by Maya Nicole
"We'll find her." Reve was one brave motherfucker for speaking. He even took a step farther into the room. Although, I guess if things really got heated, he could just ghost-out.
"This is my fucking fault." We ducked as a lamp was thrown across the room and shattered, sending shards of glass flying in our direction.
He moved so fast we barely had time to track his movements. First the lamp. Then the nightstand. Then the sheets on the bed.
Oliver shoved his way through us and tackled Lucifer onto the floor. I was starting to think whatever demon poison had eaten my skin had somehow made it to my brain. I had to have just imagined Oliver taking Lucifer down and pinning him to the ground.
"Calm down!" He flipped him and twisted his arm behind him while putting his knee on his back. Was Oliver a police officer in a previous life? Jesus.
Lucifer struggled but then went limp under him, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Oliver let out a tired sounding sigh and we watched in awe, as we always did, as his hands glowed and spread to Lucifer.
"You know we can't locate her if we aren't calm." Oliver's voice was shaking. He had healed too much.
He finally let Lucifer go and sat back on his ass against the side of the bed. He put his face in his hands and took deep breaths.
"She's not within a three-hundred-mile radius of here. That's as far as I can search. That, or she's being hidden."
Lucifer rolled over, staying on the floor, and stared up at the ceiling. He looked like shit, but I'm sure we all did. I certainly felt like it. A numbness had settled over me. I was sure I was going to wake up and this would be some nightmare Reve had somehow decided to torment us with.
I sat down in a chair that hadn't been destroyed and felt the weight of the day slam down on me. My job might as well be gone. My tattoo was gone. Danica was gone.
"She's not being hidden." Lucifer had his eyes shut, but his eyes were moving under his eyelids. "This was a message to me to come get her."
"What do you mean a message?" Asher lowered himself next to Oliver, their arms touching.
"She doesn't want Danica. She wants me." He stood then and walked over to the other side of the bed where his suit jacket was. He slid his arms into it, resolve in his movements. "They're in Shanghai."
"China?" Reve asked, sounding as confused as we all felt. "Why would she take her there? How did they get there so fast? Lilith can't fly, can she?"
"I don't know how. My guess is she has demon transport, but maybe she can fly. Are you coming with me or not?" He stopped in front of us and gave each of us a look. "She's going to need you four."
I stared up at him. At one point in time I had thought the angel was this untouchable, unbreakable king of the underworld. Now, staring up at him, he was much, much more than that. He was a worried father who loved his daughter and would do anything to get her back.
"We can rest once we get there. Regroup. Contact the others." He had quickly switched back to all business. "There are only three places we can land in the city."
We all got to our feet. I didn't even know if I could make it all the way to China with how exhausted I was. We walked outside to the small parking lot. It was the middle of the night and the street was quiet.
Lucifer took my hand and I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't want you to fall in the Pacific."
Our wings extended and we took off into the night sky.
Chapter Fifteen
Danica
Originally, I thought we were going to be taking a private plane or helicopter to wherever it was Lilith was taking me.
Boy, was I wrong.
We didn't drive far from my apartment, but the area we were at was deserted. Waiting for us was a crazy-looking creature the size of a school bus.
"What is it?" Despite being scared shitless, I couldn't help but ask.
"What does it look like? I know you didn't do well in school, but you aren't stupid." The two men, who I assumed were her guards, laughed, and I deepened my frown.
"Maybe if I’d had a mother to help me, I would have done better in school."
She let out an exasperated sigh and turned towards me. "You've always been destined for something greater than any human education could give you." She gestured towards the creature. "This is a fire dragon."
"Versus what? A water dragon?" I spat.
A dragon. A motherfucking dragon in a field. I felt like this was a setup for a joke you might find on a popsicle stick, or from some creeper at a bar.
"Exactly." The men laughed again and she started walking towards it. I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground.
"Can't we teleport there or something?" My brain was telling me to run but my body wasn't cooperating. I had a slight headache again too.
"Teleporting isn't a thing. If you're referring to how your father just seemingly appears and disappears, that is only him going through the barrier between Earth and Inferna. Now, let's go."
I already felt dizzy enough, I didn't need to ride on a... oh my God. I was looking at a dragon. Was it really a dragon? I squinted in its direction and confirmed. Yes, it was a dragon of some sort. It was solid black like tar and seemed to be bonier than the typical type. It was more of a snake with wings.
Was my mother the Mad Queen? She wasn't the Queen of England, that was for sure. I was hallucinating. My father was Lucifer and my mother was Lilith, but a dragon? The line had to be drawn somewhere and a motherfucking dragon was that line.
I took a step forward and stumbled, one of the bodyguards catching me. My vision was blurring again. That was the last thing I remembered.
I woke to the smell of something delicious. Thank fuck. It had all been one of my nightmares again. I'd seriously have to reconsider my concept of reality if I had actually ridden on a dragon.
I lengthened my body under the soft sheets and looked around the room. I sat straight up and took in the decor. It was modern and clean. Gray light was filtering in under the closed curtains.
