“Hand Viktor over to me now!” Anjali yelled. She was tired of looking at Lucifer’s imperious expression. He really believed that he had won.
“I do not know what lies you have been told, but I cannot hand him over,” Lucifer said crossing his arms.
Hades raised his hand to object but Lucifer turned and punched him in the jaw. Hades, unprepared for the attack, staggered back a few steps. He spat out the blood from his split lip and looked to Anjali.
“My dearest Lady Black, I’m sure that getting Viktor back is your primary objective at this moment and your harrowing vacation for the past few days has left you mentally and physically exhausted, so I will ask this question on your behalf. Consider it a thank you for not removing my head earlier and for believing that I would do the proper thing and kill Aello.
“Ask Lucifer why he sent Viktor after you in the first place when everyone in Heaven and Hell was already searching for you. Why would Lucifer go to the effort of securing his own search party? Better yet, why would Lucifer be stupid enough to make a deal with one of your lovers? You would obviously see Viktor in Hell every waking moment. You would technically be with your love, even if he were Lucifer’s servant…unless there was a provision to this deal. I’m sensing that Lucifer made certain that you would never get the man you loved. Shall we put this to the test?” Hades smirked.
“What are you doing?” Lucifer growled. “I will punch more than just your jaw.”
Anjali glared at Lucifer. “You planned to steal me away before anyone else found me, didn’t you? That’s why you used Viktor. You thought you could claim me and take away Viktor’s memories before I knew who Viktor was. You always wanted to lock me away and keep me for yourself. I can only hope that your intention was to keep me safe,” she said snidely.
“Of course,” Lucifer replied quickly, though the lie was plain for anyone to hear.
Anjali wasn’t surprised by the revelation, but it still stung to know that Lucifer still wanted to horde her away, just as he had when she first arrived in Hell.
“Oh, his deception goes far deeper,” Hades chuckled darkly as he stood his ground and ignored Lucifer’s dark eyes boring into his head. He turned his attention to the Throne Room entrance. “Viktor, I summon you!”
“Don’t you dare!” Lucifer roared over Hades’ voice.
Anjali closed her eyes when she heard footsteps approaching. Her heart stopped and she wanted to disappear from the room. She wasn’t ready to watch Viktor’s soul bow to Lucifer. If Hades were alluding to what she feared, her fight with Lucifer would undoubtedly end with one of them dead.
“Yes, My Lord?” Viktor said from behind her.
Taking a deep breath, Anjali spun around to face Viktor.
The pale servant in front of her was nearly unrecognizable. His skin was the same grey, sickly color as her skin had been when she arrived in Hell for the first time. His beautiful eyes were washed out and had been replaced with uncaring, lifeless dark blue eyes. Gone was his amazing smile and any recognition of the love they once shared. Worst of all, he was wearing the same black T-shirt and black pants as Dorian, Seth and Vincent…Lucifer’s other servants.
“Who am I?” she asked, her anger barely under her control.
Viktor looked at her with a blank expression. “I do not know,” he replied indifferently.
Her fist was flying through the air aimed at Lucifer’s face, but Hades stepped in the way and took control of her fist, spinning her until she was a few steps away from both of them.
“Get out of my way, Hades. Don’t make me regret sparing your life earlier,” she sneered.
Hades smiled politely at her. “We both know you weren’t going to kill me,” he replied. He held up his hand to stop her from advancing. “We also know that there is a better way of getting what you want.”
She focused her anger on Lucifer and glared at him. “You want me to believe that there is no hope of saving Viktor, but that is a lie. You can thank Michael for giving me insight into your deception. You have the power to transfer his soul to me and I can put it back in his body. I will not ask you again to hand him over; instead, I will summon my Predznak and make your worst fears come true. I will allow them to seek their revenge upon you for all the years you tormented them in my absence. I have command of Haydn now and I’m sure he would be happy to take up his former post of interrogator. I will make sure that he starts with you. I’m sure he can make you explain your actions and tell me why you went to all this trouble to punish me by claiming Viktor,” she said coldly. She allowed her power to rise to the surface to prove to him that she wasn’t bluffing.
