Bardo gestured toward a high top in the back, and I motioned back at him to have one of the girls bring over my usual. I had to take a moment to gather myself before getting too close.
My second wasn't wearing a blazer. Even at the lake, I'd never seen him out of a uniform. Seeing him out of a vest and layers of tailoring made him look weird, like seeing a bear with all its fur shaved down to the skin. The first couple buttons of his long sleeve were even undone and his hair wasn't gelled back.
He looked… approachable. I wondered if he'd done that on purpose.
Chancery was sipping the foam off his Guinness when he noticed me. He frowned. “Where's Ke'lev?”
I asked in the same demanding tone, “Where's Lavelle?”
He cheesed, warming me all over. “Okay, okay. Lemme start over. How are you, Dev? It's good to see ya.”
That cracked me. I smiled back. “I've been worse. Glad to be away from the tower right now. I didn't think you owned street clothes. Don't you sleep in a three-piece?”
He tried not to fidget with his watch as he rolled his eyes at me. “Har har.” I gestured for him to explain, but he thought I meant I wanted to hear about Lavelle and his curse breaking efforts. “No new news, but things have been going well with Madame, I think. Hard to tell. She mostly leaves me alone with books to read, then comes back hours later, usually looking high as a kite, quizzes me, then sends me home. It feels like night school all over again, except every day is me cramming for an exam about the mating habits of chimera.”
I exhaled through my nose. “Sounds intense. Anything useful?” One of the servers dropped a cran-vodka in front of me and I thanked her.
Chancery gave me a rueful look. “Oh yeah. Lemme know if you're ever courting something with the heads of a lion, a snake, and a goat. I've got tips.” When I smirked, my enforcer leveled out to admit, “I feel like I braindump most of it after I leave for the day. Some stuff sticks. Mostly stuff about ghosts and spirits, y'know? Everything else is just…” He made a head explosion with a claw-like hand near his ear. “When you said the rabbit hole went deep, I expected there to be a bottom.”
I laughed again. “You're well on your way then.” He took an expectant look around me and I explained, “Ke'lev's casing the bar. He'll be in when he feels like it's safe. Afterwards, he'll either drag me outta here or fall into one of the booths. Maybe he'll sleep again. He took a nap after lunch.”
Chancery almost choked on his beer. “That's not…”
“I know. He's been weird the last day. Weirder. Like... I don't know how else to describe it. It's not just protective. God knows I tolerate mothering of all kinds.” Chancery made a self-effacing snort. “He'd been overly protective and restless. Then, last night…”
“What happened? You scared the shit out of me with that phone call. You were slurring your words bad. I couldn't get back to sleep. Sorry I called your father.”
I shook my head for him to forget it. “He wasn't there when I woke up. I found him in the bathroom covered in blood. He was trying to get these broken feathers out of him. Some of them were naturally working their way out, but other ones were stuck and needed cutting out.”
Chancery grimaced. “Trigger warning next time. You know how I am about splinters.”
“Yeah, well, imagine splinters the size of boot knives.”
“Fucking-A.” He clicked his tongue. “Well, he's better, right? Besides the sleeping thing?”
“I dunno. He woke up when I did and he was fine, but then… I think it happened again. I found bloody tissues stuffed into the couch cushions. He napped again to avoid any questions.”
“Maybe he didn't like you flailing drunk over him.”
“I do not flail.” I hovered over my drink for a second before saying, “Him hiding it is going to make me worry more. I just want to find out what's causing it and make it stop. I've never seen him scared before. I don't like it, Remus.”
“Damn… Well, if you don't mind her knowing, do you want me to ask Madame Lavelle? She summoned him. Maybe she knows something about it. Maybe he's molting like a bird.”
“Or maybe he’s shedding like a beached lungfish that starts losing scales to preserve its energy before dying.”
He pursed his lips. “Sometimes I forget what a pessimist you can be when you're frustrated.”
