"I summon thee, Zalael, to this place and offer thee this body as your vessel."

The cadence of the words echoed within the darkened room lit only by candles. The body on the stone altar was less than an hour old, as his death had been a part of the ritual itself. Several moments passed in silence before any movement became visible. With a great gasp for air, the body on the altar jerked with life. His head turned slowly to face Memnet.

"Who dares summon me?" The creature's voice was low, and the question was more growl than words.

Memnet folded his hands in front of him. The protective circle around him guaranteed he would remain unharmed should Zalael not find favor with his offering or the bargain Memnet wished to strike. "I am Memnet, great Zalael." He bowed his head in respect to the demon. As he looked up, his gaze was calm and steady as he took in the form not far from him.

Zalael sat up slowly and moved each arm and leg in turn. He then turned and slid off the altar to stand against it. It took him a moment to gain a sense of balance, and when he finally did, he looked up at Memnet. "And who is Memnet, that he would dare to wake me?"

Memnet studied the face and form the demon inhabited. He had chosen well. The man he picked had an angelic, innocent beauty, with long, silvery blond hair and deep blue eyes. The body, while muscular, wasn't overly so. At 6'3", Zalael was now a truly magnificent creature.

"I am the man who wishes to set you loose on the world. Other than a few chosen tasks, I will leave you free to do as you wish. That is, if you wish to be freed." Somehow he doubted Zalael would choose the alternative of returning to the Abyss again.

A slow smile spread across the demon's lips. "Free?" He moved away from the altar and began circling Memnet. "And what price do you pay? What do I pay? Freedom comes with a price, and calling me from the void carries one just as steep."

"I pay in blood to keep you here, and the price you pay is the inability to walk in the sunlight." Memnet shrugged slightly, thinking those terms to be fair enough.

"Very well. Why have you called me?"

Memnet smiled slowly. "Because I need your unique talent to disrupt the Romanorum." He'd been highly irritated when his plans with the rogues hadn't come to fruition, and just as annoyed to be minus one Daughter, particularly Selena, who had been his favorite. "Are we agreed to mutually help each other, which also includes leaving me in one piece? I also demand that no harm comes to either me or my family."

Zalael stood before Memnet, his eyes narrowing. "And what do I get out of this?"

"What you get out of it is your freedom. After you've accomplished what I want, I will not return you to the Abyss."

"Then we are in agreement," Zalael said. "What do I face?"

Only after he had Zalael's agreement did Memnet step out of the circle, breaking it. "Nothing you can't handle as it's only vampires, and perhaps a few mortals." He went to one of the wooden tables and picked up a piece of paper. "Their names are listed here."

Zalael took the note and glanced over it, nodding as he read each name silently. When he reached the bottom of the list, every muscle in his body tightened visibly. He shot a dark glare back up at Memnet as his jaw clenched. The note crumpled in his fist.

Memnet leaned against the table, relaxed and distinctly pleased that things were going as he wanted. "Is something wrong?"

"There is a name here I know well. What can you tell me about this Cian Carmichael?"

Vaguely surprised by that, Memnet answered him. "Carmichael is a pain in the ass sorcerer. He was the one who successfully hunted far too many of my rogue vampires. As many times as he's shown up, I'd guarantee there is some kind of alliance between him and the Prince of London."

The note burst into flames in Zalael's hand. "What does he look like?"

"Since I've never met the man, I don't know. Though by all accounts I've received, he is considered extremely good looking, a blond-haired man with blue eyes. He should be easy enough to find."

A dark smile spread slowly across Zalael's thin lips. "I see. And what of Mael Black, and Diocourides? I know the second name, although I cannot place it. Given the proximity of the names to Cian Carmichael, I would imagine they are connected somehow?"

"I have pictures of Black and Diocourides I can show you later. It was Carmichael who rescued Black from my Daughter and killed her. So yes, I assume there is an alliance there. And as far as Diocourides goes, he is the head of the Romanorum and creator of all vampires."

"I would very much like to see this Mael Black. If Cian Carmichael rescued a vampire, there must be a very strong connection between them. I will rid you of these beings, although Carmichael will prove to be a bit more difficult than the others."

Directing a knowing look at the demon, Memnet smirked. A small wound opened at the side of his throat and blood welled from the cut but didn't spill as he paused in front of Zalael. "And you will, Zalael, but it wouldn't do to send you out on an empty stomach, now would it?"

