Justine groaned and sat down on the bumper of Derek's car. Damn male pride. Seriously.
Satan blinked and wiped away a tear. "You are so perfect. I am bursting with pride for the fruit of my loins."
Satan Jr. turned to Justine. "You've given me the greatest gift of all, the opportunity to reject my father." He knelt before her, and kissed her hand. "For that, I withdraw my quest for the Goblet."
"Really? That's awesome!" She leaned down and kissed him on the head. "Thank you so much!"
Satan Jr. bowed deeply. "At your service, Guardian."
"Saving Mona without bloodshed. Impressive." Iris sat next to her. "Not bad at all, my dear."
Justine was a little stunned that the threat to Mona was over. Just like that, Satan Jr. was walking away. She couldn’t believe they'd done it.
"See? Even he puts the woman over the Goblet." Tears were flowing freely now from Satan's eyes. "He is my son, and I worship him."
Satan Jr. stood and turned toward Satan. "I spit on your legacy and I reject your overtures." He set the weeping Satan on fire again, then snapped his fingers and a limo pulled out of a nearby alley. "I will still take hell and destroy your reputation and your legacy until there is nothing left but a rotting carcass where your glory used to be."
"God, I love that boy," Satan sobbed. "I am such a fabulous father. I love myself so much."
Derek stepped forward and set his hand on the car door as Satan Jr. started to open it. "What about the Curse?"
"The Curse continues. Watching LaValle men die is fun." He tried to open the door, but Derek shoved it closed with his hip.
Justine jumped to her feet in alarm. "What? You're not keeping your promise? You just said you're not going to go after Mona anymore, and that's what the Curse was about."
"I'm Satan Jr.. I never keep my promises."
Satan started sobbing, wailing about his love and pride for his son.
Derek's face darkened. "You'll keep this one," he said quietly.
"No, I won't." Satan Jr. blew a kiss at Justine. "When your lover dies, I will comfort you, and if he kills you instead, then I will have you in the Afterlife."
"She's your sister," Satan sobbed. "You cannot make love to her until her mind explodes."
Satan Jr. blanched and he looked at Justine. "You're my sister?"
How he hadn't figured that out already, Justine had no idea, but whatever. Listening apparently wasn't his strong suit. "Yes, I'm your sister. And as your sister, I request you drop the Curse. I don't want to be stalked by LaValle men for all eternity."
Satan Jr. snorted. "If they do kill you, so what? I'll save you in the Afterlife and we can destroy Satan together. It'll be loads of fun." He grimaced. "But I don't want to see you naked. Gross."
Derek slammed his palm into Satan Jr.'s throat and shoved him against the car. "You will not walk away without undoing the Curse. End it now."
Satan Jr. made a raspy, choking noise. "No."
"Then you have to die."
Justine looked at Derek in surprise. She'd never heard him sound so angry.
"You do not kill my evil progeny!" Satan declared. "Unhand him now, you mortal beast!"
Derek's fingers tightened around Satan Jr.'s neck. "Undo the Curse, you son of a bitch. I won't let you force me to kill her."
Oh…Derek was upset because he didn't want to kill her? Justine's throat tightened. Damn that man for being so sweet and endearing. She had to help him now, didn't she?
A weak smile curved Satan Jr.'s lips. "You'll have to choose between saving the Guardian or your brother and all the other LaValle men. Either way, you will be tortured by your choice for all eternity. That's what makes it so fun. Kill me. I don't care. I can get Satan from the Afterlife just as easily."
"I love this boy," Satan sobbed. "He is so brilliant, is he not? I am so proud of him. I welcome him to my bosom."
Justine leaned around Derek's shoulder, glaring at Satan Jr.. "Having trouble breathing, bro?"
Satan Jr.'s lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Withdraw the Curse," she said. "End it."
He shook his head and curved his lips into a small grin, but she saw the flicker of fear in his eyes. Derek frowned, and she knew he'd seen it. "Do it, Derek." She didn't really mean it, but they had to make it believable.