“Tell her. I don't know how helpful her advice will be, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything.”
Chancery sighed. “I'm sorry, Dev.”
“Why're you sorry?”
“Ke'lev's important to you. This can't be easy.”
Of course, I didn't like Ke'lev being uncomfortable or ashamed, but I especially didn't like how it made that sinister part of me salivate. Ke'lev at his best wasn't threatened by my oni-side, not with his voice. But if he was vulnerable, he could be eaten. I didn't like being a threat to him. I didn't want to hurt him. Maybe that was why he was keeping his distance?
“I need him… at a hundred percent. I can't have him acting like some angsty teen. Besides, this feather thing is staining my carpets, my upholstery, and my sheets. I'm over it.”
“Your sheets?” Chancery sipped.
I sipped. “He keeps vigil at night. Sometimes he sits on the bed.”
Chancery was a menace. He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, okay.”
“Say it,” I practically growled.
“What's there to say? You and the seraph have a special relationship, and you're a lonely guy. Nobody would—Ho-ly shit.”
I'd been preparing to raise a fist, but his attention caught on something behind me, and I dropped it to turn. Ke'lev stiffly made his way to our table, weaving between furniture with a stilted gait. He smiled when he caught my gaze. There were shadows under his eyes. The sheen of sweat on his face caught the blue and red strip lights that framed the ceiling.
Chancery's mouth was twisted in disapproval. “What else have you been doing to him? He looks like hot garbage.”
“That's Armani. How could he—?”
“The eye baggage? The sad smile? The wet collar? Boss. He looks like a dog waiting at a train station for a master who's never coming back.”
“What?” Hachiko janai ka?
“Ke'lev, come'ere,” Chancery ordered, and the seraph stood before him, swaying slightly. I guess I'm driving us back, I thought as I pushed away my drink. My second asked my guardian in his business voice, “Area secure?”
Ke'lev's head bobbed, his gaze unfocused.
“How're you feeling?”
Ke'lev reached up and patted him on the head, making me hold back a snort when Chancery flinched. My angel looked to me for approval as if to ask, That was good right? Look how nice I'm being.
“Is he high?” Chancery demanded.
I grabbed Ke'lev's chin to direct his face toward me. I twisted him this way and that. His pupils, usually perpendicular to the ground, were canted in opposite directions, making him look slightly cross-eyed. Despite the rough handling, he was smiling lazily at me as if he liked it. “Or drunk. Can angels get drunk?”
Chancery sputtered, “You're asking me? Hey, let him go. You're making him make a weird face.” After I pushed him away, Chancery grabbed his arm and directed him toward the bar. “Ke'lev, listen. Can you help Wen and Wan by setting up a game for us? Grab that bag of blocks over there and help them make a tower, okay?”
“Solberg's on the way?” I asked after the seraph walked away to fulfill his mission.
“I knew if I dubbed this hump day as a boy's night, you'd suddenly get sick and cry off.”
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Chancery was still frowning at me.
“Nan’da?” I prompted.
“Two weeks of sittin’ around the house doing nothing does not make an immortal look like they've been wrestling demons. You need to keep a closer eye on him. If this feather thing turns out to be an illness of some kind…”
“Tell me what Lavelle says, please?”
“I will. I like the kid, Dev.”
That made me smirk. “Ke'lev is probably thousands of years old.”
He finished off his beer and flagged down a server to get another. “Yeah, when he can tie his shoes on his own, he'll get upgraded to whipper snapper.”
Chancery could make me feel claustrophobic when he was acting like my second, but when he was being my best friend, my whole heart ached. “I missed you, Remus.”
It was the closest thing he'd get to an apology from me, but it was evidently enough to finally clear the air between us from his side.
He gave me a knowing smile.
When Solberg arrived, we managed to pull Bardo away from his post to play giant Jenga in the back room before retiring to the smoking lounge to shoot pool.
