The demon twisted his body in mid-air and landed in a crouch—a movement that looked eerily inhuman. In an instant, he lunged towards Michael again, this time leading with a side kick that shoved the angel back into the brick wall behind him. Luka immediately closed the distance between them, sending a flurry of punches at his face and upper torso. Michael dodged to the side and kneed Luka in the stomach, hard enough to gain room to move away from the wall.
Luka flew into a series of kicks that were so fast I had trouble following them—front kick, crescent kick, a high one aimed at the shoulder, another aimed low at the knees—and Michael avoided them with liquid grace, blocking the ones that were too fast to dodge.
Luka finally managed to catch his left foot behind Michael’s right ankle and jerked him off-balance, wrapping an arm around his neck to choke him. Michael threw his head backwards, knocking it against Luka’s already damaged nose, and elbowed him in the gut. Luka collapsed against the wall and shook off the momentary pain, his face white with anger. Michael wore a placid, almost serene expression, maybe because he had the demon on his last legs. Luka spat out another mouthful of blood from his ruined nose and closed in, his muscles coiled tight with tension.
He faked a high kick, causing Michael to jerk backward involuntarily, and kneed him in the groin, grabbing a handful of the angel’s hair and forcing him to his knees. Luka threw his arm around his neck and squeezed. Michael dug his hands into the demon’s forearm, struggling to get free. I took several steps forward without noticing, my hand reaching for my gun.
Then, Michael grabbed Luka’s right hand and broke his thumb. The demon screamed in agony, letting go. The archangel grabbed him by the arm and slammed into the concrete face-first, forcing him into an arm lock.
“Yield,” Michael ordered, shoving his knee into the demon’s spine so he couldn’t get up. Luka let loose an unearthly growl, glaring daggers at the angel over his shoulder.
“You son of a—”
Michael tightened his grip, causing another stream of curses to leave the pinned demon. “I won’t tell you a second time.”
“Alright, ya bloody bastard! I give!” Luka snarled. Michael narrowed his eyes before slowly releasing him and taking a couple steps back. Luka rolled over and cradled his injured hand.
“Great. This’ll take weeks to heal. I s’pose I owe ya an apology, but I can’t exactly offer ya a handshake.”
Michael nodded once. “For what it’s worth, your form was excellent.”
Luka snorted. “Don’t need your compliments. What is it ya wanna know?”
Michael exhaled and the tension in his body finally relaxed. “Jordan and I have been observing extremely unusual soul traffic in this city. We encountered a large group of ghosts in the park, some from completely different states. They have no recollection as to why they traveled so far or why they felt compelled to come here. We believe that a holy item is involved.”
Luka paused. “There’s been rumor that the boss has something new in the works. Not quite as grand as stealing an angel’s body, either.”
I made a scornful noise in the back of my throat. “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific than that.”
Luka switched his gaze to me instead. “He said he wants to create something, rather than take what was never his to begin with. Ya can quote me on that. Ya said something about the ghosts being drawn to one spot, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well right there, you’re lookin’ at something small. The larger holy items affect the living and the dead. If it’s only affecting the ghosts so far, it’ll be something that’s connected to death. Most likely, it’s something like the True Cross.”
I gaped. “The Cross Jesus Christ was crucified on?”
Luka nodded. “The very same.”
“But I thought it was never recovered.”
“It wasn’t. But that don’t mean someone didn’t find a piece of it.”
I glanced up at Michael, who wore a deeply worried expression. “Is that really possible?”
“Perhaps. Last I heard, the True Cross was destroyed in order to prevent either side from utilizing it. However, I did not oversee its destruction. It was entrusted to one of the twelve disciples. If he was not careful enough, a piece may have survived.”
Michael nodded to Luka once more. “Thank you for the information.”
Luka shrugged. “Thanks for the fight. It’s been ages since I’ve gotten my ass handed to me. Pretty refreshing.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Are all demons psychotic, violent perverts?”
Luka tossed me a feral grin. “Only the lucky ones. Later, love.”
He knocked twice on the door to the bar and it opened, leaving us alone in the alley to absorb what he’d told us.
Michael scooped up his leather jacket and said nothing, instead heading back the way we came. It wasn’t until we reached our hotel room that he spoke. “If Luka was right, then we’re going to be on high alert for an attack. Satan does not directly interfere on Earth, and that most likely means he’ll be sending Mulciber or Belial along to do his dirty work.”
I rooted through my suitcase for the small First-Aid kit I’d packed. “And if all of this is going down in New Jersey the week we just so happen to be here, then that probably means it has something to do with me, doesn’t it?”