Chapter Sixteen

An ominous presence filled the church and everyone present could feel it. Martin shook his head. "He's lying." The man said in harsh denial. He said it again, because he wanted to believe that Mary was a virgin. They needed her to be. The Messiah depended on her.

"Afraid not, mate. I shanked her good." John said around the cigarette in his mouth. The way he spoke, they could have been talking about the weather or a game of football. He looked lost in thought suddenly before he added, "Twice."

Cat out of the bag, John strode forward. "Why don't we have a chat, mate." Instead of heading for Zed, John steered towards Martin and the gun levered at him. "No need for chivalry." He said in reference to the gun aimed at his chest. He was taking a chance and when the gun didn't go off, sent a silent prayer upwards to the God that he wasn't so sure was listening.

He swung his arm around Martin's shoulders. He didn't make any rash decisions, like throwing a punch or trying to throw the large man into a headlock. John knew he was a small bloke and he wasn't going to put himself up against Martin just yet.

Right now he was just buying time.

Thinking.

Planning.

Plotting.

Manny didn't stab him in the back, either. John could feel the boiling fury from the Angel, but he could also see the doubt in his heavenly eyes. He didn't know whether or not to believe John.

John was stalling. One thing he was superb at. He really hated what was going to happen next, though. It always happened and sometimes he just brought it on himself.

"You should be proud of your daughter." John said loudly, his arm around the mans shoulders like they were the best of friends. "She was a little slow at first, but after a while—"

John doubled over, his words whooshing out when Martin's fist slammed into his stomach. "Really, mate, and I thought we were blokes." He wheezed out, holding his stomach.

Martin stared down at the Brit, disgust apparent in his expression. "I do not see your fascination with this boy, Angel."

"He has his fine points. But he never did see the picture clearly. Always doing things the hard way." Manny said.

Martin hauled a wheezing John up by the elbow. "Come. You can watch the Miracle of all Miracles."

John didn't struggle as Martin hauled him towards a fuming Manny. The Angel was still fuming and he hadn't moved from his position. He grinned. "Buddy ol' pal, come to greet me, have you?"

Manny's eyes narrowed as he stared down at John.

"Don't trust me, do you?" John continued. "I wouldn't if I were you. I don't even trust myself." His ribs ached. The Martin fellow could throw a punch. "Wouldn't do a fellow bloke a favor and heal him, would you?" He offered.

"What are you doing, John?" Manny responded, ignoring John's other statements.

Well, John really didn't want them going deeper into the Cathedral. He wanted everyone right here. He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but it was working. They were all staring at him and not heading into some over-gloried basement to deflower an already deflowered virgin who wasn't a virgin.

"Well, I don't like being called a lying bloke. Even if they're right." He knew it was a long shot but he looked over at Zed. "Mind if I have a word with our lovely little trollop in question?"

John knew if he had called her a trollop in any other situation, Zed would have boxed his ears.

"No." Martin said coldly.

Manny latched onto Zed's arm and tugged her forward. She looked utterly helpless and furious at the same time as she looked from Manny, to Martin and then John. John had to keep from turning to his baser instincts and hauling her into his arms to make sure that she was once again, alright. He knew Zed. The situation left her startled and uncertain of her future.

He was trying his damned hardest to give her a future at his own expense.

John grinned slyly. "Hello, love. Nice to see you again. Lovely confession, but even I can't condone throwing bibles."

Martin's expression darkened. John's jaw slacked as Martin's fist connected. "Bloody hell." John sputtered, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he reeled around to his knees.

Zed pulled from the loose grip Manny had on her and sank to her knees beside John. Surprisingly, Manny didn't stop her. "Dammit, John, stop it before he kills you." Zed whispered loudly, begging him silently. She urged him into a sitting position with one hand against his back and the other against his arm.

"You know me, love, always looking for a good tumble."

"For God's sake, kill him or I will. This is nonsense." Martin snapped out. He delivered a well aimed kick to John's side and he gave a sickening laugh. Zed stared at John in horror.

"Just a revolution, I suppose." John muttered. He was always getting the shit beat out of him, but that was how he got things right? He had to keep reminding himself of that notion. With every word he said, he was just pissing Martin off more and more. Was it because John was getting words across, or because Manny was doing nothing to stop it?

"Beat him until he can't even breathe anymore." Martin ordered and turned away. As much as he would have liked to do the honors himself, he had to smooth things over with Manny. John had done considerable damage there.