Solberg made some comments about Ke'lev's appearance, but after a look from Chancery, he switched gears and asked about Chancery's appearance instead and we got a good laugh at my second's expense as he made grouchy comments about how he was allowed to wear whatever the hell he wanted when he was off duty.
We shot the shit for nearly three hours. Bardo had to call it because the midnight rush had come in and he had to help man the bar.
At that juncture, Chancery made his own excuses and reaffirmed his promise to investigate Ke'lev's condition.
In turn, I promised to keep him updated on any more developments and told him I'd see him on Friday in an official capacity if Ke'lev deteriorated before the party. A final look my way told me he'd believe that when he saw it.
Solberg stuck around for another hour before he was summoned away by the group. “Speaking of duty. I'll see you on Friday, Boss.” The redhead made an uncertain movement, but when I didn't react, he went in for a quick hug that left me a bit flummoxed.
“No rest for the wicked. Take care, Wan,” I told him with an arm pat.
I ordered another water and sat by Ke'lev for another twenty minutes or so. By then, Closing Time began playing over the surround sound, and people started settling their tabs. Bardo flopped down on the seat next to mine and asked, “Need an escort to your chariot, M'Lady?”
“Only if I get a good night kiss.”
He chortled. He asked Ke'lev, “Alright to drive there, Crusader?”
“I'm driving,” I said, shaking my empty bottle.
“I wondered why you were keeping a level head. Thought it was something to do with a job.”
“Uh-uh. He's been loopy all day.”
“You hate driving.”
“The Charger has less than a thousand miles on it. I'm not taking any chances.”
Bardo smirked. “Lemme walk you out.”
“Worried about assassins taking advantage of Ke'lev?”
Bardo's expression was sly. He said in an undertone, “If I go with you, I'll miss out on all the side-work for Dayshift.”
I gave him a magnanimous look. “You owe me.”
“I will so owe you.”
“Grab my coat from the check. Ke'lev lost the ticket stub in a ball pocket.”
Bardo sighed and got up to get my things.
Under the awning outside, Bardo lit up a cigarette and mourned the sky with a bereaved sound. “I hate it when it sleets like this. I wish it'd just decide if it wants to rain or snow and commit.”
I grunted.
Ke'lev made a few jerky, panicked movements, but then stilled and stared. Bardo had beaten him to offering me a cig and a light. I made a question with my face as smoke pooled between us, but the angel hurriedly looked away and readjusted his jacket cuffs.
“Burke's having a bachelor party on Saturday. I saw you hadn't responded to the invite,” Bardo said airily, pulling my attention away from the seraph.
“I've got a meet-and-greet with Mrs. Devereaux on Friday. I don't know if I'll be up for it.”
“You don't have to bring any crazy energy. Just bring your liver. You know Burke would appreciate it.”
I did owe the detective for all the hard work he'd been putting in on our behalf for the last couple months. I'd forgotten he was even getting married.
Still, Burke was tied to group business, and it wouldn't take long for news of my “casual” presence to make it back to the board. I was supposed to be in mourning. Stag parties didn't fit in the agenda.
I sighed. “I promised my father I'd keep out of trouble for the next couple weeks.” I didn't mention the out-of-state visitors. If Bardo needed to know, he'd already be aware.
Bardo widened his eyes at me. “Trouble? At a party full of gangster wannabes, bounty hunters, and retired cops? Come on, Boss, what could possibly go wrong? Aren't you on PTO?”
I waved a hand at him. “I'll send him an e-card and a stripper. Where're you guys starting?”
Bardo grinned. “Donahue's place.” He sent me the address despite my protests and said, “If you change your mind, text me and I'll let you know where we crawl to.”
“Alright,” I conceded, but when the two of us turned to head for the car, Ke'lev didn't follow.
The angel was staring at a figure across the street. The person was loitering under a broken streetlamp, facing us. Through the sheet of wind and wet, I could barely make them out in the darkness. They were wearing layers, including a long coat and a hood, so there was no way to tell if they were a man or a woman.
