by Brianna Jean
I thought about that for a moment, letting it sink in. “And now, Hellfire exists, and Demons can run around Topside and mess with the Humans? All because of a deal the two of them made?”
“Correct,” Lanier replied as the doors opened, and we all stepped in. “The Humans are The Maker’s most beloved possessions, and when Lucifer gave Lilith control over Hellfire, it opened up the possibility of Lucifer messing with His plans and actually gave him a fair chance of winning. Life for the Humans was much simpler back in the day, but now the Demons bring temptation, sin, and fear with them everywhere they go. It’s infected the Humans, making life more difficult for them, but The Maker has yet to put a stop to it. This deal they made must have prevented him from interfering with the contract they signed way back when.”
“I never understood why The Maker did that,” Quint added, shifting the train of my dress to the side so that he could stand behind me. I felt the warmth of his chest against my back before he lifted both arms to casually hanging off my shoulders. “My father told me what life was like before Hellfire was created; the Humans were safe. Granted, my father was planning an all-out war at the time, but even still, it didn’t make much sense to me.”
“A war?” I asked, turning my head to look up at Quint. His eyes searched mine.
He nodded. “Yes, my father was going to train his Warlocks to harness enough dark magic to create portals into Human territory. He wanted war because he was bored and he knew that was the way to get it. Shortly after The Maker found out, he said that The Maker offered him a deal. Do Him a favor and in return, He’d create a realm where his Demons and Warlocks could go Topside but with a limit. I’m still not sure how many of us can be up here at once, but I don’t think it’s very many. Most of the creatures who live in Hellfire hate the restriction. There has been talk of finding a way around it.”
He took a breath when he finished talking, setting his chin on the top of my head. Thank god I hadn’t done anything special to my hair, or his heavy ass noggin would have fucked it up.
“So, either way,” I surmised, “The Kingdom faces a war. Back then with Lucifer, and now with the Demons who live in Hellfire and want to get out without the restriction.”
It was a lot for my brain to handle, but it was all important for me to know and understand. I didn’t want to be caught unaware in any situation we faced.
“Essentially, yes,” Lanier agreed, nodding. His hair was organized on the top of his head, the sides freshly shaved, the rest arranged perfectly with hair product. It was the cleanest look I’d ever seen on him, and it had me fucking distracted. He was beautiful, they all were.
Remembering his cock inside me, I grinned. He was a brutal man, but I would willingly take on his beast any day. The color of his tux brought out the blue streaks in his hair. Much like my own.
I shook my head, clearing it, when the elevator stopped in the lobby, which I’d never seen since we always went straight to the parking garage. We walked out into the foyer as a group, and I held back my gasp at the sight, eyes wide. The grand space was beautiful luxury, all whites and blacks spread around the furniture and architecture. A room off to the side looked to hold a bar with couches and high-top tables that I wanted to explore, but we had places to go and Lanier was at my back, nudging me toward the exit.
At the front was a doorman, holding open the door for us. I nodded at the older gentleman, dressed in a black and white uniform, pressed and wrinkle free. His gray hair peeked out the back of his black and green flat top hat. He nodded and smiled politely at me.
I didn’t smile back.
There was a black stretch limo waiting at the curb, a tall man dressed in an all black suit, standing at the curb and holding the back door open for us. I looked at the guys, each one of them wearing steely expressions, dark and dangerous.
It was showtime.
They all moved aside for me to get in first, Cabe giving me a comforting wink as I walked past him. I looked the driver up and down, feeling the gun that Lanier strapped to my calf, under the length of the dress. I wanted to put it higher on my thigh, but he said that it would show if I bent down or moved too quickly, as the dress was basically molded to my body.
The inside of the limo looked like the ones I’d seen on TV, dimly lit with black leather seating and silver accents running along the ceiling. There was a bottle of champagne and four glasses sitting on top of a little bar that sat between two seats across from me.
Cabe sat down on one side of me, Quint on the other, and Lanier took a seat on the cushions at the back of the car.
“How long do you think it’ll take to get there?” I asked, not liking the silence. I was antsy since my power had been layering and layering over the last couple of hours. It was anxious to be let out, my fangs vibrating in my gums, the bond shaking and aware, Bestia pacing rapidly in the back of my mind.
“Ironically, Father owns a church,” Quint said, grabbing my hand and inspecting the lace attached to the ring on my middle finger. It fit perfectly, as if Lucifer had known my ring size. Fucking creepy. “It’s about fifteen minutes from here, and I’m willing to bet that’s where we’re going.”
“He owns a church?” I asked, shocked and confused. “He’s the Devil…”
“Who was once an Angel,” Lanier supplied.
I thought about that, pausing briefly. None of this world made sense to me, but I could feel the rightness, the truth of it, as the guys spoke. This was all real, and I was about to meet the Devil. I turned to Quint, asking, “Since Lucifer was originally an Angel, don’t you have Angel blood too?”
“No,” he spat, dropping my hand. I looked down at my empty palm and frowned.