With a blur of motion, Zalael's hand closed around Memnet's neck as Zalael shoved him back against the wall. "Don't fuck with me," the demon snarled. He lowered his head and bit down hard on Memnet's throat, swallowing the blood as it filled his mouth.

Memnet laughed. The pain was nothing to him. As he let Zalael feed, he said, "My, but you like it rough, don't you?"

Zalael pulled abruptly from Memnet's neck and licked his lips. "Don't tempt me. When my freedom is won, I will take whatever I want."

"You can do whatever you wish with that freedom. Only our agreement binds you." Assured that Zalael would not harm him or his line, Memnet really didn't give a damn what the demon did.

"And I will do just that." Zalael turned abruptly. "I will let you know when my work is done." With that, he was gone.

***

The last thing Selena Kerr remembered was trying to stop Mael Black from killing her. She'd grabbed the sword and when she backed up against the wall, a warmth had flooded through her that she'd never known before. The next thing she remembered was waking up here. And none of the nitwits near her would tell her a thing, until one had said, “Follow me.” After walking down numerous corridors she tried to memorize, they stilled in front of a set of impossibly huge, golden doors.

"Are those things real?" When silence greeted her question, she compressed her lips. "I've died and gone to Hell, haven't I?" Without one clue as to what the hell happened or what was going on, she eyed the doors with a touch of impatience, and the nitwit next to her received the same treatment.

A voice, low and thunderous, sounded from within. "Enter." The doors swung open then, washing the corridor with a white brilliance.

The thunderous nature of that voice made her jump before she frowned. She blinked rapidly when the light nearly blinded her. She had the distinct feeling something was trying to intimidate her, and she refused to allow it --even in death. Slowly, she walked into the room. The room itself, with its walls, columns, and floor made of white marble, was the first thing to hit her. Spotting two thrones of a rich, dark wood, she saw a man sitting on the larger one. The smaller throne was empty. The man at the doors quickly closed them behind Selena, leaving her in the cavernous, white room --alone with him.

As she walked farther in, she took careful note of the man himself. She stilled abruptly, her expression altering to almost an awestruck dumbness. The only movement was her eyes as she took in the sight of him, lingering over the angelic beauty of his form before lifting back to his face. Something felt vaguely familiar, as if she should know him somehow, though she'd never seen him before. Judging by the man's sheer beauty, he had to be Lucifer --even if the white was a bit off.

"Holy shit. I'd heard you were gorgeous, but damn."

Lifting a blond eyebrow in vague amusement, the man stood up and stepped down the dais. Wings unfurled from his back and then relaxed. Their emerald feathers shimmered as he walked. "Welcome," he said with a graceful smile.

She took a few more steps toward him before she stopped. "You make a nice welcoming committee. I take it I did die, but if this is meant to be a punishment, somebody messed up." The temptation to reach out and touch one of those wings was strong, but she managed to restrain the urge.

His smile widened and he reached out for her hand. He took it in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the back gently. "I thank you. Come, please sit."

Frowning, she didn't know quite what to make of the man or the feeling that emanated from him as he held her hand. He waved toward the other throne before turning back to his own. Who was he?

"You did die, Selena, but this is not a punishment. If you remember, a man named Cian Carmichael was with you."

"Yes, I remember him. He was a rather pretty one. Had nice wings."

"Cian Carmichael saw something within you, or you would not be before me now. It is he whom you should thank for a second chance, Selena." His voice was calm but stern. "Do you fear me? Is that why you will not sit beside me?"

"You're not Lucifer, are you? And this isn't Hell." She sat down on the second throne gingerly, half-expecting something to bite her. She really did have the feeling somebody’d screwed up. The man laughed. It was a deep, rich sound that permeated the air and had the ability to settle into a person's soul. She shivered.

"No, this is not Hell. And I am not Lucifer." He leaned over and slipped a hand under her chin, drawing her head up to meet a soul-deep, blue gaze. "And no one screwed up."

Finding herself caught by the sapphire eyes, her own widened in confusion before her thoughts caught up with her. "No, this isn't Heaven. It can't be. I don't belong here." Knowing the kind of life she had led, that would have been a given. "Where am I? And how the hell did I get here?"

The man released her chin and stood. He disappeared briefly through a doorway behind Selena's throne and then returned, carrying a length of blue velvet, tied with a silver ribbon. "There are only a handful of beings who can wield what lies within this cloth." He opened the cloth and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of a sword. He held it upright before his face and then lowered his gaze to Selena. "And I am their Prince."