"My pleasure." Derek pretended to tighten his grip, and panic contorted Satan Jr.'s features. He started struggling, kicking Derek's shins, arms flailing, tears filling his eyes.
One more minute and they'd have him. Justine knew her brother was all talk about being willing to die. She could see the fear in his eyes. A few more seconds and he'd cave—
"No!" Satan shouted. "You will not kill my boy!" There was a flash of brilliant gold light, and then a fireball streaked through the air and hit Derek, ripping him away from Satan Jr.
He slammed against the limo as the fireball went right through him and into the side of the car, then he fell limply to the ground, a six-inch hole in his gut.
"Derek!" Justine dropped to the ground next to him, her hands going immediately to his neck to check his pulse. When she felt his heart beating, she had to drop her head and close her eyes for a moment to gather herself.
"Serves you right," Satan Jr. kicked some dirt on Derek
Justine grabbed her dagger and plunged it into his thigh. "Reverse the Curse, you bastard!"
He howled with pain, clutching his leg as he fell into the back of the limo. "Never!" He yanked the door shut and the limo sped away. She grabbed her gun and fired at the tires, but it was already out of range. Son of a bitch!
"Want me to go after him?" Xavier hurried up. "I can catch him. Derek's car is fast as hell."
"Hang on." She quickly assessed Derek's injury. The hole in his gut went all the way through. She could literally see the asphalt through him. The wound was cauterized from the heat, and the Mona in his veins was keeping him from dying instantly, but even two-thirds immortal wouldn't recover from this. The man had a freaking tunnel through his abdomen. There was only one way to save him. "No. We get Derek back to his place."
Xavier glanced down the road. "But Satan Jr. will get away."
"If Derek dies now, then it won't matter if we catch Satan Jr. We still have almost two days to find Satan Jr. Help me get him in the car." She grabbed Derek's feet as Xavier hooked his hands under Derek's shoulders.
As they lifted Derek, Justine scowled at Satan, who was looking immensely pleased with himself. "Go stick your head in a vat of purified water."
Satan beamed at her. "Aren't you proud to be my daughter?" He tucked an arm through Iris's arm. "Come, Iris, let us go celebrate. I owe you for bringing my son into my life again."
Justine staggered to her feet, hunched under Derek's weight. "You're going with him, Mom? He just killed Derek! What's wrong with you?"
Iris sighed and touched Justine's hair. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, but this was the way it needed to be. Derek had to die, and we both know it. It was the only way to save you and me from an eternity of suffering. Satan was just helping you accomplish what you couldn't do on your own."
"What? That's complete crap—"
"Tell the Council you're the one who killed him. They'll be impressed and reward you. I know it hurts, but at least it's finally over and you didn't have to be the one to actually kill him. I love you sweetie. I'm so sorry I gave you this job, but I'm really proud of you." She took Satan's arm. "Come on, I think she needs to be alone."
"But, Mom—"
They disappeared in a shimmer of gold bubbles, leaving Justine and Xavier holding Derek, who was literally dying in her arms.
Chapter Forty
"On the plus side," Xavier said as they carried Derek toward the limo. "With that hole in his gut, he'll die looking like the pretzel that made him rich. You should have an open casket. I'm sure he'd appreciate the irony."
"Shut up." She could see the yellow lines on the road through his belly and it was freaking her out. They got him settled in
the backseat, and Justine climbed in back with him. "Take us back to his place. And hurry."
"I'm on it." Xavier peeled out so fast she slammed into the door and Derek slid halfway across the seat.
She righted them both, then pulled his head onto her lap and patted his cheek. "Derek. Can you hear me?"
His eyes flickered open. "I was faking it. I'm fine."
"Liar." She bit her lip. "I see the seat through the hole in your torso."
"Well, that explains the pain," he said. "What's up with you and your family all aiming for my stomach? Do I have a target painted on it or something?"
She managed a smile and wiped some charred bits off his forehead. "We're just a bloodthirsty bunch."
