Rebel Angel: A Sainted Sinners Novel (7 page)

E
zra startled
, opening his eyes. He looked around for a few moments before recognizing his location, the bedroom at the safe house. The sheets clung to his damp skin, and he shoved the fabric away as he sat up.

Surely, the dream was just a product of the stressful situation. Ezra had never had a prophetic dream in his aeons of existence, it was unlikely that he should start now.

Still, the dream shook him up. The dying humans, the way Lucifer gloated, the dead look in Aurora’s eyes… he knew enough of Aurora to know that she was lively and opinionated.

Suddenly he craved a glass of water, or better yet a glass of water
and
a tumbler of whiskey. Ezra rose and headed into the lounge area. To his surprise, Aurora was awake and sitting on the big open window ledge, staring out into the desert.

She seemed absorbed in her own thoughts, all the childlike joy from earlier in the day vanished. When Ezra picked up a glass and a bottle of whiskey from the small bar cart in the lounge, she jumped.

“I didn’t realize you were up,” she said.

“I could say the same for you.”

Her long hair was down, flowing all around her like molten copper. She ran her fingers down a few strands as she looked him up and down. Her gaze settled on his torso for a long moment, and Ezra realized that she stared at his bare chest.

“Drink?” he asked, raising the bottle.

She gave him a humorless smile and shook her head. “No thanks.”

He poured himself a glass and returned the bottle to the cart, swirling the amber liquid in his tumbler.

She wore an oversized shirt and barely-there sleep shorts, which he noticed when she pulled her bare legs up and hugged her knees to her chest.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked.

“Bad dream,” he said, moving over to sit on the window ledge with her. “You?”

Ezra felt Aurora watching him as he looked out to the moonlit scene before them.

“Just a lot to process,” she said, twirling a lock of hair through her fingers. “Trying to think through my next steps, I guess. It’s hard to see what’s coming down the line, you know?”

Ezra nodded and sipped his drink, savoring the sweet burn of the whiskey as it slid down the back of his throat. They didn’t talk for a couple of minutes, listening to the wind whip sand across the desert.

He mulled over his dream. In truth, his vision of the apocalypse wouldn’t be terribly far off from what might happen if Aurora didn’t side with Heaven eventually. The parts about demons and the sky turning red, those were all logical enough as far as conclusions went.

The part about Aurora… presumably that was because he found her beauty intriguing, and she was close at hand. There was no denying that he didn’t want to see a strong, free-willed woman like Aurora under Lucifer’s power.

The gravest consequence, though, was undoubtedly the end of humanity. The future Ezra dreamed could not be brought to pass; if he had any influence whatsoever, he would throw it behind Heaven just to prevent that grisly outcome.

At the moment, it seemed that the only thing Ezra might do would be to help Aurora free the trapped souls of her family. Give her the vengeance she sought, perhaps erase some of her well-deserved hatred toward Heaven in the process.

With the last sip of whiskey, it was decided.

Ezra sat the glass aside and stood. Aurora looked up at him, as if sensing that he had something to say.

“I want to help you,” he said.

Aurora’s gaze narrowed as she rose to stand, looking him in the eye. “Help me do what?”

“Free your family. Get vengeance,” he said, nodding at the tattoo inscribed on her forearm. “If you will let me protect you, I will help you.”

Aurora startled him by flinging her arms around his neck. Her lips pressed against his, warm and soft. Her delicate floral scent invaded his senses. The kiss was all too brief, and moments later she stepped back.

Cheeks flushed, an embarrassed smile on her face, eyes sparkling… this side of Aurora was enchanting. It took everything in Ezra’s power not to grab her, pull her tight against his body, and explore what a real kiss from her might be like.

“Um, thanks,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was still red as a candy apple.

“No problem,” Ezra said, because he was at a total loss.

“Okay, well…” Aurora took a step back, as if needed distance between them. “I should get to bed.”

“Sure,” Ezra said.

She gave him another shy glance, then flipped that glorious copper curtain of hair over her shoulder and left the room.

Ezra watched her every step until she disappeared into the back hallway. He looked down, realizing his fists were clenched. His whole body tense, ready for…

What, exactly?

Forcing himself to relax, he sat at the window again, barely noticing the spectacular view.

