First, a disclaimer. I’m not a
professional Tarot reader, and my interpretation of the layouts below may not
agree with yours. That’s okay.
These readings are actual ones I did for
Sean and Zaphkiel, as read by Love, Lucifer’s receptionist. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I handed Love the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Remarkably, the cards I laid out fit my characters and the plot.
Sean, being more familiar with the Tarot
than Zaphkiel, asks Love to read the cards for him. He’s not quite sure how to
deal with his relationship with the archangel and former leader of the Thrones
angelic hierarchy.
Even more troubling is his fear he’ll lose Zaphkiel because
he has no special powers or abilities.
 |
| Two of Pentacles |
The first card I drew for Sean was the
Two of Pentacles. As Love points out, he’s trying to balance something. Part of
it is his wanting to be part of the small group Lucifer has brought together, while
fearing he’s not good enough. But it’s also trying to decide if his
relationship with Zaphkiel will work out, and how to deal with his lover’s
tendency to keep secrets, making the relationship difficult for both of them.
The next three cards represent Sean’s
past, present, and future in regards to the Two of Pentacles:
 |
| Ace of Swords |
Ace of Swords (Past): As Love points
out, Sean’s already started thinking about his decision. According to Nancy
Garen’s Tarot Made Easy, this card
represents the “dawning of a period of action, movement, or struggle.” Sean
doesn’t realize it yet, but the Devil has chosen him for a specific purpose,
one that will not only impact him but others as well.
 |
| Five of Wands |
Five of Wands (Present): Love notes that
Sean is struggling with something, not just his relationship with Zaphkiel, but
something deeper. Garen quotes, “Many 5s indicate change, challenge, and
fluctuations (lucky or unlucky).” Sean’s world is coming under threat from the
sun demon Sorath, who seeks two pentacles Lucifer hid from him. When faced
directly with this threat, it is his actions that will determine the outcome.
But if Sean doesn’t face this challenge, he’ll lose more than Zaphkiel.
 |
| Magician |
Magician (Future): Perhaps the most
telling card. The Magician represents Sean’s potential, the capability Lucifer
sees and why he chose him.
****
Zaphkiel’s first response to the Tarot
is to be wary. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Love’s reading, but more he’s
afraid she’ll reveal his darkest secret in front of Sean.
 |
| High Priestess |
The first card she draws for him is the
High Priestess. Love remarks there’s a deeper level to Zaphkiel, one most
people don’t see. When creating Zaphkiel’s character, I wanted an archangel so
devoted to duty, he would use any means necessary to carry out God’s law, even
if it meant ultimately and unintentionally breaking it, such as when he
murdered Kurt for trying to summon Sorath. His intention was pure if misguided.
The next three cards:
 |
| Ten of Swords |
Ten of Swords (Past): Betrayal. Being
“stabbed in the back.” Given Zaphkiel’s boss, Ophaniel, not only had Zaphkiel’s
lover Caliel arrested and sentenced to be executed, but seeks any excuse to
have Zaphkiel executed as well, this card stood out as a blatant reminder of a
certain angel’s cruel machinations.
 |
| Two of Wands |
Two of Wands (Present): Love tells
Zaphkiel he needs to make a decision and trust that choice. Zaphkiel doesn’t
want to admit he has made a choice, because it may be one that will drive Sean
away. But he realizes he has no other recourse if he wants to help Lucifer defeat
Sorath.
 |
| Chariot |
Chariot (Future): I thought it interesting
that Sean and Zaphkiel’s future cards were both from the Major Arcana while the
past and present Tarot were from the Minor Arcana. With the Chariot, Love and
Sean tell Zaphkiel the future’s under his control. It’s up to him to “take the
wheel.”
While the Tarot shows Zaphkiel and Sean things about themselves they may not have realized, it is what they do with this information that helps determine their fates.
 |
| Exterminating Angel cover |
Exterminating
Angel
Blurb:
Making a deal with the Devil is the
least of his problems.
Zaphkiel, a chain-smoking, hard-drinking
archangel, never intended to unleash the sun demon upon the city. Bad enough
his boss wants him dead, and this recent crime is the perfect excuse. The
timing couldn’t be worse. Somehow, Zaphkiel’s executed lover, Caliel, is alive
and reincarnated as Sean. Zaphkiel is thrilled to be reunited with Caliel
again, but will his lover feel the same when he learns Zaphkiel’s darkest
secret?
Hired by Lucifer, Sean wants nothing
more than to fit in. But how can he compete when the Devil’s friends include
archangels and a Tarot reader, and he was born without special abilities? Or so
he believes. The Tarot hints there may be more to him than he realizes.
Recruited by the Devil to find the two
pentacles sun demon Sorath plans to use to destroy the universe, Zaphkiel and
Sean find themselves pawns in a game of power and control. If the archangel
gives his boss the pentacles, Ophaniel will overlook his crime. But Zaphkiel
knows he can’t trust either Ophaniel or Sorath, and the deal he’s made with the
Devil could cost him not only his life, but also the lover he believed gone
forever.
M/M sexual practices, occult themes,
some violence, graphic descriptions.
Buy Link (Releases 5/5//2014):
