didn’t have any. And the only person that could have identified her was now dead. Just his luck, too. A break in the case, but his star witness dead. This case was never going to get closed.

“You’re staring at that woman awfully hard,” Anderson’s voice drew him back into the diner. “Do I need to tell Tabitha on you?” The teasing was enough to eradicate the fear. “Though I don’t blame you, she was pretty attractive. Just my type.” Gabby didn’t look anything like that woman so King had no idea what his friend was talking about. Maybe his friend just liked to look at younger women. Some men were like that once they get married. Tabitha was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen so his eyes didn’t roam.

“That woman was Woods’ murder.” The conviction in his voice made his friend’s eyebrow cock. “I can’t explain how I know it, but I do. She’s our killer.”

“Alright.” Anderson leaned back in the booth. “I believe you. What do you want to do about it?”

“Keep coming here to put some pressure on her. Maybe she’ll start to get nervous and do something that we can get her on.” It was his only option. That was if she ever came back to the diner. Though with the friendly way she was talking to the girl waitress, she would be. At least, she knew the girl somehow. That could be his way in.

Speak of the devil. “What can I get you gentlemen to start with?” the girl, Jane her nametag read, asked them.

There was a fresh bruise on her cheek, but King ignored it. He was concerned but knew showing it would get him nowhere. The girl was the type to blow him off. He had seen enough to know, but he could guess how she got it. Either a boyfriend or her father. Could have just been a bystander, too, but usually it was either the boyfriend or the father. “I just want some coffee and french toast.”

“Coffee and the Two Plus Special.” Two pancakes, two pieces of back, and 2 biscuits smothered in gravy was what Anderson always got no matter where they were. The added bonus to this place was it came with hashbrowns. The man loved hashbrowns as much as he loved his children.

Jane wrote down their order. “Alright, I’ll get that right in for you.” She turned and froze. King couldn’t help but follow her eyes. A man stood not far from them, his eyes only on the girl. There was some familial resemblance with their blonde hair, dark eyes, and similar face shape, though Jane’s was a little longer, her chin a little more pointed. King guess the man was her father. “Dad,” the girl sniffled before rushing toward the man and wrapping her arms around him.

The man returned her hug gently before releasing her. With his fingers he turned her head, and his eyes hardened at the sight of the bruise, and King knew it wasn’t him that put it there. “We will speak of this later. Go. Take care of your customers.” He moved toward the counter. “Put my order in when you are finished.”

A smile on her face and wet eyes, the girl did as she was told. King’s eyes had yet to move from the one. There was something about that man that made it hard to look away. It was as if the man had entranced him. And then their eyes met, and the spell was broken. King couldn’t take his eyes away fast enough. Those eyes weren’t human. The way they looked at him as if seeing his very soul, was not a way a human looked at another.

“You okay there?” The smirk could be heard in Anderson’s voice. Nothing ever seemed to phase that man. He could stare down even the most monstrous of people.

“Yeah. Just a little exhausted.” No. He wasn’t fine. He was far from fine. Ever since the Andrew Woods’ murder, he had been far from fine. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. And this was just another in the long list of weird shit he had to deal with. He was starting to get the feeling that he should have never taken the case in the first place.

5.3

“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around. Ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall!” The Magician’s voice rang loud and clear in the alley. As did his snort of laughter. “I love this song!” he told the dog sitting across from him.

Its ears perked, but it didn’t respond. “Of course, you can’t talk. You’re a dog.” The Magician took another drink of beer. Some poor, drunk sap had tripped and lost one of the bottles. Never one to pass up alcohol, the Magical scooped it up.

After the bottle left his lips, he paused. “I wonder if I can magic you to talk?” Again, the mutt just stared at him, with his different colored eyes, one brown, one blue.

The brown and white mutt had been following the Magician for three days. It shared his food, his bed, and drank all the water the man refused. He’d give it booze, but that wouldn’t do the damn thing any good. Even he, the king of drunks and stupid shit, knew that. What he didn’t know was why the mutt had started following him. Wasn’t why the mutt had started following him. Wasn’t like he had fed it or anything Just walked by the thing and it started after him. Wasn’t doing any harm so he let it do so. At least, now, he had some company. Just didn’t make for a great conversationalist.

If he didn’t know better, he would have believed it to be a spy. Wouldn’t be the first time Heaven and Hell tried to follow him around in a disguise. But he would have felt the power radiating off of the creature. They can hide looks, but not power.

Tipping his head back, the Magician finished his beer and tossed it in a nearby trashcan. “No recycling here,” he muttered to himself. “C’mon,” he said aloud to the dog. “Let’s get ya some food and me more drunk.” Tail wagging, the dog rushed to his side.

Now, where to go? There weren’t many places that would feed the mutt. Most kicked him out before he even stepped up to the door. And he wasn’t going to leave the thing outside while he was inside enjoying comforts. He was a selfish man, but he wasn’t an asshole.

Lucifer would help him out. The fallen angel always took the time to feed him and booze him up all the while listening to him rant his nonsense about the times he couldn’t remember. Despite what humans believed, Lucifer was the good one. At least, the years on Earth, living with humans, had made him different. Less detached like his siblings, with the exception of Gabriel, but there was always something wrong with that one. Falling for the Mother of Demons and all. At least, he wasn’t a war monger like Michael.

Just the thought of the archangel sent the Magician’s nerves on edge. That one was bad news. His hat for humans and bloodlust were going to get this world into trouble if it hadn’t already.

There wasn’t much the Magician could do about that. His magic had some power over angels and demons, but he was only allowed to use it to protect himself. He could not stop them from destroying the world if they so chose. In that, he was only an observer. He could only sit back and watch as the world he loved was turned to dust.

Something warm and wet touched his hand. The Magician glanced down and spotted the dog licking him. An attempt to calm him. He relaxed the firsts he had made and patted the dog’s head. “Sorry to make you worry, Mutt.” The dog responded by wagging his brown and white tail. “Got a lot on my mind. Let’s go find you that food.”

It didn’t take long to find himself at the rear of Iblis’ nightclub. He hadn’t even realized that it had been where he was headed until he found himself knocking on the door. He stared at his feet until the door swung open. Ashtat stood in its wake, a beacon of light in this dark world. She smiled at him, kind and caring. He had always liked the girl. Took after her mother.

“Hey, girl.” The Magician couldn’t help  but return her smile. “How’s it going?”

“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms over her small chest. “Be a little better if dad wasn’t still sick.”

The Magician nodded his head sympathetically. Now, he knew what drew him there, other than the offer of food and booze. “I can look at him again. Mutt has to come in, though.” The last time, he had left the dog outside because of the confusion. He hadn’t even thought about it. Good thing it hadn’t been raining or anything. He would have felt terrible then.

Ashtat’s dark eyes lit up at the sight of the dog. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed, practically running toward the dog in her ridiculously high heels. “He’s so cute!” Mutt’s tail was going nuts as Ashtat pet him.

They like each other. That’s good. There was someone to look after the dog when he died. If he died. That idea seemed so far fetch he had to bite back his laughter; no need to startle the girl. Lucifer had promised him a release, though he wouldn’t hold it against the male if he failed. It was God who cursed him with the gift of immortality, after all. Not a lot anyone could do about that.

“Alright,” Ashtat stood. “Both of you can come in.” She gestured for them to follow her inside. “I don’t have any dog food, but I’ll send Franklin to get some. I’ll have him get you something, too.”

“I’m not worried about myself.” Not like he was going to die from starvation like the dog.

