Fallen by Suzanne Wright

CHAPTER EIGHT

Holding his phone to his ear, Maddox sank into the armchair near his bed. “What do you know about an archangel named Castiel Ozera?”

“Where did you hear that name?” asked Viper.

“From a halo-bearer who tried to kill me. He told me plenty about Castiel, but it was praise, praise, and more praise. Let’s just say he’s a devout follower of Castiel.”

“But not so devout that he refused to tell you what you wanted to know.”

“I can be very persuasive.”

Viper chuckled. “I’ll bet.” There was a pause. “Well, Castiel is quite high up in the heavenly host,” he said, referring to the upper realm’s army. “He’s ambitious. Cunning. Arrogant. Seeks positions of authority to compensate for his own weaknesses— you know the kind. They need to be someone in power in order to feel they’re worth something, and then they abuse that power. He ‘collects’ people who are weaker than him yet just as ambitious—feeds them false praise, promises them promotions, and says he ‘sees’ something special in them.”

“In other words, he tells people what they want to hear to manipulate them into doing his bidding.”

“Yes. How did he crop up in your conversation with the halo-bearer who tried to kill you? On a side note, I’m surprised only one came for you.”

“He had some friends with him. Several went after my anchor.”

There was a stunned pause. “They what?”

“Yes, it confused me as well. Heaven’s higher-ups surely wouldn’t sanction dragging non-descendant lairs into this situation.”

“No, they wouldn’t. Not when it would risk starting a war.”

“Which made me wonder if someone was acting alone. Someone who wanted to fill the position that the seventh archangel left open when he fell.”

“One of the Seven fell? Interesting.”

Ignoring Viper’s attempt to play dumb, Maddox went on, “I wondered if said ‘someone’ sought to ensure he stood out from the rest by coming after my kind. So I had a chat with one of the halo-bearers sent to decimate my lair, and he admitted as much.”

Viper hummed. “It’s no secret that Castiel wants to be one of the Seven—many do. He’ll never get the position. He’s high up in the heavenly host, but he doesn’t have enough experience to be even considered a potential candidate.”

“So he cooked up a plan that would make him be considered.”

“It might have worked. No one upstairs would have shed a tear over the extinction of your kind. But they won’t be happy if they find out he stepped on the toes of other breeds.”

“How do I get to him?”

“You don’t. He’s an archangel, completely out of your reach. You need him to come to you.”

Maddox figured he’d say that. “Is there a way to get a message to him?”

“Are any of the halo-bearers he sent after you still alive?”

“No.”

“Then no.”

Maddox couldn’t say he regretted killing Castiel’s devout follower, but maybe he’d been a little hasty. Still, it wasn’t a lost cause, because … “Castiel will send more. He’s killed enough descendants via his minions to feel that his plan does have the potential to be a success.”

“Castiel isn’t an archangel who would call it quits easily—it’s an ego thing,” said Viper. “Is your anchor all right?”

“She’s fine. But Castiel will still pay. It was allegedly his idea to use her as bait. He gave the order to lure me into a trap and then kill her before her lair could realize that angels were behind her death.” Which was why Maddox’s demon had spent the past ten minutes dreaming up ways to make the archangel suffer.

“I’ll bet her Prime wants blood. Jolene Wallis’s lair might not be high in number, but I wouldn’t want it chasing my ass. Castiel seriously fucked up. If he’d just stuck to picking off your kind, it’s doubtful that anyone would have questioned who was actually giving the orders.” Viper paused. “I remember overhearing something he once did.”

“What?”

“His father planned to fall once upon a time. He’d lost his woman and couldn’t bear the pain anymore, so he confided in his sons that he would fall after he’d put his affairs in order. Castiel went to the higher-ups and told them. His father was taken and punished horrifically before being killed. Castiel was rewarded with a promotion. That’s the kind of person you’re dealing with, Maddox. He’ll do anything to get ahead. Anything. And he won’t care who gets hurt in the process. So don’t underestimate him. People like Castiel? There are no limits as to what shit they’ll do to get what they want.”

Then it seemed that he and Maddox had something in common.

