Demon King (Claimed By Lucifer Book 1)

by Elizabeth Briggs

  Before I became king, the demonic tribes fought each other. When I left Heaven for Hell, I united the tribes under my banner, bringing order to the chaos. If it weren’t for me, the vampires and shifters would still be at war, the dragons would still be slaves to the fae, and let’s not forget the angels, who would have wiped out the lot of them if they’d had a chance. No matter how heavy my crown became, I never forgot that someone needed to rule the demonic horde, and it sure as shit had better be me.

  Besides, I’d do whatever it took to save Hannah’s life. If a show of force was needed to prevent more attacks and show she was completely off-limits, so be it.

  As everyone rose and the music began playing again, I sank down on my throne, waiting for Hannah to join me. I should have made them bring a second throne out for her, but they’d planned this night before she’d come back into my life. If she was still alive for the next ball, I’d make sure she reigned at my side.

  The demons and Fallen went back to their conversations and I gazed around the room, searching for a glimpse of Hannah. I’d seen her briefly, but then she’d been swallowed by the crowd. I noticed Gadreel flirting with Lilith, whose smile was tight and her eyes wandered, like she’d rather be anywhere else. He’d always had a thing for her, but who didn’t at some point? And Gadreel had always been ambitious. It was one of the reasons I’d thought he was interested in Lenore too.

  I rose to my feet and people hushed around me as I scanned the crowd. Where was Hannah? Earlier she’d been sitting at the side tables, but she wasn’t there now. Nor was she with Gadreel and Lilith, or Samael in the corner, or at the buffet or the bar. I didn’t see Azazel either, who was meant to stay on Hannah’s tail all night.

  My chest tightened in panic. Where could Hannah have gone? Had someone taken her? Was I about to lose her again?

  Clenching my fists, I strode through the crowd. They parted in front of me, out of respect or fear, and a quick search confirmed Hannah wasn’t in the ballroom anymore. I went to the elevator, wondering if she’d retreated to the penthouse, but it wasn’t working for some reason. Someone was going to pay for that later.

  My heart beat faster as I launched through the door to the stairwell and took the steps two at a time, up a few flights to the parking garage. I looked left and right as I reached the top, taking in the empty space, and spotted a tiny crystal on the ground in the distance. From Hannah’s dress. She’d definitely come this way.

  Maybe she hadn’t been taken. Maybe she had run away.

  Was she upset by what she’d seen in there? Killing enemies was par for the course among supernaturals, but she still thought like a human. Dammit. I’d forgotten she was mortal, and how sensitive humans were to death and violence. She remembered nothing of her previous lives, which meant all of this was new to her. I’d only known her for seven days, and that wasn’t nearly enough for the truth about who she was to sink in. No wonder she’d panicked. She’d started the week meeting Lucas Ifer to beg for help in finding her lost friend, and she’d finished at a demon’s ball where Lucifer himself had killed traitors in front of her.

  Before I could tame my thoughts, Azazel ran around the corner, wearing a short leather dress with blades strapped to her thighs. “Hannah!” She stopped and sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. “She’s been taken!”

  “What happened?” I grabbed her shoulders and held her firmly at arm’s length as I searched her wild gaze. Azazel never panicked, but there was definitely something that had her spooked.

  “I kept my eyes on Hannah all night, staying close to her from the shadows. When you executed those traitors, she freaked out and split. She ran for the elevator, but it didn’t come.”

  “Then what?” I tried to keep my own panic from increasing. There weren’t many places I couldn’t rescue Hannah from. Except death.

  “She ran up the stairs and took off walking through the alley. I followed in the shadows from a safe distance. She clearly needed to be alone, and I tried to respect that.”

  My grip tightened on her shoulders. “And then?”

  “An angel swooped down and picked her up before I could get close enough to stop them. I tried to go after them, but I was hit with a blast of light, stronger than I expected.” She ripped herself out of my arms, her eyes furious—and upset too. “It knocked me back, and I lost them.”

