Read Seven Archangels: Annihilation for Free Online

was so close he could feel eddies from his eyelashes as he blinked. The heat crawled over him.
    "Even if I agreed to, I'm not sure we'd be able to cross-bond. All the pre-existing bonds between angels and demons were broken by the winnowing."
    "Give it a try," the Seraph murmured.
    "I think—" Gabriel swallowed. "I think I'd rather die."
    Beelzebub hit him. Gabriel gave a relieved sigh as the Seraphic energy let off.
    The demon said into the air, "Mephistopheles, he's awake."
    Was it true? Was it even possible? Certainly it fit with his suspicions about the demons, that they'd devised something tremendous. This information helped it make more sense that they'd keep their discovery quiet, just in case the attempt failed. But to make the attempt at all, their theory must be sound. Mephistopheles was generally sober.
    At that moment, Mephistopheles appeared, and Gabriel heard him gasp. The energy in the air vanished as the fallen Cherub pulled it all inside. Gabriel geared up his light in time to see Mephistopheles turn toward Beelzebub, vibrating into an angry blur. "What are you doing? He's going to die! Why would you bond with a thing that's doomed?"
    "If we could access his power—"
    "In fifteen minutes he won't have any power left to access, you idiot! If Lucifer finds out what you—"
    Mephistopheles froze, then turned to face Gabriel, who wore a tremendous smile.
    The fallen Cherub's almond eyes narrowed.
    "I'll tell him whatever I like," Gabriel said. "I don't stand to lose anything more, unless you're all bluster."
    Mephistopheles and Beelzebub stood frozen for a moment, and Gabriel envisioned their bond, soiled but a bond nevertheless, and abruptly he realized that if they were telling the truth, how horrible his loss would be for Raphael.
    Beelzebub said, "He'll never believe you. You'd say anything to save your life."
    "Shut up!" Mephistopheles snapped, startling Gabriel. "You've said enough already." He turned back to Gabriel. "He's right, of course. You're going to die regardless."
    "Then why should I care what happens afterward?"
    Mephistopheles flinched. "He's my Seraph."
    Gabriel wished he could smirk the way Beelzebub could, but instead he stayed deadpan. "He was nearly mine too."
    Mephistopheles glared at Beelzebub in time to stop him from charging toward Gabriel. "Get out of here."
    The fallen pair locked gazes, and then Beelzebub vanished.
    Silence continued for a moment.
    Mephistopheles went to Gabriel and searched his pockets. "Lucifer won't spare you no matter what you say, and at this point, I daresay he wouldn't expect anything else from Beelzebub. Nor from you. It would be easy enough to counter that you'd offered to bond him to save your own life. Oh…?" He pulled Michael's sigil ring from Gabriel's jeans, and his eyes glimmered. "I thought I detected something. I would have believed you'd know better than to allow Michael to divide his power." He slipped the ring onto his finger, then returned his full attention to Gabriel. "Lucifer will initiate the proceedings as soon as he's ready, whenever that is. Timing is a game for him."
    Gabriel said, "Did you really figure out how to annihilate an angel?"
    Mephistopheles assented.
    "And you're certain it's possible?"
    "We haven't actually performed one yet," Mephistopheles admitted, "but the theory checks out. You're our test case."
    "That makes sense," Gabriel said. "If God's going to punish you for annihilating someone, you ought to make sure it's someone important."
    "Exactly." Mephistopheles rubbed his chin. "When it came time to select a subject, we settled on a few targets, but I argued for you, and now you're here."
    Curiosity sparkled inside. "But how do you intend to destroy soul material? It regenerates."
    Mephistopheles' eyes glistened. "It's not destruction so much as it's disconnection. If you disunite a soul's parts, they continue drifting away from one another until they can't regain any sort of cohesion."
    Gabriel's head raised. "Oh! So