The Devil in Her Eyes Ch. 08

London.

The plush office was almost mocking me, rainy English weather just outside the windows.

I'd been sitting here for an hour. Waiting.

Lucy had brought us here to meet God, neutral ground, to develop a battle plan now that we had the fifth column doing what the fifth column did best. It was just the two of us after the ambush in Lyons, keeping things compartmentalized.

Then he'd asked to meet with her privately.

I drummed on the conference table with a pen, anything to alleviate the nerves. My gaze snapped up as the door finally opened, and Lucy walked in... Something was off. She looked almost...sick.

"Baby?"

She smiled, and it seemed forced, drawn on at the edges.... "My Father is behind us; he has tasked a contingent to assist with our missions going forward."

The way she glossed over it set my bells ringing, but I filed it away when she continued.

"He sends his best. Other matters needed his attention, so an old friend will assist with the particulars."

The single door at the far end opened as if on cue, and Morris stepped in, followed by three others. The Archangels were all...pristine, is the only word to describe them, unblemished skin, light blue eyes, and nice blonde hair. They would never look like anything but clones to me, irrespective of gender.

Lucy stepped forward as I stood, shaking Morris's hand.

"I am sorry for your loss." He intoned with a nod that his companions reflected.

"Thank you," Lucy replied, "They were good soldiers, all. What do you have for us?"

Morris shook my hand before gesturing, and we all took our seats, "The Host has been just as active as you have, per the Father's orders. We stumbled upon a piece of information just this morning. The name of your mystery man." He rubbed his knuckles, and I noticed a little dried blood under his nails.

"You weren't gentle; I take it?" It slipped out. The perverse joy at knowing that one of those animals had died hard was impossible to contain.

Morris shook his head, "That, I was not. The name is Trent, Robert Trent. He's something of an industrialist, very old money. He heads the human arm of the Trinity with a man by the name of Burrows."

"And why wasn't this information readily available? We could have been tracking his movements instead of sending my soldiers into a trap!" Lucy snapped.

Morris sighed, "Trent is using wards that obscure him from the Father's sight."

Lucy's eyes went a little wide before she got it under control, "That's impossible...."

"Unless they were gifted to him by his newfound allies." Morris spat the word, and I could see the way it burned him, that Angels had sunk so low. Lucy's eyes were flicking across the tabletop; she was clearly shaken by what Morris had said. I was beginning to think this was a little more significant than I realized.

"Do we have anything actionable?" I asked... but it was all superfluous, I had a name, and I'd run him down by myself if I had to.

Morris waved a hand over his shoulder, "Jophiel. My ground commander."

"We do," The female Angel chimed in. She pulled a manila envelope out of thin air and slid it across the space between us. I caught it under my fingertips and flipped it open.

Time and location. Along with a picture labeled "Burrows," fuckin' guy looked like my high school gym teacher.

"Our friend give this up?"

She nodded, "And we are certain of its legitimacy.

I snorted, "We better be. Last time didn't shake out so well for us."

Lucy seemed to pull herself out of it, a tremor in her voice when she spoke, "A joint operation then. We take Burrows and force him to give up Trent."

Morris nodded, "My thoughts exactly. Before we part ways to prepare, The Father has something unrelated but no less important. Prince?"

I looked up from the hasty intel into his cool grey eyes. Surprised at his use of my title, "Morris? What's up?"

He didn't answer, but the door opened again, and my heart stopped.

"Hey, kid."

I stood up so fast my chair flipped to the floor with a crash, backing up a few steps, a hand shooting up to cover my mouth as Lucy gasped.

My hearing went with a ringing whine, and the world started to spin.

"D...Dad?"

My eyes tracked from the small reassuring smile that played across his lips...the same one that never failed to calm my nerves when I woke up from a nightmare, that eased the pain from a skinned knee...to his royal blue eyes that were slowly filling with tears. Even his mop of jet-black hair was just as I remembered it. He sidestepped the table and barreled into me, arms wrapping around my shoulders... he smelled like diesel, cigarettes, and that same old aftershave.

"Dad?" I whispered dumbly, not comprehending, tears rolling down my face all the same.

"I'm here, boy, I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again." He replied wetly, a soft sob rushing out of him. My legs gave out, and he held me tighter, slowly lowering us both to the carpeted floor. He pulled back and stared into my eyes with something like fear.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

I stared back and came up with nothing but the truth.