  “Tell me exactly what you saw.” Perhaps I could work out which of my Heavenly brethren would be so bold. Why would they take Hannah? Were the angels making a play against me?

  “Copper wings. Female. I couldn’t see any other details.” She shook her head, her face tormented. “I’m sorry, my lord. It was my duty to protect Hannah and I failed. I accept whatever punishment you deem fitting.”

  I stepped back, seething. Copper wings… I knew an angel like that. What I didn’t know was why she would want Hannah.

  Azazel kept her head bowed, awaiting my command. She’d been ordered to guard Hannah and she’d failed, and now my mate had been kidnapped. She should be punished for her failure, and she knew it. But Hannah wouldn’t want that. I felt that in my gut.

  I turned away from her. “You are dismissed, Azazel.”

  “My lord?”

  “I think I know who took Hannah.” My eyes narrowed as red hot anger pulsed through my veins. “And I will handle this myself.”

  25

  Hannah

  My head swam as I tried to pry my eyes open, but they were so heavy. Eventually, I managed to get them to crack open. The room was blessedly dark, curtains pulled tight, though a sliver of light filtered through. It was daytime, but where was I?

  Something didn’t feel right. This didn’t smell like my lightly perfumed room in the penthouse, where even the expensive fabrics had a scent all their own. And it definitely wasn’t Lucifer’s room with his decadent black silk sheets.

  I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I was in another luxurious bedroom, tastefully done in shades of cream and dusky pink. The enormous room was sparsely furnished, but it had more of a deliberate minimalist vibe than feeling half-finished, and I was struck by the sheer size of the space. If I yelled out, it would echo. As I let my brain wake up and recover from the night before, I took in the smooth wood dresser and intricate sconces on the walls, both painted the same shade of pink. It was like waking up on the inside of a strawberry cream dessert.

  This certainly didn’t look like Lucifer’s style. Not when I remembered all the black and silver that filled his spaces or the very safe neutrals that his guest room boasted. Where was I?

  The bedroom door opened, and sunlight filled the room from the hall on the other side, putting whoever had opened the door in shadow. The person flicked the overhead light on, and the room illuminated. It took me a second to realize who had walked in while my eyes adjusted to the unexpected brightness.

  When I saw the person holding a breakfast tray, my jaw dropped. “Jo? What are you doing here?”

  My older sister gave me a droll look. “I live here.”

  I watched her walk around the bed, barely believing what I was seeing. Jo looked like her normal, beautiful self, with hair almost the same shade as mine that ended just above her shoulders. She’d always had a grace and sophistication I could never match, with her billowy frame and radiant skin. Even her nails were shiny and perfect. Pink, naturally.

  “You’re safe.” She set the tray in front of me and poured us both some coffee. The situation felt strangely familiar, and eerily close to when I’d woken up in my apartment after the car wreck. My mind tried to piece together what had happened last night, but everything was fuzzy after Lucifer’s display. But as my brain cleared and the coffee worked, I remembered more.

  Someone had grabbed me in the alley of The Celestial. Someone with wings. Someone who knocked me out.

  Someone who looked a lot like Jo.

  I scooted back in the bed, suddenly desperate to put distance between us, not caring that the tray wobbled as I moved. Was no one as they appeared anymo
re? And why the hell could everyone fly?

  “How do you have wings?” My tone was accusing, but I couldn’t help it. For fuck’s sake, my own sister—the last family member I had left—had knocked me out and kidnapped me. I was allowed to be a little upset. “Are you a Fallen too?”

  She drew back and huffed, visibly offended. “Of course not. I’m an angel.”

  “An angel?” That didn’t make me feel any better somehow, and it made no sense. “How is my sister an angel when I’m human?”

  She sighed and seemed to choose her words carefully. “We were sisters in one of your former lives, when you were an angel. I’ve tried to protect you ever since.”

