As we galloped beside the Nile river, my heart sank at the sight of all the destroyed, abandoned buildings, and the complete lack of life anywhere around us. Hell had once been beautiful and prosperous, and it hurt to see it so forlorn. I completely understood why Lucifer had moved all the demons to Earth, since it was the only way to save our people, but it was depressing to see the aftermath of that decision. I stole a glance at Lucifer's face, and judging by his pained expression, he felt the same way.
Soon the great pyramids of Giza appeared in the distance under the soft moonlight, like beacons pulling us toward them. They existed in this realm just as they did on Earth, but with one big difference—in Hell, Death was entombed beneath the Great Sphinx, which was originally built as a monument to him. The entire Giza plateau was once a gateway between the worlds, and the barrier was still weaker here between Earth and Hell, especially with Death's power emanating from the Sphinx. It was no wonder that Giza was thought to be a very haunted place on Earth. The humans might not know why they were both drawn to and revolted by the place, why they went inside only against their better judgment yet couldn't seem to stop themselves—but we did. Death's essence reached across all of the realms, calling to anyone who dared come close to his tomb. It was the one thing no mortal escaped, the last great fear. Even us immortals would succumb to it eventually.
We took some time riding around the pyramids and the Sphinx, checking to make sure Death hadn't been released, but everything was quiet. There was no sign Fenrir or anyone else had been here in decades. I breathed a sigh of relief, until I heard whispered voices on the wind, saying my oldest name.
"Eve...the cursed queen...the lady of many deaths...free me and find peace..."
I shuddered as I tried to block out the horrible words that chilled me to the bone. I was all too familiar with death, and had no interest in experiencing it again. I turned to Lucifer, and his jaw was clenched, his mouth set in a tight line, and I knew he heard something too. What horrible things was Death whispering to him?
"Let's get out of here," I suggested.
Lucifer wrapped Aurora up even tighter, as if he could shield her from the dark presence all around us. "With all haste."
We rode off into the night as fast as our horses would take us, leaving the deathly whispers behind. The other Elder Gods hadn't been able to reach out of their tombs like that, but then again, Death was the most powerful of them all.
We reached our old palace some time later, and the sight of it made my soul weep. The huge columns framing the front were usually alive with climbing plants and flowers that glowed with soft blue light, but now they hung in dead swathes, like tattered drapes from some long-forgotten bygone age. More ash littered the ground, and entire sections of the palace had crumbled to dust.
I flicked my fingers to try to inspire some life in the plants and was rewarded when some veins of green appeared. The plants rustled as they moved, stretching toward me to draw more power, and soon they began to grow again. Tiny little glowing flowers appeared once more, struggling to come back to life. Other than those small movements, the entire place remained desolate and sad, like the soul of the place had died without us here to tend to it.
I sighed and took Lucifer's hand, squeezing it tightly. “I miss this place. I miss what it was.”
“I do too." He touched one of the columns as we walked by, his fingers trailing over the smooth black stone. Aurora stirred a little from where she was strapped to his chest and blinked at the glowing flowers with sleepy-eyed interest. “Perhaps we can rebuild once we’ve got everything else under control."
I turned to him with raised brows. "You would open Hell once more?"
"Someday, yes." He gazed up at a statue of him that was now in pieces. "I've been thinking a lot about this ever since speaking with Belial. Closing Hell and moving all the demons to Earth is one of the reasons the Archdemons revolted against me. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty to close it off completely. At the time, I thought it would be best, just like Michael thought it best to close off Heaven and move the angels to Earth. Both realms were destroyed by our long war, and both races were dying out. We needed to move to Earth to have any chance of survival. But what if that was the wrong decision? I see now that it caused strife for many of our people."
I leaned my head against his shoulder, and stroked Aurora's head where it rested against his chest. “You did what you thought was best for our people at the time, and I know you’ll do the best you can going forward, no matter how hard those decisions are to make. Maybe that means starting to rebuild Hell so the demons can return—eventually.”
