The Devil You Know

by Zahra Stone

  After taking care of my bladder, I stripped and stepped into the shower, trying to remember last night’s events. I’d been knocking back scotch when Ashliel had turned up, pizza in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other. “You mentioned the Apocalypse?”

  She’d been possibly over-excited at the prospect. We’d eaten the pizza, drank the wine, and then continued through what I was pretty sure was the entire contents of my bar. After that, things got a little hazy.

  Still under the shower, I heard the bathroom door open.

  “I’ve gotta wee,” Ashliel said, poking her head in.

  “Go right ahead.” We’d seen each other naked dozens of times. It was nothing new and nothing to be embarrassed about.

  Ashliel came in, closing the door behind her. “So. Last night.”

  “Yeah. I’ve got some blanks,” I admitted, rinsing the shampoo from my hair.

  “Me, too. What was in those shots?”

  “I think it has more to do with how many we had.”

  Turning off the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and then snatched up another to take care of my dripping hair. Ashliel sat dejectedly on the toilet, head in hands, jeans, and panties around her ankles.

  “You know,” she muttered, “it’s Levi’s fault.”

  I frowned. “What makes you say that?”

  “You called him. And then you really hit the drink hard. Remember?”

  “Um. Nope.” I sighed. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

  “You told him what a jerk he was, and a whole lot of other things, then hung up. Not surprising, I guess since…you know.”

  Levi and I had been blowing hot and cold since we’d reconnected. Forgive? Sounded good. Forget? Not on your life. I was still angry over what had happened, but Levi was tenacious, and deep down, I liked that about him. It also irritated the shit out of me.

  “I guess we need to get back to work,” Ashliel said, her voice lacking any enthusiasm whatsoever.

  “Yeah. Gotta find out what Keres meant by the rise of the witnesses. And stop Lilith from opening any more doors. Not to mention, find Keres and send her sorry ass back home.”

  Ashliel started across the room with her jeans and underwear still around her ankles. I stepped out of the way as she kicked them off and hopped into the shower. Before I could warn her that her top was still on, she let out a curse in the form of a howl.

  I couldn’t hold back my laugh.

  “Lucy?” a male voice called, quickly followed by banging on my penthouse door. I hurried to answer the summons, the banging doing nothing for my headache.

  “Shh.” I flung open the door and leaned against the frame, eyeing Levi, who stood as fresh as a daisy before me.

  “What do you want?” I grumbled. “And how did you get here? I left you on Earth.”

  “You asked me to come over, and Dacian gave me a lift.” His eyes scoured me from top to toe, pausing over the exposed flesh of my shoulders.

  “I asked you?” I lifted a brow. “When?”

  “Last night. After you cussed me out, you told me to come back today. Are you going to invite me in?” Before I could answer him, he pushed past me and made himself comfortable on a barstool at my kitchen counter.

  Ashliel burst from the bathroom, towel wrapped around her body, her flaming tendrils subdued to a smolder. “Oh, you’re here.”

  Levi waved. “Hi,” he said.

  Ashliel hissed, and the flames in her hair sparked and then sizzled against her wet shoulder. “Nu-uh, you don’t get to say hi to me.”

  He frowned. “You, too?”

  “Well, what did you expect? You can’t be keeping secrets from your mate—especially big ass ones like there’s a baby on the way. And then there’s not! The truth has a way of coming out. It always does.”

  His face flushed the same red as the fires of Hell. “What was I supposed to do? I wanted to protect her!”

  “She doesn’t need your protection, Levi. She’s a grown-ass woman, not to mention the Queen of Hell.”

  “Guys! Seriously, I’m right here.” I slammed my hand against my forehead, hard. I winced at the pounding in my head.

  “Hey.” Levi grabbed my hands and forced them away from my face. I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the concern in his eyes. “It’s not that bad,” he assured me, rubbing his thumb across my forehead.

  Sliding off the stool, I clutched my towel to my chest. “Okay, you’ve checked in on us, as requested. Thank you. You can go now.”

  “You heard her,” Ashliel said. “Get out.”

