The three angels he had protected didn’t fare so well.
The blast caught the right foot of the fastest, devouring it and sending the angel crashing onto his face.
It cut through the lower half of the second and a beam of golden light shot down, reclaiming the fallen male and returning him to Heaven.
It hit the third male head on.
No light claimed him.
Mihail lifted his head, his eyes wide and filled with horror as he looked across the courtyard to the remains of the male.
“No.” He raised his eyes to Lucifer and the disbelief in them tugged at his heart.
“Someone neglected to mention to you that you are not the only one with new powers.” Lucifer drifted down to land on the flagstones of the courtyard. “He will wander Hell as nothing more than a spirit now, tormented in the shadows… for eternity. Withdraw your men before they suffer the same fate. Leave my realm.”
Mihail shoved onto his hands and knees, steely resolve filling his pale blue eyes as he set his jaw. He rose onto his feet, dusted himself off, and called his blade back to him.
“I will not leave without her.” The angel swept the sword down at his side. “I did not ask for this mission, but I will not fail in it. I will carry out my duty, or I will die trying.”
Those words struck a chord in Lucifer, one that only stirred the darkness inside him. Mihail didn’t agree with his orders. He was doing this out of loyalty to his master. Lucifer had been in his position, knew how the male felt, how it must torment him to do something he didn’t agree with, but he couldn’t give the angel what he wanted.
He couldn’t allow Mihail to carry out his duty.
The male would have to settle for dying while trying.
Lucifer shrugged, causing his black wings to shift with the motion. “Very well.”
His fingers twitched at his sides, his shadows flowing from them, eager to tear into his old adversary and end him this time.
He raised his hand to launch his next attack.
“Wait.” Nina’s soft voice cutting through the thick silence snapped his focus towards her where she stood in front of the now-open doors of his fortress, out of breath, her cheeks flushed.
Lucifer cursed as he realised the reason the damned doors kept opening for her even though he had adjusted the wards so they wouldn’t. It was because she bore his child. The doors recognised his blood in her and that kept overriding the command to remain locked to her.
Mihail slowly smiled.
“Nina!” Lucifer launched his shadows towards Mihail at the same time as he teleported towards her.
He reappeared in time to see the angel evading the ribbons of darkness and coming straight at him, his wings pinned back as he flew hard.
Lucifer flicked his left hand towards the angel, releasing another blast of energy and then another. The smaller orbs zoomed towards Mihail. The male rolled, set his right foot down on the ground and kicked off, changing direction. The first blast hit the ground where he had been. The second changed course, tracking the angel as he continued on his trajectory.
Aiming straight for Nina.
Darkness raged through Lucifer, stronger than he had felt it in a long time. Stronger than it had ever been since he had set himself up as ruler of Hell. He felt the changes as they happened to him. The ache in his skull as his horns grew longer. The pain in his fingertips as his nails became long black talons. The cold as his skin paled to white and his lips darkened to black.
The burn as his eyes blazed crimson with the fires of Hell.
“Stay back,” he snarled at Nina where she stood behind him, her fear trickling through his veins, increasing his fury and his need to protect her.
She was mortal.
He needed to protect her, both from Mihail and from himself. It would be too easy for him to kill her by mistake with his power when she was outside the fortress, exposed to the battle.
Why the fuck had she placed herself in danger?
“I don’t want to go with you!” She hurled those words at Mihail.
The venom in them surprised Lucifer but it was the meaning in them that shocked him, distracting him for a moment as he took in what she was saying.
She wanted to stay with him.
Pain burst through him, the air blasting from his lungs as something hit him hard, taking him down onto the ground. He skidded across it, a weight pressing down on him, and grunted as fresh agony erupted in his shoulder, the white-hot blaze stealing from him what little breath he had gathered.
Mihail grinned down at him and shoved forwards. Lucifer bellowed at the black vault of Hell as the white blade cut deeper into his right shoulder.
Piercing light erupted within him, driving his shadows back, and he cried out again, tears cutting lines down his temples as he fought the pain, clinging to consciousness.
“Lucifer!” Nina’s shriek, filled with fear and agony, roused his strength and he clawed at Mihail, somehow managed to grab the bastard’s arm and shove upwards.
The sword pulled free of his flesh and he twisted with the angel, shoving him onto his back and pinning his wings at a painful angle beneath his body. Lucifer growled and punched him across the jaw, snapping his head to his right. Mihail grunted and swung with his blade.
Lucifer rolled to his right, grimaced as he landed on his injured shoulder, and onto his feet.
He threw his hand forwards the moment he hit them, hurling a blast of shadows at Mihail. The angel’s blade cut through them as it caught fire, burning with pale flames.
Lucifer launched more shadows at him, forcing him to flee in order to avoid them and buying himself some time. When the angel was at a distance again, regrouped with the remains of his men, Lucifer pressed his left hand to his shoulder and funnelled his power into it.
He screamed as fire ripped through him, staggered backwards and pulled his hand away from his shoulder.
