The Night Beat

were following Abaddon or Apollyon, we’re really screwed.”
    Cain shook his head. “Remember what our orders were? We were tailing and watching for odd activity.”
    “Yeah,” Abel added. “And we had to hang back. I mean, I know we and Black Angel Two have the best range, but even we have limits.”
    “Do Abaddon and Apollyon have limits? Or the Adversary? Since all three are on the human plane now, wandering around, doing Gods and Monsters knows what.”
    Cain chucked me under my chin. “Vic, you worry too much.”
    “Excuse me.” Jack’s voice was like ice. “Am I understanding this right? You’re the Cain and Abel? From the Old Testament?”
    “That’s us,” Abel said with a wide grin. “We look pretty damned good for being this old, don’t we?”
    “I’ll say,” Sexy Cindy muttered. I got the impression she was ready to offer up the Corner Special for Two. Not that I could blame her. Sexiest things with two wings, that was Black Angel One.
    Jack pressed on. “So, you,” he pointed to Cain, “murdered him,” pointing to Abel, “and yet you’re an angel and happily working together? And this doesn’t seem odd to anyone?”
    Cain sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You make one smartass comment to your parents at what turns out to be the wrong time, and you’re branded for life.”
    Abel put his arm around Cain’s shoulders. “I knew. I was waiting for you, wasn’t I? I tried to tell them, they didn’t listen.”
    “Tell who what?” Jack asked.
    Abel shrugged. “Cain didn’t kill me. He always took care of me. But we’d had a fight and I ran off because I was upset. Ran into trouble, didn’t have my big brother there to back me, I was murdered. Yahweh angelicized me, I tried to let the others know -- the scribes and the storytellers, let alone our parents, that Cain wasn’t to blame.”
    “It got so bad I had to leave,” Cain said with a sigh. “But, you know, in the long run, things worked out.” He tousled Abel’s hair. “Was nice to see my baby brother waiting for me, I must admit.”
    Jack caught my eye. “Seriously?”
    “Yep. Haven’t you picked up yet that the religious texts of the human world, while well meaning and doing their best and all, aren’t necessarily the most reliable reference materials on the planet?”
    “Most humans don’t use them for reference, Vic.”
    “Yeah, Jack, I know. Most humans don’t think I’m real, either. We’re here to protect them, not make them love us.”
    He gave me a long look. “Cops stick with cops.”
    “Right. You’re hanging with a bigger force than you’re used to, that’s all.”
    Jack managed a weak grin. “Well, I did always tell my parents I wanted to fly with the angels.”
    “Give it time,” Cain said.
    Abel nudged him. “Actually, I think right now is good.”
    “Why?” Cain asked, sounding slightly annoyed.
    Abel shrugged. “Incoming.” With that he grabbed Jack and Freddy, while Cain grabbed me and Sexy Cindy. They took off like the proverbial bats out of Hell.
    “Not that this sucks,” Sexy Cindy shouted. “But what’s going on and what’s coming in?”
    “Black Angel Two are under attack and they’d like our help,” Cain said as he went supersonic and I tried not to squirm, to no avail. “Vic, hold still!”
    “Trying.” Failing. I looked down, the suns were high enough that I could see the ground clearly, and it was too far away. Werewolf paws demanded ground, Cain lost his hold, and then I got to see what flying without wings felt like.
    I wasn’t a fan.

Chapter 40
     
    There’s no good way for a canine to fall from a great height. Cats have that land on their feet thing, but even Gretel would have been hard-pressed to land from this height without shattering all her bones. And I wasn’t a daemon cat.
    Normally panic meant I’d change into or stay in wolf or werewolf form. Apparently when I was plummeting to my death, my subconscious wanted to die human. I changed back into my human form. Great, just great.
    I could see Black Angel One above me. Cain was doing his best to catch me, but he had Sexy Cindy and she was a hindrance. And Abel had his hands full, so to speak. I decided that, as far as deaths went, this one was going to go down as truly stupid. Not exactly the way to go. And this could indeed dust me -- because my mind believed it could.
    That was one of the little secrets about being an undead that no human ever got to know. Sure there were plenty of real