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.

5.1

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.