Clear your mind
, he told himself.
Focus on the task at hand. Protect her, don’t lust after her.

Easier said than done…

A
urora woke early
, feeling surprisingly refreshed. She loved getting up before everyone else, feeling as though the whole world belonged only to her for a little while. She drank a cup of tea, walked to the Faerie swimming pool, and watched the sun come up.

By the time Ezra was awake, she had already taken over part of the living room floor, covering it with books and papers. She glanced up to find him watching her with a curious expression, though unfortunately this time he was rather more dressed than the night previous.

“I’m planning,” she told him, unable to resist a smile.

Ezra made a soft noise, mumbled something about coffee, and vanished to the kitchen. After a few minutes, the delicious aroma of coffee wafted by. Aurora liked the smell a lot more than the taste, and at the moment it was making her a bit hungry.

Ezra’s bare feet drew her out of the intent study of an ancient text on demons.

“More awake?” she asked.

“Marginally,” he said, but she could see that he was amused. “I’m going to make breakfast in a minute. Can I interest you in an omelette?”

“Sure. No meat, though,” she said, pursing her lips.

“Vegetarian,” he said, though he sounded a little uncertain.

“That’s right. Pescetarian, if you want to be specific. I eat fish and eggs and dairy, just not meat from mammals.”

Ezra came around to check out the books and papers she’d spread out, sipping his coffee and watching without comment. For some reason, having him watch over her shoulder made her feel nervous, like she needed to explain herself.

“I thought we’d tackle my brother first,” she said, looking up at him.

Ezra just gave her a slow nod, so she pushed on.

“I found this book of demon lore, and even a passage on the demon I believe holds my brother,” she said, pointing to one book. “So I jotted down some notes about him.”

“Aragoth?” Ezra asked, squinting at the book.

“That’s right.”

“I recognize the name. He’s an upper-level demon, pretty well-known. I think we can find some good information on where he’s holding your brother, what challenges he might present.”

“I’ve been researching for almost a year,” Aurora said with a shrug. “I think I know most of the answers, but it never hurts to learn more.”

Ezra crouched beside her. Setting his coffee cup on the floor, he pointed to the diary that lay open beside her notes. “May I?”

Biting her lip, she nodded. He picked up the notebook, flipping through it.

“Most of it is about his bolt-hole, Paradis,” she said. “Like Paradise, but missing an e?”

“It’s French,” Ezra murmured.

“Impressive research,” he said. “Looks like you already know most of what there is to know about Aragoth. Ah, I see here that he’s high in Belial’s esteem.”

“I don’t really know much about Belial,” she admitted.

“Lucifer’s right hand, as it were,” Ezra muttered, turning a page. “Not someone you want to tangle with, given the choice.”

“That makes sense. I’ve interviewed a few Kith creatures, none of them wanted to talk about Belial at any length.”

“No, it’s best to leave Fallen out of the equation if you can,” Ezra said.

That caught her attention. Aurora glanced up at him, brushing hair out of her eyes. “You included?”

Ezra’s lips twitched. “Depends on the circumstances.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Aurora said. “Anyway, it looks like Aragoth lives in sort of a modern-day, demonic opium den. Drugs, prostitutes, demons and humans and everything in between.”

“And he’s got your brother trapped there, somehow?” Ezra asked.

“Since his home is a bolt-hole, he can define the world inside with any rules he wants,” she said. Ezra arched a brow, and she blushed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to tell you something you already know. My point is that he’s set Paradis up so that he can bring departed souls there, and many of those souls still think they’re alive. They have a body, they can take in all their vices without feeling any of the repercussions.”

“And he gets something out of the bargain, I presume?”

She reached out for her diary, and he handed it over. Flipping through a few pages, she found the notation she sought.

“One of my sources thinks he feeds off the weakest of the souls, that their addiction and frailty gives him power.”

Ezra frowned. “Disturbing, but not surprising.”

“Yeah,” Aurora said, her stomach flip-flopping. “I hate to think of that happening to Jackson.”

“Right,” Ezra said, shaking his head. “As you said, hopefully Jackson is immune.”

“Yeah, but only because he’s valuable to Lucifer,” she sighed.

Ezra settled to sit on the floor, taking a sip of his coffee and looking thoughtful.