"Nothing to forgive," I rasped, so overjoyed that the words barely came. Somewhere a million miles away, Morris spoke.

"It is the will of the Father that Michael assists you on your journey."

Dad pulled me back in; I buried my face in his chest and cried for what felt like hours, days. The most amazing relief and love flooding through me.

And then it hit me...

"Mom... Jen...holy shit...." My voice was raw, my face hurt, but I couldn't help the grin.

He nodded, "If you're okay, we can go. If you need more time...."

I shook my head, "No, they need you too." I gently pushed away from him and stood... offering my hand and pulling my fucking DAD to his feet. Lucy was watching us with tear-stained eyes, all sense of propriety forgotten.

And then she whispered, so low I almost didn't catch it.

"Thank you, Father."

Dad straightened up, "Hey L, been a minute, huh?"

She nodded, smiling softly, "Hello, Michael."

And that little thing that had nagged at me finally clicked.

My dad's name was Tom.

"Michael...like Saint Michael?" I whispered, shocked, if such a thing was even possible now.

Dad nodded, a fragile look on his face, "Yeah, boy. Something like that."

Morris smiled, addressing Lucy, "We will send word when our preparations are complete."

I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye, "And we will be ready."

A magic circle hummed and snapped into existence behind us.

"Ready?" I whispered. Dad's grip around my shoulder tightened.

"I've been ready for years. Let's go."

Lucy stepped through, and we followed close behind, the pins and needles of a magic jump rolled over me, and with a snap, our safe house resolved. I'd known Dad was alive, God himself had told me, but some part of me still believed I'd never see him again. To have him back by my side was something beyond my wildest dreams.

Ori waited for us; he'd been stuck to my hip since the rousing little scene at the range, doing his best to reassure me at every turn.

"Prince...And who is this?"

I was grinning like an idiot.

"Ori. Meet my Dad."

Lucy mumbled something under her breath, and Ari popped into existence.

"You rang, love?"

Lucy's smile was million-watt, "Please go fetch Sandra and Jennifer, tell them nothing."

Ari's eyes flicked over to where Ori and Dad were shaking hands, going wide when she took him in.

"Saint Michael in the flesh!" She paused, cocking her head. Lucy leaned in, whispering to her, and Ari gasped as the light came on, "Fuckin'... no way!"

Dad smiled, "Aradia, good to see you... And, uh, fuckin' way."

Ari squealed a little before vanishing in a flash of light. I rolled my eyes, but my grin didn't go anywhere. I was so beyond happy after all of our losses. We finally had a victory, no matter how personal or small. Lucy worked her hand into mine, the warmth from her chasing the butterflies around inside my chest.

Voices.

"Ari, what's the surprise? I was fast asleep!" Mom groused.

"What she said!" Came Jen's equally grouchy tone.

Out of the corner of my eye, Dad tensed up, his hands twitching a little at his sides.

"Don't trouble yourself, loves, keep up!"

Ari came skipping around the corner, towing Mom by the hand. Dad was already moving.

"SANDY! JENNIFER!" He called out, breaking into a sprint.

Mom's eyes went wide as she froze, Jen likewise...before all hell broke loose.

No pun intended.

"TOM?!"

"DADDY?!"

The girls matched his speed... slamming into Dad's embrace. I could already hear their sobbing cries. He cradled them in his arms, tears sheeting down his face. I leaned into Lucy, and her other arm came up, pulling me into a hug.

"I love you," I whispered, tears rolling down my face.

"And I, you, my love."

My family was whole again...

Miracles.

*********************************************

Hours later, Mom and Dad had retired off to their room, the kid who knew his parents ran off to have sex was grossed out, the man who knew the kind of love I knew now didn't blame them in the slightest.

And what's good for the goose?

"Oh, Zack! Yes!"

The gander can have a hell of a time with too...

Lucy and I sat in her study in a high-backed leather chair; she straddled my waist, our lips were vacuum sealed together, only separating when I needed to breathe. I was buried inside her, as deep as I could go, she rode me gently, magic arcing between us as we made love...And to think, we'd started off discussing battle plans with Ari. Lucy had sent her away and jumped me the second the door had closed.

