“I’m going back to Las Vegas,” Hannah told Brandy. “I’m just here to get my things.”
Brandy shot me a quick glance and nodded. “I’ll help you pack up.”
The two of them went up the stairs, leaving me alone with Asmodeus. He cleared his throat.
“My lord,” he said, bowing slightly.
I scanned him from head to toe, noting how much he had changed. No longer did he radiate his incubus sensuality, that innate power that drew people to him and made them want to rip their clothes off. To all of my senses, he was completely human.
“It’s true then,” I said. “You gave up your immortality.”
The ancient demon bowed his head, his black hair catching the light. “Yes. I’ve made all the arrangements to pass control of my Lilim duties to my assistant Himeros. Everything shall continue to run smoothly, my lord.”
I held out a hand to him. “I’ll be sad to lose you. You’ve always been one of the few I could trust, and a good friend too. I wish you all the best.”
He clasped my hand in a warm shake, and seemed relieved by my words. “Thank you, Lucifer. That means a lot.”
“Was it worth it?” I asked in a low voice. “Giving up all your powers and your immortality?”
Asmodeus stared at the stairs Brandy had gone up. “It’s worth it. I’d do it a million times over for my mate.”
I understood perfectly. I would’ve done the same if that was what it took to be with my woman too. “Take good care of her. Hannah is very fond of her.”
Asmodeus stood taller, his chest puffing out a bit. “I will. I plan to take Brandy and her son to Disney World soon, and then I’ll get us a huge mansion on the beach and spoil the crap out of them.” His gaze softened. “Brandy’s been through a lot. So has her son. I’m going to treat her like a queen and give them both the life they deserve.”
“Good,” I said. “You certainly have the money for it, but please let me know if there’s anything you need from me.” For decades, Asmodeus ran strip clubs under my command in service of the Lilim, and though he was passing on that responsibility now, he’d been rewarded generously for his work over the years. Besides, Asmodeus was almost as old as I was, and no doubt had a large stash of money tucked away after all this time.
Asmodeus hesitated. “Actually there is something. I wondered if I could have one last favor from you for all my years of loyal service.”
That sounded ominous, but I’d always been one to grant favors, usually in exchange for a favor in return at some point. “What is it?”
“Brandy’s mother has terminal cancer. There is nothing the human doctors can do. Might you ask one of the angels to heal her? I know you have some allies among the Malakim now.”
I clasped his shoulder and gave him a firm nod. “It will be done.”
“Thank you, my lord,” he said, his shoulders dropping in relief. “You are a fine king, and it was an honor to serve you.”
Hannah came down the stairs then, carrying a bag on each arm. “I think I have everything I need.”
Brandy also returned with her son and the older, frail woman who must be her mother. Hannah looked at them all with sadness in her eyes, and I took the bags from her arms, along with the one Brandy was holding.
Hannah gave me a nod in thanks and then turned to the others. “I guess this is it then. Thank you for letting me live here with you for the last few years. I’m sorry to leave in such a rush.”
Brandy shook her head and grabbed Hannah’s hands. “No, thank you for helping around the house with Jack and everything else. It won’t be the same without you here. Promise you’ll come visit sometime.”
“I will. And you all have to come to Las Vegas to visit us.”
“Yes, my hotel would be happy to host your family whenever you’d like,” I said. “My treat, of course.”
Donna’s face lit up. “That sounds lovely.”
“Yes, it does.” Brandy fixed a glare on me. “But listen. You better not hurt Hannah. I don’t care if you are the devil, I will kick your ass.”
I raised an eyebrow at the feisty human. We both knew how that would end, but I had to give Brandy credit for her courage and loyalty to Hannah. “Noted. And now we really should be on our way.”
Hannah nodded, and then gave each person a long hug before saying her final goodbyes. I shook Asmodeus’s hand one last time, and then gripped Hannah’s bags and led her outside.
“Took you long enough,” Zel said, from where she leaned against the Lamborghini.
Our limo driver rushed out and took Hannah’s bags from me, then loaded them into the car. He was a young vampire and eager to serve, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly loyal or only spying on me for his Archdemon, Baal. When we returned, I’d have to deal with the Archdemons and find out who among them was loyal to me.
As I ushered Hannah toward the limo, the hair on the back of my neck prickled, just as Zel drew her knives. The sky was cloudy and full of the promise of rain, a rare and precious thing in Southern California, but it darkened even further as a large shape flew over the nearby houses.
“Something’s coming.” I pushed Hannah between me and the limo as I scanned the sky for the threat. “Get in the car.”
The shape flew close enough that I could identify it. Large wings with dark red scales. Reptilian black eyes. Huge talons and fangs. A fucking dragon. Out here in suburbia in the middle of the damn day when anyone could see it. The outright insubordination made me furious, and I quickly spread darkness around the area, obscuring us from any neighbors who might peer out their windows.
“What’s happening?” Hannah asked, and I realized she was the only one who couldn’t see through the murky shadows. The rest of us all had eyes accustomed to living in the eternal darkness of Hell, but as an angel, Hannah was more suited for the land of light.
