Purgatorial

Nina's POV

Mirrors hung on every wall I passed. Tunnels stretched out as I went further. My reflection stared back—but not. The reflection in the mirror was mine, but it was behaving on its own. On one mirror, my reflection whirled around looking confused, on another, it peeked from behind a wall, the one in front of me I could see my back. I reached out, touching the smooth surface. The mirror cracked. Exploded into a thousand pieces. They didn't fall at my feet, though, they kept floating. I tilted my head, breathing deeply, like I was about to dive and pursed my lips. I stepped through the broken mirror, letting the shards rub against bare skin, shedding blood. The pull on the other side of this mirror maze was stronger than the tiny gashes. There was something here—something very important.

Darkness ruled every inch of this new room. All, but one spot. At the center was light. It came from a crack on the ceiling. Was this some underground tunnel? My hands shook the closer I got to the round stone table shrouded in light. A book? It's cover was old. Bound in leather and gold letters. I squinted getting nearer, I couldn't read the language, no matter how hard I tried. But I'd seen those markings before—the Golden Chains! Enochian speech, my brain supplied.

I gasped. The book came alive, flipping open, pages flew one after another. When I tried to snatch the book for myself, the pages cut my fingers. Blood dripped onto the parchment... I jumped back with a yell, covering my eyes from the heat. It was on fire! It'd caught on fire as soon as my blood hit a page. Brunt pieces floated into the air and the light above the table fizzled out, the table crumbled into dust. Leaving me alone in the dark. I stared at the ashes, at the still burning away book. I wanted to cry. I didn't know why, only that something about that book was important and it freaking went up in flames.

My eyes flickered.

Yellow light bounced from nowhere in particular and from everywhere all at once, swirling and glimmering in thirty different shades of golden sunshine. It moved like you'd expect wind to, curling and twisting in the air, it came closer, expanding. I felt something soft, harmless. Like a force of innocence. It flapped around me, embracing my arms for a minute, like a magical radiant scarf, and the cuts closed up before it melted away—pooling on what I assumed to be ground since I had to be standing somewhere.

Gold rose from its place on the floor, taking shape. It reminded me of when we'd opened the Hell Gate and the black goo had come out, slithering and wrapping our bodies, feeling cold, like live jelly. But soon, it didn't look any bit deformed. And I knew the shape it took. Actually, I got a strong déjà vu. A little girl with her hair in a braid, golden eyes and sun-toasted skin. She was all dressed in yellow—yellow top, yellow skirt and yellow sandals. Me as an eight-year-old. It wasn't the first time this happened. The day I'd almost ODed on Datura seeds. I'd hallucinated this—her—exactly in this get-up.

"You weren't hallucinating," I stared, mouth slightly parted. Her voice was creamy and a little stern, which was sort of adorable—than again, this was me, I wasn't exactly impartial. "I mean, you did hallucinate when you woke up and saw Mom and Cam. But not when we were here—not me."

"What are you?"

"You know, silly."

I took a tentative step forward feeling baffled. I—she smiled. A yellow wave-like force, the yellow clothes, the younger looking persona... the feeling of innocence. I... did know. She was my Power. Her young, round face turned serious, making eight-year-old me look a lot like eighteen-year-old me. I was almost afraid of guessing...

"You have to look for this," She held out her small hand pointing at the book at my feet. "This is the way. The only way." She was shaking her head, fishtail braid swinging side-to-side. "You need to find it—the book. You need it. Or—or he'll win!" Her little nose scrunched in disgust, her eyes bugging out with horror, reminding me of every time I'd woken up in cold sweats.

"What's the book—where can I find it—wait!"

Mini-me exploded into stardust as my hand shot forward, grabbing air. The last thing I'd seen was a terrified face. Not a second later, I was on auto-pilot. I tried not to panic when images flooded my brain, coming at me like mad bats, beating their wings fiercely. There was no covering my eyes, no shutting them out. The world came into view as some distorted mirage at first, nothing but a blur. Lots of colors, like a messy painter's palette. They shed away, dissolving to reveal...