He could feel Ashtat roll her eyes. “You may be immortal, but you still need to eat.” He snorted. He didn’t need to do anything but drink. “If you don’t I’ll force it down your throat” It was easy to forget the girl had some bite in her.

“Fine. Just get me whatever. I’m not picky.” He has eaten out of a dumpster before. “Just make sure you give me a bottle of the good stuff.”

A sigh escaped Ashtat as they climbed the stairs to the second floor of the building. “I’d say you’re going to drink yourself to death, but we know that’s not true.” He would have been dead long ago if that was the case.

As they approached Iblis’ office, Mutt started to whine, tail between his legs. “I know, boy,” the Magician patted his head to comfort him, “I smell it, too.” Death and rot. The witch had been stronger than expected.

Worry creased Ashtat’s flawless brow. “Don’t worry, girl,” he clapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll take care of him. You just take care of Mutt.” Mutt might have been a terrible name, but it was the only one that he could think of. And the dog needed a name.

Ashtat nodded and walked off, heading toward the bar. The dog gladly followed, not even giving the Magician a second glance. Guess he trusts me to take care of it.

The Magician didn’t bother knocking. Just opened the door and walked right in, wishing he hadn’t. The smell of rot was much stronger, nearly making him gag. No matter how long you live and how much death you deal with, you never get used to the smell. It permeated every pore and he could feel his body rejecting it. If he didn’t have his shit together, he would have run. Run and joined the mutt and Ashtat downstairs.

“How nice of you to join us, Magician.” Iblis’s voice was weak, cracking at the end.

The Magician’s eyes fell on the djinni. His skin was ashen, eyes sunken in. His skin looked as if it was stretched across his skeleton. “You look like shit,” the Magician said, moving toward the male.

A thin-lipped smile appeared on the man’s face. “I look better than I feel.”

A joke. That was probably a good sign. Probably. The Magician wasn’t an expert on such things.There weren’t many witches in the world and there were less witch-attack survivors. Most died within minutes. The only reason Iblis was alive was because he didn’t get directly attacked. It was through magic, and it was the cause of why he was still poisoned. The Magician hadn’t cleansed the body enough. Good things his body had took him here. Iblis wouldn’t have survived much longer.

The Magician took Iblis’ injured arm in his hands and sighed. “This is going to hurt, a lot. Try not to scream. Don’t want to worry that girl of yours any more than she already is.” Iblis gave a single, firm nod, his strength gone. He closed his eyes signaling the Magician to continue.

Here comes the vile part. The Magician clamped his teeth down next to the witch’s claw marks, drawing blood. Iblis let out a grunt, but that was not the painful part. Calling to his magic, the Magician a drop of the djinni’s blood, making sure his saliva mixed with it. Now, comes the pain. The Magician had never experienced this pain before, but he knew it was like the blood in you body had turned to flame. It wasn’t an experience he wanted. Ever.

Iblis was doing well. After the initial grunt,he hadn’t made a noise. His beating was heavier, and he was sweating profusely, but a single sound hadn’t escaped past his sealed lips. The Magician was impressed. If his fuzzy memory served him right, most had screamed. Screamed or passed out. The djinni had done neither. Very impressive.

When the Magician released Iblis’s arm, the male sighed in relieve. “You still look like shit, but you’ll live,” the Magician claimed as he stood. “I don’t suggest doing much for the night.” His voice was terse. A headache was coming, whether from his use of magic or the hangover, he didn’t know.Either Way, a bottle of booze would fix it.

“Thank you,” Iblis said, panting. His face was still gaunt, but there was some color in his cheeks, making him appear more alive. “Have Ashtat give you what you want. Eat something, please. You may not die from hunger, but you do suffer it still.” The djinni closed his dark eyes. “And get cleaned up. You smell like a dog.”

“That’s because I have a dog.”

Iblis’ eyes shot open and he cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Never took you one for wanting pets.”

The Magician shrugged. “He’s been following me. Didn’t feel like chasing him off.” And it staved off that emptiness he’d been drinking away. It was something to take are of. Something to live for, which he had needed more than he believed. “Ashtat’s taking care of him right now.”

“Oh, dear, Father. She’s going to be bugging me about dogs for a month now. She always wanted one. None of them could stand to be around me. They can see us for what we truly are.”

“You mean the fact that you actually look like a creature from nightmares and not that pretty face you like to put on?” Sometimes the djinni needed to be poked, just like the bear.

Iblis’ eyes flashed red. “Yes, that’s what I meant.” There was some heat in his voice. Another good sign. He was going to make a good recovery. Might even be right as rain by the next day.

‘Well, if this one can stand you, I’ll bring him by. Let your girl fuss over him a bit.”

A smile came and vanished just as quickly. “I appreciate that, Magician.” His eyes closed once again. “Tannin and the Sin Eater found Lucifer.”

“Grace,” He felt the need to correct Iblis. It was hard for him to recall names, he couldn’t remember his own, and felt Iblis should use the one he knew. Everyone deserved to be called by their proper names.

“Grace is a terrible name.”

“It’s still her name, and you should use it, Shaytan.”

“Hmm,” was Iblis’ only response before he changed the subject. “Tannin believes Michael trapped Lucifer. He’s the only one powerful enough to do it.”

“It was him,” a female voice said next to the Magician. Without so much as a raise in heartbeat, he turned to see Lilith next to him.  She was a sight, with her black, curly hair, pale skin, and vivid eyes. If she had one of those big dresses she would look like Scarlett O’Hara. Such a beautiful, deadly woman. “We know he’s trying to frame Grace for a murder his Sin Eater committed.”

The Magician’s chest tightened. A flash of blonde hair fanned out on a pillow, and beautiful laughter ringing out.

He shook off the memory. Now, was not the time for it. “He wants Grace and Lucifer out of the way. He’s going to break the truce. He wants his war.” And the humans dead. That last did not need to be said aloud. Michael has voiced that since before the humans came to be.

“We need to stop him,” Lilith started the obvious. “The key needs to be found before he gets his hands on her.”

“Her?” Iblis cocked his eyebrow. Color was starting to come back to him He was looking healthier by the second.

Lilith’s arms crossed over her chest. “I might have looked into her while she was still in the womb. I had to know.”

Iblis waved it off. “Just knowing her sex doesn’t do us any good. We need to know where she is. And the Body,” he added more as an afterthought. If they had the key, there wasn’t much need to worry about the Body.

Lilith nodded while the Magician shook his head. “The Body was never born.” He didn’t know how he knew that he just did. A perk of being the Observer, random facts just appear in your mind.

“That’s not possible.” Lilith’s eyes fell to Iblis. “Is it?”

“It’s not supposed to be. What happened, Observer?”

How easy it was to slip into that role. “I’m not sure, but something is different this time. Something big and terrible.” That smelled like the end of the world. The humans’ chances of survival just kept getting slimmer. “That’s all the information I can tell you.”

The Demon Queen and djinni nodded in unison. “We’ll take the rest from here, Magician,” Iblis dismissed him.

Good. Now, he could get drunk and attempt to forget what little memories remained from his long, miserable life.

5.2

Sitting on the edge of her counter, Grace stared at the fallen angel in her bed. All of his wounds had closed and he was breathing, yet he hadn’t moved an inch from where she and Tony had placed him last night. Still in the same sprawled out position, taking up most of her bed, sleeping. Grace wanted him to wake up if only so she could have her bed back. She had slept on the floor with the hounds. No way she was going to lay next to the dead-like Lucifer. Being a cuddler, she would have woken up wrapped around him and that was an awkwardness she hadn’t wanted to deal with. Not that it mattered, it would seem. He wouldn’t have even noticed.

