Nephilum

Chapter 33

"What is your business here Lucifer?" Michael asked in a hard voice that didn't match his personality at all.

"Oh, Michael," Lucifer started with an amused shake of his head. He folded his arms and walked around the three of us slowly-like a predator stalking his prey. "You already know why I'm here. I need to claim what is mine."

His cold eyes drifted to mine.

"Lizzie is not yours. She belongs to Heaven." Derek barked.

"Does she really?" He cocked his head to the side. "So has she told you of our conversations?"

The angels in front of me never looked back at me, but I could feel the surprise radiating from them.

"What conversations?" Michael asked.

"The ones between Lizzie and I, of course. We've been having them for weeks."

"You're lying." Michael stated matter-of-factly. His voice held all the sureness in the world. The fact that he would never suspect me of doing such a thing broke my heart-not because of his loyalty, but because I had done exactly what he was defending me for.

"Ask Lizzie."

"Is he telling the truth?" Michael asked me. He still faced Lucifer, not taking his eyes off of him.

I didn't answer. I didn't know how to. I wanted to explain that I didn't have a choice in the matter of our conversations, but I didn't even know how to begin. There was no way to show Michael and Derek how this had started without them feeling betrayed and abandoning me before I got the chance to finish.

It turns out that my not answering was answer enough. Michael turned to face me, hurt and betrayal glowing bright in his eyes. Derek stayed facing my father, but that may have been because he already knew.

"Is that why James left? Did he find out?" Michael's voice was outraged.

"It's not like that-" I started, but he cut me off.

"We trusted you. We protected you." A chuckle let loose from his mouth, but there was no humor in it. "James loved you."

"Michael please-let me explain." I cried, reaching out to him.

He turned his steely gaze back to Lucifer. "I don't care what she does in her free time. All I-all Heaven cares about is her helping us. She is valuable to us and you will not take her."

"Oh-but I do not need to take her; she will come of her own accord." Lucifer turned his eyes on me.

I felt Derek and Michael's stare on me, but I met Lucifer's instead. "No I won't." I decreed, defiance strong in my voice.

Lucifer's glare hardened. There was definitely something dangerous in his eyes. "No? Why should you stay with people who don't trust you? Who don't give you the opportunity to explain yourself? Who automatically assume the worst about you?" His voice lowered slightly as he took a step forward. "Who abandon you?"

Michael, Derek, and I all took a step back.

"You're just trying to plot me against them." I shouted at Lucifer. "You just want me to go over to your side so you can destroy all the good in the world. You want to accomplish terrible things, but you don't want to do them yourself; you want me to do them. You're just a coward." I spit out the last sentence, venom dripping from my words.

"I am not a coward!" Lucifer yelled back. "I am an arch angel! I can kill you and your little friends in a heart beat-"

"But you can't." I said, cutting him off. I took a step forward. "You can't kill me. You would have tried already."