by L. Rose
“This is sickly cute,” Lucifer said dryly. I’d forgotten where I was and who was in there. I twisted back and moved into Azrael. My hands went behind me, to the thighs. Ready to protect him if I had to. Even when he chuckled at my back, his warm breath blowing into my hair. I wanted to smack him for laughing, but Lucifer spoke again. “But it can wait. We have other matters to speak of.”
“What matters?” I asked.
“We shall adjourn to somewhere more comfortable with refreshments before we get started,” he told me, and I didn’t like being told what to do under my own roof.
Learn what fight to fight, Paige.
Sighing, I nodded, then thought of something. “We will, but first my men, guards, and then you’ll need to tell me where Alex and Thorn are.”
He eyed me impassively, which didn’t last because then he laughed. “Demanding little thing.” He looked to his son behind me and raised a brow. I didn’t see what Azrael did, but it made Lucifer laugh again. “Fair enough, I would too.”
He swept his hand out. My guards knew to stop as soon as they were free, so I wasn’t worried about them. Nate’s roar rolled over the room, as did Asher’s snarl. The wind blew and Asher’s vampire form stood in front of me. Nate shifted fully on his jump. He skidded and stopped in front of Asher, both wouldn’t, or couldn’t, stop the rumble from the chest in displeasure.
“Fine men you have, queenie, but it’s unnecessary,” Lucifer said.
I leaned around Asher to address him when two figures appeared between our group and theirs. My heart lurched, my body shook, and my belly swirled in delight. I shoved Asher out of the way. Somehow, I knew he let me move him or it would have been impossible, and then I dove at Thorn and Alex. Our arms wrapped around each other and a sob caught in my throat. Tilting my face up, I caught Thorn’s lips first in an emotion-filled, hard kiss, then moved to Alex’s mouth to do the same. My body settled and my heart soothed. I had my men back and in my arms.
“We’re okay, sweetheart,” Thorn mumbled against my neck.
“We’re here now, dove,” Alex murmured against my lips.
I pulled back enough to hit them both in the stomachs. They grunted. I heard laughter, but I grabbed them both close to me again and cried into their shoulders, overwhelmed with happiness at having them with me again. Their hands rubbed up and down my back while they soothed me with reassuring words.
“I love you both so much,” I told them.
“Love you, Paige,” Alex whispered into my hair.
Both their grips on me tightened. “I’ll always love you, sweetheart,” Thorn said softly.
“Neither of you will leave me again,” I demanded.
Alex smiled and Thorn said, “We can only hope we won’t ever need to.” I knew they couldn’t promise it, yet I wanted them to because it scared me to think it would happen again.
Sniffling, I buried my head back into them. I didn’t want to let them go. I could have stayed there, in their arms, forever.
They were back.
They were with me. Home.
Elation had my head spinning.
My men were in my arms.
More warmth hit my back—Asher and Nate. They curled around us, and I felt whole again.
Whole, yet… rocker guy.
He should have been a part of this—a part of our family, our pack.
But I couldn’t touch on that, not just yet, not when I’d just got Thorn and Alex back. If it wasn’t for having to deal with Lucifer, I would have taken my men to the bedroom. Asher, Nate, and I would show them how much they’d been missed.
However, even with Lucifer and his people there, I lifted my head. Alex was the first to capture my mouth with his again. I moaned around his insistent tongue making his way into my mouth, knowing he needed this as much as I did. He finished with a quick peck, and I turned to Thorn. He was ready, his mouth on mine in seconds. His hand on my waist tightened its hold as we deepened the kiss. Both of us taking each other’s whimper into our mouths.
Regrettably, I pulled back, then leaned back in to kiss his chest. I smiled a little shakily up at them. “It’s good to have you both home.”
“It’s good to be home,” Thorn replied.
“We’re sorry for the fear you must have felt,” Alex added.
I took a hand of each of theirs into mine and nodded. “I know.”