Hades nodded his approval and stepped away to take a seat on his throne.
The rage on Lucifer’s face was nothing new, but the fear in his eyes was an interesting addition. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he looked at Viktor’s body. “I was afraid for your safety, so I sent someone who would not fail to find you. I overestimated his loyalty to you, I’ll admit that,” he huffed.
Anjali tapped her foot. “Lies. Why don’t we start with why you told me to hunt down Hades’ harpy? You knew I couldn’t kill her or rather, them, so why send me in the first place?” she asked.
“I had no idea that you could not kill her,” he lied.
“Tristan, I summ...,” she began to say.
“Wait! Damn it! Do not call your Predznak or so help me I will kill them all,” he yelled.
“You can try,” she said boldly.
Snapping his teeth together, he ran his hand over his forehead. “Fine! You want the truth, here it is. I wanted to draw Celaeno out into the open. I have waited centuries for Hades to unleash her upon me and take my throne. I knew if you found his Harpy, then I could prove that he was lying about her death and call for her execution. Hades would be forced to put her down once and for all. I knew nothing about there being other Harpies still alive,” he said.
Believing his story, she moved on to the next question. “I know that you didn’t expect me to be captured in Brazil, so Viktor was a deviation in your plan. I want to know why you went to such extreme lengths to find me before anyone else did. Viktor told me that he could find me anywhere and I know that you can find Viktor. I’m pissed that you cursed him to remember all of his lives, but I’m more upset that you tricked him into making a deal to lose his memories of me and claim his soul, snatching him away from me. Tell me why you made a deal with him,” she said forcefully.
Lucifer stared into her eyes, angry that she was demanding an answer.
“I sent Viktor because I was afraid. I couldn’t lose you. All I had to do was trick Viktor into bringing you back to me, enact my plan and eliminate him from your life before you found him. One less lover,” he sneered. He remained silent for a few seconds before he started to pace uncontrollably. “I hate Viktor, Bion or Chen She or whatever you want to call him. The first time I found you, you were dying in his arms in Susa because a raiding party had attacked your village. I was elated that I had done what Gabriel claimed I could never do, but was angry that you were dying. Seeing you broken and bleeding in his arms made me upset, even though I was only interested in your power at the time. I was out of my mind, obsessed with turning you into my slave and ending the world. We both know that my sanity was questionable before your arrival in Hell. When I saw the mark on the boy’s soul, I knew that you had been with him before. I took a chance and put my own mark on him, so that I could find him again. I was intrigued by the idea. I hoped that he would be the key to locating you whenever I wanted. I cursed him to be miserable for eternity because he had failed to protect you. The Bringer of the Apocalypse deserved better than to die from multiple beatings at the hands of the mortals she was destined to kill,” he explained.
“I’d like to point out that you broke the Council’s rule of not tracking me, not that it matters much to you. Michael is aware of your indiscretions, which is why he told me that I could turn Viktor into my Nachtghul without consequences, a
s long as you hand him over to me,” she hissed. She was tired of Lucifer interfering with her life.
“Hmm, that is a pity, because I will never give you Viktor,” he smiled cruelly.
“Why not?” she yelled.
“He doesn’t get to have you. I have been lenient about the others, but this one—this one I will not stand for. When I located you again in the Thera Islands, I found the two of you in bed. I became jealous that someone was touching my property. When he left for the market, I approached you. I touched your beautiful face and the world exploded into flames. You killed an entire civilization that day with an earthquake and tsunami. I ran from you, as you know. You had stripped my darkness and I was left confused and forever altered.
“I did my best to stay away from you after that, but it wasn’t easy. I forgot about Viktor until centuries later when I was tempted to find you again. Gabriel got wise to my hunt, but he never knew about my link to Viktor,” he explained.