I really didn’t like that…
His emotions took a hit, causing hot anger to flash in my mind, bitter resentment following suit. I looked to Cabe and found him staring at me, blue eyes open, soul blazing.
For the first time, I was able to see what made the three of them a family, brothers.
They all had come to resent what they were. Nephilim. A Warlock.
Lanier wanted to Fall out of guilt, hating the race of creatures that killed his father, Quint hated that he was a Demon, and Cabe spent eleven years watching me, forced to endure all that time feeling helpless and angry. All of them held hate in their hearts for…The Maker.
“What?” Lanier questioned. I realized I must have said that last part out loud.
“The Maker. Guys…” I put my head in my hands for a moment, trying to center my thoughts. I was figuring something out, I just didn’t know how important it was—if it was important at all. I looked back up, all of their eyes trained on my face with concern and confusion written in their features. “All of us are the same. We all carry hate in our hearts; we all resent the lives we were given.”
“Not me,” Cabe replied, sitting forward. “I never really planned to Fall, I just wanted to find you and, at the time, I thought you were Human, so it would have been easier for me to protect you if I remained Nephilim.”
“And now?” I pressed, knowing the truth.
He sat back and dropped his head, looking down at his hands as if he were ashamed of the truth. “And…and now I’m angry.” He looked back up, this time it was clear that he understood where I was going with my thought. His face turned to stone. “I had no idea you were Nephilim. I thought that you were a Human and I didn’t know how to explain what I was to you. If I had known that all this time, we were the same I would have come to you sooner, I would have found you. But I was tricked by my visions, kept in the dark for a reason.”
“Exactly,” I stated, sitting up farther, gaining all of their attention. “All of the events that have taken place this week have been set in motion specifically to get us all together. Don’t you see it? Lucifer—who knows what The Maker is up to—decides that he wants me safe, so he sends the three of you to find me. Only for Cabe to find out that he’s known the girl you were sent to find all long, even though I’m different than
what he expected. Now he also harbors hate for his situation. All of us are angry, all of us have pain, all of us have been through shit. Now we’re all sitting here, bonded, confused, and on our way to meet with the Devil. Are you telling me that this wasn’t planned? Orchestrated from the beginning? Why else would Cabe have visions of me for as long as he did? Why haven’t we questioned that yet?”
“Whoa, calm down, Pup.” Quint put a hand on my back, snapping out of the dark place my question took him to and now wholly focusing on me. I was getting worked up because it made sense. We were in this together for a reason, and the Devil was about to tell us why. “We can speculate all we want, but we won’t know until we get there.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I’m just trying to figure out if there is anything we missed. I can’t help but think we’re walking into a trap.”
“We are,” Lanier’s voice was full of shadows, layered and altogether terrifying. “But we won’t fall for it. We’re smart. We’re stronger than he thinks.”
“We better be, because we’re here,” Quint said, his voice sounding similar to Lanier’s.
The bond bucked and pulled between us. My power went on the defense, my fangs dropping without permission. This was most definitely a trap.
The door was opened by the driver, who had yet to say a word to us, and we all stepped out. The summer air was balmy against my skin, it tasted wrong, the pit in my stomach bleeding nausea into my system. The sun was still out but from the angle it was at in the sky, the giant church in front of us looked like a shadowed nightmare.
Tall, dark, gothic, and full of inky shadows, the building was made of old stone. Gargoyles lined the many ridges and grooves. They sat, hardened in concrete, in front of towers that jutted out, and the windows along the top of the building sat barricaded by iron bars. On the lower floors, the windows were made of thick stained glass, and I wondered why iron bars were only necessary on the top floors, but I was distracted by the cobblestone walkway in front of us, leading to a set of stairs. Huge wide double doors sat at the top, welcoming anyone who dared to knock.
“We stick together,” Lanier gritted out, no doubt fighting his own power as we got closer to whatever was in store for us. He looked at me, his eyes screaming with worry and fierce determination. He didn’t want anything to happen to me or to his brothers—it warmed my solid heart. This man was made of nothing but self-hatred and burning danger, and yet my soul sang every time he looked at me. I was at a loss with my feelings, with what the bond wanted—togetherness, commitment, a pact between the four of us. “Annalise, stay between us.”
I didn’t say anything, not wanting to argue about how I wasn’t going to let anything near enough to touch any of us. If I had to step out from their protective bubble, I would, and nothing would keep me contained.
We walked forward in the same formation we’d used earlier, Lanier on one side, Cabe on the other, Quint at my back. We took the ten steps to the top, and right as we hit the landing, the doors flew open and a man stood at the center.
I held my breath as I took him in.
He was…perfect.
That was the only way I could think to describe him. Taller than any of my guys, he loomed in the doorway with a bright as fuck smile. White teeth stood out against his tan skin, his brown hair arranged neatly on his head. He looked to be about forty, but I knew he was older than life itself.
He was dressed like the guys, but instead of a black tux, he wore one the color of blood, matching Quint’s mask.
I knew instantly that I was looking at the Devil.
