by Emma Dean
She held her breath when he shrugged, not sure what to say to that.
“I always wanted a younger sister,” Lucifer admitted. “And since I know you’re going to ask, I gave the boyfriends who can’t come and go in hell my cell number. It’s better than having them try to summon Jess every time you’re here.”
Mika blinked. “How does that even work? You can send interdimensional texts? And why didn’t you give me your number?”
There was that sharp, playful half-smile again. “Jess told me to figure it out, so I did.”
So, she was the adopted little sister of the prince of hell, Lucifer Morningstar. Mika wasn’t sure how she felt about it, or how she felt about him keeping tabs on her boyfriends since that was clearly the real reason he’d made sure to give them his number.
“Look, things are going to get hard,” Lucifer warned, serious once more. “There’s a civil war going on in hell, and you might lose the contact you’ve had with us. I can’t find my brother, and I can’t tell you how nervous that makes me.”
Fuck.
Lucifer was nervous.
“He’s taken enough demons to start a war on earth, and who knows what other allies he has that we don’t know about. Mika, you need to get the Council to take this seriously. As Head Witch you technically have a seat even if they don’t recognize your other title.”
She rolled her shoulders back to ease some of the tension just thinking about the Council brought and cracked her knuckles. “What do you want them to do exactly? Why is he even doing this?”
The devil stood and slipped his hands in his pockets. “I thought I knew my brother, but Azrael has been stabbing me in the back for a long time. I couldn’t tell you what he really thought. You should go, time moves differently here.”
Mika stood and stared at the fallen angel before her. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I won’t forget it.”
She’d lost a father and a mother, but then she got Eisheth and the Morrigan.
And now she had a brother again.
“I know I can’t replace Azrael.” Mika cleared her throat and blinked back her tears. “But I will do my best to be a good sister.” She crossed the room and hugged Lucifer before he saw the tears running down her cheeks.
“Sometimes the strongest family isn’t tied together by blood,” he murmured, squeezing her tight. “You always have a home here, if you need one.”
Then he pushed her away, purposefully messing up her hair and Mika pretended not to see the tears in his own eyes.
“So, I’ve been wondering, could you really have brought Ashley back from the dead? Could the Morrigan? Is that maybe why Azrael is pissed?” she asked, steering the conversation away from all the emotions.
Lucifer led her out of the family room, and down a hall covered in various different paintings. Mika followed and drank in the marble, the black furniture, and the artwork. His palace was truly beautiful.
“I could have,” Lucifer shrugged. “Almost everyone who rules over death in some way can. All a soul would need is a body to return to. That’s not that hard for a god to create. Sometimes the transition doesn’t go well, and they come back changed. But it can be done rather easily if one possesses the power to pull a soul from a body, then they can put one back in.”
He held open a different door for her and Mika heard voices down another hall.
“I never really thought of it that way though. Maybe he is pissed about that, but he could have just talked to me or Mor about it instead of acting like a little bitch.”
Mika almost choked on her own spit. Then Lucifer gave her a look like he knew she was holding in her laugh and rolled his eyes. “But returning a soul isn’t as easy as it sounds. Bringing someone back to life unbalances the universe and something has to pay the price to rebalance it. Something worth a soul.”
“What would that even be?”
She froze when she saw Jess tossing something that looked like popcorn into Corbin’s mouth and then Dagon’s.
Mika and Lucifer just stood there in shocked silence watching the three of them laughing like idiots as she threw them faster and farther until they had to dive for each piece. Then Dagon plucked the popcorn from right in front of Corbin and ate both pieces with the biggest shit eating grin…
“Jess, what did I tell you about teasing the hellhounds with treats?” Lucifer demanded.
Mika slapped her hand over her mouth, turned and left, slamming the door closed behind her so the devil wouldn’t see her laughing at him.
What she wouldn’t give to have been there the first time Jess messed with Lucifer’s precious hellhounds.
