Мишель Роуэн - Angel with Attitude

Val’s eyes brimmed with tears at that. “That is the nicest thing I think anyone’s ever said to me.”

“I know, I’ve used that line before. Works like a charm.”

She sighed. “You are a rat.”

“A rat who loves you.”

Val continued to follow Lisa through the hallways of the mansion. “I got the key, you know.

Nathaniel gave it to me.”

“You did?” Reggie said. “That’s great. And furthermore, then what the hell are we still doing here if we have the Key to Heaven?”

“You have the Key to Heaven?” Lisa repeated with surprise.

“I did, but Julian took it again. If it’s here in the mansion we have to get it back.”

“I’m getting sick of this stupid key,” Reggie said.

“Shhh,” Lisa commanded from over her shoulder. “Be quiet you two. We can’t let them know we’re here.”

“Who’s they?”

She stopped walking and Val practically slammed into the back of her. They were near a set of glass doors that looked out at the area where earlier Val had been drinking piña coladas and pushing Nathaniel into the pool.

Good times.

There was a small gathering of demons and other strange beings on the patio. Julian stood on the stage and he didn’t look happy.

“Why?” he was saying into the microphone, but it sounded like he was mostly talking to himself. “Why isn’t it working?”

Val gasped as she saw the golden key catch the light from the patio lanterns. Julian was trying to use the key to enter Heaven.

Right now.

Val watched with horror as the mayor waved a flipper-like appendage at Julian. “Try again. I’ve always found incantations to be particularly tricky.”

Julian sighed. “Perhaps you’re right. I’ll give it another shot.” He brought the key closer to his face and read the ancient incomprehensible words etched into its surface. When he was done, he looked up expectantly. Nothing happened. He stamped his foot like a little boy who didn’t get his lollipop.

Yasmeen approached the stage. “Perhaps your pronunciation is off. Let me try.” She reached for the key but Julian held it out of her reach.

“No. It’s mine. Back off, bitch.”

She put a hand on her hip. “You’re such a self-involved idiot, Julian.”

He pouted. “Takes one to know one.”

Yasmeen glanced over at the mayor. “I have no time for this foolishness. At your leave, great one.”

The mayor looked at her for a moment, then nodded his head. “As you wish, my dear.”

She vanished in a column of fire.

“Come on,” Lisa whispered and grabbed Val’s arm to pull her outside, closer to the group of demons by the pool and stage.

“Are you crazy?”

“Probably. But I have a plan to get your key back.”

“You’re definitely crazy.”

She grinned. “Consider yourself lucky the key doesn’t work for Julian.”

“Is it his pronunciation?” Reggie asked. “I always thought incantations were in Latin. At least

Claire’s always sound Latin.” He sighed. “It’s all Greek to me.”

Lisa shook her head. “It’s a much older language, even older than Latin.”

Val frowned. “I don’t even remember telling you about the key before a minute ago. How do you know so much—”

“Shh.” She pulled Val down until they were completely hidden behind the pool bar. If Val stood up, Julian would be looking directly at her. Though, currently he was too busy staring angrily at the key in his hand to pay attention to anything else.

She glanced at Lisa. “If you’re such a surprise expert on the subject, then tell me, why isn’t it working for him?”

She licked her lips and smiled, but it looked more mischievous than genuine. “The Key to

Heaven will only work for a fallen angel, of course.”

“What?”

“It’s true. Haven’t you heard the stories?”

“Yeah, but not that one. I thought it was supposed to be an all-access pass. Anyone could use it.”

She shook her head. “Anyone can go through the doorway once it’s opened, yes. But the words must be spoken by a fallen one. Lucifer was originally a fallen angel, you know. And it is his key. Makes sense.”

Julian had just finished reading the incantation for the fourth time with zero success. His face flushed red with anger and flames danced in his eyes—and it was an unhappy dance.

Val frowned. “How long do you think it’ll be before he figures that little tidbit of information out?”

“With Julian? Could be a few centuries.”

“You know Julian?”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t everyone?”

“He told me that he’s Lucifer’s son. That he’s doing this to get Daddy’s love and approval. Or something like that.”

She almost laughed at that. “He should have just bought a card from Hallmark.”

Suddenly Julian yelled, and for a horrible moment Val was reminded of Nathaniel suffering on the floor of the bedroom before he was taken away from her. But Julian wasn’t being pulled anywhere. He wasn’t in any pain, at least not physical pain.

He was just frustrated.

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong! This should work. I should be walking into the pristine palace as we speak.”

Val frowned. Pristine palace? What a dork.

In the meantime, a few more demons had made their excuses and wandered off. Time was precious, even in the Underworld.

The mayor looked extremely disappointed for a moment, but then he seemed to brighten slightly. “Let’s take a break and bring out the fallen angel for some entertainment, shall we? I need a good laugh. Plus, I’m a little bit hungry. Just don’t tell Sven that I cheated on my diet.”

“Not yet,” Julian whined. “Let me try one more time.”

The mayor sighed. “Very well.”

He tried. He failed. Val stifled a laugh at his obvious misery. Then he had a literal hissy fit and threw the key on the ground and made a big show of stepping on it and grinding it into the stage with his foot.

“Stupid key!”

“Let me down, Val,” Reggie whispered. “I think I have an idea.”

“That is never a good thing to hear.”

“Just let me down.”

She picked him gently off her shoulder and put him on the ground. He looked up at her.

“Wish me luck.”

Val opened her mouth to do anything but wish him luck, to stop him from whatever stupid idea had drifted into his gumball-sized brain, but he was gone. And he was headed for the stage.

“He’s very brave,” Lisa said. “For a talking rat.”

Val helplessly watched Reggie’s small, furry body dart from covering to covering, weaving in and out between lounge chair legs. If a demon glanced in his direction, he’d freeze in place until it was safe to move again. It was like watching a rodent version of Alias. She held her breath and clutched Lisa’s hand.

“Val,” Lisa whispered.

She didn’t tear her gaze from Reggie. “What?”

“If anything goes wrong here, promise me you won’t look back. That you’ll just run.”

“I promise. Same for you. But I’m not going anywhere without Reggie.”

She smiled. “You’re a good friend to him. And to Nathaniel. It’s so strange that you care for him despite what he is.”

“Nathaniel . . .” Val’s voice trailed off. “I’ll probably never see him again.”

“No. You probably won’t.”

She looked at Lisa sharply. “Not exactly helping.”

“You’d rather I lie to you? Trust me, the truth is always better than lies. Better than all these false surfaces.” She glanced around. “Like this ridiculous place. The truth is painful, it’s shocking, and it’s rarely easy . . . but it will open doors you never knew were there before.”