“Can you tell me anything more about Paradis? What it looks like, what kind of Kith creatures live there, anything like that?”

“A little,” she said, flipping through her journal again. “Someone said it looks like a Grecian city, whatever that means. There are perhaps twenty great houses belonging to Aragoth and his cronies, all surrounding an open marketplace.”

“And who frequents the world?”

“It looks like lesser demons come and go, and they always have a fresh supply of…” Aurora cringed a little as she finished, “blood slaves.”

Ezra nodded. “I imagine they have quite a number of whores and servants that are alive. Demons usually prefer living mortals.”

“Right. It looks like the trapped souls are kept in the brothels or opium dens, lured by the fact that there are no longer any repercussions to their vices. They can drug and drink and… do whatever, as long as they want.”

“Do they know they’re dead?” Ezra asked.

Aurora shrugged. “I’m not sure. All my knowledge is about fifth-hand, so it’s hard to pin down details like that.”

“Interesting. Anything in your book about who can come and go freely?”

“Not so much. I didn’t want to make my plans obvious,” she said.

“Right. I can make some guesses,” Ezra said. “For instance, I bet a Fallen angel could show up and gain entrance.”

Aurora frowned. “Don’t they know that you’re… un-Fallen, or whatever?”

“Not if I don’t give them my real name,” he said, cocking his head.

“Oh. Well… that seems like a simple solution.”

“As long as it works, yes. I’d run the risk of being identified by… well, any number of people.”

“So… maybe it isn’t a good plan,” Aurora said, her shoulders dropping.

“I doubt that any other Fallen or very high-level demons will be sitting around Aragoth’s lair. Demons are paranoid. They don’t cozy up to other demons. And Fallen have better things to do.”

“Like carry out Lucifer’s orders,” Aurora guessed.

“Exactly.”

“So you think you could walk right in?”

“I think the chances are good. Good enough that I’d be willing to risk it.”

“How would I get in, then?”

Ezra stared at her for a moment. “Why would you need to?”

“You think I’m going to let you do this without me?”

“My main duty is to protect you.”

“Your main duty is to adhere to the agreement we made last night,” Aurora argued. “Otherwise the protection part is unimportant.”

“A human can’t just waltz into this place,” Ezra pointed out. “And you’re not even an ordinary human. What if someone senses your Null capabilities?”

“A cloaking spell,” Aurora said with a shrug.

Ezra’s brows descended. “That would only work on very weak enemies. If someone looked at you for more than a moment…”

“So let’s make sure they don’t look. I can wear a disguise.”

“As what, my servant?” Ezra asked, folding his arms across his chest. “My mistress?”

“Why not?” she fired back, though she hated the idea of it.

“I have trouble seeing you acting out the part of the mistress.”

Aurora lifted her chin, giving him what she hoped was her best haughty stare.

“You don’t even know me,” she told him. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

That seemed to give Ezra pause.

“Fine, then,” he said, lifting a shoulder. “Better to play a mistress than a servant, I suppose. They might think twice about killing a mistress, if it came down to that.”

“Ugh,” Aurora said, her victory lessened by the talk of killing mistresses. “Men suck, you know that?”

Ezra snorted, shaking his head. “It was your idea. Don’t blame me.”

Aurora rolled her eyes, wanting to change the subject.

“So you think we can walk right in and just… ask to be taken to Jackson?”

“I think so. If it’s as you say, most of the humans will be drugged and the demons will be just as high from feeding off them. Usually the mere mention of culling souls sends most demons running for cover.”

“Do demons have souls?” Aurora asked, wrinkling her nose.

“No. When I cull them, the energy that animates them dissipates. It’s basically the same idea, except I can’t cull a living human being. Demons, on the other hand…”

“You can kill them just by touching them with your sword?”

“Correct. There’s an incantation, as well.”

“I can see why demons would be disinclined to fight you, given the choice,” Aurora said.

“I often think that if my power worked on Fallen angels, Lucifer wouldn’t have induced me to follow him to Hell.”

“No, I bet not. Down there, he’s basically untouchable, right? No one is more powerful than he is.”

“Well…” Ezra said, hesitating. “Perhaps. There is another Fallen who defected.”

