“What do you mean, Michael is alive?” Lucifer snarled, pacing towards me. “I drove my celestial blades through his heart. I watched as the light left his eyes. I incinerated him with my holy fire and scattered it across the Earth on the Northerly Winds.”

“Drama queen,” Ammi muttered. But her heart wasn’t in it. Her eyes were glazed, her vacant face betraying her. I knew exactly what she was feeling. Now she was numb, but soon her hopelessness would overwhelm everything as the reality of her world crumbled around her.

“My father is not easily killed,” I replied, eyeing Lucifer as I twisted my fingers nervously. “You should know that.”

“You have no proof of this!” the angel barked, narrowing his eyes at me.

Marcus stepped in front of me, going toe-to-toe with Lucifer without hesitation.

“Of course she has no proof, Luce! What the hell do you expect?”

I crossed my arms around myself nervously, before murmuring, “I…actually might have something.”

All heads turned to me. I shuffled uncomfortably. I really hated being the center of attention like this. It was rarely a good thing.

“How?” Lucifer barked, and I barely restrained myself from flinching. He was a seriously intimidating figure.

“Wings, please stop. You’re turning into an angel monster again.” At Ammi’s words, Lucifer tucked her into his side with a giant black wing, setting a kiss on top of her head.

“Apologies, Rika.” He attempted to calm himself, but his stiff posture betrayed him.

Marcus bent towards me, tilting my chin up with a gentle hand. His handsome face pinned me to the floor as he studied me. Looking for what, I wasn’t sure. But whatever it was he saw didn’t seem to please him.

“What do you mean, ‘proof’? You don’t have to prove anything to me, babygirl. Ignore the tyrant with wings.”

“I want to,” I promised. “He needs to believe me. You and Ammi might take me at my word, but he-”

“-is a suspicious bastard!” Marcus growled, but from the look on his face, I knew deep down he agreed with me. Not that it mattered. He clearly didn’t care what Lucifer thought.

I shook him off gently, but firmly, and he reluctantly released me.

“You said something about a brother? Is it Raphael?” I directed my questions toward Lucifer, despite barely being able to glimpse him past the wall of muscle that was Marcus.

“Yes,” Marcus answered before Lucifer could, earning him a glower from me.

“I don’t remember addressing you,” I snapped. I did not appreciate rudeness, even when it was directed towards the devil himself.

Marcus’ brows hit his hairline, and a particular glint shone in his eyes, but he didn’t otherwise comment. Still, something about that look made me shiver down to my bones. Not in a good way, but also not one that was wholly unpleasant.

“Regardless, yes, Raphael is the brother I spoke of,” Lucifer’s voice shattered the small moment we’d had, making me blush. “What of it?”

“Call him,” I ordered, then, realizing how demanding I’d sounded, I added, “please?”

Lucifer was silent for a beat, and for a moment I’d worried I’d come across as too pushy. But then, I jumped about a foot in the air with an embarrassing squeak when a voice spoke from behind me.

“Yes, frater? I was in the middle of something, ahem, rather important, so-”

“Michael is alive.”

I turned around just in time to see the angel, who was obviously Raphael, freeze in place, abject horror blanketing his features.

“Impossible,” he murmured, and I stiffened.

“It’s true,” I promised, steeling myself for what I had to do. After a deep breath, I continued, “and I can prove it.”

Raphael’s angel-blue eyes swept downwards to me. “And who are you?”

“I’m Kaiah,” I answered hesitantly, remembering Lucifer’s volatile reaction to my identity. “Michael was my father.”

I hated even saying that.

Those eyes narrowed. “Even less of a reason to trust you. Michael’s alive? Bullshit. What is this, wishful thinking?”

A bloodcurdling snarl echoed from behind me, and before I could react, a high-pitched buzzing filled my ears. Then, with a burst of almost psionic energy, Raphael stumbled back a few paces, as if physically shoved. I whirled, and Marcus’ face mirrored the shock on mine.

“Did you-?” Before I could finish, Marcus swept me behind him, his upper lip pulled back in a snarl.

Raphael was there, his eyes glowing with rage.

“Which of you two dared to touch-”

“ENOUGH!” I jumped as Amirykal, with fangs peeking out from lips and fur rippling along her arms roared at the two males. Her volume was astonishing, and it froze them in place.

She stalked toward them, Lucifer acting as her shadow the whole way, sending furious glares to his friend and brother.

“While you two are swinging your puny dicks around, Mic…Michael is running around sucking air, and you’re scaring the bejeezus out of the one person who can help us! Are you trying to act like children, or does it just come naturally?”

Raphael quirked a brow, a frown twisting his lips. “You believe this…”

Ammi narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Woman. Or Kaiah, if you want to avoid being an utter asshole.” She rolled her eyes to Heaven and shook her head, before replying, “and yes, I do. You don’t know her, but I trust her. Still, she has proof that apparently involves you, if you can pull your head out of your ass long enough to listen to her.”

At the last thing, Raphael snapped his gaze to me. “You have proof?”

I’d already said that. But still, I nodded, “I do. But anyone who’s squeamish should probably leave.”

All three males scoffed at the very idea that they could be considered squeamish. But still, I pressed on, looking towards my Champion, in particular. I just knew he wouldn’t react well to this.

“You should leave, Marcus,” I began, but he cut me off with a growl and a firm shake of his head.

“Rabid hellhounds couldn’t keep me away, babygirl.”

“Hellhounds can get rabies?” Ammi whispered to her mate. He shook his head, a perplexed look on his face.

“Fine,” I sighed, before looking up at him pleadingly. “Please don’t freak out, alright?”

Warily, Marcus nodded in agreement.

Grimacing, I turned to Raphael. “You can tell the time and cause of old wounds, right?”

“Naturally,” he answered, crossing his arms, “what are you getting at?”

Taking a deep breath, I reached for the hem of my sweater, slowly drawing it up my stomach. Before I got far, Marcus’ hands covered mine, stopping my movements.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He demanded, his voice harsh in a way that he’d never used towards me. I flinched.

“Fuck off, Marcus!” Ammi barked, but he was intent on me.

I shook my head, “this is something I have to do, Marcus. You can either stay here and be calm about this or leave. It’s up to you.” My voice was mild, but I would not be argued with. The residents of Hell couldn’t continue living in a fairytale. They had to be ready for when Michael came, and he would come. If they were unprepared, he’d slaughter them all.

He ground his teeth, his hands shaking at his sides. Perhaps with the effort it took to restrain himself? I wasn’t sure. But either way, he was making me nervous.

Finally, he backed up a step, but it was obvious he was close to snapping.

I finished removing my sweater, leaving me only in my white bra. Marcus’ eyes swirled with heady emotion; rage, helplessness, lust. But this was all necessary. He’d see. In the end, he’d see.

And it wasn’t as if my partial nudity bothered me. Neither of the other males would lust after me, and Ammi was my friend. Plus, I was doing this of my own free will. This was far better than how I’d been normally made to do this.

With a deep inhale for bravery, I turned my back to the other four.