Excerpt

Prologue

New York City, today

"NO. Damn it, Kalili, we don't have to answer any of these stupid f*cking requests!"

I tried not to sigh. When Faith was in one of her moods, there was no persuading her. Still, in over a millennium, I hadn't given up trying, and I wasn't going to stop now.

"Sweetheart," I started in my most dulcet tones.

"No, Kal. I know what you're trying to do, and why. And I'll even agree that maybe, just maybe, there's a point to Lilith's Chief of Staff asking for a formal record of our first weeks together." She waved a piece of parchment at me. Yes, honest-to-goodness parchment. Some things never changed.

"But now?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why now? Don't you find it a little suspicious?"

"No. Not really, not coming from her," I answered. "If it were Lucifer? Father of Lies, and he earned the title. But he didn't, she did. Besides, it's been over a thousand years. If not now, when? And I don't know about you, but I could use something new to do."

I swept my arm around the penthouse. Evidence of our recent occupations littered every surface. Being immortal, we'd had plenty enough time to find what we liked, practice it, master it, and get bored.

We were recycling hobbies now.

It was that or take an active role in the administration of the cosmos, and neither of us were overly interested. Don't get me started on the paperwork involved!

All of which meant we had plenty of time on our hands.

I extended my arm. "Give it to me." She handed it over without a protest.

I read it aloud. "Faith and Kalili." I stopped. "Why is your name first?"

The laugh I was gifted with was typical of Faith: light, airy, full of good humor, and one of my favorite things about her.

"No idea, love. Keep reading."

"Faith and Kalili. You are hereby requested to provide to this office a complete account of the events of, blah, blah, blah." I looked up. "Did you read the PS?"

"Of course I did."

I resumed reading. "PS, You wouldn't believe the wild stories that go around about you two. I'd love to straighten them out with the facts. Can you clear it up for me? -A." Now I shrugged. "Seems like a pretty good reason to me. If we're going to be legends, we may as well be accurate legends."

Faith pursed her lips and exhaled.

"Fine. But you're doing it."

"Why me?" I protested.

Faith walked to me and put her arms over my shoulders. My arms went about her middle, almost of their own volition.

"First, because you're so much better at bureaucratic bullsh*t than I am."

She leaned in and kissed my neck, pulling ever so gently with her teeth.

"Second, because you remember it better than I do. I was pretty dazed for most of that first couple of weeks. You know, wide-eyed and petrified?"

Faith stretched so her lips brushed my earlobe, and I shivered.

"Third, you still owe me."

I pulled back a few inches. "For what?"

"You want a list, or do you trust me?"

Damn. She had me there.

"I trust you, my arima bikia." As always, when I used the celestial phrase for soulmate, our taaqats connected and we were One. It was a fraction of a second, but it was eternity.

"I know." Her voice was whisper soft.

"Okay, fine, I'll get started on it, but I'm writing it my way. All the things we took for granted, I'm going to explain. The shit we learned on the way? That too. Whatever I write, it's going to sound like I talk now, and it's gonna be in English, not Latin. I can't even remember all the flourishes and flowery shit I had to use when talking to nobles." I tried to pull away, but Faith's arms locked behind my neck.

"Not so fast, Kalili. I saw those wicked, wicked thoughts."

She grinned, and I grinned back.

"And?" I asked.

"And I have some improvements on them."

F*ck it. Paperwork could wait.

Faith came first.

Well, not always.

But that's another part of the story.