“Hey!” Bardo called out before I could stop him. “Need somethin’, Bro?” The stranger across the street reacted to his voice with surprise. They abruptly turned on their heel and retreated into an alleyway, disappearing.
Ke'lev, who had taken a few steps forward to wait on the curb, didn't pursue them. That told me they'd taken whatever danger they posed away with them.
“Fucking creepers,” Bardo growled as he flicked his butt into the street. “Been a lot more homeless in the area. You packing? You should. Be stupid to survive a low-life like Walker only to get knifed by some transient that doesn't know you.”
I made a point of looking at Ke'lev so Bardo couldn't see my face. My seraph was still watching the alleyway. I stomped my cig out and pulled up my coat collar. The guardian finally turned to look at us, tension bleeding off him. His suit was already dark across the shoulders. Water dripped off his statue-like face. His pupils locked on Bardo and he made a let's go gesture as his intensity flagged into edginess.
“Right. Who needs a gun when they've got a holy knight?” Bardo gave me a brief, worried glance before he settled his ball-cap on his head and led the way back to my car. At the meter, he grinned sheepishly and asked, “Actually, do you mind dropping me off somewhere before you retire?”
“Order an Uber.”
“Aww, come on, Boss. In this weather?”
I sighed before popping my seat forward. “Get in before my seats get soaked.”
“You-da-best!”
“Uh huh.”
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24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVjQXgXzNK
I was in the middle of toweling off Ke'lev's hair when my phone rang. It was two in the morning, so I let it ring out. I went for a comb. When the unassigned tone rang again, I rolled my eyes and answered it without looking, throwing it on speakerphone. “Devereaux.”
Madame Zahra Lavelle's no-nonsense voice came out of the device. “Darling Kouji, when you ask someone a favor, you don't ignore them.”
I almost dropped the comb. After a couple deft finger jabs, I sandwiched the phone between my ear and my shoulder and ground out, “You know I would never ask a favor from you.”
She huffed through her nose. “And yet you bleated like a little lost lamb when you saw Remus for the first time since your return to our tulpa, Papa Easy. Let's cut out the middleman. How is your cherub now?”
I swallowed the indignant, “I do not bleat!” that almost blurted out of me. Instead, I said, “He's seraphim, but you knew that from the start, didn't you? Tell me what's happening to him and how to stop it.”
“Does blood bother you that much, Young Master Devereaux? Or is it the hunger that has your gut in knots?”
Chancery didn't know I'd healed from noshing Dare's seraphim, but if he'd told the witch I'd eaten angel flesh, then she'd already done the math herself.
I knew Ke'lev could still hear her, because he tilted his head slightly to look at me over his shoulder. Was he curious about my answer too or just what Lavelle had to say?
I let out a breath and started rearranging his hair as I said, “I don't need your help. Ke'lev does.”
She let it go, thank God. “If he was in his true form, it would be easier to pluck the feathers. He will need your help to reach some of them. Normally, he'd be serviced by a whole flock of—”
“So, this is normal?”
She made an amused sound. “It is. Flesh heals, but metal, if you'll recall, does not. What isn't natural to the seraphim is wearing a human shell for prolonged periods of time. If the blood bothers you, you would do well to take him to a high place and let him fly. When he returns, the feathers will be easier to pull free.”
It was like she'd lifted a physical weight off of me. I put the phone at my side for a second as I rested my forehead on his bare shoulder. Ke'lev reached up and patted my bun. I felt almost euphoric when I put Lavelle back to my ear. She was in the middle of saying something else, but I cut her off. “Thank you. The… It did bother me. But now we know.”
“Of course, dear boy. Had I known how you were using him, I could have warned you. The care and keeping of a seraph is not a task to be undertaken lightly.” At that, she made a clicking noise and said reproachfully, “Remus told me you've been resting with the seraph.”