Light exploding in the sky. I could count the seconds... one, two, three, four, five, six—a rumble crashed all around, shaking me. I was in a street—somewhere. I didn't think I could recognize it even if I knew where I was. Buildings were demolished, some in complete ruin, others were broken in half. Asphalt was cracked. Rubble, trash, blood, something that looked an awful lot like... guts... were scattered in heaps of destruction. Overturned cars. Broken windows on every shop. Ripped out lamp posts. I could see smoke in the distance, not just in one place.

I turned—on what used to be a street corner—and stopped dead in my tracks. Planting a hand against my stomach, I stumbled back, forcing down bile. Tears came along. I couldn't—I ran down another street. I wiped at my face. There'd been a pack of Hell Hounds ripping a group of people apart. One had been chewing on a girl's head—she... she'd been missing an eye!

"What is this?" I whispered, slowing down, leaning on a half destroyed wall, catching a breath. Leaning my head back, I saw the sky shift out, it spun into something gray and when I glanced around, I wasn't sitting on a metropolis wreck. I was in a forest. Snowflake colored trees grew taller than the green ones, covering what little sunlight existed. White. Just like the ones from Hell.

Across from me was a body. Not just any body. It was man with great wings. An Angel. His wings were silver, but they weren't glossy like Raphael's. Now they were decaying, feathers had plucked off. The bone was starting to show and below his chin, was a deep slash. Like the one I'd cut across Helena's throat. Angels couldn't die from that. Unless... it was done with Azure Dagger.

Just as I found my footing, the scenery became something else. I was standing on a building. This... I knew. It was Paris—I could see the Eiffel Tower. Though it looked different... I squinted and wished I hadn't. I think I saw bodies hanging from it, like Christmas decorations.

"It's amazing, isn't it? And I've only just begun." That voice sent tremors rolling down my entire being. His eyes were purple and whoever said evil wasn't born, it was made? They'd never met Cain. "It's a beautiful world we live in. Ah, the worshiping of death and chaos." Cain stated smiling wickedly, like he was admiring the most priceless piece of art.

I thought he'd been talking to me. But... he wasn't. Because when I looked down, I saw myself lying in a pool of blood, choking—Ha! I covered my mouth, still screaming in horror. I was spasming on the ground—blood kept coming out of my mouth and... Oh God. Ah! That next to my head it was—God! It was my tongue.

"Cat caught your tongue?" He chuckled winking down at my writhing body. "Ha, a cat... I kill myself."

I screamed myself awake. I clawed at my hair, gripping and yelling. I couldn't stop. I couldn't—I started crying, heaving, screaming. Holding my head between my hands, drilling my nails into my skull. Not even a bashing sound got me to stop or focus, I shook my head, sobbing, out of breath. I squirmed when someone's hands grabbed my wrists, kicking out my legs, shaking myself away.

"Ca..." I gasped, my voice failing. "C-Ca... Ah...! H-he—ah."

"I'm here," He looked terrified. Cameron moved me closer, until I was pressed into his chest, hidden away. "I'm not leaving, I'm here. I'm right here." He bowed down, kissing my head hoping my trembling would ease up. It wasn't working. His eyes lifted to the door and he growled out, "Leave. Now."

I didn't know who was at the door. But I managed to hear it close through the sobbing, breathless mess that was me. Cameron shushed me, brushing hair from my tear stained cheeks, locking it behind my ears to stare down into my face.

"Little bird, you scared the living crap out of me. I swear—" he closed his eyes, breathing steadily. "I wish you didn't have dreams." They aren't just dreams, I wanted to say. But he knew that already. They came true. They... "Easy, Nina. Slow your breathing. Whatever happened, wherever you went, it doesn't matter. Because you're here with me, I'm here with you. Holding you," Cam angled my head, curling a finger under my chin, tilting it. He swooped down to take my mouth in his. The kiss was soft and slow, so delicate I had to fight myself on grabbing his face and pressing harder.

