"Why would you not tell me that Lucius had been plaguing you?" These were the first words from his lips upon seeing me sitting in his parlor. I almost stood up and left right then.

"Because," I said, anger boiling up in me, hot and roiling. "You never came home. I had a letter stating all that Lucius wished to do—a letter that I brought here just as soon as I myself received it. But you never came home and I never met with you. You cannot blame me for your own capriciousness."

"Capricious?" He echoed, his eyebrows raising in challenge. "I was away on business."

I stood up. "And what business was that, pray tell?"

"Daughter of Gressil." The look he shot me was stern and the sound of my nephilim title coming from his lips made the hairs on my arms stand up. I had over stepped. It was easy to forget who Leviathan was, given all of his kindness towards me, but a demon lurked beneath that easy smile. 

I forced myself to stay standing. I swallowed and whispered, "I protected her, hid her in my bedroom when the very act could have gotten me executed."

He closed his eyes, just for an instant and exhaled, long and deep. "I did not ask you to do it."

"Perhaps," I scoffed, "but you are thankful that I did, are you not?"

His eyes met mine and he hesitated. "What is it you want?"

"Answers. I want to know what you are doing. Where do you go for days at a time? Why are you helping a—an angel, or whatever she is."

He walked to the entrance to the parlor and glanced down the hallway. When he was certain that no one was with us, he shut the French doors and took a seat on the sofa. I forced myself to sit as well. "Rosalie, everything I am about to say to you must remain in this room. If Lucius finds out—"

"I shall keep your secrets, but I can only do so if I first know what they are."

"Very well." He nodded. "Merritt Holbrook is an angel who has been reborn as a human. From what I can tell, and this is all my own speculation, she has retained some of her angelic qualities. As you observed in Hyde Park, Merritt can transfer the pain of others to herself. She is also capable of seeing the furies and even perhaps manipulating them."

"Manipulating them?"

"They are meant to cause harm and block out Adon—the adversary's presence." His face flushed and he added, "I believe that when she takes away someone's pain she also drives out furies, or at least she sees them and works around them. Like I said, this is all a large guessing game. I am not certain of any of this. I am merely piecing together the things I have witnessed and trying to make sense of them."

"She has angels with her. One of them goes by the name Uriel."

The corners of his mouth twitched up in the smallest of smiles. "Yes, I had thought as much."

"Who do you believe Merritt is then?"

"Oh," his brow furrowed and he swallowed. "I haven't really stopped to think very much about it." 

I did not need to be a demon to trace the lie in his words. "You said that you believed Merritt's abilities to be outstanding from her time as an angel—what angel would have those same qualities?"

He opened his mouth and then promptly closed it. After a moment of uneasy silence, he said, "Did you have any other questions?"

"Why are you interested in Merritt?"

"Do you know of the prophecy?"

The words of the prophecy, a tale that proclaimed all demons would be swept from earth by the power of an angel, had always been the nephilim version of a ghost story. It was as frightening as any story of gore and ghoulish devilry. We believed about as much in it as we did in any bedtime story. After all, demons are known liars—furies are no exception to this. The prediction of one such individual did not seem to hold much weight.

I nodded. "It is just a story nannies tell to their nephilim charges to keep us in submission. I've never really put much belief in the idea."

His face flushed and he cleared his throat. "Oh? Really? Because I—I have."

I blinked at him, "Truly?"

He bit his lip and shrugged. "In recent years I have come to understand that my life, as it stands now, is only headed in one direction and it is not one that I am pleased with."

I leaned towards him, placing my elbows on my knees and resting my chin in my gloved hands. "We are the same, you and I." I said to him, "Bound to the same destination. Drowning on an ever sinking ship."

He shook his head. "No, we are not. We are different. Rosie, you have a chance. Not now, you've gotten yourself into too much trouble recently, but if you will learn to play the game just long enough so they might forget you—"

"Then I can disappear, yes, I know. You have said so numerous times, and yet everyone who has attempted it has been executed."

"That is because they never had someone like me to help them."

"And why would you help me? You would be risking yourself."

He shrugged. "If this prophecy is true, then I have nothing to lose. I am trapped regardless."

I sighed. "They would make your life hell."

"I am bound for it anyway, am I not?" His smile was not nearly as believable as he would like to think. "Hell on earth would merely be a precursory of what I am destined for."

"Perhaps you are. But why go now if you needn't?" I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself. The dress I wore left much of my skin bare and the parlor was cold. "You are a foolish man."

"Come now, Rosie, you don't want to live this life forever, do you?" He asked, as if it had just occurred to him that I might somehow enjoy my life.

I nearly laughed at the idea. "Of course not, but this is what life is."

His expression grew very thoughtful. "Once upon a time, I thought there was only one choice. I let myself be deceived into believing that I had no options, that I was entirely alone. I landed myself here, lost my wings and dammed myself, because of it. I left a perfect life for this. I know that this isn't what life is—trust me, I've seen it be better. You always have a choice, Rosie. It just isn't always the easiest or the clearest choice."

"So you do regret it then, choosing to side with Lucius?" His eyebrows darted up and I hurried to finish my question before he could interrupt me. "It is only that I have never heard any of the," I lowered my voice, "any of the other princes admit to having been fooled by him. I am not surprised that you feel that way, but I am curious as to why. Everyone else seems to have remained certain in their choice."

His face was pale, his voice tremulous as he admitted. "I have regretted it every single day since the moment I chose."

Something inside of me relaxed, I had always wanted him to say it—to tell me that he treated me differently because he himself was different. Leviathan was, perhaps, a fallen angel, but I did not want to believe he was a demon.

 I met his eyes and asked, "But why?"

"Many reasons."

"Primarily?"

"My purpose before I fell was so very clear. I was deceived into believing that I was a slave in heaven, but I was not, nor had I ever been. In truth, I had loved who I was then."

"But that is not the only reason." I whispered. "Certainly, there is more to the story."

"Lucius is not the only person who is to blame." He closed his eyes and whispered. "I too deceived people. Before everything changed and the divide happened, I lied to someone very close to me. A few people, actually. People whom I loved very much." He opened his eyes and sighed. "I desire the forgiveness of many—both here and elsewhere."

I fiddled with the buttons on my gloves as I said, "Perhaps we both have a choice then?"

He shook his head. "I do not. I am here and I must accept my punishment and live out my life as best I can. My only choice is to not take others down with me. That is why I stay away for days, sometimes weeks, because if Lucius is near me he will surely notice that I am not working. I can only keep up this charade for so long. I have no choice. If this prophecy is coming to pass, then I believe Merritt Holbrook shall end my time on earth for me. As dreadful as the pit sounds, I am content to know that I will be unable to cause further damage here. This is my only choice. You, on the other hand," he reached out and tilted my chin up so I was looking at him. "I know you could find redemption if you were able to free yourself from this place."

Leaning forward and taking his hand in my own, I pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "I disagree." I told him, "But, nevertheless, I will keep your secret."