Zee's POV "There was a hand upon the chains that were self-inflicted upon Him—The Little Prince, O Great Morning Star—And He looked up—And saw the face of a little brother most mischievousAnd despair He did no longer."~The Book of Lost DaysLilith 3:1 "You—" The Magdalena had her arms up, her waist-length auburn hair blew back from her strong face thanks to the excess Grace circulating the room. I could see the Seal of Laoth branded on her forearms in a knot of thick white scarring. That was probably why Nadya'd been so insistent I leave her sleeves alone. I figured she had cut herself, but never this. "—stay the FUCK away from me."This—this pissed me off. Unreasonable, I know, but true.She wasn't one of us, she had no right to invoke our sigils like that. It went beyond human arrogance and shot arrow straight down to blasphemy! She pressed the seal together, and more Grace crackled ozone thick in the room, making all the hair on my body stand on end.Danger,

Zee's POV "Can I interest you in a drink or a smoke or getting' your jaw up off the floor?"Ah, yeah, no. That's really good self, yeah, anger the one being in the universe who'd wanted to kill you because of what you'd done to his precious little mortal family. Antagonize the fuck out of that one, real brilliant strategy right there. This was why you didn't get your circle to lord over like the rest of the Sins."You've done all this?" Remmy's eyes had gone to sharp chips of obsidian instead of the velvety darkness of a stormy night. "This you now, Zaq—""Don't." I rolled over onto all fours and coughed some of the pain away. That felt more manageable somehow, or maybe that was some of that good ol' demonic healing kicking in. Physical bodies did have their downsides, I'm afraid. Once I was sure I wasn't going to puke, I rose on wobbly legs like a newborn deer. "You lost all right to the name when you made me Fall.""I didn't—" But the look I'd sent the bastard had his teeth c

Nadya's POV "Oh, will you stop giving me such a sour damn look!? Christ, I'm not going to rape you, so stop lookin' at me like I might!""Sorry if you don't get my vote of confidence for being an honest man." I was curled up on my couch, wearing a new set of pajamas, trying and failing to be okay with a demon in my apartment.I was wearing a ratty t-shirt with a peeling Scooby-Doo on the front and a pair of fleece bottoms that had gingerbread men running around on them. Cup of hot chocolate in my favorite mug—a simple black cup that said "Blow Me…I'm Hot"—clutched in my palms. My hair curled up into a haphazard bun, that was neither fashionable nor flattering, but very convenient.If we were going to have sex to save Jonathan, then I wanted to make the experience as uncomfortable as possible out of principle…and also out of spite. But not before I was one hundred percent sober. Needed to make sure I didn't do anything supremely stupid, like sign my soul away in the throes of

Remmy's POV "That piece of shit, I'll fucking kill him!"Winnipeg, Manitoba. The scum bag had sent me all the way to bleeding Winnipeg, Manitoba! A five-hour flight back to Manhattan only to realize he'd left the club ages ago with Nadya. And was doing God knew what to her! "I am going to lose my mind. I am going to commit murder. Give me my hoodie and my coat, Maxim. I am not in the mood tonight."The Heavenly Host sounded like a TV left on a channel that wasn't getting any feedback from the station, just mindless arrays of static that weren't particularly helpful to anyone at the moment. I could feel a headache coming on, as I opened my wings and flew to Nadya's apartment. After a couple of misses and one very amorous man who, though handsome, was not on tonight's agenda, I'd found the correct apartment and knocked on her bedroom window.No one answered.I peered in, the light was on, and all her clothes had collected all over the floor with more being thrown on a Nadya raide

???'s POV Pandemonium was the palace that sat at the very heart of Tartarus, the lowest levels of the pit. It resembled an inverted gothic cathedral, making its roost at home in the stalactites of the undercity with spires facing down over the endless abyss the whole thing sat above.I'd flown down to one of the balconies that graced such a building, ones specifically designed for sitting in such a fortress and spotted my dearest friend.Lucifer was drinking tea, or perhaps it was tainted ambrosia. The bit was out of their mouth, which meant their voice was free to be heard. I knew it wouldn't hurt me, often we'd found these days that we canceled each other out. I could create no more than he could destroy and vice versa, forever at an equilibrium. They smiled sweetly, fair lashes never stopped gazing directly at the Throne, but the blush that suffused their cheeks let me know they'd seen me enough."To what do I owe this pleasure?" The world warped and faded with their voice, the br