My arms snuck around his chest, grounding myself to him afraid I'd float away. Back into that horror show. Nails dug into his shirt—eliciting a guttural sound. Cam liked when I racked my nails along his skin, just like I liked it when he nibbled my neck's arch. It'd been two days since Phillip turned, two days of Cameron constantly watching his brother's every move and getting him blood bags. This was the first real kiss since I'd gotten him back and I hadn't realized how much I needed this—him—until now.

"Nina," He moaned, a heavy hand trailed from my knee, along my thigh and over my hip. Nimble fingers swept under my top, setting my stomach on fire, going further up north. "You're my undoing. How did I spend so long away from you? God," he breathed out, completely doused in bewilderment.

I didn't know how or when, but I was lying on my back. Cameron straddled me, kissing and exploring. My heart was racing for different reasons, my tears had stopped and all I could think about was: closer. Our lips locked. We breathed through our noses, inhaling each other's hardy exhales. My body arched and Cam didn't waste time, he pulled my green top off, dumping it somewhere.

I gasped. I could never get used to his touch—I didn't want to. Cam brushed the twin peaks stabbing through my bra's cloth. His mouth devoured mine as I murmured his name again and again, short of breath. Left hand cupped my right breast, squeezing. Holly... Cameron pulled down the cup, breaking our kiss. I whined softly, lifting my head to chase after his swollen mouth. That delicious temptation... His obsidian eyes glinted in the darkness, promising me something—Ah! He kept his eyes on me as I let myself fall back, enjoying his mouth—his tongue—circling my nipple.

Jesus. I dug my fingers deep into his silky hair, willing myself not to scream. I dug my legs from underneath him, wrapping them around Cam's hips, caging him in. My hands fumbled with his t-shirt. Cameron lifted himself fast, letting me pull it off, before pulling down the bra on my other breast, flicking his tongue over the hardened tip.

"Oh... Cam..." My hands explored his shoulders. Soft skin. Unmarked. I traced the crescent moon tattoo on his left shoulder blade, he shuddered. I carved my nails and he arched, looking down at me with utter passion. Desire. "Oh, darling, I've missed you..." I whispered into his ear, giving him a kiss under his earlobe. "Cameron?" His lips were enamored with my neck, it was so hard to focus on words. And still, I didn't need to think about what I wanted to say. It was so true, so pure, it was automatic. "I would go crazy without you."

He said nothing, but he nuzzled my neck lovingly. Then one of his hands headed south. It was easy to get under the band of my sleeping shorts—a breath choked in my throat. Cameron lifted his face, showing a growing smile. Hello dimples. My face broke into a fat smile—an epic smile. I cupped his face as he slowly brushed me, worked to diffuse me. My arms wrapped around his neck, I moved against his hand in the thrall of it all—I could feel him wanting me, with every caress, with my grinding movement, I felt him.

I wanted him. Closer. Couldn't ever get close enough. I rocked against him one last time, he trapped his name in my mouth, kissing me hard.

I couldn't get him on his back fast enough. Getting his belt loose, popping the button and slipping his jeans off happened so fast Cameron gave a hearty laugh. My soul rejoiced at the sound. He wasn't lost, hadn't been driven crazy—he was alright. He'd held on for me. My Prince of Darkness. So handsome, so breathtakingly perfect for me.

My lashes lowered as I came up from trailing kissed down his chiseled chest.

"You consume me," I told him intensely, a hand laid over his heart. Cam fisted a hand in my shoulder length hair, pulling me gently.

"Little bird," he gazed inside my eyes with pure devotion, like he worshiped me, it was staggering. "There are no words... 'I love you' doesn't even come close. Te amo," Italian for: I love you. I'd learned that much. "We need..." His eyes quickly jumped to his bag. Cam licked his lips. "That's if you want to—"

"I want to," I said urgently. "I need you. So much. What I saw..." My voice broke as the memory—images—fought their way back in. I flinched.