Blood coated his white palm, the red stark against it.
He couldn’t heal the wound.
He lifted his head and glared across the gap between him and Mihail. The look in the angel’s eyes said that he had known his blade would deal wounds that Lucifer couldn’t heal on the fly with his power.
Cursed Heavely blade.
Lucifer bared his fangs at it.
He was going to get his hands on that blade and destroy it.
Without it, Mihail was nothing but a gnat, ready to be squashed out of existence.
Mihail swept the blade forwards, pointing it towards him.
Lucifer growled as he realised the angel hadn’t pointed at him.
The remaining three guardian angels moved as one, their silver-blue wings pounding the air as they took flight, heading straight towards his fortress.
Towards Nina.
Lucifer roared and teleported, appearing in the air before them. Each readied his curved silver blade and flew harder, the ones on either side breaking away from the one on the middle. He sent his shadows after them, his focus on the central angel. The male kept flying at him, his green eyes filled with hatred and determination.
Lucifer had seen that look in a thousand angels’ eyes. They had all wanted to be the one to take him down and claim the glory. Fools.
They had all looked differently when they had been dying at his feet.
He readied his claws.
Golden light shot down over him and Lucifer raised his arms, shielding his face as he diverted course, flying backwards to evade the scorching beam. He clenched his jaw as his skin peeled and clothes burned away, the combined scent filling the air.
“Lucifer.”
He broke free of the light, twisted towards her and dropped hard, his wings faltering as his shadows dissipated.
Nina shoved past the Hell’s angels and ran towards him.
Lucifer hit the pavement with such force that he shook the ground of Hell, causing her to stumble. She refused to fall though, her arms flailing at her sides as she struggled for balance and kept runnin
g towards him. He willed her to go back as he tried to push himself up and fought to bring his shadows back as his body raced to heal the burns that covered him.
She shook her head, tears spilling onto her cheeks, as if she had heard him and refused to obey.
He growled a curse and pushed his palms against the splintered black flagstones. His hands had already repaired themselves, leaving perfect white skin and long black talons behind. He gritted his teeth and mustered his strength, calling on every last shred of it to fuel his healing ability. Smooth skin raced up his arms and he could feel it moving up his legs, but he feared it wouldn’t be quick enough.
He could feel Mihail behind him, could sense the angel approaching him, and knew without looking that the male was coming to strike him down while he was weakened.
His Hell’s angels took off, powerful red wings beating the air as they went after the remaining guardian angels. He would be mad at them for going against his orders later. Right now, he needed all the time he could get in order to gather the strength to fight.
Shadows fluttered from Lucifer’s bare shoulders, giving him a sliver of hope that felt like torture, because at the same time despair burned in his heart.
Despair that grew with each step closer Mihail came.
Lucifer managed to turn towards him, grunting as white-hot fire burned in his bones and the scent of blood filled the air, his blackened flesh splitting open in places. Around him, flashes of light told him that his men had done their work, sending the remaining guardian angels back to Heaven.
Leaving only Mihail.
Mihail raised his flaming blade and cut through the air with it.
An arc of golden light formed and shot towards Lucifer.
It seemed it ended here.
Just when he had found a reason to live again, a reason to strive to be a better man and rise onto his feet once more, casting aside his need for vengeance and embracing the light that flickered within his heart.
His eyes widened as she appeared in front of him, standing in the path of the blast.
Shielding him.
“No!” Lucifer tried to kick off towards her, reaching for her with both hands in order to grab her and teleport her to safety with the last of his strength, but his leg gave out and he hit the ground hard.
The arc of light reached her.
Black shadows exploded outwards from her, engulfing both her and him and tearing through the light, driving it back. They streamed around him in all directions, lashing at the remaining spires of the courtyard and sending Mihail flying through the air.
Lucifer stared in disbelief.
He knew Nina was pregnant without a doubt now, because Mihail had come for her, and the baby would attempt to protect her from harm as it viewed her as a vessel, something vital to its survival, but it was no more than a fertilised egg at present.
It wasn’t possible the baby was already sentient and aware of the danger its mother had been in.
A tsk sounded behind him.
“I thought I warned you about messing with my family?” Erin stepped around Lucifer, her red eyes locked on Mihail.
Lucifer couldn’t quite believe it.
His daughter had come to help him.
His daughter had openly called him family.
He stared at her and she glanced down at him, winked, and then grimaced and covered her eyes.
“Would you put something on?” She shuddered and turned away, fixing her attention back on Mihail.
Lucifer looked down at himself. Perfect healed pale skin. Every inch of it exposed.
He closed his eyes, drew down a deep breath and did something he hadn’t done for a very long time indeed.
He called his armour.
The violet-edged obsidian breastplate covered his upper torso, the pointed strips of metal materialised over his hips and his black loincloth, and greaves appeared around his shins with his black leather boots. He sat back on his heels as his vambraces enclosed his forearms, each bearing a rampant dragon on them.