“Yeah, Kirael. I met him,” Aurora said, giving him a look.

“No, a third. Lucan. His power rivals that of Lucifer’s, but Lucan never made a move to dethrone him.”

“Wonder why?”

“It’s complicated,” Ezra said, stretching. “It’s about a woman, if you’d believe it.”

“Juicy,” Aurora said. “But not relevant. I feel like we have a lot to prepare if we’re going to storm this place.”

“Yes. Appropriate clothing for both of us…” Ezra said, looking her up and down.

“Modest clothing,” Aurora said.

Ezra laughed. “In your dreams. You’re the one who wanted to be a mistress. Mistresses are trophies down in Hell, constantly on display. Some Fallen even keep their human mistresses young and beautiful for hundreds of years, if the woman is particularly lovely.”

Aurora’s cheeks colored. “I didn’t realize they were so… pretty.”

Ezra watched her for a long moment, then shook his head.

“You’ll suit the part,” he said, as if guessing at her sudden insecurity. “In costume, especially.”

Aurora pushed away the hidden compliment, trying to focus on the mission.

“I don’t suppose you have to wear an embarrassing costume,” she sighed.

“Black suit,” he said with a shrug.

“Of course.”

“I’m not sure why you’d expect anything else. The world is shaped by the most powerful, and they only shape it to suit themselves.”

Aurora’s lips thinned, but she knew he was right. It wasn’t the right moment to fight back against the patriarchy. It wasn’t as if Ezra had invented male domination, he was just going along with her plan.

“So what now?” she asked.

“I should head out to the Gray Market,” he said.

“So you get to go hang out at the big paranormal merchants’ market, and I have to stay here?” she said. She almost pouted, but managed to keep her expression blank.

“You’re probably being hunted by a dozen or more of Lucifer’s best assassins. I can’t let you leave.”

“You don’t think they’re looking for you, too?” Aurora asked. “You linked us by coming to my rescue the other night.”

“My mistake, next time I’ll let you fall on your head,” he said, looking mildly annoyed. “And I’ll remind you that I have superior cloaking skills. Unless there are a bunch of Fallen running around on the hunt, I think I’m safe.”

“Fine,” she sighed.

“If I go now, I could be back in time to bring you some takeout. Early dinner.”

“I don’t really like a lot of takeout,” she said.

“Well, tell me what you do like, and we’ll go from there.”

“Japanese?” she asked. “I like sushi a lot.”

“Tell you what. I’m going to write my cell phone number down and leave it in the kitchen. When you’re ready, call an order in to someplace in the Marginy, under my name. Text me the information, and I’ll pick it up on my way back.”

“Yeah?” she asked, perking up.

“Sure. Just make sure you order me something.” Ezra paused. “I eat a lot. So order me a Fallen-sized portion.”

Aurora laughed. “It’s a deal.”

“Rain check on breakfast, then,” he said.

“Agreed.”

“Ah. One more thing,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Stand still.”

He took several photos of Aurora while she blinked at him, confused.

“So the costumer can get your size right,” he said. “I couldn’t begin to guess.”

“Right…” she said. For some reason, that made her blush a little. Why did being around Ezra make her feel so like a schoolgirl at times?

They looked at each other for several long seconds, then Ezra climbed to his feet. He went to the kitchen, pausing to scrawl his number on a pad on the counter. After that he vanished to his room, returning in heavy boots, a leather jacket, and his sword.

He gave her a silent nod as he walked through the living room again, skirting her papers and books. She watched him go, wondering about him. He was so mercurial, teasing and flirting one minute, somber and dark-eyed the next.

Aurora sighed and started to tidy up her work space. She had a bit of downtime with Ezra gone, and she planned to use it fully. A clean, healthy breakfast. Yoga in the back gardens, by the Faerie pond. Some serious, mindful contemplation of the tasks set before her.

And above all else, time spent remembering why she was here. She was supposed to be getting justice for Mom and Jackson, not making eyes at some brooding Fallen angel. No matter how attractive she found Ezra, this wasn’t the time or the place.

And he wasn’t the one she should be… interested in. He could never be impartial, not with the temptation of a Null so close. Hadn’t she already learned this lesson?

Hadn’t her mother and brother died to teach her this very vital fact?