Cameron drew his arms around me.

"Shh," he crushed me against him, his nose brushed my forehead affectionately. I closed my eyes feeling indestructible in Cam's embrace. Nothing could touch me or him. "We're not talking about what you saw now—this is a moment. One of those stolen ones?" I smiled against his peck. Yeah, I loved our stolen moments. We had to enjoy them, they were brief.

I rolled out of bed, his bag as destination and returned to him with protection. He dug his way inside me, pausing when I winced. I nodded after the sting grew familiar, vanishing after a few rocking of our hips. Cameron rolled us over slowly enough, making sure we were still one, and breathed a sigh once I stood back, on top. He looked mesmerized. I smiled down, his hands were on my hips, guiding our tempo. Every downstairs muscle worked, contracting. Every wave was made of bliss. Pleasure. It was a good thing I'd been sleeping on a mattress—I think a bed would be too noisy.

I bit my lip when Cam rocked his hips harder—faster. God! My nails broke skin. Tiny half moons carved into his pecks. He missed a breath—plenty breaths. I pushed down harder, burrowing him deeper. I threw back my head. This time, my scream echoed off the walls. I didn't care, couldn't be bothered with it. There was nothing to be embarrassed over—not with Cameron. Cameron's 'almost' proved true minutes later. I stopped moving gladly, falling onto him, lying with my face in the crook of his neck.

"I love you," Cam confessed again, smiling. "I'm in love with you, Nina." He claimed in a sexy worn-out voice. He pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead. His lips lingered.

"I love you, too, Cam. I never felt something so strong. So... real." He grunted his agreement, catching his breaths.

A little later, we were dressed—Cameron wearing only boxers and me my top and shorts—under the covers, my head laid on his chest. Cam's left arm was snuck around me, that hand caressed the length of my forearm up and down. He was humming my song—the one he'd written, composed, for me. I knew what he was doing, trying to lull me to sleep. But returning to sleepy-land was the last thing I wanted.

"It started with a wild goose chase. I was running through halls—full of mirrors." I moved my legs closer to his, tangling them. Loved his warmth. I explained about the book and how me—my Power—had warned that I needed said book. Why? No idea. "I felt a terrible fright when it went up in flames, though. And... after that... everything changed. I was standing in a street. There were bodies, Cam. Cars were overturned, buildings were destroyed. I saw—I saw Hellhounds chewing a person like their personal chew toy..." Cam's other arm—which he'd been keeping folded under his head—settled over me, as he rolled onto his side, facing me. "It changed again. I was in a forest and an Angel was dead, his wings were rotting. The trees were white, like the ones in Hell? Do you remember?"

"I can never forget a single detail about Hell, love bird." Either because some things had been awing—the near blue moon's beauty—or because some details, like keeping slaves, punishing them, was too sordid. "But there's more, right?"

I gave a curt nod. My lips felt chappy all of a sudden.

"I... I saw Cain. We—were in Paris. I saw the Eiffel Tower. People were... strung from there. Like some sort of sick decorations. And he was talking—Cain. He... he was talking to me. I—I saw myself in my dream, Cam. I was bleeding out at his feet, he'd cut off... God!" I hid my shriek by pressing into his shoulder. His muscles flexed protectively, reminding me I was safe. "He'd ripped out my tongue."

Goosebumps rose along the arms holding me. Cameron kissed my head over and over, murmuring sweet things, mixed with some pretty creative threats meant for Cain. It was the second time I dreamed about Cain. And just like the first one, when he'd chased me with an entire army of murderous crows, I'd died by plunging into icy water—drowning—I'd dreamed about him killing me twice.

