"I can't believe I'm here even entertaining this idea," Gabriel proclaimed.

I ignored him. It took months, but Auriel and I were back in perfect health. As such, I had summoned the elite archangels for a meeting. We were in one of the courthouses, the safest place in all of Heaven.

It was during this time period I started wearing my military uniform exclusively. As such, I adjusted the black cufflink on my sleeve and then picked off a now-pristine down feather from my sleeve I then looked at everyone in attendance and smiled.

"Are you all going to listen to me or just bitch over the fact that I have summoned you? If it's the latter you can just leave."

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't prepared to listen," Metatron replied.

I had requested Metatron's presence—his actual presence. God had decided that the library wasn't impenetrable even with Metatron at His side, so there wasn't a point in having him stationed there. If anything, Metatron was angry that he wasn't there in his full capacity; he was nearly certain had he been Auriel would not have been overtaken.

"So what is this I hear about you wanting to attack Hell or something?" Gabriel said, sounding annoyed.

I looked at him sharply. "Who told you that?"

Gabriel swung his head to Mikha'el. My jaw dropped open.

"Mikha'el! You ass!"

"We're all busy, Sera," Mikha'el replied. "A vague, 'Sera wishes to speak with you' wasn't going to cut it."

"But I wanted to be the one who told everyone!"

Raphael sighed heavily and looked at the ceiling. "May we please just further the conversation now? We are, in fact, rather busy."

I glared at Mikha'el a moment more and then looked at Metatron. "Metatron—how did the demons gain access into the library without detection?"

"All those details have been drawn out in my official report."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I am aware, I read it at least a hundred times. Stop thinking like an angel."

He looked baffled. So, I sighed and began to pace about the room.

"Per your report, you didn't realize that demons had infiltrated until the attack was under way, correct?"

"Yes."

"And how is that?"

"Sera, really—"

"Just humor me, will you, Metatron?"

"I suppose." He sighed and rubbed his face a few times before looking at me. "The demons had possessed two angels. I was not in the mindset of screening angels for possession. It was a foolish oversight. I suppose I have grown—comfortable."

Auriel patted his brother's hand and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Even if you had grown complacent, I feel comfortable saying with utmost confidence had a possessed angel entered into the library, you would have been able to feel its presence, correct?"

Metatron looked off to the side. "Technically, yes—it was a grave oversight on my part."

"Perhaps not."

Metatron looked unconvinced. I turned to Auriel then.

"Something you said while you were possessed made me think; when were you possessed?"

Auriel blinked, and shifted uncomfortably. "I am unsure, as I also said in my report."

"Yes yes—but was there ever a point where you realized it?"

"Yes. It was when I was..." He looked upset.

"Auriel, no one blames you for what happened," Mikha'el assured him, putting his hand on top of Auriel's.

Auriel glared off to the side. He looked near tears. As such, I rushed on, hoping what I had to say would ease some of his anguish.

"Auriel," I said, drawing his attention back, "what is the last memory you have before you were attacking angel's in Metatron?"

Auriel, suddenly looking exhausted, pinched the bridge of his nose and then rubbed his eyes. He then glared. "I don't know—is there really a point to this, Sera?"

"There is, and perhaps a very urgent one. I'm sorry, I know this entire experience has been difficult for you, but I need you to think. Please."

Gabriel sighed on behalf of Auriel. "Can't you just tell us what you're getting at?"

"And possibly taint Auriel's memory? No. Please believe me when I say this, but I don't want him to have to think about this. I really don't." I looked back at Auriel. "But it is pertinent. He must."

Auriel sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I don't know. I mean, my days are the same, more or less, every single day. So it must be me standing at the reception desk doing my work."

My lip twitched as I caught a smile. I didn't want to give him any tell. I needed to carefully ask my questions without persuasion, one way or the other. Once assured I wouldn't smile, I looked at Auriel and stopped my pacing.

"It must be that, or it is?"

Auriel frowned. "What?"

"Auriel—before you awoke to you doing unspeakable things, what is the last memory you can recall?"

"I..."

Everyone looked at him when he didn't continue. In fact, the longer the silence continued, the more confused Auriel looked. Finally he looked at me like he couldn't tell up from down.

"I know it should be doing something mundane, but the last honest memory I can recall before all this was when we rescued Malael and her son."

Gabriel looked at me. "How can that be?"

"Meridian leading us to Malael wasn't only a trap in the sense that she drew us out so she could attack us." I narrowed my eyes at Auriel. "She was playing a long game."