“We took care of her,” Nate said at my back. He thrust into my lower back. He thrust his hardness into me. My eyes widened, and I spun around.
“Nate, what have I said about being naked in front of people?” Rough laughter started, but I ignored it.
Nate grinned. “Alex?”
A click of fingers and then Nate was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. I caught Alex brush Nate’s hand as he stepped closer. “We knew you would both take care of her,” he said.
Nate grunted. Then Thorn was there curving an arm around Nate’s shoulders. I didn’t miss the pressure he applied to Nate’s arms. “We had trust in you both.”
“As did we,” Asher stated. “Though, someone had her moments.” He smirked.
As I turned to Asher, ready to rant, his hand covered my mouth and he faced me back to Lucifer. Shit. Right. “Thank you, Lucifer, for bringing my bonded back to me.”
“It was lucky my son found them,” Lucifer commented with a grin.
My eyes shot to Azrael. He dipped his chin down, smiling.
“Thank you,” I said again to the right man.
Thorn made a noise in the back of his throat. “Had no one—”
“We must adjourn,” Lucifer called loudly. “We could use some refreshments and comfortable seats.”
I drew my brows down. It certainly seemed like the devil was keeping Thorn from saying something, but what? I kept my gaze on Thorn. He shook his head, giving me a thin-lipped smile.
“My queen,” Gregory said, appearing from somewhere. “I have set up the library for the meeting. It is most private for such types of things.” Meaning he would have gotten anyone in that area, since it was close to Thorn’s room, away for their own safety. This man was amazing.
“Thank you, Gregory.” I faced Lucifer. “Shall we?”
“I believe so, my dear.”
Lucifer sat across from me with his three concubines on the long leather couch while I sat leaning into the corner of a chaise lounge. Thorn stood on my right and Asher sat on my left. Nate had shifted back to his wolf form to sit on the floor at my feet, and Alex stood behind me with a hand on my shoulder. I was glad he did as I needed the comfort that he was back. Thorn may have sensed it as well because he reached down, resting his fingers lightly on my other shoulder.
Lucifer’s guards, all but one, stood behind him. It was Glenn who was with Gregory helping with refreshments. Azrael stood over near the windows smiling. He seemed to always smile, and I wondered why. What made him so happy?
No one said anything as Gregory and Glenn puttered around. A wet nose touched my hand. I looked from Azrael to Nate, who jerked his chin toward Lucifer.
Fuck.
Had I been so lost staring at Azrael that I hadn’t even noticed Lucifer’s attention boring into me? Was he waiting for me to speak?
“Have some restraint, queenie,” Lucifer said, his lips twitching.
I could feel my cheeks heating. He was right. I should have some since my own bonded mates were in the room and they were witnessing me lust over a demon—if he was even that. I didn’t know. A man who was Satan’s son. How could I have been so thoughtless? Did it show Alex and Thorn I didn’t care they were back?
Nate snapped his teeth at Lucifer, sensing my turmoil.
Alex’s hand pressed down. “My queen—”
I shook my head and then tilted it back to have his eyes. “Not my queen, never my queen from any of you. You’re my bonded mates. We’re one. A family.” I reached out for Nate. “A pack and clan.” I took Asher’s hand. “I’ll hurt anyone who tries to say it’s disrespectful you call me by my name and n
ot queen around them.”
Alex’s eyes softened, and he nodded. I glanced at Thorn, who smirked. “As you wish, sweetheart.”
A female groaned. “How many more gag moments will we have to endure?”
I snapped my head to Aretha who’d spoken.
Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my knees. “Whose house is this?” I didn’t let her answer and went on in a darker tone. “Whose mates have just been brought back to her after two weeks of fear that I’d lost them forever? I will do what I want, whenever I want, and you can keep your mouth shut.”
She spluttered, “You can’t talk to me like this.”
“Under my roof, I can. If I were in your domain, I would bite my tongue and think you were nothing but a bitch.” I glanced at Lucifer, raising my brow to see if he was going to fight me on my decision.