"Nina, there's something I wanted to tell you. It's about Phillip—" Cam's words were cut off by a yell. It came from downstairs. Eyes narrowing, Cam grudgingly unwrapped his safe haven from around me, pushing himself onto his elbows. "What the hell? I thought you said they'd left."

Confused, I sat up, too. Cameron grabbed his jeans, pulling them on. Next, he dawned his wrinkled shirt.

"Who? What's going on?"

"Romeo—I can hear him downstairs. I think he's got my good for nothing uncle, too. Something about..." Cameron trailed off, eyes darkening with revulsion. "Cain," he spat. "I swear, I'm sick of hearing that sicko's name." Ditto.

We bounded downstairs, stopping when we saw Serena standing in the living room. She'd been sleeping on the couch. Because Phillip had been avoiding her. But he was here now, facing Romeo head on. Cameron walked up to the two, edging between them with a push at his brother's chest.

"Have you ever heard of invasion of privacy?"

"I needed somewhere to bring him." Romeo pipped up, waving toward the couch. I stepped closer, burning curiosity demanded I saw who was on it. "This was the closest place. Plus, this house is rented to him 'till the month ends." True. Lucas had rented it from Patty. With what money? I'm sure the Devil didn't concern himself with such trivial matters.

I let out an audible gasp when I saw him. Nothing prepared me. Nothing. I'd met Lucas—Lucifer—as an imposing, intimidating beautiful Fallen Angel. Seeing him in his throne room, hearing his deep voice echo on without him raising it had been frightening. Feeling his Power and being on the receiving end of his threats had been terrifying. But I'd seen his softer side, too. In Etna's memories. Even teasing. But a bloodied Devil with seemingly un-healing cuts on his face, breathing shawllowy?

"What happened to him?" The question came from Phillip—his voice sounded off. Glancing over, I saw him struggling with hiding his fangs. The blood on Lucifer looked dried. Still... it made him crave? Wow. Guess Cam had been right to shadow his twin.

Romeo retorted with a question of his own, realizing Phillip shouldn't be here with us.

"What the bloody hell are you—are those fangs?" Cam side-stepped the Cambion when he tried advancing on his brother. Romeo tilted his head, peering over Cameron's shoulder all the same. "This isn't something you see every day. A Nephilim turned Vampire? Talk about a fall from grace, mate."

Phillip looked flustered.

"Don't mock him," Cameron got up in Romeo's face. "It's doesn't matter what he is, it matters that he's himself again."

"If you say so," the Cambion answered slyly, eyes veering off in Serena's general direction. But said nothing else. "As for him," Romeo's hand pointed down at his boss. "I'm fairly certain Cain happened. I don't know what other being, besides Michael, could do something like this."

"Changed your speech? Before it was: only Michael can go toe-to-toe with Lucifer." Cameron joked bitterly with a fake Brit accent, arms crossed.

Romeo's gray eyebrows rested in a heavy frown.

"Don't look so eager about it, junior."

"Call me junior one more time, I dare you." My boyfriend baited, head cocked. Romeo seemed to find his two functioning neurons, snorting, looking back at Lucas. "Assuming this was Cain, what did he do?"

"Did Lucas find Etna?" I ignored that every person stared a little when I used the Devil's God given name.

"If he did, he didn't tell me a thing. We split up. I went to New Orleans, see who I could trust and who I had to execute—" how charming. "And Lucifer was trailing every grizzly death in a hundred mile radius of Los Angels. He assumed—because of what happened at that club—it had to be Cain." There had been deaths? Grotesque deaths? We hadn't really been watching the news. "I'm supposed to report every day. When he didn't answer my calls a day ago, I followed the GPS on his phone, found him in an abandoned warehouse by the docks. There was blood—from a summoning ritual."

"Lucifer summoned a Fallen?"

Romeo rolled his eyes at the newly turned Vampire, "No. The summoning circle was a call for Lucifer."

Phillip's eyes bulged.

"He can be summoned?"

"Sure. He's Fallen. All Fallens can be called upon. Of course, there are rituals that call no one in specific, meaning they're not obligated to answer you."

