Fallen Angel

Chapter 70: Emily

Brannon didn't know it just yet, but that spike lock that I'd jammed into his foot was gone. I'd gone against the orders to keep it in there until the meeting was over. I did it so that if he had to run, he could. I wanted him free, not caged.

They had agreed that so long as he had the spike lock in him, they wouldn't cuff him. I'd had to negotiate that one, Michael was determined to get his own way and made the entire negotiation difficult. I could understand why the devil wasn't his greatest fan.

We appeared in the reception area of the building rather than the devil's office, I wanted Brannon to ease himself into being back home. The receptionist smiled at us.

"Hey Bran, good to see you home again."

"Thanks Nolia."

"For what it's worth, we're on your side. The demons know and understand and if you want an uprising, then you just need to say the word. We'll be there for you."

She smiled again, turning to the door that opened. The devil stood at the doorway, a little shocked and a looking rather relieved. He walked over and engulfed Brannon in a hug, it had to be the sweetest thing I'd ever seen the devil do. Even the affection that I'd seen him give his wife wasn't as loving as this.

Of course, Brannon looked embarrassed. I turned to the receptionist who looked at them, ready to gush at how adorable it was. Then Michael stepped out of the office and ruined everything.

"I've got better things to be doing then waiting for you two to stop with the theatrics."

Why had I gone to him for help? Did I really think that there was no one else that I could have turned to? Even Gabriel would have been a better choice. But I'd followed the whispers, I was lead to him which made me wonder who it was that had done that. Maybe it was Michael all along. Maybe he wanted me to go to him rather than someone else. It seemed that yet again, I'd been played.

"I've been played. Do you think he's behind this?"

The devil looked at me curiously then shook his head.

"This isn't Michael's style. There is someone else behind this and is using him as the scapegoat. After all, he is who we would all assume is behind this. But no, I do not think that Michael is wholly responsible. In fact, I think he's being played too."

That was an interesting thought, that maybe there was someone else that was involved. It was natural to assume that Michael would want this, that yet again he had done all that he could to make those who lived in hell behave.

We walked into the office, Nick and Cerberus were gone. Instead there was a top level deus angel to oversee everything. Her glowing robes floated to the floor, a scroll sat to one side of her with a quill ready to take notes of what was said. She looked at me like I was nothing to her which was not unusual.

"Alright, let's get this over and done with, shall we?" Michael said, standing beside the other angel.

The devil sat on one side of Brannon, me on the other. As for his mother, I'd heard the devil mutter that having her near Michael again wasn't exactly ideal. Something about fire pokers was muttered even lower. I knew that she'd impaled him with one just after Brannon's birth but I thought that their issues had been resolved. I guess not, considering Michael's insistence on his involvement in the current issue.

"We the people." Michael began.

"Sorry." I interrupted. "But what people?"

"Heaven." He said, looking as if he thought I should know that.