The next morning, Raini stood in front of the penthouse’s floor-to-ceiling window, taking in the view of the Underground, while drinking coffee. People walked along the sidewalks of the busy strip. Cart vendors set up their mobile stalls. Street sweepers cleaned up the empty bottles, cigarette butts, and other litter. A busker was singing his heart out and, if the reactions of the passers-by were any indication, he wasn’t all that good at it.

Open 24/7, the Underground was always a hub of activity, no matter the hour. So it was no surprise that a number of the pedestrians were staggering, swaying, and heckling people, clearly plastered. Some also began a singalong with the busker, who appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it.

Maddox’s mind brushed against hers. How did you sleep? he asked, and damn if that quintessentially male voice didn’t get her hormones all wound up.

I wasn’t tired, so I just lay in bed and binge-watched a TV series, she replied, sipping her coffee. What about you?

I didn’t sleep either.

Demons didn’t need to sleep as often as humans. They could go days without doing so. Although Raini had been psychically tired after the scuffle with the halo-bearers, she’d been too wired to settle. Maddox’s kind had pretty much been marked for extermination. He and Raini might not be as close as most psi-mates were, but he was still her anchor, and she still worried about him. How did your talk with the angel go? Did you learn anything new?

He was in a talkative mood. He merely confirmed what I’d already suspected.Maddox relayed the full story. It’s important that you be on your guard, Raini. Castiel clearly has no issue with using you to get to me. He may not do so again, but it always pays to be cautious.

I’ll be careful, she promised because, yeah, going up against an archangel didn’t sound fun.

Good.There was a brief pause. I need to go. I’ll check in with you later. His mind brushed hers one last time before he then broke contact.

Raini sighed, wishing not for the first time that there didn’t have to be this … gulf between them. Wishing they had the same easy companionship that both Devon and Khloë had with their anchors. Well, at least Raini had found her psi-mate— many demons weren’t so fortunate in that respect.

Putting the matter out of her mind, she washed her cup in the kitchen and then took a hot shower. Done, she dressed and dried her hair. She was about to leave for work when her cell phone rang.

Snatching it from the nightstand, she frowned. Unknown caller. Huh. “Hello?” she answered absently, grabbing her purse.

“Hi, it’s, um, Dwain.”

Ugh. Wondering why he could possibly be calling her— and where the hell he got her number—she not-so-brightly greeted, “Hi.”

“I heard what happened last night. I just wanted to say I’m glad you’re okay.”

What, like they were friends or something? She felt her brow furrow. “Thanks.” I guess, she barely refrained from adding.

“I would have come to see you but, um, I’m pretty sure that the Thornes are particular about who they let into their penthouse,” he said with what seemed like a forced chuckle.

“They are pretty particular about it, yeah,” Raini confirmed, walking out of the room.

“Figured as much.” He cleared his throat. “I drove Demi to the marina this morning and waved her off. I’m surprised she still went on the cruise, given how worried she is about you.”

Raini’s demon snorted. Sad as it was, Demi wasn’t going to lose sleep over the fact that her own sister could be in danger. And nothing would have kept her from going on that cruise in any case, because it was the perfect excuse for Demi to get a break from seeing Dwain with his mate.

Heading toward the foyer, Raini was about to round up what—to her—seemed like a pointless conversation, but then he spoke again.

“So, anyway, me and Harmony are going home tomorrow.”

Oh, excellent. It was the best news Raini had heard all week.

“With all the shit that’s going down, I’d rather get her away from here, you know? But you and I never got a chance to catch up, so I was thinking maybe we could have lunch today. I’m in the Underground right now. I have plans to meet with some old friends at the hellhorse tracks. You and I could meet up afterward.”

Raini scratched the back of her head. “Dwain, I don’t understand why you’d want that.” She frowned at the whir of machinery. Someone was apparently coming up the elevator to the penthouse. “You’re still a little mad at me for what happened years ago. I would think you’d rather not spend any more time with me than you already have.”

There was a heavy exhale. “I just think it would be easier on Demi if there wasn’t so much awkwardness between her anchor and her sister. And I’m not mad at you, Raini. I’m mad at myself for being so blind to reality for a while back then, but not at you. I’m sorry if I’ve made you think differently. See, this is why it would be good for us to meet up and talk. We could clear the air and get things back on track. I think it’s long past time we did it.”