"Like the one I did." The younger twin shared absently. "But… if Lucifer can be summoned… He could be obligated to do anything while stuck inside the circle. Isn't that dangerous?"

"Of course it is!" Romeo hissed. "But you can only summon him if you know his true name. No Angel would speak if after the Fall, and when the Fallens fell, he held some sort of commemoration where he had them drink an enchanted wine. It made everyone forget his God given name." But I... Romeo's eyes sparked at my recognition. "What you called him... Lucas... That's his name? It was written on the summoning circle."

I had no idea his name was a big secret.

"I know because of Etna—in her memories she called him that. I had no idea..."

"Then that's how Cain got it. Through Etna." Romeo concluded with a hint of exhaustion. Like he wanted to be done with this circus as much as we did. But then his shoulders arched and his lips moved into a taut line. "No matter. What's important..." he trailed off, frowning with—was that concern? "Is what Cain did after he summoned Lucifer."

"Kicked his ass?" Serena suggested, shrugging.

"I think he means besides that." Phillip murmured being really good at avoiding her eyes. I think this was the longer he'd been in her presence.

Cameron looked down at his uncle, incredulous. Oh, fine. No one was going to suggest or do anything, so I stepped up and although I was still pretty shaken from my dream, I dropped the wall between me and my Power. My Power weeded through Lucas' memories, searching in the fog for Cain, for what happened after the summoning. When I found what I was searching for, I melted into the Devil's skin, but everything was strange. I only got snippets of conversation and whatever I could see was spotty, and...

Was that my soul pinching? So hard it felt it was shrinking in my chest.

"Now you're human. Normal. Average. But hey, it's not all bad. I'll let you live," I strained my senses... But they wouldn't obey. They were unchanging. "Then again, living as a human might be worse than death for you."

I gritted my teeth, moving to my knees, panting. Panting—what? Cain was admiring the stone—the same stone that had crawled its way inside my chest and out. It was pitch dark, like oblivion. Before it'd been see-though crystal.

"Without Power you can't protect anyone," He said in a conversational tone, like talking about his favorite baseball team. He pocketed the stone, smiling nicely enough. I was too old to know those smiles were worst than any other threat. "You can't even keep yourself safe," His boots crunched glass from our fight, he stepped fully inside the summoning circle—drawn in his blood. Cain crouched in front of me. His purple eyes flashing with something sinister. "Without Power you're nothing."

My muscles were burning but I tackled him. I wrapped both hands around his neck, shoving my fingers in the hollow of Cain's throat. I pressed down hard fueled by rage I'd come to know a long time ago in heats of battles. A gurgle left him. He trashed underneath me and I dug my hands in, a sense of thrill filling me for a second. I started smiling, aware of blood coating my teeth, when Cain's cough gave way to a loud laugh.

He was still under me. Not fighting to breathe. At all.

"Fooled you, didn't I?" he said, one eye closed and one open, smirking.

He seized my throat, squeezing so hard my fingers automatically slipped from his neck. Cain smoothly got up, looking at me with mirth. It was instinct, but I hated that I started clawing at his hand—I needed to breathe. My lungs demanded it. My brain was throbbing, playing catch up. I felt weak, like never... before. My soul was constricted, like it was losing size. I felt empty, like some vital part of me had been sucked out like marrow from my bones. A spot... so hollow.

And needing to breathe, this was...

Cain looked puzzled, lifting me off my feet. My legs kicked in mid-air and humiliation burned me worse than the lack of oxygen. My windpipe had been crushed before but it never... hurt. Not like this. Because my healing... mine and Michael's it wasn't healing, not really. It was regeneration.

"What's wrong? You look a little red in the face." My hands weren't clawing, just tapping his now. "Oh, that's right! If humans don't breathe they die. My bad."

