“Your motive was still selfless.”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you know what I did with him after I so selflessly kept him alive?”
Adriel shrugged, looking unconcerned. “All that matters is that you didn’t kill him.” Maybe Meph hadn’t been far off the mark when he’d called him cold.
“Will angels be sent to Hell to retrieve him?” Mist asked, speaking up for the first time.
“I suspect the Principalities will respond the same way they did when this happened to Sunshine. I have no say in the matter.”
“So they’ll do fuck all,” Raum said.
“It’s likely.”
“But why?” Ash was speaking now. “Raphael is like…their poster boy.”
“I can’t speak for the Principalities, but I believe Raphael went too far when he took the cuffs and scry glass from the Court of Ceremonies and assaulted a guardian angel that I had sent on a special mission.”
“He didn’t have permission to use the items?” Sunshine asked.
“No. His actions embarrassed the Tribunal, and having him gone means they won’t have to do damage control. His disappearance is convenient.” The way Adriel was completely neutral about the whole matter was somewhat unnerving.
“So what does all this stuff about tests mean?” Meph interjected. “Raum’s a hero now or something?”
“It means that the Dominations have agreed that if Raum and his brothers do not wish to be confined to the Hell plane any longer, then they don’t have to be.”
There was silence as that sank in.
The angel was talking about freedom. Real freedom. Not the life of a fugitive, spending eternity looking over their shoulders.
He looked at Raum. “You have proven you can contribute positively to the collective consciousness of Earth, and the Dominations have declared you worthy of inhabiting this plane.”
Everyone was looking around, exchanging wide-eyed looks.
“So, you’re saying,” Ash ventured, “that we’reallowedto stay…and no one will hunt us anymore?”
“Correct.”
“But what about fucks like Raphael?” Meph asked.
“They will follow the rules. They have always followed the rules.” He looked unimpressed by that.
“So…we’re free? Just like that?” Meph looked around. “No more wards or Nephilim blood?”
“There are conditions.”
“Of course there are,” Bel muttered.
“And what about other demons?” Mist asked. Seated beside him, Lily clutched his hand, her palm dwarfed by his. “They will continue to hunt us.” Raum thought of the bounty hunters in the Blood Market and had to agree.
“It will be made known that the rules have changed.” Adriel looked vaguely amused by everyone’s incredulous looks. “You will find I’ve thought this all out very carefully. Which leads to my next order of business.” He turned to Sunshine. “You.”
“Me?” Sunshine looked around as if he might be actually addressing someone else.
“You have also passed your test.”
She frowned. “But I failed to retrieve the book.”
“The book was a task for me. It was not your test. The two just happened to coincide. The Dominations wanted to test you to see if you would follow your heart and heed your instincts. Which you did.”