  “It’s okay, Ash.” I gave her a look, telling her to stand down. I knew she had my back. To Levi, I said, “Sorry. I’m hungover; my alcohol-infused brain cannot deal with any more right now.”

  “But last night?” Levi frowned at me, reaching out as I backed away. Last night I’d vented, taken my anger out on him, and he’d let me. He’d listened in silence, and then, I hung up on him. Too bad I couldn’t remember any of it.

  My headache increased tenfold, the thumping behind my eyes almost unbearable. I could barely stay on my feet. I spun on my heel and headed for my bedroom. I was not ready to face the day after all.

  Chapter Seven

  “Check this out.”

  We were in my office, and Ashliel was pouring over the monitors, scouring every inch of the Earth for clues as to where Keres was and where Lilith might be. I didn’t know how I would stop my mother, only that it needed to be done if the Earth was to be saved. Reports were already coming in of Keres spreading disease. A new outbreak of Ebola. A new strain of deadly flu. Her arrows were toxic, and wherever they landed, illness, and death soon followed.

  “You’ve found something?” Standing by her side, I looked at the wall of monitors as she manipulated them into the order she wanted.

  “Yeah. This. A bow and arrow symbol.”

  “That’s the seal for Keres’ realm.” And it was too late to stop that door from being opened — Lilith had already opened it. “We need to stop Lilith from opening more doors,” I said. “Only what door would she open next? How do we get in her head?”

  “Let me run this…” Ashliel’s teeth gnawed on her lower lip as she concentrated on inputting data into the electronic clipboard she always carried when on the job. “There.” She nodded in satisfaction. “I’ve run a search on other dimension symbols. If one of them is on Earth, we’ll know about it.” We stood in silence, watching the monitors as the search parameters she’d entered churned through data.

  “He’s here,” Ashliel stated the obvious, for as soon as Levi stepped foot over the threshold, I felt him. After all, I’d bound him to me, my fated mate—and he had done the same. We were forever connected, and despite my being very pissed off, we had to work this out. I’d had a glimpse into my mother’s mind, of the hatred and bitterness inside her, and I did not want that future for myself.

  “It’s okay, Ash. You can go,” I told her, nodding when she eyeballed me as if I’d lost my mind. She must have decided I had, for she spun on her heel and stalked out. I couldn’t help but grin. Ash was volatile, like her hair. Quick to anger and just as quick to forgive.

  She passed Levi without a word, but it appeared he didn’t notice—or care—he only had eyes for me. Crossing the room, he stood in front of me.

  “You may have built a wall between us, but I’m going to create a door in that wall. Or find a way to climb over.” His gaze drifted away as he considered his words. I bit back a grin but remained silent. Finally realizing he’d gone off into his own world and was no doubt picturing ladders and walls, he snapped his attention back to me and took both of my hands into his.

  “Sometimes, we do the wrong things for the right reasons. I’m human. Correction—I was human, not all that long ago, and I’m sure I still carry a lot of my human traits.”

  “You carry all of your human traits Levi,” I told him. For while it was true, I’d inadvertently marked him, which had subsequently turned him into a fire demon so that our tw
o species would be compatible, he was still him. Intrinsically human.

  “What I said still stands. I did the wrong thing for the right reason.”

  “What if I’m not ready? Did you think of that? Kids? Me? What if I’m an awful parent—an awful mother—Heaven forbid I turn out like my mom. Look at this mess. Is this my future?” I gestured to the screens, showing the turmoil Earth was currently in.

  His eyes sparked with realization. “You’re afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid of anything,” I bluffed.

  “It’s okay to be scared, Lucy. I’m terrified—what if I fuck up my kid’s life? Make the wrong choices? There isn’t a parent alive who hasn’t had those thoughts at least once.”

  “I can’t believe we’re standing here talking about having kids.” I pulled my hands from his and turned my back, striding to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looking out over my kingdom of Hell.

  “Parenthood chose us.” I could feel him behind me, his warmth seeping into my bones. “We didn’t ask for it. Certainly, we weren’t expecting it. But it happened.”

  “Not quite,” I whispered, my heart aching all over again. “She was taken, remember? By my father. Who lied to cover up what he’d done.”