My stomach lurched as Cain sent me flying across the room. I smacked shoulder-first into a wall. I caged a yell as my body hit the ground. My shoulder felt broken... dislocated. Unlike all the other times in my existence... The pain stayed. Black spots danced in my vision.

Cain's annoying voice floated somewhere, but all I saw was darkness falling around me. A cocoon.

I came out of Lucas' memory gasping, stumbling heavily into Romeo. He grabbed my shoulders before I tipped back.

"What did you see?"

"Nina, are you alright?"

They were all asking, talking, but I... I stared on at Lucas, sprawled on the couch. Unhealing. In pain that wouldn't evaporate. I was rubbing at my throat still feeling Lucas' wounds on me. Phillip wasn't the only changed person, no. Lucas was human—somehow. Cain he'd... he'd stolen his Power.

"I—" They were going to laugh in my face. The Devil? Human? Ha! Don't be absurd, Nina. But I'd experienced it first hand, Lucifer's soul becoming different, losing its eternal spark. It was mortal now. "I know this will sound insane, but Cain stole Lucas' Power." I managed in a pretty decent undertone, not at all sounding delusional.

Cameron was the first to speak, "He... What?" I nodded.

"But that's not all! When I was in his memory—I felt what he felt—and his soul was changing. Like it was powering down, losing its kick—"

"Becoming human." Romeo tore the words from my mouth. "I've heard enough tales about Angels and Fallens becoming human to know what you're describing."

I glared at Lucas with urgency.

I knew he was bad, very bad. He'd tortured Phillip, used Cameron's well-being to blackmail me, dragged Serena to Hell and used her, too. Dear Lord, I'd seen every thought, felt every feeling, seen everything he'd done through Etna's memory when she'd plunged her hand inside his chest. And still, I found some part of me shared some sort of kingship with him. Maybe because he'd gone to great lengths to get Etna back, because he was the only person beside Cam who understood what Twin Flames meant. Because Etna had seen how deeply he'd once cared for his family, how betrayed he'd felt by Michael.

"You said it took you a day to find him? He needs a hospital!" Romeo looked dumbfounded. I wanted to laugh, but Lucas' whizzed breath stopped me.

"Or we can just kill him." Cam suggested blandly. Romeo gathered his wits at that, lip curling in menace. "I really don't understand your blind loyalty. Because of him Rory is dead. You pretended to help us find Phillip as some sick game because Lucifer desired it. You betrayed us—betrayed her. And for what? His amusement? If you loved her, how can you stand to see his face? How can you stand to see him getting the girl, while all you're left with is a hole?"

Romeo's gray eyes sharpened like a sword's polished edge.

"Your brother tried to kill you. Trapped you in a hexed Cube. He wanted you to rot in there—forever. But here you are, Cameron, still loyal to him."

"That was different. He wasn't himself."

"Different? Of course it was." The Cambion said sweetly, patronizing Cam as if he were a child. "And what if he'd managed to kill her?" The Cambion gesture leisurely towards me. "Would you still have forgiven him? Would the answer still be 'he wasn't himself'?"

Cameron angled his face subtly, away from his brother's prying eyes. Black eyes avoided mine, too, as if to hide some unforgiving blemish on his soul.

"He's my brother,"

"That's not a yes," Lucas' right hand said quickly, smug. "In any case, my reasons are my own. So, to refute your hard thought suggestion, if you try killing him your girlfriend's dead before she hits the floor."

Cameron's upper lip curled in a snarl. Romeo stepped up to him while staring into his eyes like some caged beast about to be released after weeks of starvation. What a bunch of macho crap!

"Stop!" I yelled shoving my hands into both their chests, glaring at Romeo. "Do you really want to threaten the only person in this room, who—besides you—doesn't want to outright kill him? Stop baiting each other. It's stupid, pointless and beyond old at this point. Cain just stole Lucas' Power! I don't know how much that amounts to, but I'm going to say a ton-crap-load of Power. What do you think he's going to do with it? Build shelters for homeless people? I don't think so. I just saw the world in a very destroyed state, okay? And guess who was there? Cain. So, maybe Cain's going to jumpstart the fucking apocalypse."