“I’m sorry,” Dagon said, appearing in front of her so abruptly she shrieked, clutching her chest. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“What’s wrong with you?” she demanded, bending over. Between trying not to laugh and Dagon scaring the shit out of her she couldn’t breathe.
“I’m sorry,” he said again, sounding actually concerned for her. “Are you angry?”
Mika couldn’t hold in her laughter anymore. The look of surprise on his face when he heard her actually cackling made it worse. “I’m not mad,” she wheezed, holding onto him so she didn’t fall over. “I was trying not to laugh in Lucifer’s face.”
He stood there, slightly confused, holding her up as she wiped away the tears of laughter, trying her damndest not to snort.
“Did you win?” Mika asked, finally able to stand up straight.
The hellhound eyed her warily.
“I won dammit!” Corbin yelled from the other side of the door.
“He most definitely did not,” Dagon assured her, those warm brown eyes flaring with a flash of hellfire.
Mika grinned up at the hellhound and tugged on his shirt that always seemed like it was a size too small. “I believe you.”
“Can we please get some fucking work done?” Lucifer demanded, throwing open the kitchen door.
Jessica shot Lucifer an apologetic look with a grin that meant she only kind of meant it.
Lucifer rolled his eyes and then went to the cupboards and started pulling out liquor bottles, glasses, and various other ingredients. Mika watched wide-eyed as he made drinks while he talked.
“There are twenty thousand missing demons. Give or take.”
Mika couldn’t decide if he was trying not to scare her, or if he was trying to distract himself from the civil war he’d mentioned.
She cleared her throat and tugged on her sweater. “Can Azrael reach the eyrie?”
“My brother has an army of demons, and even though Jess took care of the Hellfire Society I don’t for one second believe that Azrael doesn’t have other allies on earth. Whether they be witches, or shifters, he has the power to gift anyone almost anything. It would be easy for him to sway more to his side, even if he has none currently.”
Mika leaned against the kitchen island next to Jess and considered, trying to tally the potential numbers. She’d asked Edgar how many ravens were in each flock, but he didn’t know an exact number. He’d said something around one to five thousand including the trainees.
Not children, trainees.
She looked at Corbin who was happily munching on popcorn, clearly not bothered about his childhood. Was it because they were all raised without their emotions on? That way there was no emotional trauma from what they had to go through?
Even though she’d only met his brother briefly, he’d seemed fine too.
“And the Morrigan can’t find him?” Mika asked, watching as Lucifer shook up the drinks and poured them into the five different glasses.
“She’s scoured hell,” Jess said, shrugging one shoulder. “The hellhounds and the reapers are combing every nook, cranny, and level. Wherever Azrael is hiding, it’s not here.”
“Aine is helping her, thanks to you.” Lucifer garnished the drinks and handed Mika hers first. “They’re working on earth now, but he could be anywhere, on any plane, and Azrael has the power to crea
te doors.”
Mika almost choked on her drink.
Of course, that made sense. Demons could create portals, or teleport, so someone as powerful as Azrael could do the same, but it wasn’t something she’d even considered.
“So, he can attack even our eyrie?”
Mika drained her glass when Jess nodded. Then she went to Lucifer’s liquor cabinet and reached for the rum. She poured a very full glass and drank the whole thing, knowing that if she wanted to get drunk it was going to take some work thanks to her new shifter healing and metabolism.
“What exactly am I supposed to do?” Mika asked, pouring more of the rum. It was dark and sweet and smooth, the best rum she’d ever tasted honestly. “He could attack anywhere and everywhere. I can’t possibly protect them all.”
“I’m not saying you can,” Lucifer said, eyeing the way she downed the entire second glass of rum. “Maybe you should slow down.”
“I’m fine.”
“Mika.” Jess was suddenly standing right next to her, taking the bottle. “We’re not trying to put everything on you, we’re just trying to warn you. If you can get the Council to tap its resources, warn the ravens, then maybe we can prevent a lot of unnecessary death.”