Sometime during the day, Jane had stopped by. Her crying had woken Grace up, but she didn’t get up to comfort the girl. Moving during the day was still not easy for Grace, and she had been worn out. Fell back asleep almost immediately when she realized who had broken into her apartment, again. Jane had never done her any harm, no point in getting angry about a little B and E. Besides, the girl had just wanted to check in on her father.

Grace hopped off her counter with a growl and rushed to Lucifer’s side. “When the fuck are you going to get up?!” She fought the urge to poke him in the ribs. “I’m behind two weeks in my training because of this shit. And I can’t go to Iblis like you told me to before. I kind of burned that bridge. More like blew it up,” she muttered under her breath.

“I told you not to threaten him,” came a male voice from behind her.

Grace jumped and her hand instinctively went to her chest. “Jesus Tony! Don’t just pop in like that. You almost gave me a heart attack.” Tony gave her a deadpan stare. “Alright! I probably can’t have a heart attack. I would rather not test it out, though.” She shook her head and asked, “Why are you here, anyways?”

“I came to get you out of the apartment.” His eyes roamed around the room until they landed on the pile of hellhounds. He took a couple of steps toward the door, his eyes staying on them. “It’s going to take Lucifer a while to heal. I figured you would need some kind of entertainment.” Another step toward the door.

“They’re not going to kill you, Tony,” Grace said, hazel eyes rolling high in their head. “If they wanted to eat you, which they don’t, they would have done it a long time ago. You need to get used to them. They’re a part of me and I’m tired of sending them away every time you’re around!” Something she had been wanting to say for a while now, and had finally gotten the nerve to say it. At first, his fear of the hounds had entertained her, but it started to annoy her more and more as the days went by.

Back and forth Tony’s eyes went from her to the hounds. “I-I’m sorry. Being near them isn’t exactly easy for me.”

Another eye roll. “You’re a demon, Tony. You’re supposed to be one scary sonofabitch. So, demon the fuck up.” Not exactly the ideal way to put it, but she was irritated and not thinking of the words before they came out of her mouth.

“You know, not all demons are the same. And I’m sorry that my fear of the things that nearly disemboweled me as a child is getting on your nerves.” The sarcasm was so thick you could almost put it on pancakes.

“I know not all demons are the same, it’s just… wait, did you say they almost disemboweled you?” It had taken her a moment to completely digest what he had said. He replied with a curt nod. “Now, it’s my turn to be sorry. That’s a pretty damn good reason to be afraid of them. I thought maybe they just chased you around when you were younger or something. Chase is terrified of peacocks because one chased him at the zoo once.” To be fair, it was trying to peck him as well. Peacocks are evil little fucks that shouldn’t be allowed to roam the zoo freely.

Sighing, Tony untucked his dark gray button up and raised it a few inches above his navel. Or where his navel should have been. In its place was a mass of scar tissue. From it, several branches spidered out traveling to both of his sides, to his chest hidden under his shirt, and below his beltline. An attack that had meant to kill him.

“Holy shit,” Grace breathed. It had been a lot worse than she had mentally prepared herself for. She turned away, allowing Tony to tuck his shirt back into his pants. “I might have been a bit bitchy about this whole thing.” Just a little bit, though. He still needed to get used to the fact that her hounds were there to stay. And they weren’t going to eat him. Unless she told them to. She didn’t foresee a situation where that would have been needed.

“Where did you want to take me, anyways?” she asked, turning around when she felt it was alright to. Luckily enough, Tony had just finished zipping his pants up. “Where ever it is, they have to come with.” She gestured to the hounds with her chin. “They need some exercise.” And she hated to leave them cooped up in the small apartment. They didn’t really fit in the first place. She really wished Lucifer would find her a bigger place.

“I didn’t really have a plan on where to go. Just wanted to get you out of here.” His eyes fell on Pup, who was staring at him, tail thumping against the floor. If Pup could talk to him, he would be begging for some attention. Grace could feel the need radiating off of him.

“There’s an empty field that Lucifer takes me to train. We can go there for a while.” Her eyes went back to Tony. “He wants you to pet him.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Pup’s tails started to be harder against the floor. “Just think of Pup as nothing but a big dog.” She hoped she sounded reassuring.

Tony blinked several times before shaking his head. “Why don’t you show me where that field is,” he said, walking out of the room, leaving a despondent Pup.

Grace sighed, shaking her head. “Come on guys. Let’s get out of here.”

Mother trotted to Pup’s side, giving his ear a lick of comfort. Grace’s heart sank. Pup had been hoping that Tony would at least treat him differently. He so wanted the demon to like him. Considered him a friend just as Grace did. He was still young and didn’t under irrational fears. Well, not that a demons fear of a hellhound is really irrational. The hounds were created to hunt demons after all.

The group left the apartment, Grace taking care to lock the door behind her. If one of Lucifer’s enemies wanted to take him, a lock wouldn’t stop them, but it did make her feel better. There was something, even something insignificant, between him and a possible kidnapper.

Would you like one of us to stay behind, Alpha? Father asked. By his tone, he was volunteering to stay. He was the biggest, and strongest of the hounds, it would make sense to keep him there. Even if the apartment was just big enough to fit his frame.

Shaking her head, Grace met his yellow eyes. “You guys need to get some exercise. I’m sure he’ll be fine here by himself.” There was a confidence in her voice she had not expected to hear. Of course, he would be fine. No one knew he was there, with one possible exception, so there was no one to steal him. She had nothing to worry about.

Grace turned and nearly jumped out of her skin. Just a foot away from her was a woman. An Asian woman she had not seen before, though there were many tenants she had yet to meet. Her dark eyes were wide as she stared at Grace. “Hello,” the woman greeted with a shake in her voice. Then, she walked past, sticking to the wall and as far from Grace as possible, her ponytailed, rainbow hair trailing behind her.

“Awesome,” an ironic smile spread across Grace’s face, “one of my neighbors thinks I talk to myself.” Brother started to laugh in his snorty way. Eyebrow raised, Grace turned to him. “You really think that’s funny?” It was, but only a little bit. Not that Grace would ever say so. She preferred her neighbors not to think she was insane. Though she already burned that bridge with Beth. Not that she really cared about that bitch.

Brother cleared his throat. No, Alpha. Of course, it’s not funny. His voice cracked with suppressed laughter.

“Uh-huh. Let’s go before you get kicked.”

*** ***

The field was devoid of any life, including grass. There were a few signs of previous fights between Grace and Lucifer, but only a trained eyes and her knowledge would have been able to see them. It had only been a couple of weeks since she had last been there, but she had forgotten how dusty it was. She regretted letting the hounds play in it. They had only been running around for less than a minute and already their black fur was coated with a layer of dust.

But they were having fun so it was hard to tell them to come back. Their tongues were lolling, and they’re playful yips echoed off the crumbling buildings around them. And they needed this. Needed to run around and have fun. It was hard to for the hounds to stretch their limbs in the city. Even the field was too small for them, but it was better than nothing.

Shaking her head, she turned to Tony. His eyes were on the hounds, watching them with awe. It was the first time he had witnessed them running around, playing. By themselves the hounds would leave, knowing how nervous they made the demon. They understood their Alpha needed some kind of kinship with others and didn’t want to complicate things for her. She wished they would have stuck around, forcing Tony to like them. He could be afraid of other hounds, but not hers.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” she teased. Oh yes, he was going to like them.

A blush crept up the demon’s pale neck. “Yes, they are,” he admitted as if it pained him.