Zed sucked in a sharp breath when two of the men stepped forward. John grinned and pushed himself to his feet. He wiped the blood from his lip. One of the men threw a punch and Zed wrapped her arm around the mans fist and jerked it down before it could even make contact.

"—the fuck you doing?" The man snarled out, gasping when her knee made contact with his soft belly.

Zed reeled back from a blow behind her ear and John jumped forward, pissed the fuck off that he'd landed a blow. Martin barked out an order just as suddenly and then another man was in the fray. There was a muffled gunshot and relief filled her when it wasn't John that rolled to his side with glazed eyes that stared upward.

Zed snarled out something unintelligible and landed a solid kick with her booted feet to the intruder who was suddenly on John. The other man was only dead because he'd hit her. But things had progressed to John's beating from there, even if that hadn't been the original plan.

"God dammit, Zed!" John barked, rolling out from beneath the unconscious man thanks to Zed.

What the fuck had just happened?

"Enough of this blasphemy!"Manny hissed out suddenly, his voice rising in the church. "This is still a house of the Lord."

John had a knack for getting the shit beat out of him.

"Kill him or bring him!" Martin ordered, bringing Zed to her feet.

"I should kill you all!" Manny roared, his lack of control and annoyance making itself known in his voice. He moved with the speed of an angel and had Martin dangling in the air by his throat. He was in his face in an instant. "You will cease this nonsense." He whispered heatedly into the humans face, his words ominous. "I cannot—I will not touch her if she is not pure." Manny bit out.

Martin struggled, his feet dangling in the air. For once, Zed was seeing him when he wasn't so supremely at his finest. He looked worried.

"We can erase her memory of John. Purify her mind, if not the body." Martin muttered through his strangled throat.

"You can do that." John agreed, looking thoughtful at the idea. "But..."

Finally, an out.

John kept the hope in his soul from reaching his expression.

"...do you really want to touch someone that's been tainted by demon blood?"

Everyone turned to look at him at that confession. Zed stared at him, wondering exactly what it was he was doing. She wasn't tainted by demon blood.

"I've been to hell, been possessed, I've traded blood with a demon. I've done it all. You know me, mate, I'm not in it just to piss around." He lifted his palm, showing a no longer existent scar. "Zed's got my blood in her body somewhere, mate, I'm sure." He shrugged.

He shrugged again and wondered where the hell Papa Midnight was with the bloody Hand of Glory. His little black lab had went to retrieve.

Darkness filtered through the Cathedral windows at the confession and John tensed at the tension that suddenly filled the air.

Manny dropped Martin where he stood and took a step back. His shoulders moved, his expression taking on a haunted look. His wings were already spread, but they moved higher and then an inky blackness began to unfold through the feathers from the base to tip.

John sucked in a sharp breath. Ben Elohim. There was no more glamour, nothing holding back the anger that was surging from Manny in heated waves. Anger and pure hatred. Martin could see that as well, knew exactly how far gone they were. Things had taken a turn—and the turn wasn't heavenward.

Martin sat up, desperation in his face but not even he could have predicted Manny's anger. "I swear, we can—" His hand moved over his chest, searching the depths of cloth and a heavy, signifying roar filled the Cathedral.

John sank to his knees, his hands lifting to cover his ears. A bright light filtered out from Manny's body and John could feel the hot waves of power, the anger and pure hatred that came with them. He shielded his face. One of the pillars cracked at the base from the force of power.

A body went flying past him, hitting one of the pews and he saw Martin's body twisted in an awkward position, no longer moving. As the light faded, the towering billow of rage receded and John could see the collapsed body of the other followers. They lay in different positions, but none of them moved. Lifeless and pale.

Horror filled his expression as he saw Zed's crumbled body to the left. He swore his heart stopped as he sank to his knees beside her prone body, his hands shaking as he turned her over. "Zed?"

He brushed her hair back from her face and then lifted her body into his arms, crouched on his knees. "Hey, Zed." John shook her gently and then lowered his hand against the column of her throat.

He shook her. "Zed!"

There was absolutely no movement around him. Not even from Manny. Not even the air stirred—not even the flames from the candles danced.

"John."

He lifted his head, his expression sullen. Papa Midnight stood at the last pew, the Hand of Glory in one hand. Each finger was lit, the flames moving swiftly. They'd collapsed time, leaving Manny immobile and frozen in time as he stared at the place John had been.

John lowered his head, his fingers moving over Zed's throat again, searching vainly. He couldn't find a pulse.

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