Hades raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?” His eyes widened as if he suddenly understood Chloe’s reaction. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s fine.” Hades shrugged, looking down at Gunner.
Chloe turned to Lucifer, eyes pleading. “That’s Gunner Brickman… as in the next fuckingBrickman Alpha,” she said in a panicked voice. Lucifer shocked the wires again with a loud, roaring blast of energy.
“What the hell are you doing with Gunner in the back of your van? Unconscious?” Chloe’s voice was steady now, much different than only moments before. Authoritative.
Cate sighed. “It wasn’t my fault. He left his stupid rock at the speed dating table and—”
“You… wentspeed dating?” Lucifer looked around the hood at Cate, his expression one of utter surprise.
“She did,” Hades chimed in.
“Yes. I did,” Cate snapped, casting her friend a look of warning. But it was not a look he hadn’t seen before, and therefore he only shrugged.
“Well, I must check the temperature of Hell, make sure the thermostat’s working.” Lucifer snickered.
“Oh, fuck you—” Cate could feel her arcane energy bubbling. The Devil himself always did have a way of getting under her skin in a record amount of time.
“What rock?” Chloe asked curiously.
“This rock—” Cate produced the small moonstone in her palm, and Chloe’s eyes widened.
“That’s a Diviner. I haven’t seen one in ages,” she said as she held her hand out. “Only the old families have stuff like this… may I?”
Cate set the rock in her hand and watched as wispy tendrils of prismatic energy circled the stone, little lines of opalescent energy reaching out toward the fallen angel under the hood of her car.
It didn’t seem to affect Chloe in the way it had affected her; not like when she’d touched it, anyway.
Yeah, touched it and knocked Gunner the hell out.
“Since when does the Devil himself know how to jump start a car?” Darcy asked in awe, her blue eyes roving over him.
Hades let out a deep laugh as the car jolted once more, roaring to life.
“Darcy, didn’t anyone ever tell you the devil is in the details?” He smirked.
Cate rolled her eyes.
Leave it to the god of death to tell the worst jokes in civilized history.
Cate sighed as Darcy’s gaze flicked to Hades, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.
Dear God, take me now.
Lucifer wiped his hands together, taking stock in his work, the roaring engine, Cate’s glare.
“That should do the trick,” the annoying prick said with a smile. “And to answer the lady’s question, eternity presents much time to acquire many skills of the civilized world. Isn’t that right, Hades?”
Hades nodded nonchalantly in response.
“Uh huh, could have just said you had a lot of time on your hands,” Darcy answered with a smile of her own.
“Thank you,” Cate murmured as she brushed past the collection of individuals and headed directly for the driver seat.
“I’m sorry, Cate,did you say something?” Lucifer’s velveteen voice carried a hint of intrigue.
He rounded her side, leaning against the side mirrors. Cate could hear Darcy and Hades giggling like children in the background.
Why must everyone be so cavalier about this situation?