She kissed her index and middle finger like she used to do when I was a boy and held them to my forehead. “You don’t have to. I already know.”
I took her hand from my head and kissed it, then stood, taking steps back until my back was to the far wall directly in her line of sight.
“I love you, son,” she said, staring at the ceiling. She took in a deep breath and exhaled until her entire body relaxed. “I love you more than my own life. I’m ready.”
Chapter Thirteen
Eden
My father, Aunt Claire, and Grandmother stood at each corner of the room, quietly chanting cycles of scripture, The Lord’s Prayer, and all forty-four lines of the Athanasian Creed.
“Shouldn’t a priest be doing that?” Allison whispered.
Bex leaned into her ear. “Think of it like security clearance. They’ve all seen and experienced more than your average priest. They can also sense, recognize, and target the tag. This is far more effective. An exorcism can take a priest months. They can do it in an afternoon.”
“What about Ryan?” she asked. “Even as a human, wouldn’t one more help?”
Bex tried not to smile. “He can’t get the words right.”
Dad grinned for half a second before refocusing on the scripture he was reciting.
Petra’s coughing worsened, and with every passing minute she became visibly weaker. After the latest coughing fit, a bit of blood soaked in the tissue Levi held to her mouth. Sweat beaded at her damp hairline, her olive skin paler, her lips somehow a dark but faded shade of violet blue.
“Is she okay?” Allison asked, staring at Petra’s mouth.
“Cyanosis,” I said, gesturing for Cynthia to increase Petra’s oxygen. “Inadequately oxygenated blood is the likely cause. We can help with that. Grandmother?”
Agatha tended to the oxygen tank, then took Petra’s levels. “Marginally improving, I’m afraid, but better nonetheless.”
Levi looked at his watch, taking his mother’s pulse. “I know it’s difficult, Mamá. But your heart is still strong.”
Petra looked away, focusing on her restraints. She seemed more irritable with each passing minute, her breathing shallower, her level of comfort plummeting. Despite her appearance after just an hour, the tag had just begun. His only line of defense in this plane was torture until someone in the room demanded mercy.
“Can’t they help her? What are we waiting for?” Allison whispered in Bex’s ear.
Petra’s head sagged, chin at chest, the dark strands of her hair falling forward. An unsettling growl with both bones rattling low and shrieking high tones came from somewhere inside her. After a gasp, Petra picked up her head, breathing fast, her eyes wide. She was fighting for control, and so far, she was winning.
“You’re doing great, Mamá,” Levi said.
Agatha handed him a fresh cold cloth. “It’s quite impressive, actually.”
Levi held the wet, white cotton against his mother’s forehead. “Mamá, deeper breaths. Slow.”
Allison whispered in Bex’s ear again. “What was that noise … the um … the—”
I rolled my eyes, motioning to Allison. “Can’t you warn her before putting her in these situations?” I asked Bex. “Do you not ask questions?” I asked Allison.
“She does. A lot of them,” Bex said, hugging her to his side. “You know there’s no way to prepare anyone for any of this.”
“And there’s no point in whispering. We can all hear you. Superhuman hearing.” I winked, pointing to my ear. “Bex should’ve told you that, too.”
She frowned at him. “I can’t imagine why he’s left that out.”
“Ryan and Nina are happily ignorant to private conversation,” Bex said.
“Bex, you really should get her up to speed,” I said.
“Oh, uh,” Bex began. “Petra…”
“Not now,” I said, exasperated.
“No,” Petra said, her voice tired. “Go on. I do love to hear the old stories.”
Bex looked to Mother, who nodded and then continued, “Petra is a Queen of Hell—the only queen who’s also a fallen angel.”
“There are female angels?” Allison asked, surprised.
“Oh, yes,” Petra said with a satisfied grin. “Many. And more lethal than any of the males.”
Bex continued, “Levi’s father is, as you know, Satan. Levi was born in Hell. Eden lived in Heaven.
“I fought you, you know,” Petra said. “In The Great War.”
Eden touched her chest. “Me?”
Petra cocked her head, still leaning against the headboard. “You don’t remember?” She sighed. “I suppose not. It was eons ago. You nearly fileted me. A formidable adversary, for certain.” She looked to Bex. “Well? Go on.”
Bex rubbed the back of his neck. “So, Levi and Eden fell in love. They got caught. They were punished. They kept finding each other, getting caught, then separated. This last time, Eden was sent to Earth’s plane in human form as punishment. Her memory was wiped.”
“Some of it still hasn’t come back,” Eden said, grimacing.
Bex continued, “Levi was sent, too, but his punishment was a mission: to kill Eden. So, Petra demanded to come, too, to protect her son while he completed his objective. We Ryels are notorious for eliminating threats to our family. Petra is the only Queen of Hell to survive childbirth, and she did it twice, but now we know her return to Earth’s plane to protect Levi was by the Devil’s design. When she brought Levi to this world, she died, too, and upon returning to this plane she came back with a demon attached, something ancient and extraordinarily strong. When Satan or a nobleman of Hell attaches a demon to a human, we call it a tag. Normally this isn’t allowed and disturbs The Balance, but Petra is a fallen angel, so she doesn’t fall under the usual protection of Heaven. In other words, she’s damned. She came here to warn Levi about a plot against him, and now she’s in danger. To safely keep her here, we must remove the tag. That, uh … that about sums it up, I think?”
Everyone not focused on chanting agreed.
“So, we’re here to witness the tag’s detachment?” Allison asked.
“Or my death. Humans usually don’t survive,” Petra said.
“You’ve survived before,” Allison said.
Petra managed a small smile at the compliment.
“I’m embarrassed that I’m unfamiliar with the story,” Allison said, sheepish.
“Don’t be,” Bex said, “It’s not as if you’d have seen her on TMZ. America’s Most Wanted, maybe.”
“Bex!” I said again.
“He’s not wrong,” Petra said. The corners of her mouth turned up as she gazed at her son. “I’ve led quite the life. The words seem to take the remainder of her strength, and her head fell forward.