Zel jumped into action, spreading her black wings and launching into the air toward the dragon. I maintained a defensive pose in front of Hannah, who’d ignored me when I’d ordered her into the car, naturally.
The dragon immediately sliced at Zel with its talons, though he seemed to have enough sense not to shoot flames from his mouth. If he set fire to Brandy’s neighborhood, he would quickly see the true depths of my rage, just before I ended his life.
Zel managed to catch the tip of the dragon’s wing with her light-infused dagger, making the beast roar loud enough to shake the windows of the nearby houses. I hoped the residents would write that off as an earthquake or a loud truck passing by, but this had to end quickly or someone would get suspicious. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a bunch of nosy humans showing up and asking questions.
The dragon retaliated by knocking Zel back hard. She crashed against a nearby roof, then rolled off it and dropped onto the grass, sending shingles flying. Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Can’t we help her?” Hannah asked, and I noticed she was glowing again, like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. The dragon noticed too, and immediately honed in on us.
“She’s fine,” I said. “You just focus on keeping your powers under control. I’ll handle this.”
I had to get control of this situation, fast. As the dragon tucked its wings and dove toward us, I reached out with tentacles of darkness and wrapped them around the beast. He tried to shrug them off and managed to get a wing free, but then Zel slammed into his side, distracting him enough for me to encase him completely in my shadows. Shadows which Hannah’s bright light was quickly burning through. She didn’t even realize she was doing it either.
The dragon spun and twisted, but couldn’t escape the dark coils wrapped around him, and his momentum carried him straight down into the middle of the road. He hit it so hard he sent out fractures and cracks in the asphalt where he landed. Zel set down beside him, brandishing her daggers, and the dragon hissed at her with hatred in his eyes.
I stood over the dragon, looking down at the captive beast. Fury pounded in my veins, and I allowed darkne
ss to swirl around me menacingly while brilliant blue hellfire sparked in my palms. “You dare to attack me and my mate in the middle of a human area in broad daylight. Explain yourself.”
“I seek vengeance!” The dragon roared the words in my face, his fangs dripping with venom. “You killed my father!”
Ah, of course. This must be Mammon’s oldest son, Valefar. I’d met him a few times before, but never in his dragon form. With some effort I clenched my hands, extinguishing the hellfire, as I remembered Samael’s words about making peace with the remaining dragons. I supposed he had a point. There was a reason I kept him as my advisor, after all.
“You’re right. I did kill your father. Mammon conspired against me and attempted a coup. He attacked me in my own home. I couldn’t let such insurrection go unpunished.” I held up a hand before he could say anything in return. “Like it or not, I am your king, and you are now the Archdemon of the dragons. There are very few of your kind left, which means you have a choice. You can bow before me and swear loyalty, or you can go to war with me, as your father did. You know how well that went for him.” I paused, letting my words sink in. “I don’t want to wipe out the remaining dragons, but I will if I must.”
The dragon growled, but then his reptilian eyes closed, and I sensed he had given up the fight. I nodded at Zel so she’d back away. She scowled, but sheathed her daggers and gave the dragon some space. Hannah had managed to get her glowing under control by now, and the street fell silent, the area still unnaturally dark.
Valefar got to his taloned feet and shook out his wings, his gaze still on me. “This isn’t over.”
With a heavy flap of his wings, he took to the skies and flew out of sight over the rows of houses. I waited until he was gone and then released the darkness, allowing the sun to shine down on the street once more through the clouds.
Hannah let out a long breath as the shadows receded, as if relieved to see the light again. “You’re letting him go?”
I smoothed the front of my suit and shrugged. “He needs to step up and become a leader to his people now. If he doesn’t, we’ll deal with it.”
I helped Hannah into the limo so we could resume our journey to the private jet that would take us home to Las Vegas. But as she slid across the black leather seats, her face was troubled.
“What is it?” I asked.
“My powers. I’m having a hard time controlling them. I think it’s because I have so many memories clambering around inside my head, it’s hard to keep them straight and sort through them all.” She leaned her head back on the leather seat, as if exhausted. “Jophiel offered to help me remember how to use them, but I don’t want anything from her.”
“I know some angels who might be able to help. The ones who helped resurrect you.” I rested a possessive hand on her knee, and though she stiffened, she didn’t move away. A small sign of progress. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Anything she needed, I’d get her. If she wanted me to go to the depths of Hell or the heights of Heaven, so be it.
I’d do whatever it took to win Hannah’s heart back.
10
Hannah
Walking back into the penthouse was like returning to the dark depths of the underworld. Lucifer wanted me to be his queen again, the Persephone to his Hades, but how could I rule by his side when I couldn’t forgive him? Or when he didn’t treat me as an equal?
And would any demon accept me, an angel, as their queen?
I returned to the guest room, unable to share a bedroom with Lucifer for the time being. I was pleased to see someone had brought my bags up, and that my plants here were all still doing well. Oddly, this space felt more like home than any of the other places I’d visited over the last few days, especially once I began unpacking the belongings I’d brought from Brandy’s house. The green throw pillows did a nice job of touching up the otherwise bland furnishings, and on the nightstand I added a photo of me with Brandy and Jack when we went to the San Diego Zoo, which made me smile every time I looked at it.