  I stared at her, the weight of her revelation almost more than I could handle after all the other things I’d endured in the last week. Was everything about my life a lie? Was I nothing but a collection of past lives, with people and events I couldn’t remember, while everyone else could? I wanted to bury my head in the pillow and scream.

  Jo must have sensed my inner turmoil because she stood. “Take your time and rest. Eat some breakfast. The shower is through that door, and the closet is beside it. I’ve put a few things in there you can wear.” She moved to the door, lingering there as she twisted her hands together. “Come see me whenever you’re ready.”

  She left me alone, which was a relief because I needed time to get my head on straight. I was still in my ball gown, and it was wrinkled to high heavens. Hopefully not ruined.

  I was starving too, since all I’d eaten last night were a few fancy appetizers, and I devoured the omelet Jo had brought me. Then I took a quick shower and quickly dressed in a cream blouse and navy blue slacks that were obviously Jo’s. Now that I was fully awake, I wanted answers from my so-called ‘sister.’

  I found Jo in the living room, a massive space all done in white and gold, with huge windows offering spectacular views of the bay, from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz Island. I automatically moved toward them, pressing my fingertips on the glass as I looked out. We were up on a hill, and a view like this, in a house this enormous, had to have cost a fortune.

  I turned toward my sister. “Shit, Jo. I knew you had money, but…”

  “I do all right for myself.” She sat on a soft-looking sofa and watched me like I was an injured deer about to bolt away. “You’ve never been here, have you?”

  I didn’t reply. She knew fully well I’d never been here. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have been as overwhelmed by Lucifer’s shows of wealth. I’d offered to come visit her numerous times in San Francisco, but she’d always made some kind of excuse, and had come to see me instead. Had she been hiding this from me, maybe even purposefully keeping me away to protect her secrets? Was anything about her true?

  “Well, you’re here now.” She gave me an encouraging smile. “And I’m glad to have you as my guest.”

  Was I her guest? Or was I a captive again? I moved through the vast living room, taking in all the displays of wealth. Her aesthetic was the exact opposite of Lucifer’s, with white trimmed in gold, and just like his place, it was seriously lacking in plants and flowers. A display case held dozens of tiny little angel figurines, some looking quite old, others made of crystal. I studied them as I asked, “Why did you bring me here?”

  Jo clasped her hands in her lap as she looked up at me. “I had to get you away from Lucifer. You’re in danger around him. As long as you stay here, I can keep you safe.”

  “Jo, you don’t understand. Lucifer is my mate. I’ve had all these past lives with him. He isn’t a threat to me.” Or was he? After what I’d seen last night, I wasn’t so sure.

  “I understand more than you do. I’ve lived an awfully long time, and I’ve seen many of those past lives of yours. What you don’t understand is that Lucifer is the villain. He’s been lying to you this entire time. Manipulating you. Controlling you. As he’s done with all humans for thousands of years.” She tilted her head, her eyes full of pity. “Did he even tell you about Adam and Eve?”

  I hated to admit there was something Lucifer hadn’t told me, but I had to know what she was talking about. “No, he didn’t.”

  Her mouth took on a sad smile. “I thought not. Why am I not surprised somehow?”

  Her superior tone grated at me. This particular tone was so familiar that it must’ve bugged me in one of my lives before, and my subconscious knew it. I tried not to glare at her. “What about Adam and Eve?”

  “Your very first life was as Eve.”

  My heart skipped a beat, or maybe even stopped for a full minute. “The Eve?”

  “Yes, the very one.”

  I blinked at her several times as I tried to process this new revelation. “How?”

  “You were married to Adam and had three sons with him, but then Lucifer abducted you and claimed you as his mate. Adam wasn’t happy about that, as you can imagine, and he sought revenge. He killed you.”

  I blew out a breath as I processed everything she’d said. Hearing about my past lives was always a combination of difficult and intriguing, but this one was especially hard for me to believe, if not for the sense of rightness in my gut when she spoke.

