“Wait.” I stared up at the demon. “You knew what the Wardens originally were?”
“Duh, Trinity. Duh.” He turned and walked into the kitchen. As he went, the lights turned on. “Running for your life works up an appetite, so I’m starving.”
“How in the world did both you and Roth know this and manage to keep your mouths relatively shut?” I trailed after him. “How have demons not been shouting this from the rooftops?”
“Not every demon knows this.” Cayman lifted his hand, and a box of Cheez-It Snack Mix flew across the room to his hand.
Man, I so wanted that talent.
“Only the oldest and the most connected with the Boss are aware of the true origins of the Warden. Shouting it from the rooftops would defeat that pesky blind faith thing, wouldn’t it? That would tick off the One up there and the one down below. No one has time for that.” He peeled open the box as he plopped down onto the couch. “And whatever Wardens have figured out their origins would go to their graves before admitting that they come from those who Fell,” he said, repeating nearly the same thing the Throne had. “It was the Wardens who rewrote what became of the fallen angels. They killed their own dirty little secret.”
“Okay. Great. You know all about the fallen angels, but you’re still wrong.” I dropped into the corner of the couch. “I didn’t do anything. Zayne chose to Fall.”
Cayman turned his head toward mine, and I wished I could tell if his eyes had lost the reddish black hue. “Do tell?”
I told.
I told Cayman all I knew, right up until moments earlier, when I realized that the Crone could be of help. “So, do you think what the Throne said was true? That my grace won’t kill Zayne but bring him back?”
“Honest? I have no idea,” he admitted, setting the empty box down on the counter. How he’d eaten the whole box of cheesy crackers was something I could relate to. “I’ve never known a Fallen to become anything other than a Warden or a really big player down below. And the ones who are on my team? Those who made it into Hell with their wings and grace still intact didn’t keep them long. Our Boss is not dumb enough to allow something nearly as powerful as Him to be occupying the same 666 area code. He stripped their wings, therefore taking their grace. Even then, those Fallen are still hella powerful. Not even Roth wants to mess with one of them. Lucky for him and all of us, they take way too much pleasure in their jobs.”
“Fallen angels in Hell have jobs?” I asked.
“Everyone has a job, Trin the Trueborn. We call them Judges. They spend their time making sure really bad people spend eternity wishing they had made better life choices,” he said. “But the thing is, no angels have Fallen in a hella long time, like not since the Byzantine Empire kind of long time, and there’s Layla. She’s the closest thing to a Fallen, but not really.”
“Huh? I thought she was part Warden and demon?”
“She is and she’s not. Long story short, she was given the blood of one of the originals—you know, one of the very first of the angels to Fall. So was her mother, but again, she’s not a true Fallen. Neither is Lilith.”
I had not known that, and I felt like there was a whole lot of story there.
“Anyway, it’s not like I’m an expert on what is possible for a recently Fallen who has their wings and grace, so I can’t say if that Throne is telling the truth or not. I trust angels less than I do most demons, but I mean, it’s sort of sweet.”
My gaze flipped to him.
“That he Fell for you. That is...that is heavy, girl. The real deal kind of love. You know Roth went against the Boss’s orders to be with Layla.” He tipped forward. “That’s like tantamount to angel falling, and that’s real, deep love he has for you.”
“I know,” I whispered, sinking into the cushions of the couch.
“And call me a silly romantic demon, but I’ve got to believe anything is possible with that kind of love.” Leaning back, he rested his ankle on his knee.
“I believe that, too.” And I had to. I blew out a tired breath. “Did Zayne kill any demons?”
“Yeah. A couple. Okay, more than a couple. Took out a whole house of them to be honest,” he answered.
“Oh, no.” I rubbed my hand down my face.
Cayman chuckled. “Look at you, feeling bad for dead demons. You make a shit Trueborn, you know?”
“I know, but Zayne wasn’t all about killing...well, not-really-evil demons.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s a progressive Warden,” he said, and I dropped my hand. “Or was. Anyway, don’t worry. They weren’t ‘not all that evil’ demons. He got some who had it coming to them. Ones that were getting sloppy, blurring the rules. The ones in the house were nothing more than a pack of Ravers.”
“You could’ve started with that, you know?” Ravers were like giant, walking-on-two-legs rat demons that ate everything, including people...and their bones.
“And you could’ve started with ‘my boyfriend is now a fallen angel,’” he replied, and I thought I saw a smile on his face. “So, I guess we’re even.”
“I guess so. I’m sorry that he was chasing you,” I offered. “I really do mean that.”
“I know you do. And I don’t take it personal.” He paused. “And it was kind of hot.”
My gaze shifted over to him as my brows lifted.
“What? Fallen angel Zayne tops the hotness meter. I can’t help it.” He shrugged. “I’m a demon.”
“I’m sure Zayne would be happy to hear that he hasn’t lost you as his number one fan,” I said wryly.
“Oh, I’m not his number one fan. That’s Bambi.”
“What?” I held up my hand. “Wait. Don’t answer that. I don’t have the brain space to deal with hearing about that.”
Cayman giggled, and it was as creepy as I imagined a demon giggling would be. “By the way, has he come here since he Fell? If so, I love chatting with you, but I’m going to have to bounce out of here like a rubber ball.”
“He hasn’t yet. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t remember where he lives or if he’s avoiding the apartment.”
“Either way, I’m counting that as a bonus.” He rested an arm on the back of the couch. “And you should, too.”
I would, except Zayne coming here would make finding him a lot easier. Wouldn’t help in the catching him off guard department, though. “So, do you know if the Crone is still at that hotel?” I got us back on track, and it was weird to be the person doing that when I was usually the one veering everyone off track. “And can you tell me where the hotel is?”