It wasn't a nightmare, I was living it. I wasn't in my bed or any other bed I knew.
I stood and stretched, my body feeling refreshed. I felt completely fine with no signs of a fever or headache.
Someone, hopefully my mother and not one of the demon men, had changed me into a pair of black pajamas. Silk? I could never tell the difference between fabrics, but these pajamas felt like heaven against my skin.
I went to the window and pulled the curtains back. I was surprised to see trees outside the window, a window that had a key lock to prevent it from being opened. That was totally up to fire code.
I made my way to the bedroom door and put my ear against it to see if I could hear anything. I could hear sounds down the hall but nothing else. I tried the door and the handle turned.
Poking my head out, I took in the shiny dark wood running down the length of the hall where there were several closed doors. I walked down the hall towards the sounds and smells. Someone was cooking.
I entered a large living area and my eyes landed on my mother, who was sitting at a large dining room table, sipping coffee and staring at the screen of a laptop. Her eyes darted to me when I stepped into the room.
"Danica, please join me. John was just cooking us breakfast." She looked towards the kitchen and smiled.
I tentatively walked towards her and could finally see the man in the kitchen. John Senior looked older than the last time I had seen him, gray hairs peppering his dark hair. He turned his head towards me and gave me a smile.
"Where are we?" I stayed where I was. "And did we really ride a dragon here?"
She threw her head back and laughed. We even had the same laugh and I cringed. I wanted to be nothing like this woman. She had threatened the only family I had. They must be out of their minds with worry wondering where I was.
"It wasn't a dragon, but your reaction when I told you it was, was priceless. It was a hell serpent. Please join me." She gestured to the chair to her right.
A hell serpent? As if
that was any better than a dragon. Where was this so-called hell serpent now? I would have felt much better if it had been a dragon.
I moved towards the table but sat with one chair in between us, which only caused her to smile even more. I looked around the room. I could tell from the kitchen that wherever we were, we weren't in the United States anymore. Everything was more compact here and everything had a gloss to it. Not your typical American-style choices.
"We are in Shanghai. We have business here tomorrow night. John, bring her some coffee." She tapped her nails on the table. The more I watched her, the more similarities I was finding between us. I didn't like it.
"I don't drink coffee." A cup was set in front of me anyways, but I didn't touch it.
"You look much better this morning," John said as he stepped back after putting the coffee down. "I was afraid we'd made an error in our serum calculations."
"What serum?" I looked from him to Lilith. "Why is he even here?"
Lilith steepled her finger under her chin and then nodded her head back to the kitchen in a gesture to get John to leave.
"A serum with my blood. It was how we stopped the reaction you were having."
"Reaction?"
"It's been going on for quite some time, actually. Ever since you had such grievous injuries when we first took you. But with all the stress you've been under, the introduction of a demon into your sex life, and some poison, your angel blood couldn't keep the demon part of you locked away any longer."
"I don't understand." I scrunched my forehead in thought. I needed something to do with my hands so I picked up the coffee cup and drank down the bitter liquid. I cringed and shuddered at the taste.
"The roses. That really threw your angel blood off balance. Now the question is, just how much your demon blood was able to take hold. How do you feel? John will take a blood sample from you once we eat."
I gripped the edge of my chair to stop my hands from shaking and from throwing objects at her. I was so stupid coming here with her, but what choice did I have? I couldn't let everyone die because of my fear.
"I feel fine. What did you do to me? Blood doesn't work like that." I brought my hands to rest on the table and examined them, as if the skin would give me an answer.
John spoke from the kitchen. "Human blood doesn't work like that, but you aren't human. Your blood was fifty percent angel and fifty percent demon. Since you are here on Earth, your angel blood is stronger. Giving you Lilith's blood should have decreased the angel blood significantly, especially with the stress you were under and the viruses I put on those thorns and roses."
I clenched my teeth to keep from whimpering.
"We've been running experiments on some of the blood we've collected from angels, and Lilith's blood destroys angel blood at a rate twice as fast as regular demon blood."
I felt sick and stood. "Excuse me. I need to use the restroom."
I took off down the hall and slammed the door shut behind me. I rushed into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I looked just as I always had. I leaned forward on the counter and pulled my eyelids further apart to examine my eyes. Normal.
I let out a shaky breath and turned to lock the bathroom door. I needed a shower and a plan. My duffel bag was sitting on the bathmat and I picked it up. She had packed a bag for me. I shook my head in disbelief.
Lilith was a monster, but somewhere deep inside of her she at least had the heart to pack me a bag. I didn't know how to feel about that, because what could I feel? I hated her.
I stripped out of the pajamas that weren't mine and took my bra off, the note I had stuffed in it falling to the floor. I picked it up and unfolded the heart shaped note. It was cute and I cracked a smile despite the dire situation I was in.
Dear Danica,
I've never written a note to someone before. I'm sorry for acting like a "complete fucking asshole dick" last night (that's what Asher called me and I agree). I may have overreacted, but I was hurt that you would keep something like that from me. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I did deserve that. You don't owe me anything with how I once treated you.