Raini totally disagreed. It wasn’t like they’d ever been friends, or that they ever would be. And despite what he seemed to think, Demi wouldn’t be happy if the awkwardness between him and Raini was gone. So, really, what was the point in rehashing it all when it would be simpler to just move forward? Besides … “We kind of did clear the air. Look, what happened is in the past. No one’s holding grudges. There doesn’t seem any need to do anything other than let it lie.”

Right then, the elevator doors slid open. Harper, Devon, and Khloë stepped into the foyer.

“Still, I think it would be good for us to talk,” he persisted.

Devon frowned at the phone, and her upper lip quivered. Ah, her hellcat hearing had picked up the sound of Dwain’s voice.

“Who’s that?” Khloë mouthed, nosy as ever.

Knowing the imp would have no compunction with jumping onto Raini’s back to be able to listen, Raini put the call on speakerphone and said, “Really, Dwain, it’s not necessary. Everything between us is cool as far as I’m concerned. Plus, I agreed to have lunch with Maddox anyway.” There, that should nip this shit in the bud.

Harper flicked one brow up in a “Really?” gesture. Raini shook her head.

“I thought he only wanted to see you once a month,” said Dwain. “Demi told me you went to his club a few nights ago.”

“Well he wants to talk to me a little more about what happened with the halo-bearers.”

“And you can’t say no, because he now pulls all your strings,” said Dwain, a mocking bite to his voice.

Raini felt her brows lift, and every one of her girls bristled. If Dwain really thought someone could make Raini their very own marionette, he didn’t know her at all. But she wasn’t going to jump to her own defense here—this idiot just wasn’t worth it. “Yeah, he calls the shots,” she agreed, exchanging an eye roll with Harper.

“Don’t you hate it?” he asked. “Or are you one of those people who likes having someone else take charge of their life?”

Thinking it was time to fuck with this asshole, she gave the girls a conspiratorial smile as she said, “There’s something to be said for having someone take control, Dwain. It makes things simpler. Maddox takes care of all those little decisions that drive me nuts. I don’t have to waste time debating what I’m going to have for breakfast. I don’t have to worry about what I’m going to wear. I don’t have to fret over whether or not it’s just plain weird to obey his order to call him Big Papa. Or whether I shouldn’t like that he calls me Daddy’s little swallower. Or whether my dressing up as Khaleesi, mother of dragons, for our monthly meet is really all that necessary.” At this point, the girls were almost creased over with silent laughter.

There was a long moment of silence. Dwain sighed. “You’re fucking with me right now, aren’t you?”

A snort popped out of Harper.

“Wait, am I on speakerphone?” he demanded.

“What? No, of course not,” Raini assured him, but she wasn’t sure he heard her over the sound of the girls laughing their tits off. “So, anyway, I hope you—” And she had dead air. “He hung up on me. So rude.” Shrugging, she dropped her cell into her purse.

“Daddy’s little swallower?” echoed Khloë, her eyes dancing.

“It has a nice ring to it,” said Raini.

“I’m assuming he called you, because I can’t imagine a scenario in which you’d have called that dweeb,” said Harper.

Raini nodded. “He’s in the Underground with friends. He wanted me to meet up with him later.”

Khloë’s face scrunched up. “Why?”

“He thought it would be good for us to ‘clear the air’ so things aren’t awkward between us anymore,” replied Raini. “Apparently, he thinks Demi would want that.”

Devon shook her head in disbelief. “Demi would have you two on completely separate planets if she could.”

“Well, he has yet to figure that out,” said Raini. “So, what are you all doing here anyway?”

“We came to get you,” Harper told her. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us—starting with breakfast at the cute little café down the street that has the Italian vibe.”

Raini double-blinked. “Wait, what?”

“We’re not opening the shop today for two reasons,” said the sphinx. “One, we’re all far too tense after last night’s events and need some downtime. Two, news of what happened has already circulated throughout the demonic grapevine. Anyone who walked into the shop would have quizzed you like crazy. I think I can safely say that none of us are in the mood for that.”

