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“It means we are here. We are not just weapons you wield.” Jezzie’s shadows spoke up, manifesting into a ghostly shape in front of her. “We are all, together, shadows. I am but one shadow of the collective darkness. We are whole and we are individuals. We are the darkness, the mist is the light. One side of the coin, the never ceasing sway of the eternal pendulum. But make no mistake, we came first. For darkness ruled long before light entered existence. We are what was, before time existed. We are the darkness to the light. The everlasting evidence of what came before creation. Without us your ‘Almighty’ would not be. Without the darkness, the light cannot see.”
“Yeah, yeah, you done now? Drama queens.” The Almighty waved her manicured hand and Jezzie’s shadows retreated sullenly. She added, “Sorry it took so long, but even I have to follow the plan. All things will come to pass, but free will sure can be a fucking nuisance.”
“What about Cara?” Luc’s voice projected a question but Jezzie felt the demand of it hit the room with a thud.
“All in good time, my son, if you are patient enough,” came her answer.
Her father looked pissed off and on the verge of outright demanding a better explanation.
“Don’t take that tone with me, child, not even in your mind,” she admonished.
“Surely you could have just told us about this ‘gift’ and the fucking side effects, instead of just letting us bumble our way through thinking some of us were going nuts. Sorry, Luc. Why screw with us?” Dante let loose.
“You will watch your tone, too, young man! I brought you into this existence, and you can bet your ass I have the power to take you out of it! You should be grateful I’m so fond of you all. I don’t expect a thank you just yet. In fact, you may hate me and the journey you need to take, but one day you may just understand the twisted logic of the way things need to happen. It is very confusing, even for me. Sometimes, you have to break shit to make shit, or it just doesn’t turn out right. So, this time, I’ll give you a pass, Dante,” she said, as she looked at him over the rim of her glasses, her finger pointing at him sternly.
“You forget, my children, I make the rules. Forget the past and fulfill the destinies laid out before you. In good time you will find her again, Luc. As of now, she has other tasks she must complete before she can be returned to you. I am sorry she missed this, Jezebeth,” she apologized, indicating the wedding decorations and the newlyweds. “Believe me, if she could be here she would. But sometimes to win a war one must make sacrifices. Both big and small. Oh, and Luc, don’t be too hard on Abbie, there are things you do not know. That you don’t want to know. Not yet. But you will. Right now she has my protection, and I’ll be keeping her with me for a while, as we have some work to do as well, her and I.”
Abbie suddenly appeared at the Almighty’s side looking lost, weary, and slightly baffled. Then just as the Almighty had appeared they both disappeared. Leaving behind her disembodied voice with one final message, “Oh, and Dante, to answer your question . . . You may be waiting a while. He finds far too much joy in your torment. Be afraid. Be very afraid.” The Almighty’s voice faded away on a laugh, leaving everyone utterly confused.
“So, moving on from her highness’s theatrics, I have one more gift for you.” Aunt Rai Rai handed each of the newlyweds a small blue box. “Open them together.”
Jezzie furrowed her brow as she took out the white cotton baby onesie, the words ‘Part Witch, Pure Badass’ were emblazoned on the front. She looked over to see the guys held matching onesies all with different wording. Nithe’s said, ‘Part Dragon, Pure Heartbreaker.’ Athon’s said, ‘Part Vampire, Pure Cutie.’ Finally, Roth’s said, Part Angel, Pure Hellion.”
“Rai Rai, what is this?” Jezzie asked hesitantly.
“That wasn’t nervousness the last few days, Jez. Congratulations, you four! I’m so excited to be a Great Aunt. And just so you know, yes, the little one is made up of the DNA of all of you, not just two.”
“How do you—” Athon started to say.
“Second sight, dear boy.” Jezzie looked at her aunt, knowing her second sight was never wrong.
For the second time since she’d arrived at the fortress, the Devil himself hit the deck. Apparently realizing you were going to be a Grandpa was a bit of a shock to the system. Ramiel stood in utter shock at the news too but he didn’t tumble over.
A few minutes later her father was up and hugging everyone while Jezzie checked in with a very excited soon to be Aunt Lily. Tana burst into tears and Thad tried to hug her, but she shoved him away and Leraie ushered them out of the room after they said their goodbyes. Imprisonment in Nestradia waited for no one.
The viewscreen light flickered on the glass wall of windows and the screen automatically dropped down. Ramiel and her father looked at each other knowingly before accepting the call.
A face appeared on the screen and Jezzie recognized it immediately from the sketches her mother and aunt had forced her to memorize. Gabriel.
“Congratulations, Lucifer. I hear you are both a father and a father-in-law now. Such happy circumstances.” He seriously sounded like a sniveling snake to Jezzie’s ears.
“Thanks, Gabe. I’m so blessed to be able to lay claim to both of those honors. Let me introduce to you my daughter, Jezebeth Lucinda Poisson.”
Jezzie moved to her father’s side and into Gabriel’s view, girding herself for a war of words.
“No! It can’t be. I . . .” Gabriel gasped out, before seeming to remember himself and swallowing hard, his Adam’s apple bobbed as fear entered his eyes.
“You what? Killed me yourself, Gabriel? Yeah, no, you didn’t. Not really. Psychic vamps can cast illusions around their bodies, or didn’t you know that? She told me about you, you know. You tried to hide your identity from her like the coward you truly are. Right up until you thought you’d won. After that you were ever so happy to show your face and spill the poison of your hatred, your so-called justifiable reasons, weren’t you?” Jezzie enjoyed the look of stricken panic that washed over Gabriel’s features. Even his lips lost their color.
“She knew you were coming. Friends in high places, and all. You killed nothing but an illusion, but she felt it all, every slice, every perverted lick on the illusion’s flesh. There was no soul to collect. Not that you hung around long enough to realize it, or even collect it yourself. So quick were you to flee the scene. No angel came for her. You were content to let her soul walk the earth for eternity, growing bitter and angry with every passing year, without respite. All because of whom she loved.”
Gabriel’s mouth opened and shut, but no sound came out, fear held him mute.
“Nothing to say, Gabriel? Hmm, not surprising. My mother made sure I knew your face in case I ever crossed your stinking path. Now, knowing who exactly you are, and from what I’ve pieced together from where I’ve been for almost two decades, I’m sure I know more of your secrets than I’m sure you’d like. You can bet your ass I’ll spill them as soon as I can, and then, when you think you’re safe, or the worst has been done to you, I’ll feast on your slimy, putrid soul, bit by itty bitty bit.”
Jezzie’s fangs descended slowly, her tongue toyed with the sharp points and blood welled to the surface of the pink flesh, coating her teeth ruby red.
Gabriel’s face lost even more color, his ghostly pallor matched by the panic and fear which filled his eyes and caused the vein at his throat to pulse and twitch at a satisfyingly rapid rate.