Mikha'el lurched to his feet, looking panicked. "You don't mean to say—"

"How else would anyone get past Metatron, one of the best guarded areas in all of Heaven, if not by using his own brother against him?"

The room fell silent. Auriel had stopped blinking, our eyes locked. I nodded.

"You were there that day, yes, Auriel? I know you weren't in my unit, but you were there, correct?"

"Yes—I acted as general in one of the battalions that was waylaid by demons—" Auriel, to my dismay, let out a strangled sob. "I was possessed by a demon for years?!"

"That's my theory."

Mikha'el spoke. "So that means that, technically—"

"Technically the demon in Auriel was feeding information to Hell, or perhaps Lucifer himself," I finished.

Auriel let out another strangled sob. After that, a gloomy silence fell over the room. I had already processed all this days ago, even weeks ago. It was a lot. As such, I allowed a respectful amount of time to pass before I spoke.

"The demon told me that he would sometimes allow you to be aware of what was happening," I said to Auriel gently.

He had zoned out for a while, and my voice made his eyes come back into focus. He blinked several times and gave a shudder. "Yes."

"Did he ever talk to you?"

Auriel paused, and his gaze went far away again. "Sometimes...sometimes near the end."

"Did he ever say his name?"

"It's—"

I waited.

"It's—"

"Well?" Raphael prompted.

"It's odd," Auriel said, his voice sounding dreamlike, "when I was writing my report I hadn't even thought to think if I knew his name...And now that I know it, I can't say it."

Gabriel looked confused.

Auriel looked annoyed. "I literally can't. My tongue won't say it. It's—it's—it's—"

Mikha'el chuckled, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I'm sure, probably a curse of some sort," Raphael said. He viewed Auriel seriously. "You're sure you know it?"

Auriel nodded.

"I do as well," Metatron said suddenly, sitting very straight. "He was taunting me as he was murdering my patrons. But Auriel is right; I can't say his name."

"So, my plan then," I said, rubbing my hands together, "We find this bastards name, then we hunt him down and kill him."

Everyone looked at me, save Mikha'el. One by one, they looked at Mikha'el. Mikha'el was looking at me. Slowly he got to his feet, fingers splayed on the concrete table before him. He hunched over, eyes locked with mine. I didn't even flinch.

"You do understand," Mikha'el said slowly, quietly, "that for a single demon to possess someone of Auriel's stature, and to go unnoticed, by both he and Metatron, for years..."

I folded my hands in front of me. "They must be extremely powerful."

Mikha'el turned his head, eyes still locked with mine as he looked at me from the side. "And you want to take on this demon?"

I shrugged. "Whomever he is must be the best of the best. My understanding is that here, in this room, consists of Heaven's best of the best. If anyone were to hope to defeat such a brute, it would be us, correct?"

"Are you mad?" Gabriel gaped.

"Foolhardy is what I was thinking," Mikha'el replied. Then, rather abruptly, he grinned. "I love it."

"Ugh," Auriel said then with a roll of his eyes, "you would."

Raphael looked at Auriel. "Tis true. This reckless plan is in fact something Mikha'el himself would come up with."

I grinned back at Mikha'el.

"You are right," Metatron said with a sigh. "None of us should be surprised. We should have gathered one of them would have come up with a plan surmount to suicide."

I laughed. "Come now! Have you all so little faith in our ability?"

There was much grumbling. I expected this. As such, I came prepared.

I sighed and looked at the ground. Raising my eyebrows, I spoke. "Unless of course you are all scared." I paused for dramatic effect before lifting my eyes to view them, my head still tilted down so I had to peer through my fringe at them. "If that is the case, then I am willing to execute this operation as a solo mission—"

Raphael lurched to his feet with a disgusted sigh. "Let me fetch my best medics to see if they can clear Auriel's and Metatron's minds to extract the name."

Gabriel got to his feet, not looking any more pleased. "And I shall gather up our best clerics to try to weaken, or even better, break whatever ward is keeping their tongue bound without causing further damage to their psyche."

Auriel and Metatron looked daunted, but not hopeless as the others. In fact, they looked a bit eager. "We shall scour the library."

One by one they all filed out, until it was just Mikha'el and I in the large chamber. He hadn't stopped grinning. Finally he laughed and then spoke.

"I love you."

My wings twitched. "As do I. Love me, I mean."

Laughing, Mikha'el walked down the stairs and cuffed me around the neck. We left like that, heading for drinks and to devise a strategy.