He wrapped an arm around me. "As long as I have you by my side to help me make these decisions going forward."
I shoved him playfully. "Well, obviously."
Aurora began to cry and struggle against Lucifer's chest. After being strapped to him for so long she was probably desperate for some free time, and probably hungry too.
"I'll take her and give her a snack," I said. "You can get the key to Void while we wait outside."
"Probably for the best." Lucifer began unwrapping the baby. "It looks quite dusty inside. I'll be back in a few minutes."
I pulled a blanket out of the diaper bag and set it down, then put Aurora on top of it and began feeding her one of those fruit and veggie pouches that were so convenient. Another thing I wished I'd had in the old days. She devoured it immediately, and I gave her some water, then searched around in the bag for something else to feed her.
Suddenly a growl ripped through the air behind me. I leaped to my feet in front of Aurora, my wings flaring out, with light in one hand and darkness in the other. A three-headed hellhound the size of a horse stood before us, its black fur radiating darkness and its eyes glowing red. Drool dripped from the long, sharp fangs on each of the heads, and sharp claws pawed at the ground as if it might charge us.
"Cerberus, no!" Lucifer cried out, from where he'd appeared in the entrance to the palace.
The hellhound paused, and then launched itself at Lucifer, wagging its tail. Three long tongues came out and covered Lucifer, who held up his hands to defend himself. Aurora giggled and squealed and I made my magic vanish, my shoulders relaxing. Cerberus had been our pet and guardian while in Hell, and it seemed he was still protecting the palace after all these years.
"Down!" Lucifer said, and Cerberus sat and looked up at his master, tail still dancing. Now that the hellhound realized there was no threat to the palace, his demeanor had changed entirely.
"Did you know he was here?" I asked.
Lucifer rubbed Cerberus's many heads. "Yes, he and all of the other hellhounds stayed here when the demons left for Earth. We couldn't exactly bring them along, after all."
"No, I suppose not." I held out a hand and approached him slowly. "Cerberus, it's me. Eve. Persephone. Lenore."
Cerberus tilted his heads, seemingly curious as he examined me. One of his noses sniffed my hand, then he bounced forward, three tongues ready to lick me. I gave him a hug, rubbing the thick fur along his neck.
"It's good to see you too," I said. "Want to meet our newest member of the family?"
Cerberus peered at Aurora next with three big doggy grins, and she giggled and reached for him with both arms. He laid a long lick up her cheek, and she laughed even harder.
"I feel so bad that he's been here all this time." I smoothed a hand along the hellhound's back. “Think he’d like to come home with us?”
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “A three-headed dog in California?”
“He’d be the perfect guardian and playmate for Aurora." Three pairs of eyes on my child who seemed determined to fly before she could walk sounded perfect at the moment. If we tasked Cerberus with keeping her safe, he' would do everything he could to protect her. "As long as he stays at the estate, it should be fine."
"I can't argue with that." Lucifer patted Cerberus on the back. "Do you want to come back with us, old boy? We could use your help defending a new
palace."
Cerberus let out a bark and wagged his tail harder, and I guessed that meant yes.
"It's settled then," Lucifer said.
I began packing up all of Aurora's things, eager to leave this forlorn place. "Did you get the key to Void?"
"Yes, I did." Lucifer held up a small velvet drawstring bag, then tucked it into a pocket. "Let's go home."
I glanced back at the palace that had once been our home. Perhaps one day it would be again. But for the moment, our place was on Earth.
28
Hannah
Cerberus nudged Aurora across the floor, butt-scooting her along with one of his noses, and her peals of laughter rang out around the nursery. Even Zel smiled at the close bond that had developed between them.
Lucifer wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me closer. He nuzzled a kiss to my neck. “Think anyone would notice if we took an hour for ourselves?”
I lifted an eyebrow as I grinned. “A whole hour? What a luxury that would be."
He laughed and kissed my neck again, but then his phone rang, and he cursed under his breath. “It's Samael.”