Grace swallowed a growl. “I understand that you’re terrified of them, but at least treat them with a little respect. They’re not like normal animals. They understand what you say and do. They’re just as intelligent as us, and they have feelings just like we do.” Her eyes moved back to the hounds, roaming until they found Pup. “At the very least, be nice to Pup. He’s like a little kid. He doesn’t understand why you are afraid of him, and all he wants is for you to like him.”

When her eyes went back to her friend, there was sadness in his eyes. “What?”

“It was terrible of Lucifer to connect them to you.”

She was physically taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“Hellhounds are akin to wolves. They are not intelligent as humans. They are animals. By tying them to you, Lucifer made them different. No other hounds are going to want to be near them. They young ones will never find mates. Never have families of their own. They will only have you, and each other to keep them company for the rest of their lives, which is a long time, Grace. Hellhounds can live up to a millennium. Can you imagine? A thousand years, with no mates. Alone.”

That was terrible. So very terrible. “He better wake up soon,” she said, with gritted teeth. It was just another reason for her to hate the fallen angel. “I’m going to punch him in the face.”

A you’re-so-cute smile was on Tony’s face. “You can’t hurt him. No matter how much you want to, you’ll never be able to do it. You are physically incapable of hurting him.”

Grace’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Just you wait and see.” She would! She would punch Lucifer in the face like he deserved. It was horrible what he did with the hounds, even if it was to protect her. She would have rather been alone than force her pack to suffer a fate such as the one they were in. No one, even animals, deserved to be alone.

Tony gave her that smile once again but didn’t broach the subject. Her jaw clenched tight enough she heard her teeth crunch. “Where to next?” she asked, her voice terse. The demon just shrugged, causing a sigh from Grace. “Why don’t we stop by and check up on Jane?” Another shrug from the demon. It looked like she was going to have to take the lead on this one. “Let’s go.” Without waiting for an answer, she started to walk away from the empty field and toward the direction of the diner Jane worked at.

5.1

For the first time since she left him, Detective David King was taking his wife, Tabitha, on a date. They were sitting across from each other in a dimly lit Italian restaurant, and Tabitha looked gorgeous. Her strawberry blonde hair was braided over her left shoulder, her pale skin glowing in the candlelight, and her thinly strapped turquoise dress showing off her thin shoulders, his weakness and one she knew all too well. There was a coy smile on her face and a light in her light blue eyes he hadn’t seen in many years.

He should have done this sooner, but had been too wrapped up in his career. Nearly lost his wife to it, still might lose her if he didn’t tread carefully. This date was an experiment. To see if there was still something there. A spark that they hadn’t seen in a long time. One he could feel right then, looking into her familiar eyes, the eyes their daughter had. He just hoped that she was feeling the same spark.

They had just been seated and received their menus when his phone started to ring. It vibrated against his leg and he ignored it. He needed to focus on his wife. He had decided that she was the most important thing to him, only second to their daughter, and he was not going to answer that damn phone. He wasn’t even going to pull it out of his pocket.

When it finally stopped it’s buzzing, Detective King let out a puff of air. For a second there, he had believed it was just going to keep ringing and ringing until he decided to pick it up. There was one last buzz, informing him there was a message, and then all was silent. He couldn’t help the smile that crept on his face. For the first time in he didn’t even know how many years, he ignored a phone call. A work phone call, no less.

There was no one else that would be calling him at that time. He had told Anderson that he was going on a date with Tabitha and didn’t want to be bothered unless it was absolutely important. That phone call might have been important, but he wasn’t going to answer it. He deserved a break. They could wait a few hours until this date was done. After all the shit he pulled, Tabitha deserved that much.

There was a knowing look in Tabitha’s eye. As if she had somehow heard his phone vibrating in his pocket. Or maybe something in his face gave it away. More than likely it was the former. Tabitha had always had a way of reading even the most minute expression on his face. He was an open book to her and she to him. So, when she got that glint in her eye, he knew a nervous smile would be his doom. But he gave her one anyways. It turned to guilt when the phone started to ring again.

A second call was never good news.

Tabitha rolled her beautiful eyes and flung out her hand. “Well, answer it then,” she said with a hint of a hiss. King started to protest, but was cut off. “They’re not going to stop calling until you answer.” Her arms crossed over her chest. The conversation and date were over.

Closing his eyes, King dug his phone out of his pocket and answered it without looking at the screen. “This had better be good.” There was a mild irritation in his voice that said he was going to rip someone a new one.

“We have a murder,” Anderson replied, sounding unusually quiet, making King’s ears perk.

“I’m not-”

“It’s the girl, David. The witness from your case. Her heart’s been cut out, and it’s missing.”

The world tilted, and King set his hand on the table to steady himself. Jessica Matthews was dead. Murdered. Possibly by the same person who had killed Andrew Wood. “I understand. Text me the address, I’ll be there shortly.” He hung before Anderson could say anything else. Didn’t want to hear anything else.

A soft, warm hand touched his. The nails were painted a light green, his favorite color. A detail he had failed to notice. His eyes moved up to the chubby fingers, then the freckled dotted arm, all the way to his wife’s face. There was a soft, understanding smile on her face. “Why don’t you take me home.”

All King could do was nod his head and stand. To be reduced to such a state made him uncomfortable, but he didn’t know what to do. Jessica had been a good kid. As far as he could tell, she hadn’t done anything wrong. Just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Work with the wrong man. And now, she was dead. Dead just like the man that killed her lover.

The server came over with a smile on her face, and King just stared at her. “I’m sorry,” Tabitha started, taking his arm, “an emergency came up and we have to leave.”

The server’s gray eyes widened. “That’s not a problem. I hope everything is alright,” she called as King allowed Tabitha to led him out of the restaurant and to the car.

King sat in the driver’s seat, both hands on the wheel, staring out of the windshield. Tabitha next to him, waiting for him to break the silence. “I don’t want to go to this one, Tabby.”

“I know you don’t.” She reached over, giving his shoulder a hard squeeze. “But you have to.” A sigh left her, and she moved close enough to rest her head on her shoulder. “As much as I hate you leaving me, you’re damn good at your job. They need you there. The victim needs you there to give them the justice they deserve.”

His fingers brushed her braid, wishing her hair were down so they could run through it. “Can I come see you when I’m finished?” After seeing Jessica, he knew he was not going to want to be alone. He was going to need Tabitha with him, so she could help him out of that state as she had before.

Her eyes fell to his, a nice light to them. “You can, as long as you can deal with my racist father with Alzheimer’s.” There was a twitch at the corner of her lips. “You can’t get away with punching him in the face like you did at our wedding.”

“Probably not my best moment.” But damn was it satisfying. If only the bastard could have waited until after the wedding to start his shit. King hadn’t wanted to embarrass Tabitha, but he had managed to.

“He deserved it.” There was a hardness in her voice that he hadn’t expected to her. Didn’t expect his chest to swell either. “I’m more surprised the photographer was able to get a picture of it.” A picture that was hanging above the fireplace at her father’s house. He seemed very proud of that one. As if getting punched in the face was something to immortalize. Then again, Carl seemed to respect King after the incident. At least he stopped calling him Tabitha’s nigger husband and just Tabitha’s husband; still never called him by his first name.

“She was very good. I’m just happy you didn’t realize she worked for the department until after the wedding.” Abhilasha Singh was a crime scene photographer who did more traditional photography on the side. If Tabitha had realized that, she would have refused to hire the woman.

A smile graced Tabitha’s face. A real, full smile, showing off her crooked, coffee stained teeth. “I’m glad you didn’t tell me she worked with you. She was amazing! Doesn’t she still work with you?”

“Yep. She’s probably at the crime scene now.”

“Tell her I said ‘hi.’”

“Will do.”

