That thought hadn’t even occurred to her. “Do you really think I unknowingly followed his magic?” She recalled how the incident started and remembered the inky line of power she’d followed. Damn.
“I think it’s very possible, especially after talking to your father.” He stroked her cheek.
“What does that mean, and why do I feel like this is going to be a surprise I won’t like?” She searched his eyes, and they told her his news was big.
“I won’t hold anything back, you know that. Right?”
She nodded, her gut twisting into a knot.
“First off, don’t be angry. My understanding is this knowledge had to be kept hidden until now. Your father is the grandson of Lucifer.”
Her hand did an involuntary slap across her mouth to stifle the sound of shock and horror. “Oh my… Shit,” she mumbled through her fingers then glanced around the tiny room, waiting for the devil to make an appearance.
“Yeah. Seems Sherease is the daughter of the Maker herself and your grandfather the son of Lucifer. I’m told the bastard has no clue about it, but that’s why Tegan refuses to come here. He’s afraid of being discovered.”
She dropped her hand. “Holy shit on a stick. I feel ill.” She wasn’t sure if she should laugh hysterically or cry. “I guess that explains why I’ve seen death my entire life.” It actually explained a lot of things, but the sudden realization hit her. “Wait. If I understand this correctly, my father is the grandson of Lucifer and the Maker.” She chewed her lip. “That makes me their great-granddaughter.”
“Would seem so and as far as your abilities… It makes sense.” He wiped his thumb across her cheek. “You have an advantage, you know.”
She snorted. “And that would be?”
“There’s no doubt you’ll be powerful and succeed in taking his army. You’re the descendant of two of the most powerful beings in the world, Ashley. You have the ability to take life or give it. It makes sense now that you’re the balance.”
She didn’t want to be the balance. Instead, she would much prefer to hide. Curl up in a ball and let the world pass her by. “But my father should have the same power. Why can’t he be the balance?”
“I don’t have an answer to that.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping when she opened them she’d be back home. Ashley craved a normal life, but that wasn’t her fate.
She hated fate.
However, when she finally looked into the steel-blue gaze that stared back at her, she saw devotion and love. A man who had stood by her. Rescued her from death. Gave his soul to Lucifer in order to save her. She didn’t believe in fairy-tales but was living one, even if it was fucked up as hell. This dark, handsome man belonged to her and she to him. They’d made a vow to each other when they bonded. Even though it was that bonding that started her life as Death, she wouldn’t take it back. He was the beacon of light that shined through her darkness, and she would do whatever it took to make things right.
“I can do this as long as you stand by me,” she whispered.
“Always.”
She smiled. “Good, now kiss me before you go.”
10
Ashley woke in a foul mood. Eli had been summoned while they were getting into some heavy foreplay. While she understood he had a job to do as well––locating then hiding the Nephilim––she’d still been left with a deep burning between her thighs. She stared at the smooth skin on her wrist. The more she thought about it, the more she believed Lucifer had realized she was more powerful than he’d anticipated. She slipped on a worn pair of jeans and an old Pearl Jam tee then headed out the door. She intended to confront the demon bastard.
As she strode down the passage, Wraith fell in beside her and she patted him on the head. The hound was growing on her. “Have you heard from Michael?”
“No, but I suspect we shall soon.”
“What about Talina?”
The hound snorted. “She checked in last night while you were sleeping. Said if you had need of her to summon her.”
“No, it’s probably best she stay out of sight for a while.”
“What are you up to now?”
“I’m about to poke a sleeping bear.” Was that an evil grin she felt across her lips? Why, yes it was.
“Huh, I’m not sure what that means, but I aim to find out,” Wraith commented. They entered the dining hall where Lucifer sat sipping blood and eating something disgusting. Ashley slid into the seat next to him, eyeing the goblet of blood. At least now, she knew where her thirst came from. She grabbed a slice of toast and slathered some jam on it. “Hey Gramps, what’s up?”
Lucifer’s brows shot up then his eyes swirled a mixture of green and black. “Gramps?”
She bit her toast and chewed longer than necessary before swallowing to speak. She held up her arm and examined the perfect flesh. “Funny, your mark seems to be missing.” She gave Wraith the side-eye and noticed his ears perk up from where he’d parked himself in the corner.
“I decided it was unnecessary.”
“Really? I thought maybe it was because you didn’t like me using it against you. I have to admit though…” She rubbed the heels of her hands over her eyes. “I’ll never be able to unsee that sight.”
He tapped his fingers on the table, a good indication he was pissed. It only fueled her evil side more. “There’s going to be some changes around here.”
“Is that so?” He tapped harder, sparks streaked out with each contact he made with the table.
“I will come and go as I please,” she stated.
His chest rose and fell, and his nails, turning to claws, dug into the wooden table. “Is that all?”
She hopped up and grabbed a piece of bacon. “For now.” Then she sauntered toward the door, her Hellhound at her heels.
“Death.” She froze in her tracks, the tone in his voice one of controlled anger. Slowly she turned to face him.
“You may now be able to––as you so eloquently put it––come and go as you please. However, you still owe a debt to me, and that means you will follow my rules.”