"That's the sword Mael Black gave me as a gift. He should have known better. I wanted the Eye." Wanted was a very mild word; desperately needed it was more like it. "If I'm dead and in Heaven, where does that leave me?" It slowly permeated her brain that she was indeed in Heaven, and for some reason, Cian Carmichael had sent her here.

The man lowered the sword, returning it to the cloth as he spoke. "You are in Heaven, Selena. Cian is one of my highest enforcers on Earth and a close friend." Setting the sword on the step of the dais before his throne, he turned back to look at her. "I am Michael, Prince of Heaven. Something within you called out to Cian, yet it was too late for him to do anything about it. He does not have the ability to stop death. He does, however, have the ability to know a good soul from a foul one. If your soul was truly lost, you wouldn't be here now. He gave you a second chance, Selena."

"Second chance?" Another frown furrowed her brow as she remembered that one moment, what it had felt like when Cian had touched her and offered her something she desperately wanted. She just hadn't understood then, and she still wasn't sure she did. "I remember feeling..." She simply trailed off; there were no words to describe it.

"Yes?" Michael watched her for a moment before leaning over and threading his fingers through her hair, cupping her head gently. He pressed his lips softly to her forehead to remind her.

With the touch of his lips to her skin, Selena closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of that alien peacefulness flow over her. Her body and mind relaxed, and there was something inside her that clung desperately to it. It eased so much of the inner pain that nothing else ever had. Words failed her when she tried to open her mouth to speak.

"Do you remember now?" Michael whispered softly. "I can take the pain away, Selena, but you have to want me to. I will do nothing without hearing from you first. Cian tried to save you, but he was unable to. For that, he has spent some time with a pain of his own --a pain of failure. For an angel, that isn't an easy thing to live with."

An unexpected wetness spilled over her cheeks. Turning her head away, not wanting him to see, she swiped at the tears. "I think I understand now. I've lived with all of that for a very long time, Michael. I want it to go away, to not be a part of me anymore."

Michael cupped her face gently, turning her head back to face him. "Do not hide from me, Selena. If you truly want it gone, then look me in the eye and tell me. A person's eyes tell much more than their words; that is something you will come to understand." He brushed his thumb slowly over her lower lip. "What do you want?"

Her mind focused inward, deeper into her own personal hell, and she knew to be completely free of it was what he was offering her. She stared at him, buried deeply within the darkness that had sought to overwhelm her. "I want you to take it away," she whispered, her voice beginning to break. "You can; I know you can. I felt that. Please help me, Michael."

Michael smiled softly and leaned forward, but instead of pressing his lips to her forehead, he pressed them to her own lips. "Give me your pain, Selena. Release it." Even though his mouth remained closed, he began to draw the pain out of her, slowly, so as not to overwhelm her.

Closing her eyes once again, she heard the soft whisper, beckoning to her. For the first time in her entire existence she just let go of what enslaved her, trusting in Michael. Something she had never done in her life was trust another, and she wasn't sure why she did so now. She felt she knew him, somehow, and in a way she really couldn't comprehend. Michael slipped his fingers through her hair to keep her still and opened his mouth on hers. With the slide of his tongue between her lips, the blackness was forced from her soul. A wash of pure peace swelled through her, filling the void within.

Selena began to tremble in response to the sudden draw that left her empty as it took the darkness. The rush that filled her in its wake made her shudder as it enveloped her mind, restoring her soul. Tears fell down her cheeks unheeded as her mind cried out, clinging in desperation. When the blackness within her had gone, leaving her with a sense of peace, Michael's kiss softened before he pulled away. He wiped away the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips.

Selena remained still. She didn't want him to stop. For the very first time, she felt peace within herself and she wasn't frightened anymore. Her fingers tightened momentarily on his arm as she stared back at him, taking in the gentleness of his expression. She smiled back hesitantly, dropping her hand from his arm.

Michael moved his fingertips softly over her cheek to brush over her lips, barely touching them. His gaze moved slowly from her lips to her eyes, holding her in a soft gaze. "You truly are a beautiful woman, Selena, and your soul belongs to you. Let no one ever take that from you again."

