kept that to herself as she withdrew the needle from Gethel’s arm. The tiny puncture sealed instantly. “So what, exactly, do you want me to do?”
“Satan wants to make sure nothing is wrong with Lucifer.”
“And I want to survive the birth.” Gethel bared her teeth at Blaspheme. “Fix it.”
“Weren’t you the one who didn’t mind him being born full grown?”
“That’s different. If he’s born an infant, he’ll need a mother.”
Blaspheme blinked in surprise. She’d have pegged Gethel as the type of mother that left her kid in the car while she partied and picked up men in a bar. “Why did the archangels’ efforts fail?”
Revenant chimed in. “Because I bound Limos’s womb so it couldn’t support any child but her own.”
Gethel ran her tongue over her lips in a raunchy display. “Revenant is such a good little minion of evil.”
Yes, apparently he was. He said he hated Gethel, said he could kill her, but he’d saved Lucifer’s life. No matter what, she had to remember that he was working for Satan, and he wasn’t a good guy.
As if you’ve been a model citizen
. No, she hadn’t been. She’d been conceived in sin, and within moments of her birth, she’d been bathed in a double evil: the blood of a demon, a False Angel taken as an unwilling sacrifice. But she’d long ago chosen a life path that would honor her father… and the female her mother used to be. Blaspheme might have been born of evil, but she refused to let it define her.
“Okay,” she said, anxious to get the hell out of here, “I think I have enough. Gethel, your diet sucks. Stop eating infants and eat more leafy greens.”
Gethel’s head snapped up. “Lucifer needs blood.”
Blaspheme jammed her hands on her hips. “Those bags under your eyes, the dark color of your blood, those nasty blue veins running across your cheeks… those are all signs of vitamin A and fiber deficiency. Do you know what vitamin A deficiency does in fallen angel pregnancies? It causes extra huge babies with birth defects.” Such a huge lie. All of it. She had no idea if the female was nutritionally deficient or not, and she didn’t give a shit. She did, however, want her to stop eating children. “But suit yourself. You still have three months to go and your kid is the size of a toddler already, but whatever.”
She turned to Revenant and drew him aside. “You weren’t completely forthcoming about Gethel and the baby.” She inhaled a bracing breath, preparing herself for Revenant’s reaction to the topic she was about to bring up. “I was under the assumption that the child was
emim
, not
vyrm
.”
“Oh, now your precious ethics are being tested?”
“No. But knowingly associating with
vyrm
is a death sentence.”
“As it should be,” he said darkly, chilling her to the bone and answering any questions she’d had about how he regarded her kind. “But clearly, this case is unique. I’m not even sure Lucifer will be classified as
vyrm
, since Gethel was divested of her wings and given the boot from Heaven while she was pregnant. Lucifer could still be
emim
. Or maybe something new. Like
vemim
.” He grinned. “See what I did there? Like how lunch and dinner is
linner
.
Vemim
.”
“You can notify
Webster’s
of your new term later.” She gestured to Gethel, who was dragging her fingers through her stringy hair and coming away with big clumps. “I highly recommend that Gethel go to UG for an ultrasound and amniocentesis.” Blas needed those damned stem cells.
“Don’t you have portable machines?”
“Yes, but —”
“Good.” Revenant shoved off the pillar in a graceful surge. “Then you can bring one when you come back.”
“I’m not coming back.” She mashed her equipment into the duffel and stood, hoping he’d cave in to her demand. She would much rather he bring Gethel to her than have to come back to this horror show. “If you want an ultrasound, you’ll bring her to the clinic like a normal
“Satan wants to make sure nothing is wrong with Lucifer.”
“And I want to survive the birth.” Gethel bared her teeth at Blaspheme. “Fix it.”
“Weren’t you the one who didn’t mind him being born full grown?”
“That’s different. If he’s born an infant, he’ll need a mother.”
Blaspheme blinked in surprise. She’d have pegged Gethel as the type of mother that left her kid in the car while she partied and picked up men in a bar. “Why did the archangels’ efforts fail?”
Revenant chimed in. “Because I bound Limos’s womb so it couldn’t support any child but her own.”
Gethel ran her tongue over her lips in a raunchy display. “Revenant is such a good little minion of evil.”
Yes, apparently he was. He said he hated Gethel, said he could kill her, but he’d saved Lucifer’s life. No matter what, she had to remember that he was working for Satan, and he wasn’t a good guy.
As if you’ve been a model citizen
. No, she hadn’t been. She’d been conceived in sin, and within moments of her birth, she’d been bathed in a double evil: the blood of a demon, a False Angel taken as an unwilling sacrifice. But she’d long ago chosen a life path that would honor her father… and the female her mother used to be. Blaspheme might have been born of evil, but she refused to let it define her.
“Okay,” she said, anxious to get the hell out of here, “I think I have enough. Gethel, your diet sucks. Stop eating infants and eat more leafy greens.”
Gethel’s head snapped up. “Lucifer needs blood.”
Blaspheme jammed her hands on her hips. “Those bags under your eyes, the dark color of your blood, those nasty blue veins running across your cheeks… those are all signs of vitamin A and fiber deficiency. Do you know what vitamin A deficiency does in fallen angel pregnancies? It causes extra huge babies with birth defects.” Such a huge lie. All of it. She had no idea if the female was nutritionally deficient or not, and she didn’t give a shit. She did, however, want her to stop eating children. “But suit yourself. You still have three months to go and your kid is the size of a toddler already, but whatever.”
She turned to Revenant and drew him aside. “You weren’t completely forthcoming about Gethel and the baby.” She inhaled a bracing breath, preparing herself for Revenant’s reaction to the topic she was about to bring up. “I was under the assumption that the child was
emim
, not
vyrm
.”
“Oh, now your precious ethics are being tested?”
“No. But knowingly associating with
vyrm
is a death sentence.”
“As it should be,” he said darkly, chilling her to the bone and answering any questions she’d had about how he regarded her kind. “But clearly, this case is unique. I’m not even sure Lucifer will be classified as
vyrm
, since Gethel was divested of her wings and given the boot from Heaven while she was pregnant. Lucifer could still be
emim
. Or maybe something new. Like
vemim
.” He grinned. “See what I did there? Like how lunch and dinner is
linner
.
Vemim
.”
“You can notify
Webster’s
of your new term later.” She gestured to Gethel, who was dragging her fingers through her stringy hair and coming away with big clumps. “I highly recommend that Gethel go to UG for an ultrasound and amniocentesis.” Blas needed those damned stem cells.
“Don’t you have portable machines?”
“Yes, but —”
“Good.” Revenant shoved off the pillar in a graceful surge. “Then you can bring one when you come back.”
“I’m not coming back.” She mashed her equipment into the duffel and stood, hoping he’d cave in to her demand. She would much rather he bring Gethel to her than have to come back to this horror show. “If you want an ultrasound, you’ll bring her to the clinic like a normal
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