However, there was a bit of good news to come from our messy business at the hospital. Gabriel got a tip from a demon stoolie that Mulciber and Belial wouldn’t be returning to Earth for a period of time. Their boss was rather ticked off that neither of them were able to complete their missions. Mulciber didn’t kill Michael and Belial didn’t secure the Spear of Longinus. I personally found the thought comforting, but not after Gabriel reminded me this would only further their desire for revenge once they finally returned to this world. I enrolled myself in a riflery class as well as a martial arts one to get better skills for my next grudge match with Belial, assuming he has enough chivalry to challenge me to a duel again.
It turns out that Jacob had been able to enter my apartment because Gabriel hadn’t made the blessing of my apartment specific to spirits, just demons. He refined it as soon as we told him what happened and apologized for not being careful enough. I tried to convince him it wasn’t his fault, but I got the feeling he didn’t believe me, God bless his heart. We were even anyway. He’d been the one who told me years ago that demons were susceptible to the feathers on an angel’s wings because they were so pure that it burned them. I owed Gabriel my life and aimed to find a way to make it up to him someday.
Michael started training me in some of the arts Mr. N had been practicing, like how to ward off malevolent spirits and perform exorcisms if need be. He wasn’t crazy about the idea of bringing me deeper into the supernatural world but he got better as the weeks passed. If anything, he felt more confident about me going to work on my own now that I knew how to defend myself from a demon attack.
Speaking of which, I finally got to go back to work, only to not do much the first day because the whole staff threw me a Welcome Back party. Lauren even brought her sweet little daughter Lily to see me. I couldn’t believe how big she’d gotten. Michael had been right. Life had been passing by, whether I noticed or not.
Michael’s band has been doing well throughout the city. He got gigs more and more often, and I actually went with him to many of them—sometimes just so he wouldn’t worry about me and sometimes because I liked hearing him play. He even had groupies now. I found it utterly hilarious watching him try to slide past them to get to our table at the club. Maybe it was a little mean, but after all, I was only human.
BOOK THREE: THE BEAUTIFUL DESCENT
Thou wilt learn in time
The truth, for time alone reveals the just;
A villain is detected in a day.
—Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
Chapter 16
“You’re being stubborn, you know.”
“I know.”
“I thought we agreed on this issue.”
“Seriously, Jordan, it’s not a big deal.”
“I beg to differ.”
I crossed my arms beneath my chest and narrowed my eyes at Michael as he sat comfortably across from me in the booth. Truthfully, this setting danced on the border of ridiculous.
First of all, I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been out to lunch with a guy, and certainly not one this good-looking. The man certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes, but by now I was quite immune to his appearance. Practice.
Second of all, I hadn’t been outside of Albany in damn near forever. My life was oddly self-contained, maybe even confined, to my apartment, the restaurant, and the park. Sure, I’d been to the homes, workplaces, and graves of many ghosts, but none of them had been cause for me to vacate the city’s towering structures. Clean air. Green grass. Critters. It was friggin’ weird.
Third of all, discovering how my mother spent her last days before the demons got her murdered was the final nail in the crazy coffin. It would be worth the four-hour drive and the many weeks it had taken to save up to pay for food and gas. Except for some reason, Michael insisted on paying for this meal, even though we had arranged for him to pay for the rental car and hotel. Therein lay my current dilemma.
Our perky waitress Krystal appeared, smiling as she caught the tail end of the argument.
“Newlyweds?”
I adopted an insulted look. “He wishes.”
Michael chuckled. “How can I not when you sweet-talk me like that?”
My eyes immediately rolled and she giggled before continuing onward. “Can I get you two anything else?”
“No, you can bring us the check.”
The blonde waitress reached into her frock and withdrew the bill. I reached for it but Michael snatched it out of her hand, flashing me a challenging smirk. I kicked him in the shin.
“Ow!” He winced, rubbing the injured spot. “Why am I being punished for being a gentleman?”
“Because I’m not a lady, dammit. Now give it here.”
“You paid for breakfast in Atlantic City. It’s only fair.”
“Since when has fair ever been a factor in this relationship?”
Krystal glanced between the two of us. “…are you sure you’re not married?”
“If by ‘married’ you mean me hating him, then yes.”
Michael rolled his eyes and handed her his Visa card. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, I’ll be right back.” She walked away, shaking her head with an amused look on her face.
I sighed and leaned my head backward, trying to stifle my irritation. At least the meal had been good. I hadn’t eaten pancakes in ages. Michael had offered to make them once, but I declined the offer because it was too damned domestic. Our arrangement had been going on for nearly two months now. It didn’t need to become any more complicated.