Her skin prickled. “And if I say no?”
He lifted his glass and sipped, keeping a steady gaze on her. The bastard seemed to enjoy making her wait for his reply. “Then I will kill your aunt and claim her soul. So, the rules are the same as before, but I will allow you a reprieve from Hell. Eight hours a week, and if you dare defy me, I will hold to my promise.” He grinned, fangs glistening in the soft light of the room. “Do not think for one second I will not know when you leave and when you return.”
Ashley wanted to scream at the top of her lungs while she kicked him in the balls, but she couldn’t risk her aunt’s life so she was left with one alternative. “Agreed.” Damn that hurt.
“What was that all about? Did he really remove your marking?” Wraith questioned once they’d gotten out of earshot. “Let me see.”
“Geez, you’re full of questions.” She continued on to explain how she ended up in Lucifer’s bedroom and watched him cringe at the mention of the peep show she’d gotten. However, she left out the rest, not thinking it wise to mention her family tree yet. Matter of fact, she wasn’t sure what to do with the information, but a visit to her father was in order. Lucifer agreed on eight hours and she’d take every second. Maybe Tegan and Eli could keep her aunt safe.
“Wraith, I need to go. Hold the fort until I get back.”
“Do I dare ask what you’re up to?”
“It's better you don't know.” Ashley folded her wings, closed her eyes, and pictured her father. She issued the command to appear before him and found herself standing next to Tegan and one very frightened girl.
“Father?” Somehow calling him dad didn’t seem right.
He turned and raised a questioning brow. “Ashley, what are you doing here?”
“I need to speak with you.” She looked past him to the frightened girl who appeared to be in her early twenties. “Nephilim?” Another daughter b
orn from an angel and human encounter. She wondered how many there were out in the world and that raised another question. Did she have a sister?
“Yes. This is Janie, and her mother was killed recently.” He looked back to the girl. “I know you want to mourn for your mother, but I need to get you to safety.”
Ashley sensed the girl was in shock, and rightfully so if she’d just lost her mother. However, Tegan was correct. “Janie, he’s right. Lucifer will find you, and we don’t want that to happen.”
The girl shook her head, brown curls bouncing. “I know. I’ll go wherever you need me to be.”
Relief swept across Tegan’s face. “Good.” Just then Eva appeared. “Janie, this is Eva. She’ll take you to safety and make sure you have everything you need.” Eva approached with a kind smile and placed a reassuring arm around the young girl’s shoulders.
“Are you ready?” Eva asked.
“Yes.”
Eva spread her wings, and the two disappeared before Tegan turned to Ashley. “How and why are you here? And no, you are my only daughter.”
Well, one question answered. “Is it true?” she blurted out.
“I’m assuming Eli told you about our heritage? Yes, I’m the devil’s grandson.” He met her gaze.
She pulled in a deep breath. The next question burned in her throat. “Did you know who your parents were when you impregnated my mother?” She quickly regretted the pain in his eyes, but she had to know.
“Yes. I’ve known since I was a child. By the time I met your mother, my father had already let his dark side rule his life. I killed him, you know.”
She did; she also knew he had been aware of what he was but needed the words to come from his lips. “Did you not once think it might be a mistake? Creating another life, that is?”
He touched her shoulders. “You are not a mistake. I may regret not being there for you as a child, for letting your mother die, but I never regretted giving you life.”
Tears threatened, but she held them at bay. “Could you have saved her?”
“Had I known? Yes. I also knew how much you meant to her, and a miscarriage would have ripped her apart.”
She sniffed. “Viv used to tell me the happiest she ever saw my mother was right after I was born. When she held me in her arms. Then she went pale and the monitors showed she’d flatlined. The doctors rushed in and took me, handing me to my aunt. They say she hemorrhaged, but they could never figure out why. It was a mystery.” The tears wouldn’t stop. “They took her from me, just like they took you, and I was left to think I was a freak. Part of me wants to tell you all to go to Hell, and let the world be damned.”
He crushed her to his chest in a strong embrace. “But you’re not that way. You’re a compassionate person. I wish I had all of the answers, but I don’t.” He tipped her chin up. “In the end the choice is yours. No one can force you to take the path that lies before you.”
She searched his green eyes. “What would happen to Eli, to you? Eva, Seph? If I walk away from my fate?”
“We’d likely all perish at some point as would humanity.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed the lump. This was so not fair, but when had anything in her life ever been fair? “I’m not one to let others suffer, but I can’t do this alone. I’m scared.”
“You’re not alone, Ashley. You have Eli, Eva, Seph. Everyone is behind you, and I’ll do anything I can to help you.” He rubbed her back. “I understand Michael is going to help you as well. I’ve met him and you need to trust him. Besides your grandmother, he will be your biggest ally in Hell, and it’s not often I’d say that about a demon.”
She finally opened her eyes, the tears slowing. “Thank you.” He had no idea how much it meant to her to finally have the comfort of her father.
“But I do know,” he whispered.
The words lent her strength. “Have you heard from the Maker?” It didn’t feel right calling her his grandmother.
