Good Intentions (69 page)

She glanced at Lorelei, who looked at her with much the same question. “You wouldn’t be able to see anything but me,” Rachel told him. “Lorelei might be able to see, or might not. It would al depend. They’l definitely gather on holy ground, though. Might fuck her up.” “Have you any say in which site?” Lorelei wondered. “I dunno. I might.” She fell silent for a moment. “You really want to come with me?” “I love you,” Alex said simply. “You wouldn’t let me face something like this alone.” “You dove into hell for Alex and for me,” Lorelei agreed. “What sort of lover would I be if I did less for you?” Rachel’s attention shifted to Lorelei. She was stunned. “I am admittedly new to the concept,” Lorelei smiled fondly, “but I have had an excel ent teacher, and what I have learned from him would seem to apply.” Chapter 19

Redemption

“I’m gonna lose my fucking job.” “Huh. You and me both,” Rachel agreed dryly. “You will not lose your job, Alex,” Lorelei said. “For al anyone at your office knows, you are still recovering from being shot last week. It’s entirely understandable. Besides, you have me to help you straighten things out.” The three sat on a simple bench in the courtyard of St. Mark’s Cathedral with Rachel in the middle. Each of the

others held one of the angel’s hands. The angel was back to wearing her simple white dress. Alex turned to look at Lorelei, who watched her surroundings passively through sleek sunglasses. She wore her stylish skirt suit once again. “I thought you didn’t want me to have a job anyway?” Alex asked in a joking tone. “Doesn’t it get in the way of my constantly getting laid?” A quiet smile spread under Lorelei’s sunglasses. “I have seen your office in your dreams, Alex. It’s like a law firm on a television show. So many lovely ladies. I would hate to take you away from such a playground before you’ve had a chance to truly enjoy it.” “Okay, stop. We seriously need to stop with this. No more girlfriends, no more flings…I’ve got more than enough of that in my life with you two, and things are still kind of up in the air with Onyx. And Mol y, apparently. And it’s not like Taylor’s…Ugh. I’m a slut.” “Can I just point out one thing in al this?” Rachel asked. “One thing. Then I’l let it al go.” “Sure,” Alex said, glad to finally have an ally in his struggle for self-control. “Absolutely. Speak up. This totally involves you, too. Tel her what’s up.” Rachel turned to him and said, “You got into this whole mess because of your conscience,” she smirked. “Thinking with your cock hasn’t gotten you into trouble once yet.” Alex’s jaw dropped. Lorelei al owed a sly grin. “Thank you, love,” she murmured. Silence held between the three of them for a long moment. Eventual y, Alex realized that the two women were watching something, though al he saw was an unoccupied church. Rachel’s expression had turned a bit grave. Lorelei maintained her poker face, yet even with her sunglasses on Alex could tel that she was tracking something with her gaze. “What is it?” Alex asked. “Are they here?” “They have been here for some time,” Lorelei answered. “We are only now being approached.”

Rachel seemed to be watching someone or something approach as Lorelei spoke. Alex could see that she was becoming anxious. “Alex,” she said quietly, “close your eyes for a second.” “Huh?” he asked. “Please. Just a second.” He did so. When he opened them again, he saw a woman’s hand pulling away from his face. The woman was tal and blonde, dressed much like Rachel but appearing to be a good twenty years older. Like Rachel, she was very beautiful. Also like Rachel, the woman had large, white wings that grew from her back. There was boundless kindness in her eyes. “Hel o, Alex,” the angel said with a soft smile. There was an odd note of familiarity in her voice. “Do you know me?” Alex asked. She tilted her head to one side a bit. “I did once, a very long time ago, though you did not know me. I am Hannah.” She paused. “I am sure you have been told many times how little there is that can be explained to a mortal, but I will say that it is very nice to finally speak with you.” Hannah’s gaze turned to Rachel. Alex saw that his lover looked to the other angel with an expression of sincere, obvious respect, but also nervousness. “Is it time?” Rachel asked. Hannah nodded. “We have been ready for a short while. No one was certain whether you meant to merely speak with Alex and Lorelei here before coming inside or not. After awhile the waiting became a bit awkward.” Rachel shrugged. “I’m ready.” “May we accompany her?” Lorelei asked. “We considered that this might be your intent,” Hannah frowned. “It is highly unusual for an angel to show herself to a