I nodded, my smile dropping immediately. It had been a week since we'd gotten back from Hell, and there had been no news about Lilith's whereabouts. “You’d better get it then.”
Lucifer huffed out a sigh as he answered. "Hello, Samael. Everything all right?" He paused and his eyes landed on me. "Yes, she's here."
I turned to Zel, worry already nagging at my gut. "Could you watch Aurora while we take this?"
"Of course," Zel said.
Lucifer and I headed out of the nursery and into our bedroom, shutting the door behind us. I sat on the edge of the bed as Lucifer tapped his phone and said, "Okay, we're ready."
"We have an emergency here in Vegas," Samael's deep voice said from the phone's speaker. "Pestilence has been freed and we're under attack."
"What?" I asked, jumping to my feet again.
"How?" Lucifer asked.
"Our cameras show it was Theo who released him," Samael said.
Theo? I gripped Lucifer’s forearm. No, that made no sense. Theo had been my guard for months. I trusted him with my life. He'd helped me become Famine, and he'd been there when we sealed Pestilence inside. Why would he free Pestilence now?
"Are you sure it was him?" I asked, my voice trembling a little.
"We're sure." Samael spoke on a sigh, the words almost an apology. "We need your help. Pestilence is attacking The Celestial as we speak. Our people managed to evacuate it as best we could, but I fear he's going to spread his plague to everyone in Las Vegas within a few hours."
"We'll be there in an hour," Lucifer said, before hanging up. It wasn't even a question of whether we would go or not. We were the only ones who could stop Pestilence—especially if the gargoyles had turned on us. And with the tomb no longer an option, our only hope was to use the Void key to send Pestilence to that realm.
I glanced around the room, wondering if I should pack anything or change my clothes, and instead opted for just throwing on my sneakers and a bra. Would anyone care if the Queen of Hell showed up to fight Pestilence in yoga pants? Probably not. Assuming anyone was even alive by the time we got there.
I rushed back into the nursery, where Aurora was riding on Cerberus's back while Zel fed the hellhound a biscuit. My chest tightened as the reality of the situation sunk in, and I accepted that I would have to leave Aurora behind. It was too dangerous for her to go with us this time. She would be safer here. I knew that, but it was still hard to leave her.
"We have to go to Vegas," I said, as I grabbed Aurora and pulled her against my chest. "Pestilence is free."
"Oh fuck." Zel rose to her feet. "Do you need me to go?"
"No, I need you to stay here and watch Aurora." I felt a slight pang of guilt that one of the greatest warriors of all time was relegated to babysitter duty, but there was no one else I would trust more with my daughter.
Zel nodded. "That I can do. Cerberus and I will keep her safe."
"Thank you." I hugged Aurora to my chest, kissing her face a hundred times. "Mommy will be back soon, I promise. I love you so much."
Lucifer came into the nursery and took Aurora from me, then said his own goodbyes while I wrung my hands nervously. We'd never left her behind before. Not even for date night. Not while Fenrir was still out there. Now we were going into certain danger, and there was no other option but to leave her here.
I took Aurora again and gave her more kisses and hugs, then reluctantly handed her to Zel. I opened my mouth to tell Zel about bedtime and what to feed her and everything else I could think of, but Zel held up a hand to stop me.
"I got this. Go save the world."
I hugged her close, then walked out of the room with Lucifer. We got in our Lamborghini, and Lucifer drove out of the estate so fast the world became almost a blur around us. The private jet waited at a nearby airstrip, and Lucifer was already on the phone telling them to get it ready to go.
When he hung up, we settled into uneasy silence. Finally I said, "I can't believe Theo did this."
"Another traitor," Lucifer said with disgust. "Maybe he thinks he's continuing his mother's plans after her death."
"That would mean he's been waiting all this time for the right moment to act." I swallowed hard, feeling the sting of his betrayal deep inside.
