Yes? Azazels eyes narrowed.
Her presence here might not be accidental.
For a moment I was speechless. You think I betrayed the Fallen
No, my brother, he said. I think Uriel might have tricked you. Who is to say shes not a demon, sent into our midst to betray us to the Nephilim and to Uriel himself? How did the Nephilim suddenly arrive at our gates, when we have remained hidden for thousands upon thousands of years? We have never had a stranger come among us. You, Raziel, have never before stopped to consider who a traveler was or where he or she was heading. Youve never believed it to be your concern, and the rest of us have felt the same. There are too many to deliverwe cant stop to pass our own judgment. But something made you stop. He looked at me, his brown eyes earnest and troubled. I think she may have cast a spell on you.
I laughed. Now youre saying shes a witch? I believe we left all that behind many hundreds of years ago.
Im saying shes a demon. Sent by Uriel to infiltrate and destroy us. You cannot deny he has demons at his command.
No, I said slowly. Uriel ruled over both angels and demons, using them for whatever task he deemed necessary. Once long ago, in a moment of weakness, hed explained himself: that it was far better for him to rule the demons and dark spirits of the world than let them fall into the hands of the Evil One.
The Evil One he believed to be Lucifer.
We knew there was no source of evil. No Satan, no Iblis, no Prince of Darkness. Evil came from within, just as love and beauty did. Evil was the price humans paid for being alive.
It was a price that had never entered the hallowed confines of Sheol. Unless Sammael was right, and Allie Watson was one of Uriels servants.
It would explain a great deal. The attraction I felt to her was irrational, when I had sworn to mate with no human. I liked soft, sweet women, not females who talked back and questioned my decisions and dared to enter my consciousness, as only a bonded mate should do. If shed been sent by Uriel, then we had only one choice.
Azazel had turned to me. Does this seem likely? You know her best. Has she been sent to open the gates of Sheol and bring us all to ruin?
No, Sarah said before I could speak. Absolutely not. She has a reason to be here, one I dont yet understand, but there is no evil
I was speaking with Raziel, Azazel said in a cold voice, and Sarahs mouth snapped shut. I could almost be amusedhe was in for trouble tonight
but I was in no mood to laugh.
Its possible, I said reluctantly. It would explain a number of anomalies.
I think we have no choice, then, Azazel said. Either she was properly judged and sentenced to hell, or she is here to destroy us. She needs to be returned to the eternal fires.
He was right. For her to have been sent there in the first place, there had to be a reason, even if I hadnt been able to discover it. And if she was a traitor, a demon in our midst, then hell was where she belonged.
You dont have to be the one to take her, Azazel added with a trace of compassion. One of the others can go.
I said nothing, refusing to accept their ruling. They couldnt do this. I wouldnt let them.
Youre idiots, all of you, Sarah snapped, finally having had enough. Do you no longer trust your Source? Do you think I have no knowledge of what is to be and what is right? None of you count divination among your gifts, but I have seen things.
What? Azazel said sharply.
But Sarah shook her head. That is not for you to know. Not yet. You may either ignore my counsel and destroy a woman because you think she might be a witch, just like the wicked ones of old. Or you can give her time. Give Raziel time to discover why shes here. She turned to look at me. Are you certain shes not your mate? That would explain everything.
It would indeed. It would also be a lie. I had known the women I loved from the first time I saw them. There had been a recognition, a knowledge, a peace that was far removed from
the anger I felt around Allegra. Allie.
But I wasnt going to condemn her to death, not without being certain.
So I lied.
There is a strong bond between us, I said, with at least a bit of truth. And an attraction.
Then go to her, Raziel, Sarah said. Look into her eyes. You would know a demon if you looked deep enough. Touch her. A demon cannot make love;
they can only steal your essence. Its a simple test.
A simple test. Put my hands on Allie Watson and see if she turns into a monster. I would kill her then, if she did. Demons were easy enough to kill as long as you recognized them. Their throats were delicate, easily crushed. All I had to do was taste her. . . .
I wouldnt do that. I was ready to prove she wasnt a demon, but I was far from willing to perform the one act that would bind us irrevocably.
Ill give you this night, Raziel, Azazel said. But no one is to let her move around the compound without a guard. We cannot afford to take any risks. If shes human, we need to discover if she was sent by Uriel. If shes a demon . . . kill her. Do you understand?