“She’s right, Aretha. This is her domain. She is alpha here. You’re stupid to think you could act like that and your outburst didn’t embarrass me.” He glanced over his shoulder to Xi. “Take her back. Keep her locked in her room until I can deal with her.”
“No, Lucifer, darling, please. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“No,” he clipped.
Maybe I should have felt bad for getting her into trouble with the devil, but I didn’t. She screamed as Xi approached, and when she sneered at me, I could see in her eyes what she’d planned before she even acted it out. She launched at me, her hands out ready to wrap around my neck. I wasn’t sure why she thought she could attack me with all my men surrounding me, but she tried.
Yet, it wasn’t one of my men who stopped her. Azrael, with speed that matched Asher’s, flashed forward. His arm wound around her waist in midair, she jerked to a stop and then was thrown backward into the windows. They shattered, and she flew out them. No one seemed too bothered about it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how my own eyes could have followed the fast actions of Azrael, but they had…. Maybe it was another power of being queen manifesting.
“Xi,” Lucifer ordered.
Xi disappeared from where he’d stood, but in the next blink, he was back with Aretha, struggling like a wild woman in his arms. But Xi stood holding her through her struggles, emotionless.
“Master?” he asked.
“Just take her back.”
They disappeared.
“It is common for her to have outbursts at home. I didn’t think she’d be foolish enough to do it here.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure if I should apologize for speaking to her the way I did. After all, she was a concubine for Satan, but something held me back from saying anything. As I’d stated, this was my domain. I’d accepted the position. Claimed it. I would do what I wanted, when I wanted without comment from another. I’d never liked to be questioned even when I was a human, but now even more so.
With the tilt to Lucifer’s lips, I knew I’d made the right choice by biting my tongue and not saying anything.
“Would you mind if we moved onto the matter of why you requested a meeting?”
“This is lovely,” Virginia commented after a sip of tea.
I glanced from Lucifer to her. “Thank you.”
I went to move my gaze back to Lucifer, but a grinning Virginia added, “You have a wonderful home.”
Even though she seemed sweet, nicer than Aretha and Corazon, my attention was caught in a suspicious way. Why was Lucifer allowing her to interrupt as such? “Thank you again. I haven’t been here long or even seen the village yet, but I do believe you’re correct. It’s beautiful.”
“You haven’t been here long and yet… I feel you’ve changed so much.” She winked. “Impressive.” She snuggled into Lucifer. “Don’t you think, Luca?”
“I do, my lovely.”
Virginia rested her head against Lucifer’s shoulder as if they were on a date and watching a movie together. Something was going on. Something was about to happen, and I wasn’t sure if it would be good or bad. Yet, I readied for it, and sensed my men around me do the same.
Her gaze moved to Thorn. “How well do you know a woman named Alma?”
I leaned forward. “What of Alma?” I demanded.
Virginia beamed up at Lucifer. “She’s protective, isn’t she?”
He chuckled. “That she is.”
“What about Alma? She’ll not go with you. She’ll not work for you. She belongs here. We’re her family.”
To my utter shock, Virginia’s eyes welled. “I have never met anyone walk into a leadership role and shine in their new position such as you have. Your love and kindness are beyond what I’d have imagined. It would be an honor to be claimed, as you would say, into your family.” The air shimmered around her, and then I was looking at Alma cuddled up to Lucifer. “Thank you, dear.”
Paige flung herself back into the couch. She wasn’t the only one shocked. When Alma’s body shifted back to Virginia’s young one, she smiled once again.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Thorn demanded harshly. Nate stood on all fours and pressed himself against Paige’s legs. Alex’s eyes change to purple. His magic swept out, and I could see the clear wall erected in front of us, keeping Lucifer and his people on the other side.
“Relax.” Virginia grinned. “Paige is safe with us. She always will be.”
“Who are you?” I clipped.