When I stepped back into the main room of the penthouse—which had all been restored to its former glory, even the destroyed bar—the five people who’d been there when I’d been resurrected were back, sitting around the room on leather couches and black barstools. I looked at Lucifer, waiting for him to properly introduce me to them, but then my eyes landed on the dark-haired man beside him and I inhaled sharply.
Kassiel.
My son.
The knowledge hit me in the chest so hard and with such surety I was shocked I hadn’t realized it before. Rapid, brief glimpses of his childhood lit up my mind like the flash of a camera, all from my life as Lenore in the 19th century. He looked so much like his father, both as a child and now. He even wore a similar well-fitted black suit.
I stepped toward him, my heart nearly bursting out of me with the need to be with him again after all these long years. “Kassiel...”
“Hello, mother.” He gave me a warm smile, but his voice seemed reserved, and his English accent only added to the effect. I moved close and he embraced me, and now I was crying again, but for once they were tears of joy. I didn’t even care that all the other people in the room were surely staring at us. All I knew was that I had my son back after decades apart, and I wanted to savor every second with him.
I reached up to touch his face as I looked him over, marveling at how he hadn’t physically changed after over a century, yet he somehow looked different. Older. Wiser. Damn, I’d missed so much of his life.
“I’m so happy to see you,” I said, unable to contain my huge smile. “I want to know every single thing that’s happened to you while I’ve been gone.”
“We’ll catch up later. I promise.” Kassiel squeezed my hand and stepped back, then gestured to the curvy brunette sitting on the sofa. “Let me introduce you to my mate, Olivia.”
She was distractingly beautiful, her eyes a clear green, her skin almost luminescent, and her curls a rich, dark brown. In the past I would have felt intimidated by her beauty, and I nearly took a step back, like I would have done as a human—but then I remembered I was an angel too. More than that, I was Eve and Persephone and so much more. Besides, I was Kassiel’s mother. If anyone should be intimidated, it was her. I stood my ground and gave her a nod in acknowledgment.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” Olivia said, as she rose to her feet.
“Olivia is the only known half-succubus, half-angel hybrid,” Lucifer said. “She currently acts as the official liaison between angels and demons, working for Archangel Gabriel and myself to keep the peace. I thought she might be able to help you balance living between both worlds.”
“I would appreciate that,” I said. So many of my memories were of war between angels and demons, a war I’d fought on both sides. Now we were at peace, but things between the two races still seemed strained, and I was definitely caught in the middle as an angel surrounded by demons.
“I asked Olivia’s other mates to join us as well,” Lucifer said. “As angels, they can answer your questions and work with you to control your powers.” He nodded toward a serious man with cool, calculating eyes and glossy black hair. “Bastien, in particular, should be able to help with that. He’s also an Ofanim.”
Bastien bowed his head in response. “I shall assist you however I can.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Lucifer turned toward the handsome olive-skinned man sitting at the bar, who flashed me a charming smile, his eyes sparkling. “This is Marcus. He’s the one who resurrected you. I plan to send him to heal Brandy’s mother.”
I stepped forward and took Marcus’s hands, giving them a light squeeze. “Thank you for using your powers to bring me back, and for helping my friend. I owe you so much.”
“It’s what I do,” he said, with a quick wink.
Lucifer nodded toward the last person in the room, a broad-shouldered, muscular man with golden hair and a square jaw. “Callan is Jophiel’s son. Your nephew.”<
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My eyes widened as I studied Callan closer. He did have some of Jophiel’s look to him, though I suspected he had a lot of his father in there too. He stood near the window overlooking Las Vegas, as if trying to remain as far away from Lucifer as possible, and I wondered if there was some history there.
“I look forward to getting to know you. My relationship with my sister is…” I hesitated, searching for the diplomatic word. “Strained. But I hope that won’t stop us from being a family.”
Callan grunted. “My relationship with my mother is strained too. She’s not exactly an easy person to love.”
“No, she’s not,” I said with a faint smile. “Jophiel mentioned she had another son too.”
“Yes. Ekariel.” Callan’s jaw clenched. “He was kidnapped as a child and held for years by a human cult bent on killing all supernaturals. He’s currently taking some classes at Seraphim Academy so he can catch up on everything he missed over the years.”
How terrible. Jophiel had mentioned the same thing, but it had happened after I was turned human. Maybe I should be taking classes with him also—I obviously had a lot to catch up on also. “I hope to meet him too someday.”
“I should get going so I can heal your friend.” Marcus set down his glass and stood. He leaned forward and kissed Olivia on the cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I watched their interactions closely. Was Olivia with all four of these men? And they were just…okay with it? Including my son? How interesting. I supposed if she was part succubus she’d need more than one person to satisfy her needs, but in my vague memories I’d never seen a Lilim with actual mates before. They tended to not form attachments, from what I recalled. Then again, Asmodeus had given up his incubus powers and immortality to be with Brandy, so I supposed anything was possible.
“We should probably head out too,” Olivia said.
Devilish Mate: Claimed By Lucifer Book Two Page 6
