Gabriel nodded at Lucian. "Yes, Michael."
"Fuck..."
"I don't think fuck is the right word for this, Lucian."
Lucian gulped his beer in one go. "So, I guess Michael is the reason you are late."
Gabriel waved over a waiter. "You could say that."
Lucian lifted an eyebrow.
"What can I get you, hunks?"
"I think I will take brandy now." Lucian indicated to Gabriel.
"I'll have Bourbon."
The waiter smiled, showing her pointy teeth. Lucian whistled at Gabriel as the waiter left them.
"That is some strong shit. Can you handle it?"
Gabriel was tapping his foot under the table in his annoyance. "If you keep on making lame jokes. I will leave."
"You were the one who said we should meet, so don't patronize me, Gabriel. I have better things to do than sit here talking about what exactly?"
"Pray tell what would you be doing now?"
"It seems you keep forgetting that I want to be at her side. . .always."
Gabriel rolled his eyes, and the waiter returned with their drinks. Gabriel waited for her to leave before speaking.
"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been in this shit."
Lucian laughed. "You know Gadrial wasn't happy with the Hierarchy of heaven, right?"
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to. I couldn't care less if you do."
"You brainwashed her against us."
Lucian laughed. "Tell me another joke that was hilarious."
"You are despicable." Gabriel took a swig of Bourbon that hit the spot; he could not help lashing out at Lucian. He was the main reason for this mess.
"Truth, now tell me what happened."
"I'm not going to tell you about the misadventures I had with Michael."
"You said Michael was one reason, so who was the other?"
"I said you could say, so how did you conclude that someone else was involved?"
"I am the Angel of Music. I know how to read words between the lines, Gabriel."
Lucian drank from his glass, surveying Gabriel.
Gabriel sucked in a breath. "Fine, Uriel stopped by."
"Uriel? As in I disappeared for two hundred years, Uriel?"
Gabriel gave Lucian a nod. "Well fuck, he wasn't even present at the battle one hundred and eleven years ago."
"I know something is off about him."
Lucian swirled his glass in his hand. "You think he turned neutral?"
Gabriel shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't even know he was here until he showed up at the hospital."
"Wait... where is Gadrial?"
Gabriel cocked his head. "If Uriel is there, she is safe."
"You are forgetting we are dealing with Michael, the bloodhound."
Gabriel stopped drinking the glass touching his lips. "He wouldn't risk it in such a public place."
Gabriel was trying to play the situation. He knew that Michael would go to the hospital, but he did not want Lucian to leave, yet it would be too early to defuse the situation.
Gabriel also did not want to tell Lucian the news Michael told him about Gadrial not being baptized. He did not want to go in circles with Lucian; he had to give him some truth.
"Are you fucking crazy? Of course, Michael would!" Lucian stood up, his chair falling to the ground.
Gabriel grabbed his arm. "She is safe, I promise."
Gabriel tightened his grip on Lucian's arm.
"Sit your ass down and listen."
Lucian stared daggers at Gabriel; he reluctantly picked up his chair, sitting his ass down. "Tell me your revelation, Gabriel."
Gabriel downed his drink. "That is some good shit." A smile tugged on his features. "My revelation, you say? I will tell you what I can."
"Not what you can, Gabriel; all of it."
"I loved my sister, no, I love my sister."
"Is that why you damned her?"
"First of all, I did not damn her."
Lucian snorted. "You could have fooled me."
"Are you going to shut up and listen?"
Lucian made a zip over his mouth. "Speak, Goldie."
Gabriel let the remark slide. "It was a ruse from the beginning; the Creator planned all of this since the beginning. He needed a scapegoat to start his war with hell because neither side was biting to go into full-scale war."
"I don't get it. What does that have to with Gadrial and me exactly?"
"You were perfect for the final push; you were in love even though angels may not love you did. You surpassed the absolute taboo. . .set by the Creator himself."
"And?"
"You aren't going to like this; you were forced onto each other by little things happening around the kingdom." Gabriel waved the waiter over again.
"Yes, stud?"
"Keep our glasses full."
She smiled again, showing her teeth. Gabriel shuddered, and he did not want to know what she could do with those.