She knew he was seeing her as she once had been, the innocence and trust, before her soul had been stolen from her. Tears still burned her eyes, but didn't fall. "This time I want to keep it." The flit of a thought touched her mind in the realization that if she lost it again, she would lose him as well. More than anything, that thought terrified her, though she didn't know why. In only a few moments, this man --this being --had become the anchor she so desperately needed.

"And know that I would fight to keep you as you are now."

When she heard his voice in her mind, her eyes widened as she took in the words and their meaning. A heartfelt gratitude filled her, leaving her not knowing what to say. "I'm not really sure why I received a second chance, but you've given me hope. Thank you isn't enough for saving me."

He smiled and traced his fingertips down her arm to take her hand in his. He entwined his fingers in hers and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before speaking. "You were given a second chance because Cian had faith in what he saw within you. It isn't hard to see why."

All of her dealings with others had been forced. That Michael seemed willing to be around her, and even help her, completely amazed Selena. She clasped his hand and glanced at the sword on the steps. "I wanted the Eye of Baal, you know. To get rid of Memnet. I was extremely angry at Black for not getting it for me. Somehow, I think the sword was a better gift, and I'm not so angry anymore."

"It was," Michael said. "Cian knew not to give the Eye to Mael Black, and Cian has been its guardian for some time. You will have to face them both, Selena."

She hadn't thought she would have to return. She gripped his hand tighter as she stared at him in dismay. "I don't have to go back, do I? Can't I talk to Cian here?"

Michael knelt before her, bringing him eye-level with her. "You must go back, Selena. Salvation comes with a price --one of repayment. An old adversary of Cian's has awakened, and not even Mael can protect him. You will be needed."

She studied his face for a moment. Unsure of what she saw in him, it still drew her nonetheless. "Then I will return."

"I will always be with you. No matter where you are, I will be with you. All you have to do is need me."

Tilting her head slightly, Selena rubbed her cheek against his hand. "You're going to be a busy angel. You know that, don't you?"

"I'm never too busy," Michael murmured. He carded his fingers back through her hair, letting the silky strands slip between them.

"You say that now, but wait a few weeks."

"I think it's worth the coming trouble."

Spellbound, she leaned toward him. Something inside her wanted to kiss him, and the feeling itself startled her. She'd never wanted intimacy --not like this. Her lips touched softly to his, clinging to the warmth for a brief moment before she pulled back. Mentally berating herself, she settled back in her seat.

Michael seemed to lose his breath for several seconds. When his eyes opened, a quieter, more subdued desire sparkled with their blue depths. "Do you fear me?"

Puzzled by his question, she shook her head. "No. You wouldn't hurt me. I know that, Michael."

"I would never hurt you." He brushed his lips over her forehead, moved down the bridge of her nose, then stopped at her lips. "I would do many things," he whispered, "if you let me. But never would I hurt you." His breath warmed her lips and the tip of his tongue slid slowly across them.

Selena took the words for the reassurance they were meant to be. The sensations ghosting across her lips distracted her terribly. A soft noise, barely a whimper, rose in her throat, and she opened her mouth to him. Michael slipped his tongue in, stroking it across hers briefly, and then broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers.

"If you like, I will show you to your room. It will be your own haven, whenever you need it. Know that you are safe here, Selena."

She wanted to respond to him, to let him taste her, and a touch of disappointment flared when the moment was gone. Everything left her confused. "Will I be able to stay here for a few days before I have to go back?"

"Yes, but we cannot wait longer than a week. After that, we must leave." He stood and held out a hand to her.

"We? You are going with me?" She stood as he did, taking his hand.

He pulled her gently up against him, folding his wings around her in a clearly protective gesture. "Yes, for the first meeting with Mael and Cian, I will be going with you. Cian will remember what happened and he has become fiercely protective of Mael Black since. I would not put either of you through that alone."

She wasn't used to anyone wanting to protect her like he seemed to. As he held her, she rested her head against his chest, sighing quietly. The centered, peaceful feeling filled her so easily and she could feel the safety of his wings as they closed around her. "I don't think either of them will be very happy to see me at all. But as you said, I have to return."

Michael kissed her hair. "It is something that must be done," he said. "Cian will not hurt you, and at my word, he will not allow Mael to harm you either. You will be safe. Come. I'll show you to your room."

"That's not quite what I was worried about." Not daring to laugh, she curled her hand to his when his wings released her. "Lead the way, McDuff." If she was sorry that he let her go, it didn't show in her expression. Thankfully.