Devery froze at the sound of the voice in her skull, soft and pleasant like a velvety whiskey burning through her veins.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time Devery. Your powers have grown since you were a child."

Her hands fisted at her side. She had never shown any sign of her powers as a child. As far as she knew, they had come from Miles—she hadn't had any power before his death.

"I suppose you would think so. Do you remember your blocks as a child? How they would dance in the air?"

She hesitated; she could remember that. But she had always put that memory off as childish thinking, something she had imagined rather than reality. Had she really had powers as a child?

"Indeed you did. Even then I knew who you were and what you were destined for. I knew what my brothers intended for humanity and what my father would do in turn. I knew everything that would befall your world."

For the first time anger provoked her to speak back.

"Then why not do something about it?" she demanded.

Low laughter filled her skull and she clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

"Would a human stoop to help an ant with its burden? No. Nor would I move to prevent what was coming when it would so greatly benefit me."

"Selfish prick," Devery muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Or is that your father? The man who would impregnate your mother and then leave to save the world?"

"He's dead, what do I care if he left," she muttered, annoyed.

"Is he?" Lucifer replied archly.

"That's what your father told me. I trust his words a hell of a lot more than yours," she snapped.

Lucifer's laughter rang through the room this time and she shrugged her shoulders nervously.

"Understandable. However, your father is not as dead as you might think. Well, he's also not as alive as you might hope."

"Goodie, riddles," Devery replied snippily. "Why don't you try telling me something of value? Like why are you casting an illusion to make it appear as though Noma is pregnant?" she demanded.

"I'm not. She truly carries the chosen child. When it is time, she will bring forth the child and change the world."

"Uh huh…and how's that going to turn out?"

"I'm sure you will see…soon. Now tell me. When will my brothers and sister be here?"

"Shouldn't be too long now. When are you getting your vessel?"

"Soon, Child of Lazarus. Would you like to know who it is?"

"Couldn't give a red hot damn. I'll just kill you."

"I look forward to your attempt."

A moment later his voice filled the large room, "Take her Alex. Hold her until my brothers and sister arrive and then bring them to me."

Alex nodded and grabbed Devery's arm, yanking her up the stairs. She glanced back over her shoulders, but the room remained empty. Still, she felt like there was a pair of eyes on her as they stumbled out of the ruins of the church.

As Alex hauled her back towards the house she glared at him, "When did you get so fucking cold, huh?" she demanded.

He shook his head, "When my child died and I realized it was all the fault of the higher angels…of all the angels. Everything that's ever gone wrong in my life is because of Michael and Gabriel. I'm going to stop them and make it all right again," he insisted.

"You're a goddamned fool if you really believe that," she snapped. "They've both screwed up, royally, I'll admit, but that doesn't give you the right to fuck the rest of humanity over just because you lost your childhood and a child of your own."

She scoffed and struggled against him, forcing him to turn and face her, "You think you're the only one who lost everything? I have no idea who my father is or if he's alive. God says no, Lucifer yes. My mother and grandfather are dead. The man I considered a father died right in front of me because of Gabriel and I've managed to forgive him of that and a hell of a lot more."

She shoved a hand into Alex's chest and restrained the urge to slap him, "I've been hunting 8-balls and angels for decades. Since I was a child! You think you're the only one who knows a little something about pain?" she laughed bitterly, "I grew up on it kid."

"If you're going to follow Lucifer, at least be honest about why." She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice, "You're weak. You'd follow that piece of shit pretending to carry your baby if she told you it was the right thing to do, because you're spineless," she hissed.

Alex glared at her and whirled a hand up and made to backhand her, pausing when she smirked. His breath huffed out and he shook his head, smiling grimly, "Let's go," he muttered, grabbing her arm and dragging her back to the house.

Devery remained quiet as they entered the house, assured she had made her point.

Now she just had to wait.

Michael and Gabriel flew hard into headlong winds, their wings struggling to keep them aloft. A storm had been brewing before their departure and as they flew it only grew stronger, the lighting flashes more frequent, the winds stronger, the scent of death on the air.

They should have been in Mallory hours ago, but with the storm winds buffeting them and slowing them down, they were just now coming within safe landing distance. Gabriel arced towards the ground and began his descent, tumbling to the ground as the wind buffeted him.

Sand spit into his face as Michael landed hard next to him. He coughed and brushed the dirt and sand away, shrugging his shoulders to retract his wings.

"Where are we?" he murmured to Michael, glancing around for some indicator of how close they were to the ruined town.

"Two miles outside of Mallory. Can you sense him?" Michael murmured, brushing off his coat and turned toward the town.

Gabriel could sense Lucifer, like a rotten tooth aching away at the back of his mouth. He nodded and adjusted the cowl of his cape, "Is it time to contact Devery?" he replied softly.