“And then there’s that.” Mika snatched the bottle back from Jess and took a long drink. “How do we even defeat him? Can you kill Death?”
Jess and Lucifer shared a look when she stumbled.
Holy shit, was she already drunk?
Corbin was suddenly there, helping her sit. “I’d like to know what you guys plan to do about him too. I’m not going to convince my Commander and Morrigan to fight a war we can’t win. How do you propose we take down Azrael?”
Lucifer rubbed his chin and eyed the two of them.
“Hades might be able to help,” Dagon murmured. “Or Anubis. They’re not as strong as Azrael, but they’re not as weakened as the other death gods.”
The devil eyed Dagon with a flash of blue hellfire in his eyes. “I’ll ask them, but even with their help we need to eradicate the problem, not postpone it. And it’s more complicated than murdering a god. If that’s all it took, then I’d have Jess slit his throat.”
Mika looked at her cousin who smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
“Jess is a godkiller,” Dagon whispered into her ear like it was a secret, but everyone in the room could hear him. Mika couldn’t help but giggle at the wholesome hellhound who just wanted to make her life easier.
“So, me?” Mika asked, taking another swig of rum. “If Azrael is what you are,” she said, pointing a finger at Lucifer. “Then I can take his blood from him.”
“Actually, we were thinking Kenzie.” Lucifer swirled his glass as he studied her. “The power Azrael holds is a gift. He’s the Angel of Death, but that gift can be transferred to someone else with similar abilities. Once that gift has been safely removed and preserved, we can kill him like anyone else without consequences. The only problem is, no one knows for sure if a void can move power from one vessel to another successfully.”
“Absolutely not,” Mika hissed, leaping to her feet. “Kenzie almost died the last time she took power from a god. I’m not sacrificing her when I can do it myself.”
Then the world started to spin, and she stumbled again.
Dagon swept her up in his arms, growling deep in his chest. “What exactly is wrong with her? She has shifter healing. This shouldn’t be happening.”
Corbin was inspecting the bottle he’d managed to catch before it shattered on the floor, and Lucifer shrugged sheepishly.
“Uh, I made that for me,” he admitted, clearing his throat awkwardly. “So, she just drank enough alcohol she’s going to feel it for a while.”
Mika smiled, pleased she could still get drunk after all.
“Kenzie already agreed to come visit the eyrie,” Corbin told them. “I think we should all sit down and discuss what we’re going to do. You two, whoever else you can get to agree to help, and I’ll make sure everyone on earth who has a vested interest in this will be there. As soon as we figure out how we’re going to take down Azrael, we’ll go to the Council.”
“I don’t want to be Death,” Mika murmured with a sigh. The last thing she wanted was to end up some kind of goddess. “Make Aine do it.”
Lucifer chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Get her back home. We’ll be there as soon as you text us.”
“Make sure she’s not still freaking when she wakes up,” Jess ordered, kissing Mika’s forehead. “No matter what happens, we’ll figure it out.”
“I can hear you bastards,” Mika grumbled, rubbing her nose against Dagon’s chest. He always smelled nice, especially now that the smell of sulphur didn’t constantly cling to him. “Take me home already.”
“The eyrie?” Corbin asked, checking her pupils.
“Yes, the eyrie.” Mika swatted his hand away and closed her eyes again when he placed his hand on Dagon’s shoulder.
“We’ll see you soon,” Lucifer promised. “Take care of my sister, Dagon.”
Mika had missed having a brother more than she’d realized. Her fingernails dug into Dagon’s chest and she fell asleep before they’d even left the darkness. Something about it was soothing while in the hellhound’s arms.
Mika almost felt like she could breathe again.
9
“How was everything in San Francisco?” Mika asked, sitting cross-legged on Audrey’s bed. “I’ve missed you.”