Tegan let out a sigh. “No, but I sense she is close.”
Eli’s body tensed as he received the telepathic message from Seph.
Holy shit! All the dead are Nephilim. At least thirty of them.
He immediately focused his mind on the location. The sky faded away and changed to black as he appeared back at the area he’d left earlier. Tegan and Ashley appeared next to him. She slid him a glance.
“I’ll explain later. We need to go inside.” Ashley didn’t wait for them, but started marching toward the door. Eli was hot on her heels, worried about what she’d see, though he wasn’t sure why. After all, she’d been residing in Hell, had taken life, and given it back. However, these were her people, and he feared it would hit her harder than expected.
When they walked through the open double doors, the smell assaulted him. Coppery and rotten, he knew these girls had been dead for at least a few days.
“Shit,” Tegan muttered under his breath.
They made their way across the expanse of the warehouse to where the others stood. A crowd of more than five reapers had gathered. Guardians, warriors, and a few elite stood blocking the view. He pushed his way through, Tegan on one side and Ashley on the other. When the crowd parted, he nearly blanched.
The bodies of several women lay in a straight line in pools of dried blood. Evidence pointed to their slit wrists, and the knife each held still clutched in their hand.
“Oh my…” Ashley’s voice trailed off as she visibly swallowed then took a deep breath. “Why would they do this?”
One of the other leaders approached. “Tegan, I checked them and they all have an infestation.”
Ashley looked at Eli. “What does he mean?”
“It means their minds were tampered with,” he responded.
“I don’t get it, what do you mean their minds were tampered with?”
Tegan looked hesitant to explain, so Eli jumped in. “It means a demon infected them with a parasite. This parasite ate away at their brain until they went insane.”
Ashley cringed. “Oh, dear god. That sounds horrible. I’m sure Lucifer had something to do with this.”
“Of course he did. He wants the Nephilim out of the way,” Tegan growled. He strode into the crowd, issuing orders. “Clean this place up and take extra care with the bodies.”
“Eli, I have to go back and find a way to beat Lucifer.” She shook her head. “I can’t let this continue. He won’t stop until they are all dead––until you are all dead.”
He hated all of this. Despised seeing her upset and loathed the thought of her going back there. Instinct demanded he protect his mate, but duty intervened and tore at him. He couldn’t be in two places at once. She touched his arm.
“Stop beating yourself up. We both have a duty. Mine is to stop Lucifer and yours is to protect as many as you can.”
He hated when she made sense and slipped his arm around her waist, forcing her to walk away from the carnage. He wasn’t sure how or why she’d come here, but he had to get her away. Even for just a little while. When they were outside, she faced him.
“Eli, you’ve got to find the rest of them and make sure they’re safe. We can’t let Lucifer kill them all. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’ll give it my best. I will train with Michael and learn everything I can, but I feel time is of the essence.”
He led her into the shadows, away from the others, and pulled her close. “How did you get here?”
“It’s a long story, but I tried to blackmail Lucifer and ended up with eight hours a week that I could leave. I need you to do me a favor. You have to take my Aunt Viv to safety. Lucifer has threatened to kill her. I need to know that she’s going to be safe.”
“Of course I will. However, don’t you think she might freak out having an angel show up at her door?”
“I have to trust you will explain this to her until I can come and do it myself.” She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He squeezed her tighter, parting his lips, their tongues meeting in desperatio
n as he pressed his erection against her.
“Damn it, Ash, we have to stop meeting like this,” he mouthed against her lips.
She broke free. “I agree. I have to go, but soon this will be over and we can be together.” She smiled. “Maybe we can finally start a life like a normal couple.”
He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “I’d love to know what it’s like to wake up next to you every morning.” Tangling his fingers in her hair, he brought a strand to his nose and inhaled her scent. He’d need it to carry him through. “Reach out if you have need of me. I’ll be there no matter what.”
“I will.”
He watched her fade away and fought the urge to follow. He had to let her do this on her own. Forced himself to believe the Maker knew what the hell she was doing.
11
Ashley flashed directly back to her room and found Talina sitting on the bed. The girl immediately popped up and dipped low.
“Mistress.”
“I’m so glad to see you. Are you feeling better?” Before the girl could answer, the door flew open. Oh goody, Lucifer. He strode in as if he owned the place, and Talina slunk into a corner.
“I have a job for you.”
“Another soul for your collection?” She sat on the bed. It was always better to stay lower than the demon king. It helped his humor along with his ego.
“Yes. A young mother. She’s dying of cancer and made a deal with me to live until her daughter was old enough for school.”
Ashley jumped up. “No!”
He planted his feet in a wide stance, his hands fisted. She noted a tick in his jaw. “You’d better get used to the fact this is your life now. Humans are stupid. They make deals in the heat of the moment, and I intend to hold them to it. Your job is to bring me their souls. Now, off with you.” He waved his hand, and the air around her shimmered and turned cold. She was suddenly standing in a dimly lit bedroom.
“Am I dying now?” A weak voice called from the bed. Ashley realized her wings were visible. This must be the girl whose soul she was to gather.
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