Chancery was getting coal next Christmas. “Not like that!” I protested, then controlled my volume as I justified thinly, “Ke'lev's just… like an emotional support dog. That's all. We're not doing anything weird.” The reasoning didn't sound so innocent when I said it out loud, and my admittedly defensive tone made me cringe.
Lavelle was incandescent with rage. “The Watcher for Deceit is not a fucking pet, Kouji Devereaux, and you shall never make that demeaning comparison again. He's not an animal. He's not a playmate. He's not your live-in maid with benefits. He is a sword in the hands of a sorcerer, and a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a fool.” She spit the last word as if I was the idiot she was referring to.
Fine. He's not a dog, I thought. I said, “What does it matter? He doesn't mind. He was even napping on his own this afternoon.”
Lavelle didn't say anything, and I checked to make sure we hadn't disconnected. I wouldn't have called her back or anything, but I knew something like that would've pissed her off. Chancery's famous grudges didn't come with curses like Lavelle's could.
“Lave—?”
“What did you just say?” she hissed.
“He doesn't mind hanging out in the—”
“You said he was sleeping on his own? Has he been restless the last few days? Has he been running a fever? What's his temperament like?”
“Lavelle… Tell me what's going on.”
She laughed. Lavelle has one of those surprisingly bawdy kind of laughs when she's being genuine. She had to take a minute to compose herself enough to say snidely, “Dearest Devereaux, favorite of my favorites, joy of my work, you'd best prepare yourself for what comes next.”
I pulled at my roots. “Eugh?”
“This will happen as the tides go in and out. The salt brine of creation is one of pain, and should Ke'lev suffer it alone, he will come to resent you. Perhaps do not keep separate sleeping arrangements after all. He will need all the allowances you can provide.”
“What does that mean?”
“Angels are physical, communal creatures, just as humans are. They like to keep close to their nest during times of stress. You've unintentionally taught him that bedrooms are nests. But this is especially good for you from a planning standpoint. Most people accidently teach their guardians that bathrooms or living rooms are nests, due to the time we invariably spend in them. Nesting can get messy, depending on the angel. Having the mess in a communal area makes having visitors over impossible.”
I rubbed my eyes. It was way too late to be having this conversation, in hindsight. “So… how the fuck is he stressed? Nothing's changed recently except I'm not being threatened with bodily harm every twelve hours.” When she just laughed again, I asked, “How do I make him less stressed?”
“You need more nesting material.”
I'd forgotten how much getting a clear answer out of the old woman was like pulling teeth. I smacked Ke'lev's back and motioned for him to follow me to the kitchen. “Like?”
“Well, what does the seraph like?”
“Mirrors.”
“And?” Now she sounded like I was being the cryptic and difficult one.
But talking about Ke'lev's preference like he wasn't there made me feel like a shit, because I didn't really know what all he preferred, and what I did know felt too personal. “Uh… baths? Philosophical discussions on morality?” I snapped a finger. “Kate Winslet!”
Ke'lev crossed his arms and leaned against the sink to watch me. I wasn't sure if the half-smile he wore was one of satisfaction or pity.
Lavelle chuckled. “Don't forget yourself. Angels don't allow anyone or anything into their nest they deem unessential. Did you know, if they don't kill whatever has intruded into their living sanctuaries, they usually drop them from thousands of feet in the air?”
Ke'lev's little smile suddenly felt threatening somehow.
“If he's allowing you to sleep near him, he likely sees you as an important cornerstone of his nest.”
I sighed. “Okay… So… I just keep doing what I'm doing and let him fly around Northside from time to time, and he'll stop being stressed?”
“Time will tell. But it will help if you find more things to fill the nest. I don't think Madam Winslet is available for house calls, and mirrors can be damaging if left uncovered for too many hours out of the day.”
“Right…”
“This is your responsibility. Of everyone watched over by their guardian, few have been as privileged as you. The tide is a gift, but for all the strength your seraph has when it comes in… the tide must go out.”