“So we’re going to have a girl’s day out.” Beaming, Devon gave a little clap. “Yay! I love those.”

“Don’t bother objecting, Raini,” began Khloë, “I already rescheduled all the appointments. No one seemed surprised that we weren’t opening today. Now let’s get moving—I’m hungry.”

Raini’s heart squeezed. They weren’t proposing a girls’ day because they needed one. Not really. They were doing it for her. They were trying to take her mind off things. And she adored them all for it. “What is it exactly that you have in mind?”

Harper grinned. “Oh, you’ll see.”

First, they had breakfast at the café, just as Harper had said. Next they went to the mall where they did some shopping, ate Thai food for lunch, and did a little more shopping. Being Harper’s bodyguard, poor Tanner had to come along, and he ended up being the mule. Raini’s own guard stayed out of sight most of the time.

After that, they headed to the movie theater, and Tanner was no happier with the romcom than with the shopping trip he’d been subjected to. Once the movie was over, they ate dinner at a fancy restaurant where they drank far too much wine … and so the tipsy women all ended up back at the penthouse, at which point they engaged in a very deep, serious conversation.

“Dude, that’s not how you do it,” Raini told Devon, standing beside her in the middle of the living area.

The hellcat frowned. “What? Course it is.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I have this mastered.”

“I’m telling you, Dev, you’re doing it wrong.”

The hellcat looked at Harper, who was sprawled on the sofa humming a tune. “Have I, or have I not, got the Gangnam Style dance down to a tee?”

The sphinx grimaced. “Raini does it better. You keep forgetting to twirl your arm in the air.”

“And you look more like a bunny bouncing than someone riding a horse,” added Khloë, lying on the floor drawing patterns on her arm with a black sharpie.

Devon flushed. “Up yours, heifers.”

Raini planted her feet. “Look, copy what I do.” She slowly ran through each dance move, not moving onto the next until Devon had mastered the one before it. Satisfied that the hellcat no longer looked like a bouncing bunny, Raini said, “Cool. Now come on, let’s Gangnam the fuck out of this dance.”

Raini sang the chorus of the song while they danced. Harper sang along and clapped while Khloë wolf-whistled and egged them on. It was all going great until, somehow, Devon went ass over tit. Raini honestly didn’t know how it happened. One second her friend was right beside her, the next she was sprawled on the floor. But she was still dancing. Or trying to. It seemed to take her a few moments to realize she wasn’t standing anymore.

Blinking, Devon looked up at her. “What happened?”

“You sort of fell,” replied Raini. “Harper, stop laughing!”

The sphinx snickered. “You’re laughing, too!”

Yeah, Raini totally was, but at least she was doing it silently.

“I hate it when my dignity sails away.” Devon frowned at Khloë, who’d scooted closer, a pen still in hand. “Don’t you dare draw on me, Wallis.”

“Come on, just a little pic of a baby hippo,” said Khloë.

Devon’s face softened. “Aw, that would be so cute.” She held out her arm to the imp.

At that moment, Maddox’s mind touched Raini’s. What have you done with yourself today?

She inwardly snorted. Like the guard you assigned me doesn’t report back everything I do.

I’d rather hear it from you.

She wasn’t sure why that would be, but he certainly sounded sincere, so she gave him a quick rundown of her day.

So you enjoyed yourself?he asked, genuinely sounding like it was … important.

I did. The girls wanted to take my mind off everything, and it definitely worked.

Good.His mind slid against hers just before it was gone. Yeah, he wasn’t much for goodbyes.

“Yoo-hoo,” Devon called out. “Are you back with us?”

Raini sighed. “I was trying to have a conversation, feline.”

“Maddox checking in again?”

“Yup.”

Devon twisted her mouth. “Am I the only one who thinks Maddox didn’t buy that you had help killing the angels?”

“Nope,” said Raini, none-too-gracefully sinking on the sofa. “I think it, too.”

Harper lifted a hand. “So do I. It’s weird that he didn’t call you on it.”