mortal as I have to Alex just now, but I thought it reasonable and ultimately harmless. He has seen so much already. But to bring him inside for such a congress might perhaps be going a bit far. And as you have already no doubt sensed, the cathedral is not exactly wellcoming to one such as yourself…though be assured that no angel here will do you any harm, Lorelei. You have more than proven yourself to be an exception among your kind.” Alex bristled at that, but Lorelei merely tilted her head in something of a bow. “I am honored,” the succubus said simply. “Rachel shouldn’t have to face this alone,” Alex frowned. “She will not be harmed, and the matter will be resolved quite swiftly,” Hannah assured him. “This is neither a trial nor an inquest. There is no need for a lengthy and dramatic debate. Those who sit in judgment are ready to announce their decisions as soon as Rachel enters.” “She doesn’t even get to say anything in her own defense?!” Alex blinked. “They already know everything,” Rachel shrugged quietly. “I did what I did.” “Indeed,” Hannah agreed. “There is not much to discuss, merely for Rachel to face the judgment of her actions by her peers and superiors.” “Al the more reason for those who love her to stand beside her,” Lorelei said. Hannah blinked. She did not lose her composure, but the statement clearly caught her attention. She looked from one face before her to the next. “You love her, Lorelei?” “I do,” Lorelei replied simply. “Just as I love Alex.” Hannah fell silent for a long moment. Again, she looked to each of them thoughtful y. “For Alex, this would merely be inappropriate. For you, this could be acutely painful. Are you sure?”

“It is far less than what Rachel and Alex both faced on my behalf last night.” “Nor is her situation as grave as yours was. Again, I expect the cathedral will prove to be a place of great pain for you.” “I will endure,” Lorelei said. “You don’t have to do this, Lorelei,” Rachel whispered. “I do,” Lorelei told her. The angel then looked to Alex. “Tel her not to go in there. Please.” “I can’t do that,” Alex shook his head. “You can totally do that. She gets hot when you boss her around. She’l obey you.” He shrugged. “It’s not like that. We’re in this together.” Rachel looked pleadingly at each of them again, then back up at Hannah with a helpless expression. The older angel simply nodded. “Very well ,” Hannah said. “Please come with me.” “You can’t seriously think you won’t catch shit for this,” Rachel said. “I’l simply attribute it to your terrible influence,” Hannah smirked. She led the three to the cathedral. “Alex, what happens here will likely seem very disjointed and confusing to you because you lack a great deal of context. Much of what you see will not stay in your memory long. This is natural. Do not be alarmed when your recollection of this day becomes cloudy.” Alex frowned a bit. “Awesome. I’m confused already,” he said.

“That’s the spirit,” Rachel snorted. She squeezed his hand before letting go. As they came close to the cathedral’s doors, Alex saw hazy shapes fade into his vision. The closer he got, the more they looked like people, until finally he realized he was standing among angels. They were of every ethnicity and a range of ages, from young adults like Rachel to those who looked much older than Hannah. The only unifying factors were that they were al healthy, vibrant, dressed al in white, and seemed rather surprised as Alex, Lorelei and Rachel approached. Some even looked a bit awed. Hannah faded right through the doorway. Rachel half-frowned and half-smirked as she opened the door for her companions. As she came to the steps of the cathedral, Lorelei took in a sharp, audible breath. Alex immediately took her hand. Rachel reached out to do so as well , but Lorelei waved it off. “I will be fine,” Lorelei said in a strained, quiet voice. “We are with you.” The angel frowned. She didn’t like it, but she kept walking a few steps ahead. As much as she wanted to reach out to Lorelei, neither woman wanted there to be any ambiguity as to who held whose hand for support in front of the other angels. Rachel glanced at Alex, who nodded and stuck close to Lorelei. Then she turned and moved in to the cathedral. As Alex fol owed, he felt Lorelei tremble and tense. She walked with much the same stiffness as she had the night before. There were no boils upon her, nor burns on her skin as Rob Gorge had suffered, but she was clearly in a lot of pain. The succubus kept her gaze fixed on Rachel’s back. They passed through the foyer. Alex saw that it was full of angels, most of them talking amongst themselves until Rachel walked through. She caught their attention and silenced conversation as she passed. When Alex and Lorelei fol owed, however, there were open gasps of disbelief. The main chamber of the cathedral took Alex’s breath away. As he fol owed Rachel inside, he found the entire space awash in the bright white light of several hundred angels. There were so many of them on the floor that dozens more