  A week ago I’d been book-loving Hannah from the florist shop. Now I was Eve. Persephone. Lenore. All great women from literature and mythology. Talk about a heavy legacy to live up to.

  I dropped onto the couch across from Jo. “That is pretty shocking, but I don’t see why that puts me in danger from Lucifer.”

  The pitying look in her eyes increased ten-fold. “There’s more. I’m just not sure you’re ready to hear it yet.”

  “Just tell me already,” I snapped. Damn, I was so tired of everyone knowing the truth about myself except for me.

  “After your death, all three of you were cursed for all eternity. Your fate is to be reborn and die violently, usually in Lucifer’s arms, in an endless cycle of death and agony. Lucifer’s curse is knowing this will happen and being unable to stop it. And Adam’s curse is to be reborn every time you are…and to kill you again and again, before dying at Lucifer’s hand.”

  “No, that…that can’t be true.” I recoiled in horror, my pulse spiking through the roof. It was suddenly hard to breathe, but I managed to suck in a ragged breath somehow.

  Jo came to sit beside me and rested a warm hand on my back. “I’m so sorry, Hannah. I wish it wasn’t true. But deep down you know it is, don’t you?”

  I nodded, but then my head dropped and my vision blurred. I found myself in Jo’s arms, leaning against her as she held me close, like she had in those early days after the car accident. Like she was still my sister.

  Why hadn’t Lucifer told me any of this? He’d been slowly doling out information to try to stop me from getting overwhelmed, but this seemed important. Maybe he was right though—this was really fucking overwhelming.

  Or maybe he worried I wouldn’t live long enough for it to matter.

  Was that what was happening here? Was it time for me to die now that I’d found Lucifer again?

  And where was Adam in this life? Were all the attacks his doing?

  “Who cursed us?” I asked, gripping Jo’s shirt as I looked up at her with wide, desperate eyes. “Is there a way to end it?”

  “I don’t know,” Jo said, as she drew me into a hug again. “I wish I did.”

  An endless cycle of death and agony. That was my fate. And there was no way to escape it.

  26

  Hannah

  Once again, I found myself in a vast library, although this one wasn’t as impressive as Lucifer’s. Jo had a large collection of books, but she lacked the ancient vases and dark artwork that made Lucifer’s library so remarkable.

  I’d retreated here after speaking with Jo, when everything she’d told me had just seemed too big and impossible. When life became too much, the best solution was to retreat into a good book, or turn to them in the hopes of finding answers.

  With a book on demonology in my lap, I sat in a white suede chair near wind
ows overlooking the bay. The sun had turned the sky the entire range of reds, golds, and yellows as it sank down to the horizon. Sunset on Halloween, and not at all where I’d expected to be.

  I’d spent the last few hours reading up on angels, demons, and the devil. I’d perused everything from Dante’s Inferno to some ancient scrolls Jo had that required me to use gloves. Every single thing I read depicted the devil as evil incarnate. A beast. A monster. In every story of good and evil throughout all time he was the villain.

  How could I have been so wrong about Lucifer? Had he been deceiving me, tricking me into caring for him? How could I reconcile the man I knew in private with the one I’d read about in these books, or the dark king I’d seen at the Devil’s Night ball?

  Was Lucifer the root of all evil, or the thoughtful, protective man who’d do anything for me? Was he the villain in this story, or the one keeping the demons in line and the humans safe from them?

  Unfortunately, coming to the library had only saddled me with more questions this time.

  The doorbell rang, and I decided that was a sign I should take a break anyway. I headed for the front door, just as Jo ran in with a sword in her hand and a fierce look in her eye.

  “Don’t open that!” she yelled. “It might be someone after you.”

  “I doubt they’d ring the doorbell if they were trying to kill me,” I muttered.

  Jo checked the security camera and lowered her sword, then grabbed a bowl shaped like a pumpkin sitting by the door. “Just some kids. I forgot it was Halloween.”