Whatever that fucking means. I just sighed again, tipping my head back. “Thank you, Madame Lavelle. I think.”
“Of course, sweet boy. Good luck. Oh! And before I forget... Do not go to your stepmother's gathering. The Lwa spoke of flame and shadow, but no more. You and I both know what that means. The jinn are on the move again. Ta.” She hung up.
For all the relief she'd given me, the witch couldn't leave off without also treating me to a kernel of anxiety too. The universe had a balance to it like that. For every ill, a balm. For every good deed, a punishment.
I left the phone on the counter and went to the fridge to stick my head in to cool off. Ke'lev raised an eyebrow at me, betraying he was equal parts fascinated and concerned over my reaction.
The jinn were on the move again.
That means whoever Jocelyn intends to match me with is in danger.
I couldn't just not go. My father would probably understand if I got the madam to back me up. He always rolled over for her.
But if something happened to whoever it was—innocent of any wrong-doing—our relationship with that family would be damaged, and my conscience would take another beating. I wasn't sure it could take another hit.
I had to go.
Even if Ke'lev wasn't at his best, he was still leagues stronger than all my previous guardians. And all besides, I finally had command over my demonic powers… sort of.
The jinn were on the move?
Well, then so was I.
I shut the refrigerator after a few more moments. I asked the magnets clinging to the door, “Ever fought jinn before?” I met Ke'lev's gaze and added, “And lived to talk about it?”
His look was haunted. He nodded.
“You up for this?”
He closed his eyes. He nodded.
“You and me both,” I stated grimly.
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24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDf3LbBCxF
I missed the fitting and got an earful from Joss for my lack of effort. Apparently, adulthood has less to do with taxes and checkbooks than the Internet would lead you to believe. Did you know they have this thing now called accountability? And they're holding people to it?
What's next? Functional, post-divorce interfamily relationships? Healthy boundaries between coworkers? Fucking yoga?
“Nothing could be more important than this gathering, Kouji. Your father promised me you would attend,” Jocelyn belted into the receiver.
I turned the volume down and said, “My father shouldn't make promises on my behalf. I said I'll be there. I have something from last season that's never been worn. I'll get a pocket square that matches the drapes.”
She'd gassed herself out somewhere between invoking the recently dead: “Your mother would be disappointed in who you've become,” and, “If only your sister were still with us. She'd beat some sense into you.” Since she'd known both of them, I let her have the field, but if she brought up Clara or Sidney, whom she'd never met while they were alive, I'd hang up. I got enough of that guilt-trip shit in my sleep.
Since I'd come around by her reckoning, she sniffed and laid off. “Teal. Lean toward blue.”
“Turquoise?”
“Cyan-teal.”
Turquoise, I decided. “What's the order of tables?”
“Review the dossiers tonight.You'll come to me first to get any overnight changes. I'll text you the turn-order. As it stands, you'll visit Baktu, followed by Alegra. At visitation, make your way to Romulus and ask him about his new venture. He may keep you, so risk a slight if you come up on time. He's already been told to keep it brief.”
She ran through a list of the usual suspects before a name pinged as unfamiliar. “Coleslaw?”
“Khosla,” She corrected, enunciating slowly, “Kuh-sluh, but put the k-h in the back of your throat. They're the last table. You'll linger there until you meet the heiress. You'll have two hours. I expect an exchange of personal cell phone numbers at least.” I tried the name out a couple times before she was satisfied. “You're a mediocre linguist. Kazumi was always the more talented tongue.”
“I've never heard any complaints.”
“Beast.” She hung up on me.
I made eye contact with Ke'lev who had looked up from his tablet. “I know. She's my stepmother. That wasn't appropriate. I'll be paying for it later. I could have been more professional. That all?”
He blinked at me.
“Oh, right. You're not Chancery.”
He tilted his head.
“Decide on what you want yet?”
He frowned down at the tablet. Coming to look over his shoulder, not a single thing had been put into his cart in the last hour.
