Free Sword's Blessing by Kaitlin R. Branch

Eli growled. There weren’t many people who could direct a Damned, much less find them. “He who?”
    “I’ll never tell!” The Damned cried out, and then began to snicker.
    Eli rolled his eyes. Young Damned were worse than teenagers.
    “I’ve always wanted to say that,” the man cackled out.
    Samantha pursed her lips. “You’ve said it. Who is he?”
    “Fuck lady, for being the latest big-ol-scary Inbetweener, you’re sure stupid. Who else is gonna tell me a pinpoint location of a former Damned?”
    Eli stood up straight. “Lucifer.” He looked up at Giselle to see her reaction, then caught his breath. “Samantha. Where’s Giselle?”
    “She…” Samantha frowned as Armand rounded the building. “I thought she went to get Armand.”
    Not good. “How’d you get down?” Eli asked as Armand jogged up to them. “Where’s Giselle?”
    The other man stopped dead. “I climbed down the roof onto the fire escape,” he said, thumbing back. “She was just right here.”
    Eli growled, turned, and stomped a clawed foot onto the other Damned, leaning his whole weight onto the claws until the man squealed in pain. What was it with women getting kidnapped around him? “I’m going to give you one chance. Just one. Where is she? Why kidnap her?”
    “I don’t know. I don’t know.” The man wheezed. “He just said go here and you’ll find an Angel.”
    “That’s it?” Samantha demanded. “The Angel? Not the Damned, the Inbetweener, or the Mortal?”
    “He didn’t even mention you guys. Just the Angel.” He groaned. “Get your claws off me, traitor!”
    “Shut up. You’re not even up to five thousand souls.” Eli growled. Damnit. He’d enjoyed the Angel’s company, and now she was more than likely dead, or as good as. “What the hell is he getting at?”
    “He was bait,” Samantha shook her head. “A distraction. Even Giselle would have had no problem taking him down. They knew we wouldn’t just kill him and be done with it, we’d talk to him.”
    Working his jaw, Eli nodded. “And that gave him an opening to come in and kidnap her. But why?”
    Samantha chewed on a lip. “Could it have something to do with Cyrene?”
    “Could, but I don’t know how.” Eli glanced at Armand. “You’re awfully calm about this.” He well remembered the panic of looking for Samantha, but the other man only stood by silently.
    Armand was grim. “What can I do? Can you two go get her?”
    Samantha and Eli glanced at each other, tight faced. “No.” Eli finally said. “The Lucifer could have her anywhere, and even together we can’t challenge him.”
    “Then I suppose we’ll just have to trust her, won’t we?” Armand frowned. “She’ll come back. She has to.”
    * * * *
    Giselle woke to cold and darkness. Gasping, she started against her bindings which held her fast, glowing softly in response to her struggle. Soul bindings. Giselle stared around. Her wings emanated soft light, enough to make out she was in an extremely plain room with only herself and a wooden chair.
    Her feet were not bound. There was no door. She was in nothing more than a concrete box. It might have been terrifying if she needed air, blessedly, she did not. Still, the layout of the room was troubling. No door meant they had teleported in. Whoever ‘they’ comprised of beside her. Teleportation meant someone of Eli’s level or greater had grabbed her. But who?
    Her first thought was Cyrene. That couldn’t be right. There had been no laughter, no gloating, not even a battle. Cyrene’s hallmark was not subtlety. Whoever had done this had done is as quickly and quietly as possible. Who? And for heaven’s sake, why?
    She licked her lips. “I am awake. Show yourself.”
    “I’m well aware of your consciousness, Angel,” a voice returned, smooth as honey and twice as sweet. The air in her cell shifted, and a man stood in front of her, illuminated by a small, intense dram of fire which danced above one claw. “Believe