Michael stared up at the sky for a moment before sighing, "Yes. We are late, and I fear Lucifer's powers have grown."

Lightning lit up the sky so brightly that Gabriel could see every line on his brother's face. The air felt pregnant with promise and a moment later the sky broke open, raining down hail the size of baseballs and blood rain.

The wind blew sideways, howling and screaming furiously, pummeling them with hail and blood until they were cowering low to the ground, wings spread to try and protect themselves from harm.

Gabriel laughed hysterically, "I think he's found his vessel!" he shouted over the wind.

"Is that really a laughing matter?" Michael shouted back, his annoyance apparent.

Gabriel shook his head and hunkered down, "It's inevitable," he whispered, swallowing hard. This was exactly what he had feared happening—Lucifer finding his vessel and them, being entirely unable to stop him.

The storm raged harder and louder until the lighting was flashing every few seconds, blinding them both. Gabriel's wings began to tire under the blows from the hail and he was soaked to the bone in blood.

The sky turned white, searing into his eyes and he screwed them shut tightly, wincing at the pain. When the light faded, the storm had stopped; the night air cool and still.

"Hello brothers."

Wind outside the small house blew ferociously, howling and pounding against the windows, and when Devery looked at the filmy panes, she blanched; they were covered in blood rain. Lucifer was growing in power, and she had to get free to stop him.

Devery leaned back against the moldy couch cushions, angling her head to see if Alex or Noma were paying attention to her. They had taken her weapons into the kitchen and zip tied her hands behind her back before securing her ankles, and she was sure that if they were distracted long enough she could get free.

From where she was, she couldn't see either of her captors, but she could still hear their low pitched voices as they whispered out of sight. Slowly she lifted her feet up to the edge of the couch and wiggled until she could slip her bound hands over them, grunting when sensation began to enter her arms again.

Pins and needles tingled up her arms as she leaned down and pulled a small razor blade from a pocket in the bottom of her boots that she had carved out specifically for it. Quickly she sawed through the restraints at her ankles and wrists, pausing to listen for her captors.

Their voices were still murmuring softly in the kitchen and she knew she had only moments to accomplish her task. Slowly she crept to her feet and snuck to the edge of the room, peering longingly at the bundle of her belongings on the table just a few feet from her reach.

The only problem was, the kitchen doorway was between her and what she needed, and if she used her powers to hide her presence, she was certain Lucifer would know. She would have to move fast…that was her only option.

Taking a deep breath she darted across the hardwood floor, wincing as it creaked under her feet, and snatched up the bundle of her clothing, tossing it aside in favor of the walkie talkie that was buried underneath.

She could hear footsteps approaching rapidly from the kitchen and hurried, her fingers trembling as she turned on the walkie. It crackled to life in her hand and she pressed the button.

"Gabriel! Are you there?" she hissed, heart pounding as she waited for a reply.

Dead air filled the room as she was tackled to the ground, the walkie firmly clutched to her chest. A sick sensation filled her as Alex attempted to wrestle the walkie from her, the deafening silence still ringing in her ears.

"Goddamn it Devery, give it to me," Alex grunted, his legs wrapped around hers as he tried to yank the walkie from her chest. Devery whipped her head back and slammed her skull into his nose, grinning when she heard something break.

"Fuck you Alex," she hissed.

The sound of a bullet chambering made Devery still; if she was dead she couldn't complete her mission.

"Let go of it," Noma ordered softly.

Devery inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, assessing her options. If she let go of the walkie, they could destroy it, and along with it, all of her plans.

"Devery! I'm here!"

She grinned.

Gabriel stood drenched in blood, bruised and battered beside Michael, stunned. Lucifer had appeared before them to demand that they cease their assault against him or he would wipe out every last one of the higher angels, all of their human allies, and torture Devery before them.

Practical reasoning had of course failed; you don't reason with madness.

When the walkie at Gabriel's hip crackled to life and Devery's voice rang out, desperate and strangled, he had reached for his, eager to respond. Lucifer had lifted a hand and crooked a finger, stilling him with just a brief motion.

"Ah ah ah," Lucifer had whispered, his eyes glinting with malicious humor. When Michael had lurched forward he lifted his other hand to still him, holding both brothers with his powers. "Now, you won't tell her that I've acquired this body, will you?" he had murmured, smiling faintly.

Gabriel had gritted his teeth, trying to fight the compulsion Lucifer was pushing on them. "You won't respond until I've left," Lucifer had ordered, a cruel smile spreading on his face.

"Go…to…hell," Gabriel had hissed.

Lucifer had laughed bitterly and shook his head, "Oh brother dearest, I've been there, thanks to you. I have no intentions of returning. I'll take my revenge on Heaven and Earth and make them both my own."