“You feel better now?” She ran one of those fingers he loved so much down his cheek.

He nodded, a sad smile on his face. “Yeah. I can go there now.”

“Good.” A quick peck on the cheek and she was back to her own seat. “Now, take me to my dad’s.”

Smiling, King started the car. The smile faltered slightly when he felt a warm wind on his ear. If he wouldn’t have known better, he would have thought Tabitha had blown in his ear. But she was firmly seatbelted down in her own seat. This had been going on since he had left Olivia Gray at the mental institution. And he was starting to get sick of it. Someone/thing was fucking with him, and he was going to figure it out and make them regret doing it. No one makes Detective David King think he’s going insane. No one.

*** *** ***

“That’s my boy,” Gabriel started in the detective’s ear, “you make up with your beautiful wife.” He sat back in the back seat, half tempted to lick the detective’s ear to see how he would react. Thus far, he had reacted rather well to Gabriel’s stalking. At first panicking only slightly, and now, getting annoyed.

He was a very interesting subject, this detective. Most men would be checking themselves into the nuthouse. But this one. This one has been resisting his games. It was making it all the more fun for the angel. Gabriel loved his games.

The game he was playing with the detective was going to have to  be put on hold. There was a crime scene to attend to. A crime scene he was sure was intended to frame Grace. That was the gist of what he had gotten from the other detective. The phone call that had managed to make his detective turn cold and wish to run. The first he had seen of that. Not his beautiful wife, though. She seemed to know exactly what to do to make his balls stop their retreat into his stomach. A good woman. An amazing wife. The detective was stupid to let her try to walk away from him. Very stupid.

Then, most human men are stupid. They push their women until the walk away, and then lament on what they lost. Some of them even treat women as if they are the problem. It was a ghastly thought. Not that every woman was beautiful in Gabriel’s eyes. Some of them were monstrous creatures that had no reason to exist. But they did, if only to make the beautiful ones that much more so. It’s not like Father has a plan for anyone, no matter how much humans say so. He just lets the humans, and angels for that matter, do what they will.

Tabitha glanced into the backseat, staring at the spot Gabriel was occupying. The angel tilted his head to the side, his gray eyes lighting up. “Interesting. You can’t see me, but you can feel me.” His head tilted to the opposite side, too far to be considered natural. “You don’t seem to have any angel or demon blood within you. A djinni child would not have a human appearance. Which could only mean you have very mild psychic abilities. Some would just call you a sensitive.” More reason  for the detective to hold onto her.

All too soon they were dropping Tabitha off and heading to the crime scene. Gabriel had moved to the front seat and sat staring at the detective. The man’s’ dark eyes were on the road, but his mind elsewhere. Driving on autopilot. It was a good thing Gabriel was near immortal, otherwise, he might fear for his life. One wrong move and the detective would get himself killed.

Gabriel clicked his tongue. “No wonder she worries about you. How many times have you done this with her in the car? With your child in the car?” No answer. Not that he expected one. The man couldn’t hear or see him unless Gabriel wanted it so.

A devious smile crept on his face. “How would you react if I were to show myself to you?” Probably crash the car and die. A state Gabriel did not want the detective in. He was a good man. Good men were hard to find. Besides, someone had to be able to clear Grace’s name on this murder.

If only the woman had been more cautious. She wouldn’t have been suspected of murder at all if she had done so. There would have been no crime scene if she had been just a little more patient. But she just dove right in, killing Andrew Wood in a most gruesome fashion. It had been a deserved fate, but Grace might have inadvertently revealed the existence of the supernatural. Angel and demons enjoyed their time in the shadows.

“She burns, though,” Gabriel said to no one in particular. “Burns like my brother. If I hadn’t known better, I would have believed her to be his child.” Sadly, Lucifer had only ever taken one human woman to his bed. She had bore him Jane, a cute little half-human. Being a lover of women, Gabriel had many children. Most were dead or dying. He still took the time to visit them whenever possible.

The detective pulled into a parking lot, and Gabriel stared up at the apartment complex looming over him. There was a silence about it, letting him know that this was their destination. Up there, somewhere, was a dead body waiting for him to examine.

He turned to the detective. “I’ll see you up there, partner.” Nearly laughing at his own joke, he vanished and reappeared in Jessica’s apartment. Eight people milled about in the apartment, which felt like a hundred given the room’s size. One took photographs, some were making notes, and one, the other detective Gabriel presumed, stood staring at the dead body. His blue eyes were blank as was his face. No one seemed to notice the emptiness of him.

“That one unnerves me,” said a female voice. “He’s like a doll.” A smile lit Gabriel’s face when he turned and was greeted with the visage of Lilith. “Hello, Gabriel,” she greeted with her Mona Lisa smile. Her green eyes sparkling like gemstones. “It has been a long time.”

Gabriel wrapped the Queen of Hell in a one-armed hug. “Eons,” he said. A firm kiss was planted on her temple. “But it was reasonable for everyone to want to keep us apart. We did cause the first apocalypse on Earth. Those poor dinosaurs.” Lilith snorted and rolled her eyes. “I saw our little Tony.”

“Tannin. His name is Tannin,” Lilith said through clenched teeth. It put a smile on Gabriel’s face seeing her so upset. “I assume he was with Grace.” Not a question but Gabriel nodded nonetheless. “She’s going to be the death of him. The death of us all really.”

“There are worse fates in the world.” Not wanting to stick to this subject, Gabriel decided to change it. “This is Michael’s doing.” Michael had been itching for war since the first one had ended. He must have run out of patience and decided to start one on his own. Not that Gabriel could condemn him. Michael had been created for war. They had all been created for war. Michael just happened to like it more than the others. And his disgust for humans exasperated his destructive needs.

A sigh escaped Lilith and she pulled away from him. “I should have figured what he was planning. But I was dreadfully curious about his bedroom abilities. It was disappointing, to say the least.” Of course. Michael was a very selfish lover, according to his Sin Eater. How she puts up with him, Gabriel will never know.

The room seemed to grow quiet. A smile appeared on Gabriel’s face as he glanced through the door. “Ah. He’s my detective. Let’s see what he had to say about poor Jessica here.” Gabriel’s eyes slid toward the other detective. There was a smile on his face that almost reached the man’s dead eyes. He was good at pretending to be a normal human. Even made friends, it would seem.

“King,” the doll-man greeted. He tried his best to sound solemn, and to a human, it would have been perfect, but Gabriel had millennia to perfect his voice reading abilities and could hear the blankness of it.

The good detective nodded his greeting and went straight to Jessica’s body. He stared at her for several moments before standing up and turning to the doll-man. “This is not our killer.” The room grew silent as if everyone was waiting for him to continue. “The hole in the chest is not wide enough. It looks as if it were punched through, not chewed. And there are several blonde hairs between the victim’s fingers.”

“Ha!” Gabriel couldn’t be prouder at the moment. All the good detective needed was one look, one single look, and he knew that Grace was not Jessica’s killer. Tabitha was correct, the detective was damn good at his job.

Lilith turned to Gabriel. “Seems strange for Michael to get careless like that.”

“That’s because it wasn’t Michael. It was his Sin Eater, Lacey. She wants us to know what my dear brother is up to.” His arms slithered around Lilith’s thin waist. “Why don’t we talk about this over dinner. Human dinner,” he amended. “I would rather not witness you devouring little children.” Lilith’s eyes were wide and her mouth agape. “I’m just joking. I know you don’t eat children. Teenagers, on the other hand…”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Let’s save that until after dinner.” He started to lead her out of the room. “I believe I saw a Chinese restaurant down the road. We’ll just try to avoid all the playgrounds and schools along the way.”

