Marcello Angeletti. Yeah, try telling that to Riona.
Stepping from the shower, Jerry grabbed the hand towel next to the sink, using it to dab his eyes. His fingers accidentally grazed his swollen proboscis, making him wince. Whatever anyone else could say of the witch, they couldn’t deny she had one mean left hook. Jerry could feel a new drop of blood sliding down his upper lip. Leaning over, he grabbed a few sheets of toilet paper, wadded it up, and shoved it up his right nostril. When he caught himself in the mirror again, the other face floating behind him in the reflection came as little surprise.
“Thought you might be stopping by,” Jerry grumbled. “You can’t resist a good shake down. Just got to know every little detail, don’t you?”
Ramiel’s eyebrow arched. “This coming from a gnosis demon.”
“ Former gnosis demon,” Jerry reminded him, throwing the hand towel in to the sink and flicking off the bathroom light. Ramiel’s whisper light footfalls followed him into the bedroom. “I got a pardon, or don’t you remember that?”
“Oh, I remember it, but you’ll remember I advised against it. Some would even say campaigned and rallied for the opposition. You don’t fool me, Jerry. Big Boss may have helped to rescue you from Hell, but I still sniff brimstone coming from your general direction.” Ramiel leaned against the wall as Jerry got into bed and covered his naked form—no immodesty coming from that direction—with the comforter. “Think I didn’t pick up on your obfuscation routine? Dish. What wasn’t Riona telling me?”
Jerry let out a sigh that slowly transformed into a hiss. “Look, Molly Dade is five drinks in to a crazy tab and six shots in to being a bitch at the best of times. And now she’s got Alzheimer’s to boot. It’s first stage, and Riona doesn’t know of course. Molly directed her doctor and the staff at Hanaford not to inform her until it became necessary.”
“A convenient excuse for Molly’s shady memory when Riona finds out later, then.” Ramiel shifted his weight to the other leg. “You erased Molly’s memories, didn’t you?”
“Wasn’t me, Chief. But yes, someone’s been fucking with her brain.”
Ramiel examined the floor as he brewed over that detail. “I don’t remember that suggestion having ever come up back then. In fact, I remember someone getting cut down for even hinting at it. Our regent at the time made it very clear that that sort of thing was a Grigori move. I wonder …”
“Fat bit of good it did, whoever’s responsible,” Jerry said. “Riona’s magic is a hell of a lot stronger than mine. She almost unwrapped everything. You do realize sooner or later she’s going to pick up on how unique she really is, don’t you?”
“Thank goodness I have you to distract her from the truth. At least your childish charm kept her from finding out the biggest thing. You’re in danger of impressing me.” Ramiel’s lips pulled back in a grin, revealing teeth as perfect as they were temporal. “But I still have faith in your ability to show your true colors soon enough. So, did she do anything else in Salem except break the cardinal rule of magic?”
Jerry hesitated, preparing to wig out the heavenly host standing at his bedside. “There’s a witch there I used to schlep about a half-century ago. I sent Riona to her, told her Bunny might be able to tell her something about the dagger.”
As predicted, the angel bristled. “You what ?”
“Oh, don’t fret your pretty little halo there, angel-boy,” Jerry said dismissively. “Riona left knowing no more than she did when she walked in. It could have easily gone the other way though. You know she’s not going to stop until she finds out what that thing is, right? I hope you’re planning a Texas-sized intervention at that point.” Jerry pulled up his covers, tucking himself in as best he could. “Now, I’ve had a long day, and unlike when I lived in Hell, I really
Stepping from the shower, Jerry grabbed the hand towel next to the sink, using it to dab his eyes. His fingers accidentally grazed his swollen proboscis, making him wince. Whatever anyone else could say of the witch, they couldn’t deny she had one mean left hook. Jerry could feel a new drop of blood sliding down his upper lip. Leaning over, he grabbed a few sheets of toilet paper, wadded it up, and shoved it up his right nostril. When he caught himself in the mirror again, the other face floating behind him in the reflection came as little surprise.
“Thought you might be stopping by,” Jerry grumbled. “You can’t resist a good shake down. Just got to know every little detail, don’t you?”
Ramiel’s eyebrow arched. “This coming from a gnosis demon.”
“ Former gnosis demon,” Jerry reminded him, throwing the hand towel in to the sink and flicking off the bathroom light. Ramiel’s whisper light footfalls followed him into the bedroom. “I got a pardon, or don’t you remember that?”
“Oh, I remember it, but you’ll remember I advised against it. Some would even say campaigned and rallied for the opposition. You don’t fool me, Jerry. Big Boss may have helped to rescue you from Hell, but I still sniff brimstone coming from your general direction.” Ramiel leaned against the wall as Jerry got into bed and covered his naked form—no immodesty coming from that direction—with the comforter. “Think I didn’t pick up on your obfuscation routine? Dish. What wasn’t Riona telling me?”
Jerry let out a sigh that slowly transformed into a hiss. “Look, Molly Dade is five drinks in to a crazy tab and six shots in to being a bitch at the best of times. And now she’s got Alzheimer’s to boot. It’s first stage, and Riona doesn’t know of course. Molly directed her doctor and the staff at Hanaford not to inform her until it became necessary.”
“A convenient excuse for Molly’s shady memory when Riona finds out later, then.” Ramiel shifted his weight to the other leg. “You erased Molly’s memories, didn’t you?”
“Wasn’t me, Chief. But yes, someone’s been fucking with her brain.”
Ramiel examined the floor as he brewed over that detail. “I don’t remember that suggestion having ever come up back then. In fact, I remember someone getting cut down for even hinting at it. Our regent at the time made it very clear that that sort of thing was a Grigori move. I wonder …”
“Fat bit of good it did, whoever’s responsible,” Jerry said. “Riona’s magic is a hell of a lot stronger than mine. She almost unwrapped everything. You do realize sooner or later she’s going to pick up on how unique she really is, don’t you?”
“Thank goodness I have you to distract her from the truth. At least your childish charm kept her from finding out the biggest thing. You’re in danger of impressing me.” Ramiel’s lips pulled back in a grin, revealing teeth as perfect as they were temporal. “But I still have faith in your ability to show your true colors soon enough. So, did she do anything else in Salem except break the cardinal rule of magic?”
Jerry hesitated, preparing to wig out the heavenly host standing at his bedside. “There’s a witch there I used to schlep about a half-century ago. I sent Riona to her, told her Bunny might be able to tell her something about the dagger.”
As predicted, the angel bristled. “You what ?”
“Oh, don’t fret your pretty little halo there, angel-boy,” Jerry said dismissively. “Riona left knowing no more than she did when she walked in. It could have easily gone the other way though. You know she’s not going to stop until she finds out what that thing is, right? I hope you’re planning a Texas-sized intervention at that point.” Jerry pulled up his covers, tucking himself in as best he could. “Now, I’ve had a long day, and unlike when I lived in Hell, I really
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