Anjali rubbed her forehead and tried to remember the concept of patience. Lucifer was cruel, obsessed and deranged, but none of these were new attributes. He had always proven to be insane when it came to her.
“I understand cursing him, though I’m not forgiving you for it, but why make him your servant? Why would you take him from me when you saw how much I loved him?” she huffed.
A sinister smile spread across his lips. “I kept him from you because I knew how much you loved him. I will do anything to keep the two of you apart. I refuse to see you in his arms, not again. He has what I crave. You are lucky that I did not end his existence. You swore to stay with me and yet my bed is cold! I knew that if you had Viktor, you would leave me forever!” he shouted.
She shook her head at his ridiculous logic. “Your bed has been cold because of what you did in Portland. You broke your promise to never use our blood bond against me, yet I had to fight you to retain my free will. I understand that your Syankas were in control, but we both know that your dark side wants more than anything to command me to end the world. How can I trust you? I’ve tried to forgive you and I have tried to look past what happened, but when you do things like this, how could I ever trust you?” she asked, devoid of emotion. She was beyond listening to Lucifer’s warped ramblings. He had betrayed her for a second time and she could no longer stomach his treachery.
He stood with his mouth agape. He looked like he wanted to argue, but the truth of her words somehow reached his addled brain.
Hades stood up while Lucifer was processing her statement. “Release the boy, Lucifer, and try to salvage whatever is left of Lady Black’s affections for you. I’ve had a very long few days and I want to rest. I am only here because I was counting the seconds until Lady Black realized that her lover was dead and came to claim your head. As much as you may think me capable of sending a Harpy to kill you, clearly I am more concerned for your safety than you believe. I stepped in front of a murderous Destroyer to save your miserable hide. Do not expect any more favors in the future,” Hades stated.
Lucifer looked up at Anjali and clenched his teeth. “You will leave me!” he growled.
Anjali bit back every vile thing she wanted to say to him. Yes, she wanted to leave him, but she was fully aware of what he was capable of doing without her in Hell. “It’s up to you to keep me, Lucifer. You are the one constantly driving a wedge between us. I have managed to love ten men for centuries, proving that I have enough love in my heart for those who deserve it. I have proven that I care about you time and again, yet you always find a way to sabotage whatever this is,” she said waving her hand between them. “Stop being an asshole and find a way to let someone love you."
Lucifer sighed heavily and threw his hands in the air. “Viktor Every, as your master, I hold your life in my hands. I can do with you as I wish. Kneel before me,” he commanded. He took a deep breath and looked at Anjali with sorrowful eyes. Once Viktor was kneeling, he stepped in front of him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Anjali, take Viktor’s hand,” he commanded. She was slow to acquiesce, but took Viktor’s hand, wary of his intentions. “Viktor Every, from this day henceforth, you will have a new master. You will serve Anjali, the Bringer of the Apocalypse, and carry out her will. I release you from our deal and you are no longer in my debt. Rise and join your new master.”
Viktor was dazed for a moment and shook his head after Lucifer released him. He glanced around the room as if he didn’t know where he was.
Lucifer quietly walked past her but she grabbed his hand. “Can I ask why he remembers everything from his past? Why would you do that to him?” she asked.
He looked at Viktor over his shoulder. “I cursed him so that he would suffer. His inability to forget the past was a side effect of the curse. I needed him to remember you and search for you, but remembering how he lost you in every life was intended to crush his spirit,” he sneered.
Anjali wanted to throttle Lucifer, but accepted her victory and allowed Lucifer to leave unscathed.
Stepping in front of Viktor, Anjali tried to release her anger and convince herself that she didn’t want to kill Lucifer. She had won, but there had been a steep price. Viktor was dead and there was nothing she could do about that. She had never wanted to make him a Nachtghul. She didn’t want this life for any of the men she loved, but she had been sincere when she told Michael that being her Nachtghul was better than living out an eternity as a servant of Hell.