Crimson and gold eyes looked down at him, curiosity burning in them together with a desire to mention that he had the same armour as two other angels. Asmodeus, his creation, and the fallen angel, Nevar.
Lucifer glared at the owner of those eyes, daring the immense Hell’s angel to say a word about it.
The large red-haired male merely grinned at him, and Lucifer knew he had stored it away for use at a later date.
He was about to make sure the wretched maggot never spoke of it, even though he knew that killing Veiron would only get him into trouble with his daughter, when Veiron shifted towards him.
It was then Lucifer noticed the squirming bundle in his thickly-muscled arms, pressed against the soft material of his black t-shirt.
The thought of his grandson in danger was the last straw. Darkness washed through him again and his wings tore from his back, his horns flared from behind his pointed ears and he staggered onto his feet.
Mihail would never touch his family.
He lumbered forwards, slowly gaining strength with each step. Nina turned towards him and was moving the second her eyes fell on him. His heart warmed, filled with light at the way she looked at him with love and concern in her eyes despite his demonic appearance.
Just as she reached Lucifer, Dante erupted in a fit of giggles, stealing her focus.
She stared at the little boy as Veiron bounced him in his arms, a stunned expression settling on her beautiful face. Lucifer knew what she was thinking without needing to probe her mind. She was shocked to not only see an infant on the battlefield, but hear him laughing as if they were having a picnic, not a fight for their lives.
In time, she would come to understand Dante’s ways.
The boy had no fear of battles.
If anyone dared to attempt to harm him, Dante’s shadows would instinctively destroy them.
He was more powerful than both Lucifer and his mother right now, but it would change as he grew older, becoming aware of the world around him and learning other ways to protect himself.
Erin planted her hands on her hips and faced Mihail.
“You mess with my pops, and you’re messing with me too.” She glared at the angel as he picked himself up. “Whatever fucked up plan Heaven has, they can shelve it. Dante will never be my father’s vessel. Nina’s baby will never be your pawn. And I’m not a power in the mortal realm or some bullshit excuse for you to hurt Nina and mess around with her like this. If Heaven even so much as thinks about touching her, or the baby, you’ll damn well discover where my allegiance lies.”
Lucifer had to hand it to his daughter, she knew how to strike a bargain.
Erin looked back at him and smiled. “It lies with my family.”
He cursed himself for being a sentimental fool, but her words touched him. He didn’t deserve her after everything he had put her through, and he didn’t deserve Nina, but both were a balm that were healing his wounds and making him whole again.
The light that Erin had brought to life in him, Nina had made blossom, until it and the darkness held sway over equal measures of his soul.
Lucifer knew he would never be good again, that his sins were still blemishes on his soul that he would bear for eternity together with his duties as the ruler of Hell, but he could still be a good man for those who were dear to him.
For those who loved him for who he was now and would never betray him.
Mihail readied his sword.
Lucifer threw his hand forwards and the male grunted, his expression tightening as he fought the wave of power Lucifer sent at him. He increased the pressure on the angel, scowling at him as the male fought back and struggled to remain on his feet. Lucifer growled, the darkness within him growing again as he thought about everything the angel had done to Nina.
Sweat broke out on the male’s brow, his face reddening as his legs trembled.
They buckled beneath him and he hit the cracked black pavement hard, his breath leaving him in a rush.<
br />
Victory belonged to Lucifer.
The darker part of himself said to deal the final blow and remove Mihail from his life forever.
Nina shifted, drawing his focus back to her. She looked between him and the angel, a touch of concern and wariness in her eyes.
Lucifer huffed.
Looked at Mihail.
A few days ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated. He would have destroyed Mihail. Now, he found he couldn’t do it. Now, when he looked at Mihail, he saw the man he had been millennia ago, and the light inside him said to ensure that what had happened to him didn’t happen to the angel.
“Do not blindly follow orders, Mihail. Sometimes it is not the best course of action, no matter how much loyalty you feel.” Lucifer lowered his hand to his side and glared at the angel when the male’s icy eyes widened. “Do not think I will not kill you if you ever dare to come near me or my family again. I will not let you have Nina, but I will not fight you either. We have a common enemy now. Our powers are best expended fighting the princes of Hell.”
The shock in Mihail’s eyes only grew and Lucifer raised his hand again before the angel could voice the words he could see running through his tiny mind, questioning whether he meant they were now allies in a battle to protect the mortal realm.
“You are banished from this realm. Do not set foot in it again.” Lucifer flicked his fingers towards Mihail and the angel disappeared.
Leaving him with just three people looking at him through shocked eyes.
He glared at each of them in turn.
None of their expressions changed so he growled for good measure.
Nina actually smiled at him.
He huffed at her, realising that he was always going to fail to intimidate her. She knew him too well and knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
Erin grinned and jerked her thumb towards the place where Mihail had been. “Did you at least send him somewhere horrible?”
Lucifer cracked a smile. “The middle of the arctic ocean. There is nothing more irritating than wet feathers and freezing conditions.”
Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 60