Why am I surprised? I wondered. It took him a four-hour search through Netflix's catalog to decide on The Titanic of all things. I put everything that can be shopped for online in front of him and asked him to pick “a few things”. I'm gonna go full gray by the time he decides on the perfect color variant for a pair of socks he'll manage to wear once.
He opened the notepad and said, “Scout need more time.”
“I know, I'm just gonna borrow it for a second.” He made a panicked gasp, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “It's okay, I'll save your progress in another tab…” I added under my breath, “... so you can pick up rice grains when I need to keep you occupied.”
I added overnight pillows, games, stuffed animals, weighted blankets, and puzzles to the basket and checked out. I handed the tablet back to him and he looked visibly relieved to be where he'd left off. I asked him, “Do you need any help? Humans are kind of hardwired to optimize things. Angels seem like… they can afford to brute force their way through things. But, understand, every minute, another fifty listings are added to the catalog and twenty disappear…”
After a minute, the tablet said in a monotone, “Invisible bazaar is as Xibalba. It too exists between folds of matter and consumes time and wealth. This is not produce.” He pushed the tablet toward me, his finger lifting off the send button for one final line: “Scout is not Sisyphus.”
I laughed and patted his head. He gave me a tired smile. “Nap?”
He nodded, but then he gestured at the left side of my breast.
“Oh shit, right.” I slid over the tablet and ordered a pocket square. “Xibalba-zon has its uses, like any tool. What does a sword do? It kills and protects. Depends on who wields it.”
He gave me a dubious look before giving up and beelining for the bedroom, a limp in his step.
Apparently, I could keep my sword.
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24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dPIZigIZY
There was blood on the bed when I woke up before my alarm, stomach rumbling plaintively.
Ke'lev had dragged himself across the carpet to the bathroom, leaving a trail of gore that stood out against the cream-colored fiber in the dark. He was sitting under the shower again, but this time he'd managed to strip himself all the way down. He didn't look up when I came in and flicked the light on. The water was still warm, so he hadn't been in there long. I didn't shut it off. Instead, I pulled the kit out from under the sink and tended to him while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“Wake me next time,” I whispered.
He nodded minutely against his knees and stretched out a pale leg lined with half-a-dozen red rivulets along the back of his thigh.
I cleared my throat. I'm a professional. I'm a professional. I'm a mother fucking professional.
Pretty sure I blocked out the memories in real time, because the moment my ghost returned to my body, I was taping up the last of Ke'lev's back wounds—and I'd given him a towel at some point to cover up his junk. The shower was off too. The whole room smelled like baked goods and salt.
Wait.
Junk?
Junk.
Ye-nope. Sorry Ladies. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, he had no junk—just a black censor box in my head, superimposed over his area.
(For all the forbidden knowledge I could live with, knowing what kind of doom hammer swung between the six-foot-nine behemoth's tree-trunk legs was something I could 100% live without.)
I sighed miserably and Ke'lev echoed me. “I guess… we should get ready to go face some jinn.” I said, “You know you can stay here. I'll call Chancery. Ore wa…” … kimi no koto ga shinpaidesu.
He winced as he got to his feet, and I shielded my face as the towel fell. “We put your suit on the back of the couch, remember?”
He mussed up my hair as he walked by me.
I texted Chancery after bleaching the bathroom, sprawling out on the floor to sit against the wall: Hey.
He sent back a question mark.
I started to write, I'm sorry about keeping you at arm's length. I still need some space, but I wanted to check in with you and see if you were planning on going to the party anyway, because it would be nice to see you again…
I deleted the wall of characters and instead sent, Did I wake you?
After a moment, he sent back, What do you need?
Nothing, I told him.
Okay, he replied. What's wrong?
I'm good.
He sent me back an eye roll emoji.
Get back to sleep, I ordered.
Working on it, he said. Then sent, You sure you're okay?
Yeah. Just nervous.
About the match?