She broke the kiss, "My love, you feel so good." She breathed, her movements deepening... grinding me against her walls.

I buried my face into her chest, inhaling the scent of her. Intoxicating didn't cover half of it.

"Lucy..." I could feel myself getting close as she planted a gentle kiss on my scalp.

"Yes, my Prince...give it to me...."

Her magic flashed, and every nerve ending in my body damn near exploded...

"Oh, fuck!" I moaned, emptying myself inside her. She shuddered and whimpered, pulling me against her chest. A rush of warmth and moisture washed over where we were connected as she shook and came....

Heaven.

Hell...

You get the picture.

As we basked in the afterglow, she gently ground her pussy around my softening cock, pulling my smokes out of nowhere and lighting one for me. I took a deep drag and pressed my sweat-soaked forehead into her cleavage, shaking from the sheer pleasure-induced sensory overload.

"I love you...but that's still cheating," I whispered.

Her hands ran through my hair. Nails gently scratching my scalp.

"I love you, Zack. And your token complaints are meaningless..."

She shifted with a smile, and I slipped out of her with a gasp; she let a small whine slip past those perfect lips.

"I was hoping for a third round...."

I chuckled into her skin, "Let me out of this chair, and I'll oblige you on every piece of furniture in this place."

A purring laugh rumbled deep in her chest.

"Later, my darling...first I have something to discuss with you. Two things, actually, it's why I called you here in the first place. Ravishing you was simply icing on the cake." She kissed me hotly before climbing out of my lap, tucking my cock away, and fixing her torn clothes with a flash of magic. Now she had my attention. I dragged on my smoke and watched her ass sway in those pinstripe slacks she wore just for me. I went to button my shirt before remembering that she'd ripped them all off.

"All ears, baby."

She flashed me a look over her shoulder, showing off her fangs as she grinned, pouring us both a drink.

"No. You aren't...Bad boy."

I grinned right back, letting the smoke waft out of my lungs, "Caught me." I shook my head, trying to switch gears as she capped the decanter and closed the gap, handing me a tumbler of smoky liquid.

"So, what's the issue?"

She sat down across from me. Her soft smile disappeared, replaced by a pensive look that had my bells ringing. She took a deep sip of her scotch before setting her glass on the small coffee table.

"Morris and I will act as your reinforcements for the raid tonight."

Now she had my attention.

"Fucking...what? Lucy, Christ...Have you lost your mind? We don't need a quick-reaction-force that makes a Trinity wet dream look tame. Send someone else."

She shook her head, "My love, we need to keep this compartmentalized. I will not leave you to the wolves...not again."

Her eyes burned with it, and I knew I couldn't change her mind....But I made up my mind right there that I would die before I hit that panic button.

"I trust you, Luce...But there's nothing saying I have to like it. And I don't, just so we're clear."

She nodded, "Noted...which brings us to the second matter...The strike in Lyons, the casualties that followed, I began to think about us. What you mean to me, and what I mean to you. Selfish of me...but prudent, given the enemy we face. The human wing of the Trinity has been formidable, and we haven't even seen their Demon or Angelic compatriots make much of an appearance. To say nothing of the traitor in our midst."

She glanced everywhere but at me, and my bells were ringing louder.

"I have been taking...inventory. You swore your oath to me as my soldier, but you are so much more than that. You are, quite simply, the love of my life, the thing that gives my existence meaning. Finally. Suddenly there was something other than the pure survival instinct that drove me since the Fall...."

I swirled my drink around in the glass before downing the three fingers in one shot. But I kept quiet; we didn't get too many of these moments.

She sighed a little, staring off at something only she could see.

"I need you to know...that you mean more to me than this world, the worlds beyond, and everything in between. When we step off tonight, the danger is real; we both know it. It isn't a good time to leave things unsaid."

She was struggling. I could feel it.

"My love...There is nothing that will keep us apart. You know that, right?"

I took a breath and said what was on my mind, "Luce...You're kinda scaring me with all this; I'm starting to worry about our chances here."

She dismissed me with a wave of her hand, our soul-bond lighting up with love and warmth again.

But I'd already felt the bone-deep chill wafting through her, and it was going to be hard to shake.