He nodded, then grimaced with pain. "Where are we going?"
"Your place."
A frown wrinkled his forehead. "To Mona?"
"Maybe." She avoided his gaze, picking some gravel off his shirt instead.
"Are there any legit loopholes for using Mona again?" His voice was faint and gravelly.
"No." She smoothed his hair, even though it was so short it didn't need it. "Since the threat of Satan and Satan Jr. are gone, there's no reason to keep you alive. I have all the information I need to deal with it on my own. If I give you the third drink, I might as well start packing my bags for the Chamber."
"Then don't do it." His voice was so faint she had to lean close to hear him. "We failed with Satan Jr., Justine. My life isn't worth you being in the Chamber for eternity. You have to let me die."
"But what about Quincy? The Curse isn't lifted." She slipped her hand under his shirt and spread her hand across his chest. His skin was still warm, his heart was still beating. Mona was working hard to keep him alive, but Justine could sense his energy fading.
"Saving my life won't help Quin," he whispered faintly. "I won't let you pay for saving me. Let me die." He coughed. "But promise me you'll try to help him." He grabbed her hand with sudden strength, and his eyes opened. "Promise me you'll try to save him."
Tears filled her eyes. "I promise."
He nodded and released her hand, closing his eyes as he fell back onto her lap.
Her vision blurred with tears, and she knew he was right. She had to let him die. "Derek, I'm so sorry."
He didn't say anything.
"Derek?"
He was unconscious.
Chapter Forty-One
Derek woke up to blackness.
He knew instantly that it was too damned dark for it to be the mortal world.
He was dead.
He'd failed Quincy. Failed all the LaValle men. And he'd lost the girl. Fuck.
Then a warm hand touched his chest. "Derek?"
His heart jumped at the sound of the voice he knew all too well. "Justine? You're dead, too?" Double hell. "Are we in the Chamber of Unspeakable Horrors?" Because honestly, if Justine was in there with him, he might actually be on board with his lot in the Afterlife.
"On the sofa bed in your den."
"Den of what? Torture and damnation?"
She laughed softly. "No, your den. You know, the room with the remote-controlled blackout curtains so you can watch movies because you're apparently super anti-social and won't go to an actual theatre. Quincy said you call it your man cave."
He blinked. "I do not call it my man cave." But, on to bigger issues. "So, we're not dead?"
"Nope. Theresa is sleeping in the guest room. Quincy took your room because he said you would prefer that he have the best bed, which we all agreed was very sweet of you. Xavier is using the couch in the living room. The dining room is our center of operations."
"We have a center of operations?" He frowned. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Almost a day and a half. Apparently, getting a tunnel blown through your gut taxes even Mona."
He swore and pressed his hand to his stomach. There was no hole. No pain. "You did it." Elation and warmth rushed through him, chased instantly away by an icy fear for Justine's future. He grabbed for her hand, crushed it against his chest. "You shouldn't have given me that third drink. You'll go to the Chamber for this. Son of a bitch. I told you to let me die."
"Well, I'm an independent thinker, so you don't get to control my actions. I really would have thought you'd have realized that about me by now."
He swore and sat up, fumbling for the light. He found it on the second try, and then nearly blinded them both when he turned it on. His heart tightened when he saw her wearing one of his favorite T-shirts, jeans, and slippers. She looked so casual and comfortable, like she belonged in his house.
She also looked tired, with dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale. "Dammit, Justine. You look like hell."
"Thanks. That makes me feel special." She sighed. "Look, I took a chance. We had almost two days left when you nearly got killed. I thought we could still find Satan Jr. and end the Curse."
"And did it work? Did you find Satan Jr.?" Please tell me you found a way to save yourself.
She shook her head. "We spent the entire time looking for Satan Jr., but he has completely disappeared. Even Zeke couldn't find him." She sighed and flopped down next to him on the bed, tucking herself up against him. "We tried everything, Derek. We called in every favor we knew. Even Satan and my mom finally helped. But Satan Jr. disappeared for almost two hundred years. He knows how to do it, and he won't be found unless he wants to." She sighed. "We failed."