Lucifer shook his head. “I didn't know him as well as you did, so I can't say for sure. But we always knew there could be gargoyles who believed so earnestly in Belphegor’s mission that her death wouldn't stop their actions. Theo might be one of them."
"And Romana?"
"I think she is loyal." Lucifer sighed, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
I nodded and stared out the window as we zoomed down the highway. "I hate that we have to leave Aurora."
"She’ll be all right,” Lucifer said, his voice gentle. “Zel will be there, along with Cerberus. Neither of them will let anything happen to her.”
“I know. And our estate’s well-guarded and has plenty of security measures in place... I still hate it."
"Me too." He rested a hand on my thigh. "We'll take care of this problem and be back in no time."
I prayed he was right. I'd gotten so used to our perfect, happy, almost-normal life, but deep down I'd known it could never last. A threat would always emerge that we would have to face, and every time we would be forced to leave Aurora behind, knowing we might not come back. It had been the same during all of my lives. No wonder all of our sons had issues. We'd done the best we could with them, but we'd always had other duties too, duties that were so important we couldn't pass them off to other people. It was hard being a parent when you had to save the world all the time. I hadn’t really understood that until now, and I feared we would repeat the same mistakes with Aurora. But what else could we do?
Stopping Pestilence would help, for a start. Adam had been a threat during all of my kids' lives, and if he were finally out of the picture, we could relax a little. It was time to take the fucker down.
29
Lucifer
I tightened my thighs to spur Strife on as we left the airport and headed into downtown Las Vegas. We'd known something was wrong before the jet even touched down, as the sun glinted off the buildings bold enough to stretch their glassy tips farthest into the sky. This city was an oasis of life in the middle of the Nevada desert, but even from a distance, we could tell that Vegas was sick. Plumes of black smoke rose from various spots along The Strip, and I feared what we would find when we returned to The Celestial.
As we drew closer to my resort, the extent of the damage became clearer. Windows had been blown out, bodies were strewn across the pavement and covered in boils, and even the plants had withered and died from the sickness in the air. Our horses brought us to Hannah's garden that had once thrived with life, but now everything here was dead, the flowers black, the leaves spotted a
nd brown. Up ahead, the waterfall recycled murky yellow water, and behind it was a huge hole where Pestilence's tomb had been hidden away. The tomb itself was gone. Or destroyed. I wasn't sure. But where was Pestilence?
Hannah surveyed the damage in the garden she’d created, her fingers flickering idly over various plants, coaxing life back into them, although the movement didn’t seem to be deliberate on her part. She looked absolutely horrified by it all, her face paler than normal, her eyes wet with unshed tears, especially when her gaze landed on the tourists that had died. Entire families, destroyed by Pestilence's plague. Intense rage filled me at the sight. These people had come to my hotel for a family vacation or a fun weekend getaway and now they were dead. It was my responsibility to keep them safe and happy while at my resort, and I'd failed. Now all I could do was avenge their deaths...which I would do with relish.
Sirens sounded from the street, and the sound of human misery and suffering thickened the air. I kept the War side of me locked away most of the time, but now I let it surface. The fury made me stronger, as long as I could control it.
"I'm going to rip Adam's fucking head off," I growled.
Hannah shot me a look full of menace. "Not if I do it first."
"We need to find Samael. Let's check the war room."
Hannah nodded, and our wings unfurled at the same time, mine black and shadowy, hers silver and bright. We launched into the air and flew up to the penthouse, which had sat empty for months, but had been destroyed anyway. Pestilence had even peed all over my leather couch. That fucking prick. Hannah just let out a long sigh as she surveyed the damage.
We marched down the stairs rather than take the elevator, uncertain of the electrics and stability of the infrastructure. I’d never seen my command room so busy. Demons scurried between desks and spoke into headsets while typing furiously on their computers. Lights flashed on monitors and maps, showing the activity of my demons across the city and wider areas. Occasionally, alarms went off, attracting more frenetic activity at various desks.
Infernal God (Claimed By Lucifer Book 3) Page 15