He was evil wrapped in a beautiful package. A lean body, sharp cheekbones and a cut jawline, he was flawless. When he met my eyes, I was forced to resume breathing, as if he was pulling it from me. Then I lost control altogether, my power bucking and thrashing against his hold, Bestia screaming in my head. I wanted to cover my ears against the assault, but I was frozen.
Sucked into his power, forced to heel at his will, my soul flew from my body. I felt it tug against my core, forcing me to lose my footing and stumble forward. Lanier reached out to catch me, his arm around my waist.
“Let her go!” he roared, his fangs dropping, his body shaking against me. I tried to stop it but couldn’t. I felt my power attempt to fight back, to maintain control, but Lucifer was feeding from my core, my very existence. Evil’s hot tongue licking its way through my memories, my life, what made me who I am, as if he were testing to see if it was really me standing before him.
Before I could do anything else, I was thrown back, stumbling from Lanier’s arms and into Quint, who caught me easily, yanking me behind him. A growl ripped from his throat—his Bull had come forward to protect me. I warmed again despite the thrashing I just took.
I’d never heard a sound like that come from him, low and feral. A warning. “What the fuck was that?” he addressed his father.
Lucifer smiled, stepping aside and gesturing for us to move into the lobby of the church. I could still feel his fingers on my soul, his tongue tasting my essence. I shivered involuntarily. “Please, son, come in. Welcome to you and your friends!”
He was overjoyed, leaking secrets and manipulation all over the floor around him. I couldn’t breathe against the weight in my chest. This was wrong, this felt too big, too much for us to handle. We were walking right into a trap, and the closer we got, the more I questioned our ability to get out of it.
I moved out from behind Quint, giving his arm a squeeze to let him know that I was okay. I was strong, capable of anything as long as I fought hard enough for it.
Lanier placed a hand on my back, his fingers giving my waist a subtle squeeze, reassuring me that we were in this together. That he was there and we would make it out.
I wanted so desperately to believe him.
He walked me into the lobby, past Lucifer, and into the ornate entrance. The place was ancient. Stone walls with gold accents and massive red rugs. A chandelier hung from tall ceilings, but rather than light bulbs, the glow came from hundreds of lit candles.
The whole place was littered with them—on the random tables scattered throughout the room, in the gold sconces on the wall, as if Lucifer wanted to keep the old-world feel that candles provided. To my left was some sort of sitting room, and to the right, I could see a coat room where the church members could keep their belongings during the service.
Up ahead, two doors, the same size as the one we just walked through, were open, showcasing a giant wooden table. There were no church pews, as if they were taken out to create a ballroom of sorts.
I looked away from the doors and turned slightly to find Cabe. Lanier and Quint still stood as close to me as they could without actually touching me, but I couldn’t feel Cabe, and it made me nervous.
He was off to my right, glaring at Lucifer with more hatred than I thought possible from him. He was always collected in his thoughts, he didn’t act out of turn or without a reason, but now he looked to be ready for battle. I stepped away from the other two and placed my hand on his arm. He looked down at me, and without any words spoken, he moved closer to our group.
When we were all back together, I faced the man who asked us here in the first place. He was beaming at me, his smile wide and full of secrets. He loved having something worth hearing.
“Queen of Angelus”—he lifted a hand in my direction—“I have waited twenty-one years to meet you.”
I heard Quint suck in a breath behind me, Lanier went stone still, and Cabe stepped up against me, his shoulder brushing mine.
What the fuck did he just call me?
“Quit playin’ games, old man,” Quint snapped, stepping around me to face his father. “Spit it out. She’s safe, we did our job, now what are you up to? What do you want with her?”
There was no love between Quint and his father. As much as I didn’t like that he was related to the Devil, I was beginning to understand the root of his issues. Who had shown Quint love before the guys? Anyone?
Certai
nly not his father, based on the cold detachment I felt from him. Quint was a pawn in his game, and his son was left alone for hundreds of years.
No wonder he clung to me, got used to me so quickly. According to the bond, I was destined to be his. He could have love and safety with me around, and I had spent this whole time rejecting it. My heart hurt for him, for me. I had no idea how to give him what he needed, what he lacked his whole life, because I too lacked love. I had Brinley and…
No, don’t think of him. Not now.
I had Brinley, and that was enough. Her love kept me alive for so many years. Maybe Quint felt the same about Cabe and Lanier.
Lucifer laughed a dark sound, no real humor in it. “Come, come, let’s eat, and then I’ll explain.”
I couldn’t imagine trying to eat right now, as my stomach was a mess. I was nervous and still recovering from the Devil’s assault on my soul.
He turned and walked toward the open doors. I followed, not bothering to wait for the guys. I wanted to know what the fuck was going on.
He just called me a Queen.
A fucking Queen.
Under normal circumstances, I would have laughed and turned right the fuck around, but this was the Devil, and I now understood that whatever he knew—whatever he thought he knew—it was connected to The Maker. I was Nephilim, part Angel, which made me one of The Maker’s creatures, and the Devil knew what was going on with me. The power, the mating bond that shouldn’t have existed, the vampirism and storm casting. The Devil had the answers, and he was delighted that we were in the dark.
