I closed my eyes, and thought about Bash. His dark, wavy hair, indigo eyes, and playful smirk swirled in my mind’s eye as I searched for our mindlink connection. The chances of finding it would be slim, but I had to try. It had been centuries since I’d linked him, but there was still a chance I would be able to find it.Ah, there it is.Maybe he held onto the hope that I would reach out and contact him again? I focused on it and thought of what to say…Hmmm.
I have Diana. Archangel Michael and I need to meet with your crew ASAP.
Chapter 3
It had been thirty-two days since Diana disappeared. We spent our days strategizing and our nights scouring the four planes for her. Desmond and I searched Earth for both Diana and Azazel, but had no luck in finding either. Desmond had even searched through historical texts for clues, in case she was trying to contact us from a more primitive time period.A long shot, but worth a try.Mal scoured the Underworld, spending days at a time downstairs to find her and gather information on Red’s whereabouts. Ares contacted his brother Apollo to search the Fourth Plane. Apollo was one of the few Olympians that still talked to Ares after he was exiled. Thankfully, Apollo was more than happy to help us and spend time with his brother. He also wanted to hear all about Diana, because he was a nosy gossip.No doubt all the gushing Ares did about her would get back to Mount Olympus.Only certain immortal beings had access to the fourth plane, and even they were hesitant to go there. That was not a place you would want to get jammed in, because once you entered, it wasn’t likely you’d leave.
After the first two weeks of searching for her, our morale started waning away. Depression and hopelessness set in like a dark cloud over my crew. Desmond spent increasing amounts of time in his study blaming himself and drinking the guilt away when he wasn’t turning the world upside down to find Diana. The remorse and sorrow he kept at bay during the day overpowered him at night. He’d crawl into my bed to hold me, squeezing me so hard my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Sometimes he’d fuck me until he couldn’t feel anything anymore, and that was fine by me. I loved Desmond and always enjoyed a rough time. Eventually, he’d need to snap out of whatever funk he was in. I meant it when I told Desmond that he didn’t need to carry the burden of leadership alone. But his pity party was turning into a rager, and we could not allow that.
Ares ate his feelings, much to Olga’s dismay. She couldn’t keep the fridge stocked, and the pantry looked like a battle ground filled with the ripped-up wrapper corpses of his processed garbage food victims. There were empty boxes of Ding Dongs, Krimpets, Little Debbies, and Twinkies everywhere. Empty fun-sized bags of Reeses, Twizzlers, 100 Grands, and Snickers littered his bedroom. If the sweets in the house were sentient, they’d have hidden or formed a rebellion by now. His molars would have joined suit too. There were multiple times I’d find him in his bed, a bowl of guacamole and chips in hand, crying as he stuffed his face and listened to 80s rock break-up songs while sobbing. It was pathetic and demoralizing for the God of War and Personification of Chaos on Earth to act like a sobbing fool. When we tried to help him, he’d rage on us. A few days ago, he got so angry at me for suggesting he talk about his feelings that he set his curtains on fire.
Mal was a mess. He blamed himself for what happened with Diana, both before and after her disappearance, despite having no control over it; he had been possessed. Ares, Desmond, and I forgave him for everything and apologized to him. We had sort of ignored him after Diana came along and could have done more to help them get along. We were working toward building our brotherhood back to where it used to be. He didn’t isolate himself from us completely, but he avoided us when his emotions got the better of him. No matter how much we reasoned with him, he beat himself up over not being able to find her. After spending days at a time in the Underworld following leads, he’d come home, no closer to finding anything on Diana’s whereabouts.
He did find out some information about Red. None of our contacts had seen him since the battle at JFK Airport, leaving Xavier, his second in command, to rule Hell in his absence. It wasn’t abnormal for Red to spend a few days to a week here and there out of Hell. He ran Hell’s business empire on Earth, after all. But an entire month? The factions were getting restless, and Pandemonium, Hell’s central city, was frenzied with talk of anarchy and war.
I handled Diana’s disappearance the best out of the four of us. I was sad about it, but I kept a stiff upper lip and carried on. It was most likely because of my claim on her and the resulting ability to feel her lifeforce. I knew she wasn’t dead and just had to have faith that we’d find her. Whether it took another month, year, or an eternity, I knew we’d reunite. She was ours, and we’d never let her go. Whether she wanted to or not, shewouldcome home.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, we all sat down at the table for dinner together to celebrate Taco Tuesday. It had become a sacred tradition in the house, and every week we’d try a new taco. This week Olga made us birria tacos, with aconsommédipping sauce and nachos on the side. Oscar took his usual spot in the empty chair next to Desmond, who passed his little feline bestie a plate with shredded birria meat, guacamole, and nacho chips smothered in cheese. Sometimes I swore to myself that Oscar loved Taco Tuesday as much as the rest of us. For a cat, he had a really developed palate and enjoyed the finer things in life. He was actually a complete asshole about food; he refused to eat cat food or treats.