He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tugged gently, smiling softly when she rolled on top of him. He sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears, smiling into her green eyes. "Thank you," he said earnestly. "I'm not worth the risk you took, but it means a lot that you did it."
She trailed her fingers over his chest. "You were willing to die to save my soul. It seemed a fair trade."
"I didn't want a trade. I wanted you to live."
"Well, like I said, I'm an independent gal, and all that." She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "Besides, I wanted to make everything right. Save you. Break the Curse. Be such a badass that the Council had no choice but to send both me and my mom to heaven. But I failed."
Ah, his sweet Guardian. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head "You've complicated my life, now, you realize?"
"How so?"
"How am I supposed to kill you, knowing that when I do, you'll go into the Chamber?"
She sighed heavily. "Well, now you know how I felt when you were dying. It's a crappy position to be in, trading lives of people you lo— um, care about."
Ah…he'd heard that. His heart leaping, he cupped her face with his hands, gently lifting her face to his. "Why did you give me the third drink? Tell me the truth." If she loved him, if she'd risked her eternal soul out of love for him…he knew what he'd have to do. He'd burn the Journal and walk away forever. Would he really trade his brother's life for hers? And the lives of all his progeny. Yes. His brother would go to the Afterlife. Justine would go to the Chamber. It wasn't a choice. All she had to do was say the word. "Justine? Tell me."
Silence.
Finally, "The Council could be listening."
"So?"
"So, I can't give up yet," she whispered.
What did that mean? Did that mean she did love him, but that she wasn't willing to let the Council know? If she saved him because she loved him, there would be no escape clause from the Council's wrath. But if she proved she saved him for Mona's sake, she still had a chance to show she deserved accolades instead of punishment.
He wasn't going to lie. He wanted to hear her say those three words before one of them died. Just to know. But it wasn't worth her eternity to hear her say she loved him or to say those words himself. To anyone listening, it had to simply be about the Goblet. Not about love. Not about divided loyalties. He lifted his head, laying a tender kiss on her lips. A kiss he hoped told her how he felt.
For a long moment, neither of them moved or spoke. Then he felt her fingers brush again
st his cheek and he closed his eyes.
Justine took a deep breath. "I saved you because I decided you had a legitimate point about your progeny stalking me. I was hoping you might have a new plan, now that the Satan Jr. idea came up a dead end." There was just enough formality to her words to let him know she was saying it for the benefit of anyone who might be listening, like, hey, a super judgmental member of the Council.
"Of course you did." He let his hands rest against her waist, rubbing circles on her hips. "It was a valid plan."
"Thanks." She sighed again. "I'm still going to kill you, though. Just so you know."
"I believe you." Her body felt so good against him. Warm and soft, her skin so smooth. Why was she in bed with him? How would she explain that to the Council? How would they explain it, because he wasn't going to let her face them on her own. He let his hands slide up her body until he got to her hair, weaving his fingers in the soft tresses as an idea formed in his mind. "I know why you saved me. I know why you're in bed with me now."
"Why?" Her voice was soft, tinged with desperation. "Tell me, please."
"Your mom and the Penyas are proof that celibacy weakens a Guardian. But sex enabled you to defeat the Penyas." He pressed his lips to her forehead and let his head fall back on the pillow. "If you let me make love to you all night, and then kill me, you'll prove to the Council that even non-emergency sex doesn't weaken your ability to defend Mona. Sex makes a Guardian stronger, no matter what the context." He frowned and stopped playing with her hair. "So, basically, you're using me so you can have other lovers." Damn. He didn't totally love how that sounded.
"Wow. That's brilliant." She thudded her palms against his chest. "That's exactly why I'm here with you. Because I'm a brilliant Guardian who's willing to risk her future for the sake of the Goblet, which means proving that the Treatise and the Oath need to be updated so I can protect Mona adequately."
He cupped her face. "Let me make love to you, Justine. For the sake of your future."
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