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or hide. He
gave us his blessing to work with each other.” I rub my hands together.
    “I think perhaps I ought to go to the gates for awhile
and do at least a bit of my job. You think about the wording of the prophecy
and see if we missed something.”
    I’d argue that it felt pretty final and there wasn’t
much to work around, but Shona’s already dismissed me with a wave, and I know
from experience that that means the conversation’s over for now. Her agreement
to help me is tenuous at best, so I don’t argue.
    I need to check on Grace again, anyway.
     
    *
* *
     
    Grace is still in her hotel
room while Keira and the dude named Randy laugh and drink in the Jacuzzi. At
least they’re in bathing suits—not that Keira’s covers all that much. I
hate her. I want to go down there just long enough to touch her and turn her to
ashes. But then I remember how it felt when I really did hurt her finger and
how I wanted to take it back.
    I’m filled with hate, but it isn’t for Keira. It’s for
myself. For not doing something. And why am I not doing something? Is it really
because Grace told me not to? Or is it because I’m scared that if I’m within
ten feet of Grace I’ll lose all self-control and we’ll repeat the same mistake
I made when I made her fall the first time? Damn it!
    I’m about to say to Hell with it: going down there is
better than doing nothing and protecting Grace is the most important thing,
when Grace lets go of the pillow she’s hugging and stands up, determined.
    She throws open the door, and both Keira and Randy stop
to stare.
    “I’m going to go downstairs for awhile. I’ve had
enough of this stuffy room.”
    “I was hoping you’d join us. There’s plenty of room
for one more,” Keira coos.
    Grace shoots her a look. “It takes a lot to impress
me,” she says, speaking directly to Randy. She stalks toward him, leaning over
the edge of the spa with such a sexy look that I can feel the heat from up here
and I’m frozen in place with longing and fear because she’s directing it at
another guy.
    “Guys who party all day in the Jacuzzi might be fun
for a moment. But guys who are clever? Guys who actually do something to
impress me? Those are the kind of guys I like to invest my time in.”
    She blows him a kiss, and they both watch as she swishes
her way out of the room.
    I sit down on the still-broken couch.
    Tommy Two whines a little.
    “I know,” I agree. “Our Grace is amazing.” She’s outshining
Keira at her own job by luring the guy to get up and do whatever it is Lucifer
wants while managing to keep her dignity.
    The dog barks and waits, panting, ears raised in
question.
    “I don’t know why I doubted her. I was scared I guess.
But you’re right, TT. It’s time I held up my end of the bargain and did
something from up here before she runs out of options down there.” Sooner or
later, Lucifer will stop leaving wiggle room when he asks her to do something.
She’ll have to make a choice between bad and worse, and I know how much of a “choice”
you get when it comes to Lucifer. I wince, recalling with vivid memory the pain
of Hellfire consuming my body.
    There has to be a way around the prophecy. There just
has to be.

Chapter 5
    Noah
     
    Lucifer is beginning to
irritate me about as often as he freaks me out. If this is what it feels like
to have a father’s doting attention, then I’ve been after the wrong thing all
this time. The dude won’t even leave me alone long enough to play basketball.
It’s all, “practice manipulating this person”, and “learn about the politics of
this region”, and other boring bullshit.
    “Can’t you just zap the knowledge into my head or
something?” I ask, shutting the door to my magic closet behind the pizza delivery
guy. I toss the grease-stained box onto the coffee table and flip it open so I
can dig in.
    “You should be interested in these things, Noah. You
can’t rule without understanding who your subjects