  “It was an accident. He’s horrified at what happened.”

  “Stop defending him. If what you say is true, he’d be here explaining himself and apologizing. He’s not.”

  “But I am.” Levi spun me around to face him. “I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry. I should have told you the minute I knew. If I could turn back the clock, do it all over, I would. But I can’t. All I can do is stand here and say I’m sorry and pray you find it in your heart to forgive me.”

  His words touched my heart, and I knew our future was very firmly in my hands. I could accept his apology and move on, or I could hold on to my anger and hurt. I chose the former. Cupping his face in my hands, I looked into his eyes.

  “I forgive you,” I whispered. “But I can’t forget. No more secrets, Levi. Even if you think it’s something I don’t want to hear or something that will hurt me.”

  Without hesitation, he nodded. “I promise. Never again.”

  “And the whole kid thing? I’m not sure I’m ready. Can we shelve that topic until this mess with my mom is cleaned up?”

  “Absolutely. There’s no rush. I didn’t plan it either, Lucy, but let me be honest and say that when I knew you were pregnant, I was the happiest man alive.”

  I blinked, unsure of how to react. “Oh.”

  “I’m still the happiest man alive,” he added hurriedly. “Baby or no baby. But you’re right. Bringing a child into the world when the Apocalypse is upon us isn’t the smartest move.”

  “Right. We’ve got several problems.” I headed back to the wall of monitors and stood, hands-on-hips, watching the live feeds.

  “Your mom. Keres. And…there’s more?” Levi guessed.

  “Yes. Mom is opening doors to other dimensions. Keres said it was the calling of the witnesses. We don’t know what that means. If we can work it out, maybe we’ll be able to work out what door is next and stop her.”

  “How do we stop her? And how do we stop Keres?”

  “With help.”

  “Dacian.” Levi cracked his knuckles and rotated his neck, ready for a fight.

  “And his Army of Angels. And trust me, we’re going to need an army.” Lilith was smart and determined. Plus, she had been planning this for a long time. If we couldn’t outsmart her, we’d have to take her by force.

  “And your dad?”

  “Dacian can liaise with him.” I wasn’t prepared to face my father, not yet. I was making progress with my forgiveness of Levi, but my dad was another matter. My daughter was now a part of his essence; I couldn’t stand to be near him.

  “Ashliel,” I called for my second in command, and she appeared in the doorway instantly.

  “Yes?”

  “Get Dacian here. Apprise him of the situation, although I’m sure he’s aware Keres is loose on Earth. We need to work together on this one. Oh, and I’m going to check in on the key.”

  “You think it’s at risk?” She quirked a dark brow, her eyes drilling into mine with such intensity that I blinked.

  “Lilith knows about them, for she triggered their tattoos. I need to go and ward them, hide the Island if I can. Plus, I left Nibbler there. I miss the fuzzy butt.”

  “Nibbler?” Levi asked.

  “The cutest orange kitten you’ve ever seen,” I explained, clasping his hand in mine. The jolt of our palms connecting was powerful, electricity shooting up my arm. “We need to go back to Fury Island and check on them. I wouldn’t put it past Lilith to try and take them, use them as leverage against me.”

  Keeping a firm hold on Levi, I flew us to Fury Island, landing outside the cottage where I’d been staying when I first fled Heaven. Everything was exactly as I’d left it, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Lucy!” The front door opened, and Del stood there, Nibbler cradled against her chest, and Duke squeezed at her side.

  “Hey, Del. Thanks for taking care of her.” I reached out and took Nibbler from her, scratching the little bundle under the ear and being rewarded with her loud purr. “I’ve missed you, baby,” I whispered, burying my face in her fur.

  “She missed you, too. She never purrs that loudly for me.” Del smiled, then stood back, ushering us into the cottage. “Tell me what’s been happening. What was that tsunami all about? And I’ve seen on the news all the outbreaks of illness—is that Lilith, too?”

  “The illness is Keres, a death spirit. Lilith is opening doors to other dimensions in something that’s called the calling of the witnesses.”

