Devilish Mate

6

A

fter the sun rose, Zel woke me up by shoving my arm, hard. I yawned and took over in the driver’s seat, while Zel immediately fell asleep beside me. I envied her for that. I’d always been a terrible sleeper, plagued by what I now knew were flashes from my past lives. The only time I’d ever slept well was when Lucifer was by my side. I shoved that thought away before the anxiety came back.

As I drove, the sun hit me through the windows and filled me with warmth and strength, and eventually we made it to San Francisco. I found my way easily to my sister’s house, as if I’d always known the path, and someone buzzed us past the gate. I parked in front of her two-story mansion that looked like a French chateau, which sat on top of a hill with amazing views of the bay. Everything inside and out was white and beige, although at least the outside had a few touches of color from some pink roses.

Zel made a sound of disgust as we got out of the car. I ignored her as I made my way to the door, which opened before I reached it. Jophiel stood on the other side with a smile, her straight blond hair gleaming in the sunlight. She wore a white suit with a skirt and a pink shirt, and every inch of her was far too perfect to be human.

She came forward on her white heels and took both my hands in hers. “Hannah! I was worried when you took the car, but I’m so glad you’ve returned. Did you realize I was right about Lucifer all along?”

I jerked my hands away and bit my tongue. I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Instead, I met her eyes and said, “I’m here for answers.”

“Answers?” my sister asked, c*****g her head as if she was the picture of innocence.

“About my life.” I swallowed against the anxiety making my throat tight. “About Haniel.”

I had the satisfaction of seeing Jophiel’s face pale at that name. Her fingers splayed at the base of her throat, and if she’d been wearing pearls, she probably would’ve clutched them. “Lucifer told you. I knew I should never have given him back those memories.”

“Don’t blame Lucifer for this one.” With some effort I made my wings flare out behind me, making Jophiel’s eyes widen. “He had to tell me when these things sprouted from my back.”

“s**t,” she said, dropping the innocent act entirely.

An angry bright glow surrounded me. “My powers have returned. I want my memories back too, along with an explanation. And it had better be a damn good one.”

Jophiel nodded slowly and gestured toward her front door. “Come inside.”

4

Hannah

I

hid my wings and stepped inside Jophiel’s entryway, but she held up a hand when Azazel tried to follow me.

“The demon isn’t welcome in my house,” Jophiel said.

“Fallen,” Zel snapped. “And I go where she goes.”

“Azazel is my bodyguard,” I explained.

“You don’t need protection here,” my sister replied curtly.

“I’m not so sure of that,” I muttered. “But we can do this out on the porch if you’d prefer. I don’t care either way.”

Jophiel let out a sniff, but then stepped back to allow Zel to enter the house. If I’d thought Zel was sneering before, it was nothing compared to the look on her face as she walked inside and saw the white marble floors, gleaming chandelier, and sweeping staircase. I’ll admit, it was a bit much, but it wasn’t like Lucifer’s penthouse was much better.

My sister led us into her living room, which was spotless and shining, as it had been every time I’d visited. We passed the display of angel figurines, which Zel eyed with distaste before plopping down on the white couch.

Jophiel’s lips pressed in a tight line as she watched Zel, like she worried the Fallen might drop dirt on her pristine white furniture. Then Jophiel turned her eyes back to me and gave me a thorough examination. “Are you all right? Has something happened with Lucifer?”

The concern in her voice broke through my anger and impatience, reminding me that she cared about me, at least enough to notice when something was wrong. But how could I respond to that question? If I told her everything that had gone down in the last twenty-four hours she’d give me an “I told you so” speech, and no one in the history of the world wanted that from their older sister. I also wasn’t sure how much Zel knew about my death and rebirth. And frankly, I just didn’t want to talk about it right now.

“I had a rough night,” I managed to say. “Adam attacked me, but I fought him off and he escaped. But that’s not why I’m here.” My hands clenched at my side as I stared my sister down. “I need to know who I really am. You took my powers. You took my memories. Why? How?” She barely reacted, except for the slight twitch of her mouth. “Please, sit down and I’ll explain everything. Then you can decide if you still want your memories back. But first, allow me to get you something to drink at least. You look exhausted.”

“Coffee,” Zel said. “Black.”

Jophiel shot her a glare before leaving the room, and I sank down into a white armchair with golden piping. I put my head in my hands and waited, trying not to let the anxiety overcome me again. A few minutes later, my sister returned with a silver carafe of coffee and a tray of fancy-looking pastries. She poured me a coffee as she said, “Perhaps your guard can give us some privacy for this discussion. Some of it is of a sensitive nature.”