“Really going to kill you.”

“I said after dinner.” Gabriel gave the doll-man and the detective one last look before he and Lilith vanished, leaving the humans to go about their business.

4.I

It all started with a stuffed bear and ended with an open grave. An open empty grave. Grace’s open empty grave.

James sat on her dirt dusted coffin, staring at the white, pillowed interior that was supposed to house the rotting corpse of the women he loved. The woman whose dead body he had identified. A dead body that had somehow gotten up and walked away from its coffin. And dug itself up. Can’t forget about that.

A drunken gaffaw left James. He clamped his lips shut, forcing back the insane laughter threatening to spew out. “Keep it together, James,” he berated himself. “Her body is only missing. It doesn’t mean anything.”

But it meant everything. Grace’s body wasn’t just missing. It was out there, alive! Well, it was moving and thinking, at least. Thinking of her son enough to send him a stuffed bear on his birthday, but not enough to come see him. Or James. Not that he blamed her. Might be a little hard to explain to a six seven year old why his mom faked her death.

James shook his head. “She didn’t fake her death,” he told the half empty bottle in his hands. Grace loved Chase more than anything in the world. She wouldn’t have left him unless his life depended on it. And it had.

“He said he came to make sure his part of the bargain was upheld. He wouldn’t tell me what bargain though.” That was what Chase had told James when he asked about the Man with the Black eyes. James wasn’t an idiot. He figured out almost immediately what Grace had done. What he hadn’t expected was her coffin to be empty. He figured she had just used her soul and that had been the end of it. Her body was supposed to be dead and rotting, the way he would have preferred it. Now, she was doing God knows what!

But she was alive and walking somewhere on this Earth. Somewhere where he could find her and see her. Talk to her. Hold himself back from killing her.

She should have told him! Found a way to see him and explain it. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t understand. The supernatural was something he was very familiar with. Not that Grace had known that of course. And that was probably what kept her away. Didn’t want to send him to the nuthouse; wasn’t like he didn’t belong there already (he had just dug up a grave).

Now, she wasn’t going to have to worry about it. He was going to find her. Maybe she’d be less likely to run away if he was the one to approach her. ONly one way to find out. But how does one go about looking for a dead woman?

James stood up and brushed the dirt and worms off himself. A flick of the wrist and the bottle of vodka was tossed into the empty casket. He climbed out of the hole he dug, not bothering to shut the casket lid. “I’m going to find you, Grace,” he swore, “whether you like it or not.” He started to shovel the dirt back into the hold. “Just wait for me.”

4.10

For the first time since Chelsea had been murdered, Jessica had gone out.

And it had been amazing!

So many people dancing, grinding against each other, that it had been easy to get lost in the crowd. Easy to get lost in the music and drink. Easy to pick up someone. Someone her type was an added bonus. Blonde hair, blue eyes, small tits, and a big ass. The woman trailing behind her had all of those. Even had those pouty lips that you just wanted to suck on. Jessica had already felt them on her own lips and neck. They were soft and experienced. The best kind of lips.

It had taken three tries for Jessica to get her keys out of her pocket, two fumbles to find her door key, and only five to fit the key in the door lock. The five tequila sunrises she had were starting to sneak up on her. Didn’t help that Lacey, that was her acquired acquaintance’s name, couldn’t keep her hands and lips off of her.

The door swung open, and Jessica was promptly shoved in by the over-eager Lacey. Jessica did the tequila stumble before catching herself on the breakfast counter. An inebriated giggle left her before she turned around to get her eyes on Lacey.

Lacey closed the door, her deep blue eyes fixated on Jessica’s gray ones. They never left her even as Lacey locked the door behind her. Alarm bells went off in Jessica’s head, screaming at her that something was wrong. A look in Lacey’s eyes. A glee that was… wrong. The bells were silenced when Lacey’s teeth met her bottom lip. Chelsea used to do that. It drove Jessica insane, and her grip tightened on the breakfast counter, and her breathing sped up just ever so slightly. her heart hammered in her chest, as if trying to burst out and fly to the woman.

“C’mere,” Jessica slurred. That wrongness appeared in Lacey’s eyes again as she walked toward her, but Jessica wanted her enough she didn’t care. Didn’t care that even drunk a part of her brain was telling her to run. Didn’t care her heart was no longer beating fast from arousal.

Their lips met, and it was beautiful. Jessica groaned and Lacey smiled and deepened the kiss, tangling her fingers into Jessica’s short, dark hair. Then the blonde pulled away, leaving Jessica panting and staring up at her with pleading eyes. There was a smirk on the taller woman’s face as she ran a long nail down Jessica’s cheek. “It’s a shame I have to kill you. We could’ve had fun together.”  There was regret in her voice, though her eyes said something different. Maybe she did regret what she was about to do, but she was going to enjoy it all the same.

Jessica opened her mouth to speak, not exactly understanding what Lacey was going on about. She wasn’t supposed to kill her. They were supposed to have sex. That was the whole reason they were currently making out in her apartment. Being killed wasn’t on the list of things to do, and it was a shitty thing to joke about. Very shitty considering Jessica’s past.

That was something else she wanted to tell Lacey, but didn’t get a chance to. There was a sharp pain in her chest. It took breath and thought away. Her eyes fell to see what the matter was. Lacey’s hand had disappeared into her chest, splashes of blood bright against her pale skin. Jessica’s head tilted to the side and her eyes narrowed, not understanding what was happening.

The real pain came when Lacey removed her hand. Jessica’s eyes teared up, a scream hanging on the edge of her lips, but a gasp coming out instead. Her knobby knees buckled and Lacey caught her, laying her gently down on the carpet.

Blood’s going to stain my carpet. A stupid thought, considering Lacey was holding her heart in her hand and pressing it to her soft lips. Lacey kissed her heart before taking a bit out of it. Who fucking kisses a heart before they eat it? Jessica wanted to ask aloud, but couldn’t find her voice.

“You don’t have to eat it,” came a male voice from behind her. Jessica wanted to turn to see who it was, who had broken into her apartment, but couldn’t find the strength to move it.

“Waste not, want not,” replied Lacey, her eyes moving to the man, a smirk on her face. “Besides, what else would I have done with it? Thrown it away?”

Jessica made a choking noise, angry that Lacey was making a joke at her expense. But she was ignored.

“Yes.”

Lacey rolled her eyes. “When framing someone, you’re supposed to make the crime look nearly exact to the other crimes they have committed.” With one last bite Jessica’s heart was gone, only the dark blood on Lacey’s hands and lips remaining. “I’m still a Sin Eater as well. I do need to eat hearts every once in awhile.” Her eyes fell back on Jessica. “This one hardly committed any sins. It’s sad to have killed her.”

The man snorted. “She would have died regardless. They’re all going to die.”

A tired sigh left Lacey, as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Too true,” she said with a hint of sadness. She stood up, running her bloodied fingers through her hair. “Do we really have to do this?”

There was a rush of footsteps and the man came into view. He was big, blonde hair, blue eyes, and handsome. So very handsome. The type of guy Jessica would date if she didn’t like women instead.

His large fingers wrapped around Lacey’s chin. “I want my war,” his tone so heated Jessica could feel the lick of flames. Then, his tone turned gentle and he released Lacey’s chin, running his fingers through her hair. “I know you feel for the humans, but their destruction cannot be helped.”

Lacey ran her fingers down the man’s chest. “Waking the Devil is a steep price to pay for a war with demons.”