Raini tilted her head. “How ironic is it that we struggled to find an angel not so long ago … and now they’re all up in our shit? I mean, three appeared in my kitchen. With halos and everything. Fucking bastards deserved what they got.”

“Totally. Utterly. Completely.” Devon hummed. “Hey, I wonder what Maddox did to the others. I am thinking he did not give them a quick, painless death. He’s uber scary, ain’t he? I don’t know where Demi got the gumption to snark at him. She probably thought he wouldn’t hurt her because she’s your sister. For a minute there, I thought he might.”

“Same here,” said Harper. “If looks could kill, she’d have been a scorch mark on the floor. Man, he did not like her. Nu-uh. But then, neither do I.”

Devon snorted. “Dude, who does?”

“Dwain,” replied Harper.

The hellcat waved a hand. “He’s a dweeb, he doesn’t count. I’m still miffed about the shit he said to you earlier, Raini. Want me to let my power loose on him? It might be fun to watch his bones shatter and blood pour out of his orif—orif—orifices.”

“Or I could deal him some soul-deep pain, if you want?” Harper offered. “Or me and Devon could both tumble on his shit at the same time.”

The hellcat’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes, that would be so—Khloë, why have you drawn a fucking penis on my arm?”

“It’s not a penis, it’s a hippo,” Khloë insisted. “Look, see, that’s the head, this is the body—which yeah, needs some legs, but I forgot about those. I remembered to give him feet, though. Well, two.”

Devon clenched her fists. “Why do his feet look like huge hairy balls? And since when does a hippo’s head have a fucking line running down the center of it?”

Khloë lifted her shoulders. “So Fritz here is a little different from most hippos, so what?”

“Fritz?”

“That’s his name.”

“His name? You named—don’t write it on me, you weirdo! God, what is wrong with you?”

“Do you want the whole list?”

Hearing the elevator fire up, Harper said, “I think the guys are here to take us home.”

“Good,” bit out Devon. “Because if someone doesn’t get this imp away from me, I’m gonna kill her.”

“You love me really,” Khloë insisted.

“I can love you and still want to drown you.”

“Why drown? There are easier ways to kill me.”

“But there’d be something almost comforting about sticking your head in a toilet.”

Khloë pursed her lips and shrugged one shoulder. “Seems like a lazy method of murder to me. You should really get more creative.”

The elevator doors opened. Knox, Levi, Tanner, and Keenan strolled out and crossed the foyer.

Khloë smiled brightly at her mate. “Hey, Jon Duan.”

Keenan’s brow furrowed. “I think you mean Don Juan. Which, as I’ve told you a gazillion times, isn’t my name.”

“Can I help it if it suits you?” she asked, to which he only rolled his eyes.

Knox helped Harper stand and dropped a soft kiss on her mouth. “So, you went heavy on the wine?”

“My buzz is wearing off now.” Harper frowned. “Which doesn’t seem fair.”

Tanner looked down at his mate, who was sulking in a cross-legged position. “Why did you draw a cock on your arm?”

“I didn’t!” Devon pointed at Khloë. “It was her.”

The imp rolled her eyes. “Quit with the drama, diva. It’s only a little hippo.”

Levi stifled a smile. “Yeah, hippos don’t look like that.”

Tanner pulled Devon to her feet. “You really should have known better than to trust Khloë with a pen anywhere near your bare skin, kitten.”

Keenan nodded. “While I was once sleeping off a hangover, she drew an arrow on the small of my back that pointed toward my asshole and wrote, ‘Exit only. Except on Saturday nights— bring lube and a friend.’”

Khloë chuckled. “Even better, I took snapshots of it and told him I’d uploaded them onto social media. He freaked.”

Who wouldn’t have? Raini lifted her finger. “The moral of the story? Never leave a bored imp unsupervised.”

“Amen to that,” said Keenan, draping an arm around Khloë’s shoulders. “Time to go home.”

The girls all exchanged goodbyes and love-yous.

Alone, Raini sighed and went straight to the spare bedroom she was using. There, she shed her tank top and jeans and then fell face-first on the bed. After all the walking, shopping, drinking, and dancing, she was too exhausted to do anything other than crash.