Yes.
His answer was as terse as his mood, so I didn’t push him, simply waited for Kristoff, who had leaped to his feet and was now yelling in Italian at Alec, to get done so we could continue on. By the time they had done so, and Ulfur inquired worriedly about the level of pain involved with being one of Bael’s little playthings, the two men had worked out most of their animosity without, thankfully, any blood having been drawn.
Terrin eyed Alec as we rode up in the elevator. “I spoke to the Sovereign on your behalf.”
“And?” Alec asked, one eyebrow rising in question.
Terrin sighed. “The Sovereign wishes it to be known that it does not involve itself in situations not of its making, or which lack a direct impact on its purview, which, despite your threat, this does not fall under.”
Alec swore under his breath. My stomach clenched with worry, causing Alec to pull me up next to him, his arm around me.
“That’s all it had to say? It doesn’t get involved in situations like ours?” I asked, alternately wanting to cry and to yell at the head of heaven that it had to help us because we were the good guys.
“No, that’s not all that was said. It made mention of a few other things, one in particular which I think you might find pertinent.” Terrin’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It was in the form of a personal addition to Alec.”
“And that would be?” Alec asked.
Terrin smiled. “Bring it on.”
Alec snorted in derision.
“Bring it on?” I asked, astonished.
“That’s what it said, yes.”
“Bring it on!” Fury roared through me at the words. “What the hell sort of thing is that to say? Bring it on? I don’t think I like this Sovereign at all. Just wait until we get Diamond out. We’ll see who’s got the attitude then!”
“Cora, I don’t think—” Pia started to say, but I interrupted her.
“Your precious Sovereign wants us to bring it on? Well, we’ll just do that!”
Terrin looked shocked as Alec pulled me tighter against him, saying in a weary voice, “Mi corazón—”
“I will not stand here and let some jerkwad flip us that kind of crap, Alec!”
“Jerkwad?” Terrin asked on a gasp.
“Oooh,” Pia said, her eyes big.
Alec’s eyebrows rose as he considered me. “I had no idea you were so aggressive.”
“I’m not aggressive, not overly so,” I said, pushing up my sleeves, just as if I were going to battle that moment. “But I don’t tolerate being pushed around by anyone, not you, not Bael, and not some half-assed leader of a group of pansy angels and cherubs and . . . and . . . and whatever else they have in this lame version of heaven!”
Terrin blinked.
“Why don’t you tell us what you really think, Cora?” Kristoff suggested with a hint of a smile.
Before I could do just that, we arrived at the floor where Terrin had taken a suite. I marched into the room feeling as if I were a dog with my hackles up, annoyed beyond anything that our sole hope for help had dismissed us without so much as batting a heavenly eyelash.
“Bring it on,” I growled to myself, and added a few more thoughts as Terrin arranged Ulfur and me on either side of him.
Beloved, muttering curses to yourself is not going to help our cause.
Perhaps not, but it sure makes me feel a whole lot better. Besides, our cause is lost at this point. At least it is until we show the Sovereign that we mean business.
Not lost, no. We have yet to hear what the Sovereign will do to help us, although if you continue invoking curses upon its head, you risk losing that help.
I stared at Alec as Terrin put one hand on my shoulder, and one on Ulfur’s, closing his eyes to chant softly to himself. Didn’t you hear Terrin? He said the Sovereign refused to help.
He stated the Sovereign’s policy toward mortal involvement, yes. He also mentioned that wasn’t all that was said. I imagine Terrin is waiting until your friend is safe before revealing what form the aid we seek will take.
I really hate it when you are smarter than me, I groused, giving him a quick glare that melted instantly at the burning heat shimmering in his forest green eyes.
I’m not smarter, love. I simply have more experience with Otherworld officials like this one. And if you keep looking at me like that, I will take you off to the nearest bed and ravish you exactly as you are imagining at this moment.
Oh, that would be lovely.... My attention, unfortunately, was demanded by Terrin at that moment, so it was with reluctance that I gave up imagining licking every inch of Alec’s body, and focused on the task at hand.
The summoning was much briefer than that conducted by the Guardian Noelle, presumably because Ulfur and I were there to give Terrin’s summons a bit of an oomph. Whatever the reason, no sooner had he spoken the few words of summoning than the air shimmered and gathered itself up into the form of a woman holding a bright pink marker in one hand, and who was saying over her shoulder, “Now, if you restructure the focus group to include participants who haven’t been strung up by their toes, you’d have a better idea of what torments really work, and what sort of a bias the group has.... Why, hello, Cora!”
Terrin’s shoulders sagged in relief as he released his hold on our shoulders. “Thank the stars. Welcome back, Diamond.”
“Terrin! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you. You look marvelous, as ever.” Diamond smiled happily at him, her smile growing when she spotted Alec. “Oh, and it’s that nice Dark One of yours, Cora. But I wish you hadn’t summoned me out just as I was presenting my workshop on better torture methodology.”
She gave me a hug, then stepped back, her head tipped to the side as she gave me a once-over. “Something is different about you. You look . . . changed.”
“Yes, well, we found out we’re—you, Ulfur, and me, that is—now officially Tools of Bael. You’re the Voice of Lucifer, I think, and something like that is bound to have an impact on appearance.”
She looked startled for a moment at that statement. “I’m the Voce di Lucifer? How . . . oh, that chalice, the pretty one in the basement? How very curious.” She gave Pia and Kristoff a wary look. “I hope you know those two people very well, Cora, because if what you say is so—and really, I have no reason to doubt it, since no one would joke about being a Tool of Bael—then all three Tools are present in one spot, and that could be a very bad thing if those two people are not at all trustworthy.”
“They are,” I said with a smile, and made the introductions, briefly explaining the relationship between Ulfur and Pia.
“Mercy, a Zorya?” Diamond said, looking thrilled to her toes. “I’ve never met one of you, but I’ve always wanted to. Is it true you control the light of the moon?”
“Former Zorya,” Kristoff growled as Pia answered, “Yes, although I can’t anymore, now that I’ve been stripped of my Zoryaness.”
“Too bad,” Diamond sighed.
Terrin, obviously drained by the summoning, straightened himself up and announced that he would return to the Court to notify Disin that Diamond was once again in the mortal world.
“Thank you, although I really was having the most interesting time in the Akasha,” she said, giving him a hug, as well. “Tell Great-grandma that I’ll pop in to visit her one of these days, just as soon as I can. Oh, I suppose I should call Dee and let him know I’m all right. He’s probably beside himself with worry.” Diamond pulled out a cell phone and wandered into a bedroom, humming softly to herself.