The world was starting to go black, but Jessica could still hear the pair. “I was made for war. I need this.” The pair kissed. “The world will be better off without the humans. They have destroyed the gift my Father has given them. They no longer deserve to have this planet.”

The two were still talking, but Jessica could no longer hear their voices clearly. Just a bunch of jumbled words until soon there was nothing. There really is not bright light, was her last thought before crossing into the land of the dead.

4.9

There were eyes on her. The way the hair on the back of Grace’s neck stood on end told her that. Someone was watching her. The stalker more than likely. Too much of a coincidence for it to be otherwise. And if they were there, it meant they were the ones to orchestrate this entire ordeal. While they could have just followed her there, it was doubtful. This person had been following her for weeks, arriving around the same time Lucifer had upped and vanished. There were such things as coincidences, but this was just too much of one. For some reason, the stalker was testing her. Feeling her out.

Or this was all a trap. One of Lucifer’s numerous enemies waiting for her to rescue him so they could just kill her instead. Probably in front of him, too. Because that was what bad guys did, right? Killed the woman in front of the guy. Though, usually, the man and the woman were in love. Definitely not the case for Grace and Lucifer. But she was important to him, somehow. She knew that, just didn’t know why. Maybe one day Lucifer would explain all of that. She wasn’t going to hold her breath.

Either way, she was fucked. As Tony said, she was a weak Sin Eater. The witch was the first supernatural creature she had fought, and it didn’t exactly go that great. Would have been worse if it weren’t for her hounds. She was more than lucky they were on her side. Dead was where she would be if they hadn’t been there to back her up. She was going to have to find a way to show her appreciation for them. Letting them go out and hunt on their own might be a good way. That was a hard thought for her. If any of them got hurt, she had no idea what she would do.

Grace’s hazel eyes rolled high in her head. None of the hounds were children (except Pup) and they were more than capable to take care of themselves (except Pup). She was going to have to let them hunt on their own eventually anyways. Might as well do it sooner than later. Especially, since she couldn’t keep the pace she was eating humans at. Someone was bound to notice that  people were going missing every other week. She needed to find a way to curb her appetite, and having the hounds hunt might just be the thing. Demons would sate her hunger longer, she knew that, had been told that by Tony, but she had to be the one to eat the heart. The hounds were good at hunting down demons, it was kind of their thing.

Speaking of demons. Tony’s scent tickled her nose, teasing her hunger. She shoved it away, but it was always there, taunting her. Waiting for a moment of weakness to attack her newfound friend. But she was not going to let that happen. Not only did she need at least one person on her side in her new life, but he could kill her. Easily. Tony was much more powerful than he let on. She might surprise him in her attack, but he would win in the end. There was no doubt in her mind about that at all.

The demon’s scent wrapped around her like a blanket. He was close, but she couldn’t see him anywhere, which she found strange. Her eyes could penetrate the darkness in near perfect clarity, and yet, she couldn’t spot him anywhere. With how strong his scent was, she should be right on top of him. So, her nose had to be wrong.

Someone is messing with my mind. That was an unsettling thought and one Grace immediately rejected. There had been many things she had come across, demons, angels, and a djinni, but none of them had shown an ability to mess with someone’s head. Psychologically, yes, but metaphysically? No. There was some other explanation. There had to be some other explanation.

There was a small gust of wind and movement from out of the corner of her eye. Grace couldn’t help but laugh at herself. A small piece of fabric from Tony’s shirt was stuck in a crack in a piece of rusted machinery, the reason why his scent had been so overwhelming. It had been purposefully placed, jammed deep within the crack. Grace didn’t need to be a genius to know that Tony was leaving her a trail to follow, something she was grateful for. The warehouse was turning out to be a lot bigger than she had previously believed. It had to be a series of interconnected buildings. Only explanation she could come up with. She wasn’t an expert in old buildings.

The next piece of cloth she found was a few feet away partially hidden by a rock. A ghost of a smile graced her face knowing Tony had to be seething. He made all of his own clothes, and ruining them sent him in a rage. When she had gotten the blood on her shirt that time she blacked out, he hadn’t talked to her for a week. She had believed he was afraid of her, until he had burst into her room and shouted at her about how she ruined his creation that he made specifically for her and slaved over. When Grace pointed out that it only took him ten minutes to make, he huffed, slammed the door, and walked back to his apartment. At least, she knew he wasn’t mad at her for nearly killing another demon. Especially one that happened to be his brother.

Tony didn’t know she knew he was Baphomet’s brother. Lucifer had told her that it was best to keep that bit of information to herself. The demon didn’t like associating with his family and preferred that no one know that he was even related to them. So, out of respect for her friend, she kept the bit of information to herself. She really didn’t know how he would react and she would rather not lose her only supernatural friend. And she needed someone on her side. Someone that was willing to talk to her and pass her information instead of leaving her in the dark. Someone willing to help her when she needed it. Someone that didn’t want to kill her. Tony was just that and she was going to keep a hold of him with an iron grip.

Without receiving orders the hounds rushed in front of Grace, sniffing out the next piece of Tony’s cloth ensuring their alpha went in the correct direction. She followed them, arms crossed across her chest and eyes on the ground, making sure she didn’t trip over any loose rubble. She was a hunter of the night, but even they stumbled and fell over the occasional obstruction. Falling flat on her face was not something she wanted to do in the den of rusty machines. She didn’t know if she could get tetanus, but it was best not to find out.

Tony’s scent grew stronger and Grace sent her pack on their way. The demon was still frightened of her hounds, and she didn’t need him freaking out at the moment. Especially with the tangy smell of blood in the air. Lucifer’s blood. She ignored the beat of panic in her heart and moved forward preparing herself for what she was about to see.

Nothing prepared her for the sight that filled her eyes.

Hooks. Hooks were in his body. Lucifer was hanging in the air by hooks. Meat hooks. Five meat hooks, one in each hand, one in each side at his ribs, and one in his back. This had been a slaughter house at one point in time. And Lucifer was hanging by the rusted hooks that once held meat, a large pool of dark blood under his feet.

Dazed, Grace moved forward, her eyes never leaving Lucifer’s body that swayed ever so slightly from his breath. Before she could reach her destination, by Lucifer’s side so she could rip the hooks from his body, Tony stopped her with hands on shoulder. “Tony, there are hooks in him,” she stated dully pushing against his grip, her eyes never leaving Lucifer. “There are hooks in him, Tony. Tony, there are hooks in him.” With each passing word, her volume grew, her voice more frantic. She fought harder against the demon that was supposed to be her friend until he slammed her against the ground. He straddled her with her wrists in hand and held her against the ground. “There’s a fucking sword in his heart, Tony!”

“We can’t get to him!” Tony grunted, trying his best to get Grace to calm down, afraid she might injure herself to get out of his grip. “There’s a barrier around him.” That seemed to calm her down enough for him to let go of her, though he still stayed on top of her.

Grace rubbed her tender wrists, glaring up at the demon on top of her. “Get off of me,” she demanded, her voice shaking. She could have hit herself right then. That was supposed to come out strong, firm. Not terrified on the verge of hysteria once again. She was Grace Fucking Barnes. She didn’t get hysterical. She was an independent woman and a single mom who got shit done. There wasn’t time for hysterics. There wasn’t time to be scared.

And she hated the angel hanging by the meat hooks. She should have been reveling in the fact that he was in as much pain as he was. Should have been doing a fucking Happy Dance around the barrier he was behind. So why? Why had she panicked and why was she underneath her friend who had just restrained her? That wasn’t like her. That wasn’t Grace Barnes. That was a by-product of her new life. S he would rather pretend it never happened.