I planned to take advantage of us being together. We needed a pep talk to boost morale. This was usually Desmond’s forte, but like I told him, we’d all be there for him when he needed us. Ever since Diana left, he had been in no shape to give an encouraging speech, let alone to the degree we needed.
“Gentlemen, we need to have a serious discussion,” I announced. “We all miss Diana, but drinking, gorging, and avoiding our pain isn’t going to help any–”
I was suddenly cut off from my speech by the voice of a man I never expected to hear from ever again. His smooth, cryptic voice with a slight southern twang infiltrated my ears and went straight to my brain. He always sounded like he knew a secret to which you weren’t privy.
I have Diana. Archangel Michael and I need to meet with your crew ASAP.Azazel’s mindlink rang through my head, clear as a church bell. I froze, in shock that after centuries of no contact, he’d reached out to me. I always kept the link open, hoping he’d call.
“Bash, are you okay? You were mid Mary Poppins and clammed up?” Mal asked.
“Azazel mindlinked me. He has Diana, and Archangel Michael is with them. They want to meet us…” Part of me was overjoyed at finally having a lead on Diana after weeks of searching for her, but I was also hesitant. How did we know he was telling the truth?
“I FUCKING knew it!” Ares shouted, jumping up from his seat and pounding his flaming fists on the table as he burnt the tablecloth underneath. “I knew that feathered fucker was keeping Diana from us! I’m going to grind his bones to dust and sell them on the Witch Market.”
“Calm down, Ares. Azazel doesn’t lie. He may be petty and unreasonable sometimes, but he’s honest. The only reason he would withhold information is if it related to a vision he couldn’t talk about,” Desmond said. “Bash, you need to respond to him and convince him to bring Diana here where we have home advantage.”
“Wait, that means he would know where we live…” Mal said.
“Honestly, I don’t even care. I just want her back, and if Azazel knowing where we are is an issue, we can deal with that later,” I snapped. I wasn’t going to lose out on my chance at getting her back.
You can meet us at our safehouse. I can open a summoning circle and bring you here that way, or you can fade here based on the mindlink, if you think it’s strong enough to track, I linked him. Both options kept the location somewhat anonymous, unless he looked into them further.
Hmmm, I’ll try fading to you first. Wouldn’t want to get trapped in a summoning circle. Please have a couch ready for Diana to lay down on,he responded.
Why would she need a couch to lay down on?
A few seconds later, I heard a crackle of energy sound outside, much like a thunderclap. We all ran to the window to get a closer look at them. Azazel waited at the gate, carrying Diana in a bridal hold. Her eyes were closed, and her head was cradled in the crook of his elbow. His long, curly mane was up in a top bun.
“She isn’t conscious…” Mal whispered. “Something isn’t right.”
“I met Michael before when I served on the Precipes counsel, and he doesn’t leave Heaven very often. He would only be here because something is wrong,” Desmond solemnly said. He frowned at the sight of Michael standing behind them.
I waved my hand, opening the gate and letting them onto the grounds. They faded directly past the front door, and walked into our sitting room. Azazel wasted no time laying Diana gingerly onto the couch and propping her head with a pillow. She didn’t move, except for the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes were shut, and her mouth was slightly parted.
“Please tell me she’s asleep?” I begged Azazel. I walked up to him and extended my hand as a greeting, and he looked at it for a few moments before bringing me in for a hug. Even after everything that transpired between us, it felt so natural to hug him again.
“I’m so sorry,” he said in a calm, soothing voice. “Four days ago, Diana showed up on my doorstep bleeding to death. She barely had a pulse, and I couldn’t heal her wounds… They were too far gone. I put her into equilibrium until I could find a way to fix it. I called Michael in, given his closeness to the situation, and he told me to bring her to you four. He has a plan.”
“Four days ago? She’s been gone for over a month. What aren’t you telling us?” Ares snapped. I had to admit the discrepancy in the amount of time she was gone was odd. And why was Michael close to the situation? He barely got involved in Earthly matters.