Lucifer’s hard eyes locked onto mine, even my vampire side wanted to look away. Somehow, I managed not to, and I was sure it had to do with the woman in my life. Her power mixed with Alex’s and Nate’s when I’d fed on them, strengthening mine. My clan offered me more than respect and love. It gave me more power. It rolled through me and locked my body and then my eyes on the biggest threat in the room.
“Now, now, boys. We all know you’re both tough. Cut it out.” Virginia laughed. We both looked at her at the same time, so no one lost in the stare down, and I was happy with that.
“Again, could you inform us who exactly you are because right now it seems we have all been tricked into thinking you were the seer who had been with the former queen for a very long time. We find it unjust to have been lied to this whole time.”
Lucifer nodded once at me, at my choice of words since they just bordered on respectful.
Virginia straightened, yet she still leaned into Lucifer. “Of course, I can understand why you’re all confused.” She took a breath. “The night before sweet Marsala gave her heart to our young Paige here, she requested an audience with my Luca. Since we’d been out on a date discussing a certain something, I went along with him. She’d asked us for a favor. After some thought, we complied, but of course, we had demands of our own. One was for me to come and stay in my twin sister Alma’s stead to make sure…. It doesn’t matter just yet. It is me who you met, not Alma, who is away on a holiday with her beau.”
“Is it because of Alma being your sister why you’ve kept the secret of this community’s existence?” I asked.
“Correct.” Virginia smiled. “At first it was for my sister’s sake to keep the secret of Marsala and her community from others. Now there have been other reasons we’ll get into shortly.” She moved her gaze to Thorn. “Yes?”
“It’s been you all along?” Thorn asked.
“It has.” She nodded.
“But how have you been seeing things?”
“Alma and I have the same power.”
“And you’ve been helping us, why?” Paige asked.
Virginia shrugged. “I liked it here. I loved the people, but I saw Marsala had lost her authority among her people. The people who couldn’t help themselves needed someone who would do it for them. As soon as I saw Paige arrive, and by the way she took control, I knew things were going to be amazing.”
Paige waved her hand in front of her. “Wait, let me get this straight. Was it you or Alma who ‘saw’ it should be me to take Marsala’s spot as queen?”
“Oh, that was Alma. It was me who knew Aggie would be a darling to have on board. Alma told me all about her, and as soon as I met Aggie my
self, I loved her like a daughter I didn’t have.”
“You have two daughters, lovely,” Lucifer added in.
“Bah, they’re bitches. Aggie’s not. It was also me who knew Clyde could be trustworthy. It was me in that room with you for the first time and since.”
“Why?” Alex asked. Nate woofed; he too wanted to know why Lucifer’s concubine stayed within the walls taking on a persona of her twin sister.
“There is another question I have,” I said. It may not be a good time to interrupt the knowledge of getting to know why all this happened, but this question had me suspicious of the woman.
“Yes?” Virginia asked.
“How is it Alma is so much older than you appear now, if you are twins?”
Paige clicked her fingers and pointed my way. She sent me a wink as if to say “Good one, Asher.”
“That’s simple. It’s because I’ve been living in Hell.”
“You don’t age down there?”
“No.” A sad smile crept onto her lips. “I offered Alma some time down there with me, but… well, she doesn’t like my Luca very much, and she has always believed aging is the way of God.”
“I know this is getting off topic again,” Paige started, looking away from the man who stood near our couch. I could sense something going on between the two of them. It felt very similar to the connection I’d shared with Nate, Alex, and Thorn the first time around Paige. Did that mean he was meant to be her bonded mate as well? There was also something very familiar about him. He’d already proven himself when he protected Paige from Lucifer’s concubine. I just wished I knew all there was about him right then so I could encourage the connection Paige had with him. If it meant more protection for our Paige, then I would welcome whomever in, as long as Paige agreed to it as well. I was sure I wouldn’t be the only bonded male of Paige’s who thought like that too.