Tony’s sunset eyes stared down at her as if taking everything about her face in. Then, he stood, offering her a hand. Grace took it, wrapping her fingers around his wrist to give him a better grip. “What are we going to do?” she asked with a steady voice this time. Her hazel eyes wandered to Lucifer’s swaying body. Her heart beat hard against her chest, but felt as if it had stopped at the same time. It didn’t take long for her to realize the contradiction in feelings was due to her holding her breath. Inhaling a deep, shaky breath, she turned to Tony with expectation.

“We need an angel.”

“Oh. Okay.” Grace started to feel around her body making a point to check the pockets of her black jeans. “Well, looks like I’m all out of angels. Do you have any other fucking ideas?!” Yelling at the demon wasn’t going to solve any problems, but it did make her feel better. Brought some heat back into the cold that had sunk into her bones.

If Tony clenched his jaw any more, his teeth would snap under the pressure. It was the only sign of his anger, his breathing regular, his eyes strangely calm. The muscles in his jaw finally unwound when he opened his mouth to speak. “There are no other options. This barrier was set by an angel and can only be broken by an angel.”

Well, isn’t that just fan-fucking-tastic. She didn’t know any other angels aside from Lucifer. So, he was going to be stuck in there, with the meat hooks in his body, until the could find one willing to help them. That was if they even found one. Fallen angels probably didn’t keep in contact with their heavenly brothers.

All Grace could do was stare at him and shake her head. “Who could do something like that?”

“That, my beauty, is a very good question,” a male voice called from right next to her. A noise escaped her and she found herself wrapped around Tony. The man’s dark eyebrows raised and his gray-green eyes shone with mirth. “Jumpy?”

Clearing her throat, Grace detached herself from Tony a red hue crawling up her neck. “Who are you?” she asked a little more sharply than intended. She wanted to play nice with the obviously supernatural being in front of her. There was a chance, a very high one, that he could kill her.

The man bowed low before her. “I am Gabriel, Archangel and lover of women.”

Grace visibly cringed which brought a delighted smile on the Archangel’s face. There’s something wrong with him, she said to herself. Aloud she said, “Can you break the barrier?” The excitement she had been trying to keep in check crept into her voice.

“I can!” Gabriel exclaimed, coming closer to her. He didn’t stop moving until their noses nearly touched. “And all it will take it one kiss from you.”

Soft fingers trailed up Grace’s arm, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Her face twisted into a grimace as she punched the angel in the gut. The air left him with a grunt. Taking advantage of the moment, Grace brought her hand on the back of his head and shoved it down to meet her rising right knee. There was a crunch when his nose met the joint, and his head snapped back. But he was still on his feet, and she needed him on the ground. So, she shoved him down. Dazed as he was, he went down with little effort.

She straddled Gabriel’s waist and twisted her fingers in his white button up shirt. “How about this? You release him, and I don’t rip your heart from your chest and eat it in front of you.”

A great laugh bellowed from the man under her. It was boisterous and she could feel it in her chest. It also unnerves her. There aren’t many that laugh when being threatened in such a way. “Oh, Morning Star, my brother, of course you would find someone that burns as bright as you.” His hands gripped her hips tightly, and she was about to hit him once again, but he pushed her away before she could. A small yelp left her as she flew through the air a few feet before landing on her feet in a crouch.

Still laughing, Gabriel kicked his feet over his head and rolled backwards to his feet. He laughed all the way to the barrier, standing to where he was facing Lucifer, and still laughing he placed his palm out touching the barrier. It started to pulse. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until it was so quick it was near solid. The sound of shattering glass fills the silent room, bouncing off the walls and echoing down into the building.

Grace couldn’t help but jump at the sudden interruption of noise. Tony quirked an eyebrow at her, but she ignored him, all her attention intent on what was happening in front of her. She was ready to run forward and detach the fallen angel from the hooks inside of his body. Someone was going to have to help her, and at that moment, she didn’t really care who.

“The barrier is broken,” Gabriel announces with a flourish of his hands.

With careful, quick steps Grace rushed forward wrapping her arms around Lucifer’s legs and lifting him up. “Can someone help?” She met eyes with Gabriel who was the closest out of the two males. His lips quirked up, but he didn’t say anything. Just moved to behind Lucifer so he could start removing the hooks.

There was a tap on her shoulder and she turned to Tony. “I’ll hold him.” Grace opened her mouth, but the demon covered it to keep the words she was about to say in it. “You’re too short. Once all the hooks are out you guys are going to topple over.” Not being able to see any fault in his logic, Grace nodded her head and relinquished her hold on Lucifer to him, muttering how she wasn’t that much shorter than him. He just shakes his head and takes Lucifer’s torso in his arms, lifting him giving the chains the hooks are attached to some slack.

Gabriel makes quick work of the hooks. He had them out in under two minutes, not even a twitch coming from Lucifer. “Don’t forget about the sword,” Grace reminded the men when all the hooks had been removed. The look she received from Gabriel said he didn’t appreciate her input. She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him. She was not a child and she would not act like one. Though it would have been very satisfying.

Grey-green eyes still on her, Gabriel pulled the sword from his brother’s chest at a speed that could only be described as agonizing. The stare alone told her he had done it on purpose, but she kept her mouth shut. There was no telling what else he would have done just to be an asshole, and Grace didn’t really have time to find out. Someone was still watching them, waiting for… something. If she knew what they wanted it might be easier to figure out who they are. But so far, she has gotten zero information. She doesn’t even know if the person stalking her is a man or woman. The hounds haven’t even caught a scent of them. They were ridiculously good at hiding. A talent Grace was going to have to practice one of these days.

“What do we do now?” Grace asked, her eyes still on the limp Lucifer. Even when Gabriel had pulled the sword out, he hadn’t moved. Not even a twitch of the eyes. Nothing. If he hadn’t been breathing she would have believed him to be dead. It sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine at how lifeless he was.

Gabriel’s eyes briefly shifted to his brother before coming back to her. “He’ll need rest. A lot of it. It’s hard to kill an angel, but easy to make them weak. You’ll have to take care of him.”

A groan left her before she could stop. Her apartment was small and with the hounds in there it was already a tight fit. Adding another person was going to make it hard to move. “Alright,” she huffed. “Someone will have to get Jane out of my apartment,” the girl didn’t need to see her father that way, “the other will have to take Lucifer and put him on my bed. I’ll take it from there.”

Neither of them argued, just set about doing what Grace said to do. Tony quickly volunteered to get Jane out of Grace’s apartment and vanished as soon as he passed Lucifer off to Gabriel, leaving the three of them alone. A pregnant silence built between them until Gabriel broke it. “I’ve been following the detective on your case,” he started.

Grace just stared at the angel, not really knowing what he wanted her to say. If it was “thank you” he could go fuck himself. She didn’t ask him to stalk the detective that was hunting her, and she was damned sure Lucifer hadn’t asked him either. “Okay?” she finally said when it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything until she did.

“Someone is setting you up to get caught.” That was news to Grace. Then again, should she expect any less? Lucifer had enemies and she was a way to get to him. Maybe she really should have took her time with the hunt for Andrew Wood. She might not be in as much shit as she currently was. But even angels can’t change the past. “Watch your back.” He vanished as soon as the sentence left his mouth.

As if she really needed him to tell her that.

After staring at the spot Gabriel had stood, Grace lifted her eyes and shifted them all around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of her stalker. They were still there. She could still feel the eyes on her, but there was no sign of them. With a shake of her head, she started to leave. “I’m going to find you and kill you,” she muttered under her breath. A trickle of wind chime like laughter followed after her. She couldn’t help but smile. Her stalker was a woman.