Laughter erupted out of me, and I decided to let the whole killing Lucifer thing go. For now.
“How do you feel?” he asked, as I limped across the room, and made my way into the bathroom to brush my teeth.
“Like I got hit by a bus,” I assured him.
Make no mistake, I’d be walking funny for weeks.
When we’d finally made our way out to the kitchen, I grinned at the sight of Shea, Mikey, and Noah sitting around the table, shoving their mouths full of waffles, piled high with cubes of butter, and maple syrup.
“Hey, bro. I didn’t know you’d be here.” I gave Mikey a side hug. He spent most of his weekends with his pack on Clark’s land. He was still learning to control the beast, but quick side hugs were okay.
“Are you kidding? Mom’s home, so I had to come.” He was wearing a goofy lopsided grin.
Mom’s home. Those two words hit me with the realization of what had happened. I’d gotten my mom out.
“I’m going to need more batter. Especially if we want to take some to Bernie,” my mom declared.
“Oh, I’ve hooked Bernie up,” Lincoln replied, eyeing the piping-hot waffle coming out of the chipped red maker, my mom brought from home.
I looked at my boyfriend. “Oh really?”
He chuckled. “I told Raph about the situation. He said it’s no problem for Bernie to come to the cafeteria and eat after the students have eaten their meals—before they’ve put everything away.”
My mom met my eyes, and I could see she was totally planning our wedding in her head.
“That was very sweet of you, Lincoln. Thank you,” she told him.
I smiled, getting on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
Lincoln’s cheeks were red, and he mumbled a “you’re welcome” to both of us.
My mom held up a dish towel. “Hang on, you call him Raph? The Archangel of Healing?”
Lincoln chuckled. “Yeah, it felt weird at first, but he asked us to. He doesn’t want to seem above anyone. He’s a friend.”
He is a friend. A very good friend.
My mom started to tear up, looking down at the floor.
“Oh, Mom, what’s wrong?” I crossed the kitchen to be by her side.
She wiped the tears and patted my hand. “Nothing. I’m just… happy. I haven’t been happy in a long time.”
Silence descended upon the kitchen. I knew she’d had it hard in Demon City after I’d left, then doubly hard when Mikey was having his issues. Now I could see the stress it had caused her. Close up, she looked tired with bags under her eyes, hair limp and dull.
“Lots more happy days ahead, Mom,” I assured her.
Lincoln stepped in front of us. “Absolutely, but only if I get one of those waffles right now.”
My mother’s laughter filled the space around us, and my chest felt lighter and lighter as each person joined in.
This, our little family moment right here, was one of the happiest days of my life.
Chapter Twenty-One
The nightmares didn’t stop.
Six weeks of never-ending nightmares. Hell. Demons. Lucifer.
It was awful, and I’d turned into an insomniac because of it. I did anything to avoid sleep now—coffee, energy drinks, going for late-night walks. I just didn’t want to be sucked back into that place. It was making me scared to close my eyes. It all felt so real.
And to top off that shit storm, my mom couldn’t find a job. Apparently there was no room for a Necromancer in Angel City—other than tending to dead flowers and decorating cakes, but those jobs were given to Necros who grew up in the city, and graduated from the academy. My mom having been a raiser of the dead in Demon City was akin to having a criminal record.
The one good thing going on in my life at the moment was Bernie. He was thriving. He’d put on some weight, looked clean and happy with his daily showers and shave. Raphael had even given him a small job folding sheets and towels. After the school maids washed them, they’d drop them off at Bernie’s trailer, and he’d fold them. He said it gave him a purpose, but the only drawback was trying to keep Maximus off the clean folded sheets.
Now, I was being called to Raphael’s office between lunch and battle class. I didn’t know what it was about, but I hoped I wasn’t in trouble.
After knocking on the door, Raphael called out for me to enter. Pulling the big heavy door back, I stepped inside to see him standing at his desk.
I smiled. “Hey.”
Please don’t be in trouble for something.
“Hello, Brielle. How are you healing?” Raphael asked kindly.