Now this was freedom, but it still didn’t compare to the joy I felt when I was with Tab. I could feel him above me, a presence only I knew was there. I knew he had my back and that was amazing all on its own.
I passed through the border gates into Canada with ease, and remembered to keep an eye on my speed, using the inner dial marked with kilometers per hour versus the outer ring of notches marked in miles. When the warning came, it was like being punched in the chest – the burning and tingling of the scar between my breasts telling me I was in some deep shit. I glanced around and figured it had to be the pack of riders in my side-view mirror coming up on me fast.
I sent up a prayer to Tabbris. I’m in trouble. I love you. I’m pouring on the speed. It was a one-way communication but at the same time, unless he or I were in Hell, absolutely foolproof.
Music played in my helmet and I pushed a button flashing on the bike’s display. Bluetooth calling made my little prayer a two-way conversation.
“Adelaide, I see them. Don’t do anything dangerous, you cannot die but—”
“I know, Tab. It doesn’t make me immune to debilitating injury, believe me I know. What do you think they want?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do we want to find out?”
“No. Just keep riding.”
“Then what? There are a lot of them, and they’re going to catch up, eventually. If you get caught up with me, we’re toast. Shit, fuck! What do we do?”
“You remain intact. You swore to me once, that no matter what happened, you would find me. The same…” he choked up slightly, “the same goes for you, if you are caught. I will find you.”
“I believe you,” I said. “I always believe you.”
This was a bad idea. This was a very bad idea. We both knew it, but there wasn’t another option.
“I don’t want to go anywhere populated. All it would do is put innocent bystanders in danger. I’m pulling off at the next exit, I’ll see if I can’t get—”
“Adelaide!” came through my headset, but it was too late. My assailant pulled up next to me and reached out, a hand grabbing my arm. The many splendorous lights of travel through time and space took over, only the colors were corrupted somehow, muted and dark, the blur of the countryside melding with the blurred corrupt colors of rust, charcoal, and old blood.
I heard my assailant’s bike wind down and I let off my throttle to match. Wherever we ended up, we needed to match speed, or we were both going to go down. I didn’t want that.
My tires found traction again and I fought the bike. My assailant broke off so we wouldn’t collide and let the ether take them. I was alone, on a strip of asphalt that was quickly coming to an end. I slowed down and brought the bike around, coming to a stop.
My breaths heaved, my heart raced, hammering against the inside of my ribs. I sat astride my bike and thought, son of a bitch! That was like the perfect trap.
I didn’t bother with my helmet. I just unholstered my .45s, though they were just plain guns now and not the miracle .45s that Miri had given me.
“Oh, come now, Addy. You won’t need those. I’m far too powerful for them to have any effect.”
I whipped my head in the direction of the muffled but familiar voice. Lucifer stood nearby, flanked by several of his lieutenants. He was right. I hated how right he was, but there was no sense in denying it, or taking pot shots to piss him off further.
“What the fuck do you want?” I demanded.
His eyes blazed at the insult in my tone.
“I want Tabbris to have precisely what I have, which is not what I wanted!”
Someone had shown up behind me, because before I could even send up a prayer, they clocked me with a massive blow to my helmet. I wasn’t going to die, but it was a tough enough blow that the last thing I remembered was the pavement rushing toward my facemask.
My last thought was when the fuck is this shit gonna stop?
The most likely answer?
Never.
Than your guardian angel can fly…
Tab…
I should have known that after all we’d been through, we weren’t going to get any down time. “I’m in trouble. I love you” had been the prayer from my girlfriend. My all-too-mortal girlfriend, alerting me to get onto the Bluetooth. I saw the demons pursuing her motorcycle, and I saw her peeling off, away from populated areas. This wasn’t a fight mortal authorities or bystanders were going to be any help with. Then I saw them catch up, and they blurred as a demon grabbed her, and began a teleportation to take them wherever its master would be. I prepared to use my own divine mysticism to find her again, hoping that whoever had her now hadn’t obscured them too much. Then I thought better of it. Powerful enough demons and Fallen Angels might be able to block my senses, but their spells rarely impeded common devices, and they didn’t often think they’d have to. I checked the handheld phone device again to get the GPS coordinates on her bike.
Smart girl – she left everything on. I couldn’t see what was happening, but heard it just fine, including a familiar voice, as Addy was unholstering her .45s.
“Oh come now, Addy. You won’t need those. I’m far too powerful for them to have any effect.” Lucifer’s voice. I’d thought, even hoped, that after all the recent fighting and escalation to near warfare between Heaven and Hell, he’d take the time to see to his own damaged realm, and I might have some downtime. That obviously wasn’t to be. We’d thought it was the start of a vacation, but I was going to have to be a soldier again, for at least a little longer.
“What the fuck do you want?” Addy demanded.
“I want Tabbris to have precisely what I have, which is not what I wanted!” He’d wanted Iaoel, the Angel of Visions, and my ex. He’d gotten precisely that, but she’d lost her gift for prophecy along the way. I should have expected Lucifer to try and gain a measure of revenge, but risking the wrath of the host in a fit of pique didn’t seem like him. Either way, I had to move quickly. I had her location for the moment, now that the GPS had finished spinning and recalculating, but it wouldn’t last long before Lucifer realized he was being eavesdropped on, and I’d lose my chance to catch up – or have to go back into Hell after her.
I wasn’t sure where she was, or how much attention I might draw. Thankfully, we’d been on a bike trip together. I was flying before, but the Harley I’d been using wasn’t far away. It only took a moment to collect it; just in case. Besides, as I listened, gaining a better idea of the noises of demons around her, I got an idea.
I gunned the Harley, picking up speed and starting to focus on the coordinates. I put in a last, quick call to Gabriel as I picked up speed.
“Lucifer has Addy. I’m going after her.” I didn’t wait for a response.
The bike and I faded out of existence in one spot, and reappeared in Death Valley Junction. No one could say Lucifer didn’t have a sense of drama.
He and the demons looked plenty surprised as I appeared at full throttle. I flared my wings and lifted off the bike, continuing its momentum. The bike careened at full speed into a knot of demons, while I slammed, shoulder first, into Lucifer, sending him flying. I had my sword out within moments, and beheaded the demon that I presumed had knocked Adelaide out, then ran another through before he could respond. As Lucifer was standing, and the others were untangling themselves from the wreck of the bike, while determining what was going on, I picked up Adelaide’s unconscious form in one arm, wrapping my wing around her on that side in protection, while holding the sword in the other.