“You’ve been busy.” Audrey gave her a rueful smile and shrugged. She pulled up her jeans, hopping to get them over her ass. “And Mrs. Jenkinson, Chuck, and Callie are fine, but I am getting the distinct feeling the green witch is not interested in the kitty. Why are the super-hot ones always straight?”
Mika covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laugh. “Erm, well, at least they’re alive?”
“Agreed.” Audrey pulled out a flannel shirt and slipped that on over her tank top. “Kenzie and the chaos will be here soon. I was also able to talk to Selene and Matthew. The latter of which had a note for me to give you.”
She took the slip of paper from Audrey and turned it over.
The paper felt strange and her name wasn’t in Matthew’s handwriting. She frowned and opened the note, realizing it wasn’t in English.
But Fae.
And an old dialect if she was right.
“What’s it say?” Audrey asked, hanging the key necklace Selene had given her around her neck. “Matthew told me not to read it. And considering how weird that one is, I decided it wasn’t worth risking a curse.”
“The undine want to meet with me.” Mika would have to figure out when she could visit Morgana’s Island safely. At least she knew Dagon could set foot there. That should make things a tiny bit easier.
Would Azrael try to take the University? There was a portal to hell there, and it was a symbol of sanctuary, and a place for blood witches even if the rest of the world had forgotten. How was she supposed to protect the island?
Would they even let her back there?
Mika gritted her teeth.
It didn’t matter if they let her back there or not. The island was hers, and she would protect it and those who resided there whether they wanted her to or not.
“And I heard the coyotes were waiting on the ground too.” Audrey grabbed a black puffer vest and left it open. She always looked so good. Mika loved her style. “I feel like I’m useless up here.”
Guilt crashed into her. Mika tucked the note away and gave Audrey her full attention. “I’m sorry things got so crazy. Whatever you need, just let me know. I wish I hadn’t taken you away from everything you were working so hard for.”
Mika’s eyes burned as she held back the tears. This was all her fault.
Audrey took her hands and sighed. “Don’t do that Mika. I love you, and we’re family. It’s not your fault I can’t come and go in hell, or that I can’t teleport or fly. It’s why you had me check in with Kenzie while Lucien and Ethan are at th
e den. You can’t be everywhere and do everything.”
“But you’re not comfortable here.” Mika squeezed Audrey’s hands. “What can I do?”
“It’s not like that,” Audrey insisted. “It’s just taking some time to adjust, and it’s not like I expected this to be easy. There is a ton of shit going on, and I’m just a normal-ass witch. I can’t fight off Azrael, or a raven.” Audrey smirked. “But I can make them all think they’ve forgotten how to breathe with a few choice enchantments.”
Mika rolled her shoulders back, trying to ease some of the tension that always made her muscles lock up when she thought about the Angel of Death.
She was afraid of him. Afraid in a very real, visceral way that reminded her she was extremely mortal. Mika didn’t like how many potential timelines had ended with her death, either because she’d failed, or because sacrificing her life was required to prevent, or end, the apocalypse.
Which was her and Emily’s secret.
Mika didn’t plan to tell anyone, and she knew the raven and raccoons would keep their mouths shut on the matter. Though, she should probably ask if they’d told the chaos, and who exactly they had told.
They all gossiped worse than teenagers.
“I know there’s not a lot to do up here,” Mika admitted. “And I know you don’t really want to meet with a bunch of people if you don’t have to, but I’m going to need your help. So, train with the ravens if you can. Speak with the Daimona and see what she can teach you. She’s two hundred and ninety-three. I’m sure she knows more than we could ever hope to learn.”
“The library is pretty well stocked too,” Audrey admitted. “When I haven’t been working out with Malachi, I’ve been in there. From all the whispers I’ve heard during the meals and while walking through the halls, the ravens are going to be difficult. I want to know as much about them as I can, and we finally have access to all their shit.”
“Save me anything you think I should read,” Mika told her.