When Viktor looked up at her with his vacant eyes, she wanted to cry. She wasn’t sure if there was still time to place him back into his body.
Hades stepped toward her. “What are you waiting for? If his body dies, he will become worse than a Shade or a Revenant. He will be a living soul trapped inside a decaying body and will feel the constant pain of death. I thought you wanted this.”
“He doesn’t remember me. What if I can’t make him remember who he is? This is a cruel fate for anyone. The only reason my Nachtghuls endure being my servants is because of our love and devotion to each other,” she replied.
Hades sighed. “All I can say is that the Viktor I met briefly only cared about helping you. If anyone can seduce a former lover, it’s you,” he said. “If you need me, don’t call me. Figure it out yourself. I’m going to sleep.” He strode through the room and left.
Staring down at Viktor, she had to make a choice. Was it better to keep Viktor safe as a servant and prevent him from reliving all the terrible things he had endured under Lucifer’s curse or should she attempt to remind him of who he once was and how he once loved her?
Stepping around Viktor’s soul, she knelt down next to his lifeless body. She pulled her ring from her hand and put it on the ground next to her. She placed her hand on his cold chest and closed her eyes. She pushed through what felt like a thick fog in her mind and forced herself to think about Viktor’s past incarnations. It was painful at first and jarring, but one by one, she found her memories of him. She cried every time he told her that he loved her and wept each time they were torn from each other’s lives. Again and again, she found Viktor to be a kind man who was fiercely protective of her. He had a soft side that gave her flowers to end their arguments and a romantic side that would take her into his arms and spin her around into a dance. The care he took in making love to her made her heart ache to touch him again. He did everything he could to make each day special. She smiled and was grateful to have her memories of him, even the painful ones.
“Why does that man look like me?” Viktor asked, confused by the sight in front of him.
“This is a man who once loved me so much that he traveled for years to find me, only to lose me. He once braved terrible beasts to stay by my side. He joined the military so that he could journey to my village and protect it from invaders. All his life he tried to protect me. Sadly, he lost his faith in our love and made a terrible decision. He made a deal that would remove me from his life forever. Now, he must decide if he wants me back for all eternity,” she said. Tears came to her eyes as the memori
es of their lives together created an intricate picture of their happiness and misery. They fought so hard to be together, yet tragedy always came between them. How could she subject him to that again?
Viktor considered her words and smiled. “If I loved a woman enough to travel for years to find her, I would certainly do anything to keep her,” he said.
She chuckled at the simplicity of his statement since he had no idea how difficult their lives had been, but was grateful for his input. He had just given her permission to change his life forever.
“You may wish you hadn’t said that,” she said softly.
He frowned at her statement and stepped closer to her.
“Viktor Every, you have consented to be my servant. Swear to me your loyalty and I will grant you immortality. Blood of my blood, soul of my soul, you shall carry out my will henceforth. You are bound to me and together we are one,” she said loudly. She prayed that she was doing the right thing.
Holding out her hand to Viktor’s soul, she smiled at him. He hesitated for a moment but placed his hand in hers. “What are you doing, Master? I don’t understand what’s happening,” he said.
“It’s okay. You’ll understand everything very soon,” she replied. She closed her eyes and felt around for the connection that Lucifer had created by transferring Viktor’s soul to her. She pushed her power along the connection until it reached Viktor’s soul. He jumped when he felt her power consume him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his life force glowing brightly. Drawing her power back into her chest, Viktor’s soul followed along with it and became a part of her.
“Rise and join your Master!” she commanded, while pushing his soul into his lifeless body, keeping a small piece of his soul inside her heart.
Viktor opened his eyes and gasped. He grabbed his chest and felt around for the pain that had burned so badly that dying sounded like a good option. He was laying on the stone floor of a room that seemed familiar, but his brain couldn’t figure out where he was. He felt like he had lost time, though he didn’t know why.
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