Free Into the Void (The Godhunter, Book 10) by Amy Sumida

Lucifer during the war.”
    “ Oh,” I frowned, “but you're an angel.”
    “ I was a baby, remember?” I could hear his heart beating beneath my ear, it's beat slightly faster than a moment before. “I was born of an angel and the Holy Spirit. I never fought in the war and was never touched by the human belief that turned Dad's friends into demons.”
    “ Wait a minute,” something obvious had just occurred to me. “You have to work with angels who fought against your father.”
    “ That's right,” he swallowed hard. “I also rule most of them.”
    “ I bet Luke loves that.”
    “ Does he ever,” Az chuckled. “It took me awhile to accept that there was no right or wrong when it came to picking sides in the Great War. Siding with Jerry didn't make them evil and siding with my father didn't automatically make them good. They were just friends supporting each other and they got caught up in a fight that became way too serious.”
    “ So it doesn't bother you?” I angled my head so I could get a better look at him.
    “ Not anymore,” his tattoo flashed blue once, so bright I had to squint. “But if they were to interfere between you and I, I would be very bothered and I would make sure that they never bothered us again.” I caught a glimpse of Death then, the bones showing in sharp outlines beneath his skin for a moment as the whites of his eyes went dark. Night skies to the twin stars of his irises. Then it was gone and my lover was back.
    “ You're kind of scary when you do that,” I teased him, though it was really to hide my nervousness. I'd never seen the death mask before, never known that he could actually look that way.
    “ Good,” he kissed my forehead sweetly and looked back up at the sky. “I hope everyone else shares your opinion.”
    Whoever said you shouldn't fear the Reaper was an idiot.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    I hadn't been exactly honest with Azrael. What happened in Faerie did not always stay in Faerie. This time it would just be a simple matter of research but I had a feeling that the future would see more and more fey issues making their way into the other realms. For now though, I would focus on the matter at hand so I could finish it quickly and get back on track with finding Odin.
    So I got onto my computer and two hours later I knew all about creating fire without the benefit of magic. From flamethrowers to Spontaneous Human Combustion, I knew every way you could burn someone to ash but I had no idea what was going on in Faerie. I sighed and leaned back in my chair.
    “ Vat's wrong?” Kirill came up behind me and put a cup of coffee down on the table before he started to rub my shoulders.
    “ Oh, just faerie shit,” I sighed, loving both his massage and the fact that he always remembered how I liked my coffee. “I need to figure out how a body could be burned to ash but remain in its shape until someone disturbs it.”
    “ Do I even vant to know vhy?”
    “ No, you absolutely do not,” I laughed. “It's research but it's important and I can't figure out how a fey could do it, especially one not of Fire.”
    “ You could do it,” he shrugged.
    “ Yeah but I'm also a fire fey,” I gave a slightly hysterical laugh. “I need to know how another fey could do it. A fey without my skills.”
    “ Simple,” he frowned like maybe I was teasing him. “Magic.”
    “ There isn't any fey magic that would let a faerie use an element not of his own.”
    “ Who said fey magic?” Kirill cocked his head to the side. “Zere are god spells zat can do it. I've seen Nyavirezi use zem.”
    “ God spells,” I whispered as my jaw fell open. “Damn but you're beautiful when you're saving my butt,” I pulled Kirill in close for a thorough kiss.
    “ You vant me to get your book?” He lifted a brow. “I can save your butt more.”
    “ It's right over there,” I pointed to where Ku's spellbook sat.
    Kirill retrieved the book and came back to sit beside me. He put his arm across