*********************************************

We crept through the darkness, hand signals only, covered in runes. The exercise was going well, a rehearsal of the takedown on Burrows' Mansion, this was run number twenty for the day, and we'd been at it for a week. Ori masked me as we entered the first floor of the mockup, covering my back from threats. Our loose train of Demons and Angels followed us in. I drove my rifle to the corners, using magically generated infrared light that would keep us invisible to conventional night vision. We covered the angles and took down targets in hails of suppressed fire. The Angels favored their swords; God was more of a traditionalist in that sense.

We cleared the last floor in a flurry of suppressed shots and magic discharge, taking down the magical construct that represented Burrows, falling back to the outside air. The Angels and Demons had traded a few barbs, but when we flipped the switch, they flowed together like they were made to work as a team.

I peeled my gas mask off, sweat dripping to the ground. Morris and Lucy were waiting for us, Ari too, the little demon giving us the golf clap. I flipped her off, and she giggled. Morris gave us a nod.

"You seem to be ready; your team functions incredibly well."

I nodded in return, "My thoughts exactly."

Ori bumped his shoulder into mine, "We are ready, Prince. Let us not dither for another moment...our target awaits."

Lucy held up a hand, "Zack, as operational commander, it is your decision."

I looked at my assembled snatch team; they looked right back, with no nerves in their eyes, only steely determination.

Ori was right...they were ready.

I looked back at Lucy, smiling.

"What he said, Luce, let's get this fucker."

*********************************************

The Angels were sharpening their blades, and I was topping off magazines when the door to our team room opened. Lucy was clad in a sleek suit of blackened armor. I remembered it instantly from the flashback she'd hit me with, silver armor scorched black by the Hand of God. She wordlessly crossed the room, nodding to Demon and Angel alike.

I took a moment to speak. "Guys...Tonight we bring the hurt to the enemy. Hit this prick where he lives. Are we ready?"

They nodded as one, ready as they'd ever be, it seemed.

"Good, if anyone needs a moment, take it now. We move out in five."

The Angels moved off to the side with Morris, speaking softly in Enochian...Praying to their Father.

Ori squeezed my shoulder, and I could see the storm behind his eyes.

"For Sybilla."

I nodded, reaching up and grabbing his hand, "For Sybilla." He squeezed again and stepped away, closing his eyes and muttering under his breath. I felt a hand slip into mine, and I didn't even have to look; her touch warmed me down to my toes. The unease dissipated in a flash.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded, my gaze flicking over the team.

"Burrows has no idea what he's in for."

I felt her gaze burning a hole in the side of my head, so I looked over, and there she was, smiling softly.

"Penny, for your thoughts?"

She shook her head, "You've come so far from the man I approached in that little dive. I loved you with all of me from the beginning, and it's only gotten stronger." Her hand squeezed mine, "I'm proud of you."

I squeezed right back. My thoughts drifted to that smoky bar a hundred years ago. I was different; life held some meaning again. I was healed and looking forward to the future after this miserable war was over. And I owed it all to the Devil. To this beautiful, amazing, otherworldly creature by my side.

"Thank you, Luce... For everything."

The Angels finished their prayer reverently. Ori straightened up, giving me a nod.

"Alright, guys, let's move."

*********************************************

We crept through the darkness, just like the rehearsals, only hand signals and radio squawks keeping us in communication. Deadly quiet as we approached Burrows' estate.

As Trent's second in command, the man was well taken care of but a coward in a fight. Our objective was simple; we'd visit more terror on him than he could handle. He'd crack and lead us to the man himself.

Two guards stood outside and smoked, the first we'd seen. Ori covered me while one of our Angel liaisons looped around, sneaking up on the far target. I pulled my knife and stalked forward, looking somewhere off in the distance, thinking about nothing as I closed the gap. The Angel keyed his radio twice, the soft clicks letting me know he was in position. I keyed back once, took a breath, and threw myself into it, clapping a hand over the guard's mouth, my knife slamming into his ribs and slipping past into his heart once, twice, three times.

He shook and tried to scream as I dragged him into the darkness, pulling the blade out of his chest and ramming it into his throat, holding it and counting to ten as his movements slowed and finally stopped. I reached up with a steady hand and keyed my mic three times; Ori patted me on the shoulder as he moved past with an Angel in his shadow.

They split the stack, coming to rest on either side of the front door. Ori tried the knob, hissing and pulling back, shaking his hand out.