  Del shook her head. “This is madness.” Turning her attention to Levi, she held out her hand. “We didn’t get properly introduced last time, what with a tsunami barreling down on us. I’m Del, and this is Duke.”

  Levi shook her hand and smiled. “Levi, pleased to meet you. So, where’s the third part of the key? Jase, isn’t it?”

  “He’s at work. He’s a vet. I figured I’d wait here for Lucy to come back, keep Nibbler company.”

  “Sorry I didn’t return straight away,” I said, sinking down into the sofa. I rested my head on the back and stared up at the ceiling. So many nights, I’d sat in this exact same spot and looked at the exact same ceiling. Nibbler snuggled in under my chin, her purr vibrating through me. It was comforting.

  “Great to meet you, Levi. I’ll leave you guys to it. Are you staying a while, Lucy?” Del snapped her fingers, and Duke sprang up from where he’d been laying at my feet.

  “We need to get back to Hell,” I said, a wave of sadness washing over me. I liked it here; I’d be sorry to leave.

  Hearing the sadness in my tone, Levi squeezed my shoulder. “Surely we can stay awhile? Ashliel can call if anything comes up.”

  I smiled. “Okay, maybe a couple of hours.”

  Del beamed at us. “Fantastic. Let me know if you need me to take Nibbler for you when you go back.”

  At the thought of leaving Nibbler behind, I pulled the tiny kitten closer to me, making her meow in protest. Loosening my grip, I kissed her head. “I’m not leaving her. She’ll come with me. But thank you, Del.”

  Levi saw Del out, then returned to sit next to me on the sofa. “So, what’s next?”

  I blew out a breath, “Honestly? I don’t know. This is such a mess. Everything is happening so fast I don’t know which way to turn. All I want to do right this second is sit here and cuddle this kitten.”

  Levi’s face softened as he scratched Nibbler under the chin. “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Silence descended, and it was blissful. Eventually, Levi murmured, “I wonder what Mr. Meow will think of Nibbler? I think he’d like to have a little sister.” Mr. Meow was Levi’s cat, and we hadn’t been able to bring ourselves to re-home him—he now resided in Hell HQ with us. The ache in my chest had finally gone, thanks to the man by my side and the two fur b
abies that were now an intrinsic part of our lives.

  Chapter Eight

  “Lucy. Levi.” Dacian stood before us, blue eyes sparkling. He looked good. His new role as God’s right-hand man suited him.

  “Thanks for coming. You know about Keres?” I asked.

  Dacian inclined his head. “We do.”

  “I suggest we join forces to sort this mess out. I’m pretty sure it’s Lilith opening the doors.” I took a seat at my desk. Following my lead, Levi sat in the chair opposite me while Dacian took the other.

  “Agreed. It seems logical now that your father has been found that she’s putting her plan into fruition.”

  “Is that why she waited, do you think? She’s had thousands of years to destroy the Earth if she wanted to. Why wait until now?”

  Dacian rubbed at the back of his neck. “Well, it’s no fun if your dad isn’t around to see her do it. Her ultimate goal is to bring him pain. Destroying his creations is a sure-fire way to do that.”

  “And yet Dad isn’t here? Doesn’t he want to stop her?” I probed, concerned that my father still hadn’t put in an appearance.

  “Your father is…” Dacian paused, considering his words.

  “What?” I snapped. “He’s what? Too busy?”

  “Weak. He’s too weak. He pushed himself hard repairing the damage and neglect your brothers inflicted on Heaven.”

  I sat in stunned silence. Dad had almost killed me when he drained my magic to save himself. The last time I’d seen him, he’d looked good. Fully restored and strong. To hear that wasn’t the case was a shock. And as much as I hated it, it made sense that Heaven needed his attention first—it was his realm after all. Earth and Hell would have to wait.

  “If Lilith knew this…” Levi looked from Dacian to me and back again.

  “There is a lot Lilith doesn’t know, and we need to keep it that way,” Dacian said, a new air of authority ringing in his voice.

  I smiled. Now that he was no longer under the control of my brothers, Michael and Gabriel, Dacian was doing what he did best. He was a warrior. A soldier. He had this and was confident we’d bring Lilith down and stop the Apocalypse.