I honestly don't care what you are. You are Danica Deville, my girlfriend, my love, my everything. As corny as that sounds, it's true. Even if you sprouted horns and a tail, I'd love you.
Please forgive me for acting like an idiot. I will make it up to you with orgasms. Asher tells me that orgasms are a great apology. So how many will it take?
Love and cookies,
Olly
I stared down at the note written in flawless handwriting. It was simple, yet in that moment it was exactly what I needed to read. I refolded the note and buried it in my duffel bag. Hopefully it would make it back to California.
Would I ever get to go home?
I turned on the shower and stepped under the hot water, my thoughts drifting to the angels I had left behind. Where were they right now? Had they survived the demons that made it through? Would they be able to find me?
I needed to make a plan to escape. Shanghai was a big city and it would be easy to slip away and hide among the throngs of people. But then what? I couldn't go to the police because I didn't even have my passport with me. What would I tell them? My evil, demon mother, the Lilith took me on a magical hell serpent ride?
That would get me a one-way ticket into China's finest mental institution.
Once showered and dressed, I walked down the hall and entered the living space where John was sitting, staring off into nothingness. I approached slowly and sat in a chair across from him.
"Why are you helping her?" The woman in question was nowhere to be seen and I needed to find out information.
The more I knew, the better I could plan an escape. The house we were in was like a fortress and I had yet to see the hell serpent or the two burly men anywhere. They were probably right outside, just waiting for me to attempt an escape.
"Why would I not help her?" He straightened in his seat and looked at me. "You're going to help her now, are you not?"
I chose my words carefully. "Not because I want to. What do you gain from helping her?"
He looked down the hall and then leaned forward on the couch, as if the few inches were going to give us privacy for what he was planning on saying.
"Freedom for my son." I stared back at him and raised my eyebrows, urging him to continue. "I am the closest in blood to the original Adam. It was a story that I thought was made up by my grandfather, so when I jokingly told my fraternity brothers about it, they dared me to try to summon Lilith. One of them had read a story about her being a demon that could be summoned."
"So you summoned her as a drunken frat boy, she showed up, and she forced you to be her little bitch?"
"Yes. I know it seems crazy, but it happened. Isn't all of it a bit crazy? I have pledged myself to her. Those were her terms. Pledge myself to her or she'd take my first born." He seemed defeated, like he'd rather be anywhere but here. "Whatever you do, don't pledge yourself to her."
Just as he finished speaking, Lilith's heels could be heard down the hall and his eyes widened. He sat back in his chair and returned to staring off into space.
"Danica. I'm glad to see you've rejoined us. We have business to discuss." She sauntered into the room, her eyes locked on John.
It was unclear if she had heard what he had said, but if she had, well, I wasn't going to wish him the best.
"What business?" I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground, ready to run if I needed to. I wasn't sure where I'd run, but I'd find a way out if I needed to.
"You of course." She perched on the arm of the couch, right next to John, and jabbed her fingers into his hair before fisting it and pulling his head to the side. "Go check on our guests."
She shoved his head away and John stood; he looked like he was about to cry. I watched as he retreated from the room and wondered who she was referring to as guests.
"Now. It's time to talk about your future at my side." She turned her body towards me
and I shifted in my seat, trying to make the distance between us wider.
"I don't want to be at your side." She frowned at my response. "I want nothing to do with you."
"I have big plans for Earth. Inferna is getting a little stuffy and my demons are getting restless." She stood and started to pace behind the couch. "You'll want to be by my side when I get them through the barrier."
"Why? Why are you doing this?" I watched her back and forth movements. I wanted to stand and pace too, but stayed glued to the seat. I wouldn't let her see just how similar we were. She'd use it against me.
"It's all part of a bigger plan, years and years in the making. Now all the stars have aligned and I'll be able to take back what is mine." She stopped pacing and looked at me. "What's yours."
"And what's that?" I had an uneasy feeling in my belly. She really was batshit crazy.
"Everything."
I let out an uncomfortable laugh and then smacked my hand over my mouth. I hadn't meant to laugh, but I was starting to think this was some kind of elaborate prank. Maybe this woman was a former Divine 7 and it was all a setup.
"How many people do you think live in Shanghai?"
I frowned and lowered my hand from my mouth. I shrugged because I honestly had no clue.
"Twenty-four million." She smiled and resumed her trot behind the couch. I was glad there was a barrier between us. "Now, imagine a hell serpent being let loose." She paused. "Are you imagining it?"
"You wouldn't." I knew she was evil, but she wasn't that evil, was she?
"My demons do as I ask." She snapped her fingers. "I could level this city with a simple command. You could too, with the right training."
My eyes widened and I felt all the blood drain from my face. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Those angels and humans can offer you nothing. How do you think four men seemingly fell in love with you at first sight?" I wanted her to stop talking, so I covered my ears with my hands. She just spoke louder. "Once they find out that you can control them, manipulate their minds, they'll run for the hills."