Feeling empowered as both guys stared, Romeo gobsmacked and Cam winded with a hint of pride, I pointed at Lucas whose eyes were moving fervently behind closed eyelids.

"He's human. He needs to be treated, he's hurt, thirsty and probably starving. Keep bickering or put your differences aside. Because there's someone everyone hates in this room and that's Cain."

"The enemy of my enemy... is my friend." The three-centuries-old Cambion stated, edging back two steps.

I turned to Cameron, my eyebrows arched. He looked uncomfortable for a second, for having to back down, but conceded in the end. He breathed a deep sigh falling back enough to lean on the wall, where Lucas' twin katanas hung. Exhaling, I felt a little blush coming on. That... had felt liberating, I hid a smirk.

"I can help Lucifer recover." Serena's hair was in a long ponytail, thrown over one shoulder. She was toying with it, twirling it around her finger. Her eyes slid to Phillip's, but just a little, like she was daring him to disagree, to interfere. His only reaction was a jaw flex and a steady exhale. "I owe you for saving my life. Even if you took me to Hell afterward, you did save me from Uriel." Her tone grew a tad colder, "I do this and we're even, Cambion."

"Fine by me, Bellwood."

I resisted clapping my hands like Dawn did when everything was going her way.

"Great! Since we're all on the same page, you can take him up to the second room on the left."

Phillip broke his statue pose, yelling, "That's my room!"

"You and Serena can share the living room. it's big enough. Sleep on the floor." I shrugged. Serena was helping my cause, I would gladly help hers. Phillip needed a kick in the ass. Cam wouldn't give him one? I just had.

Romeo was already complying with my order before Phill retaliated. Cam gave me a know-it-all smile, gone in a wink, so his brother wouldn't see. Cam went sourcing the attic for spare blankets for his brother and I found myself heading for Phillip's room, where Romeo was. Accommodating Lucas. This was too strange. I never thought I'd witness Lucifer in such a bad shape. I actually felt sorry for him. Cain said it best: he was going to live out his days as a human. Lucas had fallen because he thought humans were flawed creatures who would destroy themselves in the end. He'd refused to bow to mankind and protect it.

"Has he been unconscious since you found him?"

"I think so. But he's in pain. He winces every time his shoulder—" he pointed to the Devil's left shoulder. "Jolts." Add that to the strange things in life, I told myself. That ugly five-finger bruising on his throat hurt, too. It hurt just from looking at it. "You're not afraid of me anymore." Romeo commented, tearing his eyes from Lucifer's sickened form and glaring curiously at me.

"Well, it took awhile to erase your first impression. You know, of you ripping off a Vampire's arm and head?" I didn't really know what to say. Only that Romeo didn't freak me out as badly as... Cain. "You loved Rory, didn't you? But you also love Lucas because he saved you and raised you, didn't he? He's like your father." Romeo stayed silent, glaring at Lucas again. "I heard something about how he saved you in Etna's memories."

He sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I need to find someone. Can you... stay with him? Until I get back."

"Who?" I ignored the furtive look. "If we're working together you can't deceive us anymore. It's not easy to trust someone with your track-record."

"I wasn't going to deceive you," he muttered. "I have to leave San Diego in order to find an Angel. There aren't a lot roaming the Earth, but there a few ones, the Grigori. I have to find one and explain what happened so that... so that Michael knows."

"Huh, I'm just throwing it out there, but I don't think he's going to like that." I mumbled pointing at the guy on the bed.

Romeo gave a mighty shrug, "He's human. I don't think Michael will kill him now." He didn't...? Ha... great. "You'll watch him then, yeah?" I nodded. He walked around me once I said it, slowly, than he disappeared using his Cambion speed. And just like that, I was stuck babysitting a human-turned Lucas.