Yeah, I lied.
You'll be fine.
I sighed as I closed my phone and ran a tired hand through my hair. “You'll be fine, he says,” I murmured. I leaned my head against the cold tile. I needed a cigarette. Or a pill. Both.
But I wasn't going to be fine.
“What does he know?”
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After Sabriel’s sister, Reaper, came and left the tree empty-handed, there came another the following morning. Sabriel was relieved to see who it was. From his resting place against the charred stump, he whispered hoarsely, “Please, Saint Gavriel, who is called Hermes by the rulers of this land, minister unto me."
"A prayer? From Notus, himself? I am flattered. But I am merely Man's ambassador. What help could I be to another Pillar of Heaven?" Then the archangel saw the guardian and his easy smile fell. "Icarus' wings, what has befallen my kindred?"
"Haven't you come at our father's behest?"
Gavriel knelt beside him and unstopped the gord tied to his belt. The black medicine within tasted acrid and bitter. Gavriel said, "Only to discover why the Iskariot's soul fell through Azriel's talons. You must know what's become of him."
"I have failed. I was broken by magic unlike any I've seen from the fallen. The deceiver visited us. I suspect they used Solomonic arrays. They have command of ifrit that are akin to desert spirits, and not merely made of shadow and desire, but fire and wishes too."
"None can create what hasn't already been created by the One. You either blaspheme or the morning star has only reshaped that which was already made."
"They must have used men to make their new servants. They were souls. I could not touch them without harming myself."
"Abomination!"
"Yes."
"But that still does not explain the absence of your ward."
"He was cursed, Gavriel. Please... help me."
Since the messenger had already given him healing, he understood that Sabriel was asking for a different kind of assistance. Still, he did not hide his fear. Whatever could break an archangel was not something he wished to contend with alone… if Sabriel spoke true. "I will seek you another who can. I must go tell our father what has happened."
"He already knows, Gavriel. This is his design."
"Then why send me?"
"Thrones sent you. When was the last time you spoke to our father directly?"
"Mm... It is true what they say about you, Saint Sabriel. You perceive all but understand little. The Thrones speak with the authority of Elohim."
"But without His understanding... Please, Gavriel. Do not send for another."
"I must go. Raguel will attend you."
Sabriel grabbed a fistful of golden feathers before the other could slip away, slitting his palm on their dangerous edges. The blood was a sacrifice born of desperation, but a sacrifice all the same that recaptured Gavriel's attention. "Teacher of Ya'aqob! Guide of kings! Boreas of the North Wind! Protector of Judea! Comfort to the Maiden! Guardian of Yosef! I beg of you, attend me until Eostre!"
Gavriel studied him anew, saying carefully, "You are not simply flattering me... You seek my help truly. Then how can I help the Southern Wind?"
"Take me to Kerioth and lend me your worldly shape. Allow me to go to the woman called Sodi as a courier and give her son a gift..."
"You ask much. There is talk among those on high that you are jessed by treachery. That a visit from the adversary has allowed you to lie..."
Fallen? No, Sabriel was not a demon yet, but if Gavriel didn't help him, he would be left with no choice but to seek help from those from the underside. He bared his fangs, frustrated. "Then I shall bend my neck before Mikha'el's sword. Only let me go to Kerioth and seek the key to my ward's salvation."
"Did he not kiss the Master? Did he not spurn your care? Did he not seek the comfort of Death? You would give up your wings for this lost soul?"
"Wouldn't you, for any soul?"
Gavriel's troubled expression untwisted. He even laughed fondly. "You are known for your compassion... as am I. And you are pitiable, given your drawn lot. Allow me to escort you then. Mayhap I will see these children of desire with my own eyes and will know your testimony for its truth."
Sabriel slumped over, pressing his ruined wings to the ground in gratitude beyond measure. "I pray we do not for your sake."
"Come. Lend me your hands. I will take you."
"Thank you, Brother. Thank you.”
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