"Are you telling me I was forced to be in love with Gadrial? That is impossible; one cannot be forced to love someone."
"I told you, you weren't going to like this. It is the truth; Michael came up with the idea. He told the Creator you were perfect for the role because you were already rebelling."
"I have been known to be the black sheep. So tell me more about these little things."
"Very well. Have you ever wondered why Gadrial was always around the areas where the low angels dwelled?"
"To recruit angelic warriors?"
"Yes and no. Gadrial was sent there because you were there; we heard the Angel of Music was losing his touch with his music."
"Where did you hear that? The only friend I told was..." It dawned on Lucian.
Gabriel finished his sentence for him. "Moloch."
"That fucking bastard was my only friend!"
"Who do you think told him to befriend you?"
"Michael?"
"Yes, Michael told Moloch to take you under his wing, and where Moloch went, Gadrial followed because they were friends."
"I'll fucking kill him! Moloch better hopes that I don't find him on the battlefield, and he will wish the Creator unmade him."
"Such profanity, Lucian."
"Don't start with me, Gabriel."
Gabriel shrugged. "Yes, so Moloch gave you your muse. And this beginning your desire for Gadrial."
"Desire? No, it was love at first sight."
"For you? Or for her?"
"I...I - " Lucian opened his mouth and then closed it again; he did not have a response to Gabriel's claim.
"See this, it was a desire, a desire for her. Moloch took advantage of your desire for Gadrial and invited you to our celebration day, and like the love-sick pup you were. . .you followed."
"I did not follow, Moloch convinced me. It was the first time I met Gadrial face to face."
"Yes, Michael kept me away from my sister - even Uriel was looking around for her, and he noticed you two going towards the garden."
Lucian smirked at Gabriel. "Oh, yeah, we were kissing in the back garden."
Gabriel reached over the table like lightning, grabbing Lucian's collar.
"You did what with my sister?"
"It is all in the past, is it not, Gabriel? She doesn't remember anyway. Weren't those your own words?"
Gabriel hissed, letting go of Lucian's shirt.
"So, who told you about us?"
Gabriel sat back in his chair. "It was, Uriel."
"Uriel? How did he find out?"
"You weren't listening, he followed you to the garden, and he was shocked that Gadrial was talking to filth like you. He kept this from me for months. He followed Gadrial every time she sneaked about to see you, so he finally told me what has been going on."
"For such a Hierarchy, you all are such children for gossip."
Gabriel only rolled his eyes. "We are the officers. We had to listen to gossip and rumours; that is how Michael found out about your coup."
The waiter returned with full glasses. Gabriel lifted his glass at Lucian's scowling face.
"Michael never liked Gadrial. He was envious because the Creator favoured her for her abilities to strategize, and she never showed favouritism among any angels. She could take any angel and turn them into a warrior."
Lucian sat back in his chair; his thoughts were all over. Why hadn't he seen this coming? It was too perfectly planned, and he had been blind to see the picture as whole.
"I never knew of this plan, not until an hour before her trial. I did not know what to do. . .so, the Creator told us it was in the best interest of heaven to play our roles well. Uriel had a mental breakdown."
Gabriel sighed. "We didn't want to go through with Michaels's plan; we only did what our Creator told us."
"Such loyal lackeys, always doing what daddy tells you to do." Lucian was clenching his hand into a fist.
"Why are you telling me all of this now, Gabriel?"
Gabriel never once saw Lucian look so defeated. He rolled up his sleeve, holding out his wrist to Lucian. "Because I am fallen, I have no ties to the Creator of heaven anymore."
Lucian stared at Gabriel, taking his wrist and touching the tattoo. Lucian rolled up his own sleeve. "You got yourself inked with my crest?"
Gabriel stared down at Lucian's tattoo. "Your crest?"
Lucian nodded. "I created the crest of the fallen, two snakes kissing each other so that demons or fallen angels know they have a home to come to."
"I didn't know. I told a tattoo artist I am fallen, and I wanted a mark."
"You know most of the tattoo artists are demons, yes?
"Yeah, I noticed. This mark got me out in a few situations."
"I guess that makes us brothers now."