Chapter 395: Old Shadows, New Thrones

Khaos hovered at the center of a sealed dimension. There was no name to the place, not one that held meaning to her, save the name she’d carved into the shifting geometry of black and deep violet surrounding her. The endless, slow unfurling of the folds of reality had contained the process she’d set into motion long ago. Something huge and unwinding lurked beyond the inner barrier, demanding ceaseless, careful attention. She had shaped this place to ensure that the rest of existence would never be aware of the process contained within its walls.

Her eyes were half-closed when the telltale wisp of energy reached her senses

Azazel.

The name did not need to be spoken, not when her mind recognized the signature despite the dampness surrounding it. Her frown sharpened into something far colder as she turned her attention on the plane where the dead Watcher had chosen to appear. It was not the first time his presence had intruded upon her works, nor would it likely be the last. She had ended him once, she had felt him die. That he walked again, however inconveniently, was almost an insult in and of itself.

She did not yet leave the plane she’d built, not when the work still needed doing, but the frown remained as she regarded the other realm through the folds of the barrier.

-In the private chamber of a new Heaven, Lucifer had Athena pinned beneath him on a wide bed of dark silk. Her grey eyes were half-lidded and her lips parted, one leg curled over his waist as he slid deeper into her with each slow thrust of his hips. Wet sounds accompanied his movements as he fucked her, the soft gasps she made between each deep and deliberate stroke lost in the hush of the room. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, leaving crescents of pale skin visible against the dark fabric of his clothing. She rolled her hips to meet each of his thrusts, her breath stuttering as she kept her gaze locked onto his.

Lucifer leaned down and claimed her mouth in a bruising kiss, swallowing the soft moan that left her lips as he shifted his weight against her so that he could drive into her with greater force. One hand slipped beneath her back to lift her into a more receptive angle. Her head lolled back against the pillows of the bed, her dark hair spilling across the silk as well, exposing her neck to his. He nipped the skin there lightly and felt her muscles tighten around him.

It had been several long, drawn out moments since the two of them had first joined in this particular union, long enough for the initial sharp edge of their desire to abate. Lucifer’s red eyes were intent on her face, reading every twitch of pleasure and focus. Her other hand lifted from where it had rested against the bed and curled against the back of his neck.

"Harder," she murmured against his lips.

He obeyed the unspoken order, the movement of his hips resulting in a new shift in the bed beneath them. A breathless sound escaped Athena as her legs pulled tighter against his waist. The wet heat around his cock was as intoxicating as ever, even if the sensation of being buried within her for the second time was more thoroughly enjoyable. For a fleeting, blissful moment, there was nothing else but the union of their bodies.

Then the same disturbance which had reached Khaos sent a ripple through the connection between them

Lucifer’s movements slowed, then ceased entirely in the middle of her thrusts, his cock still sliding against her sensitive folds. His expression darkened as he studied her face. She followed his line of sight and then narrowed her own eyes in response.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice still a little frayed from her pleasure.

Lucifer’s gaze was unfocused for a bare moment before he refocused on her face. It was not an easy transition, for when his red eyes met hers, they held a shade of something more intense than mere lust.

"Azazel," he said flatly.

Athena’s eyes narrowed slightly. "That should hardly be possible."

"It is," Lucifer replied as he remained suspended above her for a moment longer. He carefully renewed his movement, sliding into her at an even, more meditative pace. "It seems he has taken up residence on Eamon’s plain, arguing with Azrael."

Athena’s free hand flexed where it rested against his neck. "Then by all means finish with me and go deal with it, or do not finish and go deal with it. Either way, I assume you’ll be giving me a full report."

Lucifer allowed a smirk to ghost his lips as he bent his head to kiss her again before giving her a proper answer. "I intend to do both."

-In another part of Heaven proper, Michael stood at the edge of a balcony overlooking the broad expanses of the new kingdom. His six wings were folded tight against his back, and the same rigid expression he’d worn for countless ages graced his face.

He, too, felt the disturbance in the weave of magic, and the telltale signature that came with it.

Azazel.

Michael’s jaw tightened as he exhaled sharply. "This is growing tiresome," he muttered to the empty room.

Nobody answered him, which was unsurprising.

-On the blood-slicked plains of Eamon’s realm, Azrael and Azazel stood in an unbroken stalemate. The armies of both watchers remained where they were, unwilling to begin anew what had once been an all-consuming war between the angelic orders.

Azrael’s wings of black feathers remained fully unfurled behind him as he regarded the other man. "You are not what you once were," he said coldly. "Your strength is diminished, your abilities weakened. Having been unassisted by the outer gods, you are barely more than a common archangel. I see before me not the Watcher who taught men to build and to fight, but a lesser force altogether."

Azazel did not appear surprised by the assessment, although something within his eyes darkened. "Lesser, perhaps," he agreed.

Azazel took a slow step forward, and the air between the two men grew even tighter. "The gifts of the outer gods have long since left me, yes. Khaos saw to that personally when she ended me the first time. And yet I am still here. Still speaking to you, still forcing Death to stand before me rather than kill me outright when you refuse to step down from this throne of yours."

He paused another pace away. "You serve a new master, Azrael. One who was once the Devil himself. Around him, his household stretches long and deep into queens, warriors, and former legends. And yet the old issues bleed into his reign regardless. Tell me, does your God enjoy seeing these things play out, or does he merely find it a convenient nuisance?"

Azrael did not move. "He will decide what you are. Until that day arrives, you will not take another step toward battle."

Azazel’s gaze swept the area, taking in the battered Seraphina, the waiting Cain and Seth, and Mabel’s ever-burning hands. "I have already taken that step," Azazel said quietly. "The battle began the moment I crossed this field. From this point onward, all that must be said will be spoken, and all that must be done will inevitably be done."

Meanwhile, in another realm sealed away from all the others, Khaos’s frown continued to deepen.

In the chamber of dark silk, Lucifer renewed his motion above the waiting Athena.

And out on the battlefield, Death and the resurrected Watcher continued to measure the distance between them, all the while the army of the other realm waiting for one of the old forces to finally make a move.