hovered above in the space offered by the vaulted ceiling. Part of him wanted to run away and hide. Part of him felt small and insignificant. Part of him wanted to sink to his knees and beg forgiveness for every misdeed in this life and anything he could remember from the scattered pieces of his former lives. The part of him that could not bear to let down Rachel or Lorelei kept him walking. There was conversation in the cathedral before, as there had been in the lobby, but it al hushed in a ripple of silence as Rachel entered. Angels in the aisle parted for her. Rachel walked slowly toward the altar, where half a dozen angels stood like some sort of committee. They al looked up at her gravely. Then they saw the mortal and the demon at his side. “Blasphemy!” shouted one of them. Vincent’s face twisted in rage. He immediately drew his sword. It was larger than Rachel’s, burning with greater intensity. An orb of light glowed brightly in the pommel. “That wretched thing does not belong here!” “She comes in peace,” Hannah replied as Vincent strode forward, “and in love. She is also under my protection here. You will not harm her, Vincent. Put away your sword.” “You go too far, Hannah,” Vincent growled. “Hel o, Vincent,” Lorelei said cool y. It cut off the retort that Rachel was about to throw out. She turned to the succubus with her jaw hanging open. Alex felt a bit surprised, too, but he didn’t exactly know why this seemed any stranger than anything else that was happening. “You know him?” Rachel blinked. “Yes. Not in a Biblical sense,” Lorelei added with a small grin made al the more enigmatic by her sunglasses. “But we have met.” She was still looking at Vincent, whose face remained gripped with anger yet he no longer moved forward. “I am unsurprised he has never mentioned this to anyone. His advances were rather oafish.”

Vincent shook with even greater indignation and rage. “One more word from your foul mouth in this space and I will —!” “Stop this!” shouted Lawrence. He stood at the altar, looking on with disapproval. “Hannah,” he said more calmly, “why have you brought us to the sight of this mortal? Why have you brought this demon among us?” Hannah did not answer right away. She looked calmly at Vincent until he glanced over to her, then held out her hand in a gesture to walk with her to the altar. At length, he did just that. Rachel fol owed, standing before the steps to the altar. Alex and Lorelei fol owed Rachel in turn, but stopped between the first pews. Once she stood among the rest of the council of angels, Hannah said simply, “You might ask them that yourself, Lawrence.” The bald angel’s eyes narrowed. He looked to the pair standing in the aisle and asked, “Why have you come?” “We love her,” Alex answered simply. Once more, there were assorted gasps and murmurs of disbelief. “She’s apparently in trouble with you guys. We wanted to be here for her.” “Your love for Rachel and for the succubus is as plain as day to us, Alexander,” Lawrence replied. “It is also much of the reason why Rachel stands here today. You should not know Rachel at al , but that was beyond her control. To be loved is not a crime; your feelings toward her are not at al at issue. Yet her feelings for you are inappropriate to a guardian angel, and moreover, her actions in fol owing those emotions are a transgression of the practices of Heaven.” Alex frowned. “I’m told I’m gonna have to take your word for that.” “You will ,” Lawrence replied flatly. Alex paused. He was, after al , standing in a cathedral packed with angels. “Okay,” he gulped. “To hear this claim of love from a succubus, though, is curious.”

“It may be curious, but it is true,” Lorelei said. “Our time together has been limited, yet I find myself fall ing in love with Rachel as I have with Alex.” Rachel’s chest rose and sank with a heavy breath. She kept her silence. “What would you know of love?” Vincent scowled. “As much as anyone might through observation and self-education,” Lorelei answered, more for the assembly than for Vincent. “It should come as no shock that I have gone through the motions of love many times in my past. I have worn it as a mask. I have used it as a weapon. Yet in recent days I have come to find love in my heart for Alex, and for Rachel. He has taught me so much, and would never have had the chance to do so but for Rachel’s decisions as his guardian.” “Demons lie,” Vincent sneered. “Not on holy ground, they do not,” Hannah noted softly. “Not this one.” Lawrence and the other angels looked at Lorelei for a long, silent moment. Finally he turned to his fell ows at the altar. There was nothing said, merely nods—from al except Vincent, who seemed somehow left out. “Let us dispense with the matter of the prisoner first,” Lawrence said. Alex frowned. He would have rather had them move on with Rachel’s issue first rather than dragging things out. She looked up at him and Lorelei, seeming a bit sad, then back down at her feet. Another aisle was cleared. There were murmurs and grumbles as a pair of angels brought Lydia toward the altar. Each of them held one of her arms. She walked without being dragged or pushed. Lydia wore the same tattered dress as from the night before, but this time she did nothing to conceal her demonic features. Her tail whipped about irritably, much like that of a cat ready to lash out in anger. As she walked, she frequently winced and grunted in pain. “Lydia, servant of Baal,” Vincent cal ed out. “You have entered my dominion and plied your trade as is your kind’s purpose. Yet you turned your activities toward a mortal who walked under the protection of Heaven’s light. You