As his father poured two more glasses of scotch, Gabriel looked closely at the folds of skin around his eyes. He wondered, could the burden of keeping secrets age someone beyond their years? Could the weight of a lie somehow alter gravity?“Gabriel you need to know that what I did, I did out of love. At the time I believed with all my heart that I was doing the right thing. I need you to know that.”

Jealousy consumed Melloch. He had been the one to discover the change in the atmosphere upon the human realm. He had been the one paying attention. While Lucifer admired his own reflection, Melloch had been hard at work, and for what? He adored the Dark Lord, he had devoted his entire existence to serving him, and this is how he was to be repaid?When they rose, Lucifer would lead the charge. Lucifer would take the glory. Not Melloch, but Satan’s precious Morning Star.

Melloch knew what had to be done. Once Lucifer was out of the way he would surely inherit the earthly plain and be crowned prince of the second realm. Satan would be pleased with his defeat of the human race, and when all of God’s creatures were decimated, the world above would truly become hell on earth. But he could not be blamed for Lucifer’s death. Oh no. His hands must remain clean or his Master would be oh so angry, and that was not what he wanted. He longed to be the Dark Lord’s favorite son, to revel in his adoration as Lucifer had for so many eons. Soon it would be his turn. Melloch felt the first wave of excitement rush through him. It was wicked and deceitful, and murderously delicious. In his private quarters, he sat back and imagined the moment over and over again, fantasizing about the look on Lucifer’s face as he gasped his final breath. The surprise that would force his eyes wide open and the pain he would feel. Oh, the pain. It gave Melloch more pleasure than he had e

At 6am, Jada pushed her long dark hair back from her face and wandered downstairs. When she saw the entire Council standing in the dining room she stopped abruptly and stared in terror.It’s okay child,” Lucius told her. “Go and wake your sisters. We have much to do.”When everyone had gathered downstairs, Lucius addressed the room. “We have an enormous task ahead of us, one that will affect the entire world. Should we fail tomorrow, the human race will cease to exist and every form of life on this planet will be exterminated.”“Right, so no pressure,” Harrison whispered beneath his breath.“Do you think this is a joke?” Lucius snapped. “I assure you, should we fail you will not take pleasure in the means of your death.”Harrison nodded and considered himself sufficiently chastised. “Sorry.”“Please, go on,” Aurora urged. “We need to know as much as we can.”“Lucifer and the Reaper Army will at the site of Chris Stone’s death. Melloch still believes that is the site of the fallen savio

“So how does a vampire come across a dagger used by the archangel Michael?” Harrison asked. “It might be just me, but it seems a little heavenly for a demon to be carrying around.” Lucius peered at him like a persistent bug that would not go away. “The dagger is a symbol of the unity between God and demons if you must know. It was presented to us by a servant of the Lord as a show of good faith that He would watch over our descendants. They are half human after all. The only catch was we had to ensure the savior remained safe, until now of course.” “And that's why you let us all believe that Chris was the chosen one,” Aurora nodded. “To protect Gabriel.” “Chris was born with many skills, but that was God's doing not ours. It was necessary to make Melloch believe that he was the savior. My job was to protect Gabriel, to ensure the Reapers never found out about him.” “Are you saying that God gave Chris all those gifts just as a distraction to trick Melloch?” Gabriel stared at Lucius