Michael had groaned and struggled against the power holding them, "Please, Lucifer, no," he whispered.

Lucifer had cut his eyes to Michael, his gaze darkening. "Your beloved Chosen One is mine now Michael." He looked back to Gabriel and sneered, "I'll kill your Child of Lazarus last, in front of you traitor."

Both angels had struggled at this and Lucifer laughed before releasing them and vanishing abruptly, his laughter ringing in their ears.

Gabriel had fumbled for his walkie, radioing back to Devery immediately. "Devery! I'm here!"

Now though the line remained dead. She hadn't responded and Gabriel knew that she must have been captured, as she thought she might be.

"What are we going to do?" he demanded harshly of Michael, "She's being held in the one place we can't get to without walking directly into a trap!" he shouted.

Michael shook his head, "She has a plan. We know that. Whatever it is, she's worked something out ahead of time with Uriel and we should trust that she knows precisely what she is doing," he replied softly, staring in the direction of Mallory.

"I trust that Lucifer will do everything that he says. He's had millennia to plan his revenge. We have to do something," Gabriel insisted, glaring at his brother.

"What would you like to do? Devery told us she had a plan and what we should do. She wanted us to wait outside Mallory until she gave us the signal on the walkie, and we haven't gotten it yet!" Michael retorted sharply.

"Because she's being held hostage. Now Lucifer is in his vessel and she's going to be with him. He'll kill her!" Gabriel shouted, his voice breaking at the last idea. He turned away from Michael, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as he struggled to contain himself.

Devery had told them to wait outside of Mallory until she used the walkie to click three times and let them know they should attack, but with her being held captive they had no way of knowing when to invade the town.

Shaking his head he stared into the desert, fearing the worst for the woman he loved.

An unearthly howl broke the silence of the night and sent a shiver over his skin. The wind shifted and the scent of blood, hellfire and brimstone hit him in the face. Gabriel retched and whirled to Michael, his eyes wide.

"Hellhounds"

Michael nodded and drew his swords, "Demons too," he murmured.

Gabriel drew his swords, moving to stand side by side with his brother.

"Let them come," he snarled softly.

Alex glared across the living room to where Devery was seated on the couch once again, her hands and feet bound, her mouth duct taped shut. Her eyes narrowed at him and she lifted her bound hands up from her lap to flip him off before shifting and looking away, effectively dismissing him.

He scoffed disgustedly and rose to peer out the window to where Noma was speaking with a man, her face earnest and animated. The man lifted a hand to stroke her cheek and he watched as her eyes slid shut and she leaned into his touch.

Anger rippled through Alex; who was this man?

A moment later they parted and she turned back to the house, pausing as her eyes caught his. She hesitated and then smiled softly, walking to the front door. He turned and watched as she entered, her face neutral.

"Who was that?" he demanded, gesturing towards the window.

She smiled softly, "You've met," she murmured.

His eyes widened, "Lucifer?"

She nodded. "His vessel was prepared. He wants to speak with her soon. After we…speak with her," she murmured, cutting her eyes towards Devery for a moment.

Alex exhaled slowly. "You want us to torture her?" he asked quietly.

"We need to Alex. We need to know what she and the archangels have planned. If you can't, I will," Noma replied, giving him a wry smile.

Alex glanced over at Devery and felt a flash of sorrow. She had been his friend once. It hurt to think of torturing her…of killing her. But if it was necessary to keep his child and Noma safe and secure peace on Earth for good…

"Fine"

Devery blinked rapidly, trying to keep the blood running down her brow out of her eyes. Alex had punched her in the jaw repeatedly and backhanded her until her brow split and she was swallowing blood, making her stomach churn.

Noma had sliced open her shirt and begun cutting patterns into her skin, trying to make her scream.

After years of fighting with assholes and being tortured by Gabriel her resistance to what they were doing was keeping her strong, but each pass of the knife over her skin left her shuddering and fighting the urge to vomit.

"I think she's had enough. We're not getting anything anyway."

Alex's voice sounded like it was coming from a great distance and some part of her knew that she was going to pass out soon.

"Fine. I'll inform him."

Devery's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, just a moment she told herself, as the door opened and closed. She took slow even breaths and fought the urge to vomit, her head pounding so hard it made her eyes hurt.

It had been awhile since she had been in this much pain. It was like an old familiar enemy, popping up its head to remind her that she was capable of feeling agony, capable of being sliced to pieces, capable of dying.

The door opened again a few minutes later and she exhaled shakily, preparing to open her eyes and meet Lucifer. Her eyes slid open and she searched the room for a moment before her eyes settled on a figure a few feet away.

A smile spread across his face, familiar and warm.

"Hello Devery."

AN: Only three chapters left folks, and I think you're going to enjoy them. I hope you will! Please review, it means so much and I love knowing what you think! Thank you for reading!