by Maya Daniels
“He is not a jinn, I assure you.” Arrogance oozes out of Lucifer when he looks at me with annoyance. “He is acting strange because of meeting with me after so long I would assume.” Giving Eric a flick of his eyes, he leans back on the sofa he is occupying. “We didn’t leave things on good terms last time we were in the same room.” Pointedly, he looks at the glass case with the wings.
A chasm opens in my gut.
“Whose wings are those?” Dread makes my question sound timid.
If I weren’t watching Lucifer so intently, I would’ve missed the guilt flashing fast in his eyes, and the slight downward curl of his lips. The tension in the air around us reaches whole new levels, making it a chore to drag a lungful of oxygen in.
“Mine.”
For the first time since we dropped in this hole of a place, I feel Eric’s emotions like they are my own. Pain, not physical, more profound than even emotional scarring, stabs me in the center of my chest, leaving me breathless.
“Bullshit.” Blurting the first thing that comes to mind, the anger spikes up inside me. “No, they are not.”
Eric stiffens, closing my mouth faster than if he placed his hand on it. Swallowing everything else I wanted to say, I make sure he sees that he has a shit ton of explaining to do. Lucifer watches us both through narrowed eyes like he can read the unspoken conversation. Pedaling back to remove the foot from my mouth, I look away from monster boy.
“I’m sure he would’ve told me if he had wings.” Act stupid Hel, I tell myself while blinking at Lucifer.
“I have made mistakes in my anger.” Murmuring, Lucifer turns his full focus on Eric. “You always did have a talent for bringing the worst out in me.”
“Says every psycho to those they hurt.” The ground under my feet trembles violently in beat with my anger.
Lucifer opens his mouth, turning to me with fury burning in his gaze. The door bangs loudly open a moment before small hands latch around my leg. Acting on impulse, I grab a handful of hair, snatching whatever it is that attached itself to me and swinging my right leg, kicking it like a ball aiming at the fireplace. Something small flies right in the center of the fire.
Whatever it was that Lucifer was about to say turns into a deep belly laugh. A shriek makes my ears bleed, and I stumble back, covering them. The Trowe jumps out of the fire rolling around, shrieking while doing his best not to burn alive. Panic compresses my chest, and I slide the dagger to the small of my back. Grabbing the first thing I can think of, the pretty rug in front of the fireplace, I start pelting him with it. The harsh scent of burning hair and roasted skin rolls my stomach, but I keep hitting him with the rug until the flames are no longer covering him. The burning stops but the laughter continues. Even Eric is laughing, the asshole.
“Not funny!” My snapping only makes them laugh harder, so I turn to the Trowe. “What were you thinking? I told you touching me like that can get you killed!”
“Sorry mistress.” The creature rasps miserably, blisters, and charred skin smoking around him. My gut clenches at the sight.
“Eric, when you have a moment to stop laughing, will you help him?” Glaring, I point a finger at the creature. “Like for example, now.”
“He’ll be fine.” Chuckling, he bites on his lips, but his shoulders keep shaking, pissing me off.
“He is not fine!” Doing my best not to look at the Trowe, I slam my fists on my hips. “I see you’ve healed nicely. I almost killed my sidekick. Do something.”
“Sidekick?” Lucifer asks, arching an eyebrow and finally not laughing his ass off.
“Yeah, well, I don’t see any of you jumping to do everything I ask, now do I? Will you help him?”
I don’t ask if he can. I know he can.
With his calculating gaze locked on me, Lucifer twirls his fingers, sending tendrils of darkness at the Trowe. I keep watching his face, not willing to see what he is doing. As long as he fixes the result of my kneejerk reaction, I’m good with whatever it is. The relief I hear when the Trowe sighs forces me to turn to the creature. He is sprawled like a starfish in all his ugly glory on the floor. No sight of burned skin or hair is visible, releasing the pressure in my chest.
“Thank you.” I keep staring at the creature, uncomfortable with thanking Lucifer.
“I must admit, if I knew how entertaining my day would become, I would’ve come sooner.” The booming voice coming from the doorway has me clutching the dagger in my hand again.
The newcomer leaning his shoulder on the doorframe can only be described as a mountain of a man. Where Lucifer looks like a lean, mean, killing machine, this guy can definitely pick things up, put them down, all while picking his white sparkling teeth with one of the ancient tree trunks we used for cover before we got here. Where the ruler of Hell oozes sophistication and elegance, brute force watches me from the doorway with curiosity.
Easily at seven feet, muscled arms with biceps as wide as my waist are crossed over his broad chest. The fabric of the black t-shirt is stretched within an inch of its life on his torso. Black Sabbath is written in blood-red letters with a silhouette of a demoness sitting at the center of his pecks. Multipocketed tactical gear pants wrap around muscled legs, ending with shitkickers on his large feet. Tattoos cover his bare arms and peek from the collar of his t-shirt towards his neck. His military hair cut makes his pretty features harsher, moving him from handsome to hot as fuck. Only the red eyes glittering with amusement at my perusal can warn an unsuspecting person of the danger that surrounds this guy like a second skin.
My mouth dries up like the Sahara Desert.
“Beelzebub,” the damn Trowe says excitedly, making me flinch. I almost kick him back in the fire for forcing me to react and show weakness in front of everyone here. Stupid creature.
“Narsi.” Beelzebub grins at my sidekick. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“It has a name?” Gaping at the Trowe, I blink fast. “You have a name?”
“Of course, it has a name,” Lucifer says patronizingly making me bristle.
“Excuse the fuck out of me for not stopping to ask while I’m running away from Archangels trying to kill me and dropping in Hell like it’s the newest hot spot for tourists.”
Lucifer frowns disapprovingly at me while Eric and Beelzebub turn red in the face, their shoulders twitching from suppressed laughter. The anger that has been bubbling inside me and keeps pushing to the surface takes that opportunity to hit a new high, shaking the entire monstrosity of a building like it’s been hit by a rocket launcher. Eric is off the sofa, wrapping his arms around me before I can register what just happened.
“Hel, I’m here. Just breathe.” Pressing my face to his chest, he holds me tight.
The scent of his skin fills my nostrils, clearing my head. Circling his trim waist, I hold onto him to ground myself and pull away from the blinding emotion that made me see everything bathed in red. Beelzebub whistles low.
“What is happening to me, Eric?” p=Pressing closer to him, I do my best to hide how freaked out I am.
My entire body is trembling, muscles twitching under Eric’s arms. If he notices, he doesn’t say a word. He just holds me in the circle of his arms, lending me strength. It’s moments like this that allow me to forgive him everything when he is a jerk.
“Her blood is adjusting to the powers she inherited from Satanael.” Lucifer takes on the condescending tone I heard a few times already. “It’ll pass.” He dismisses my torment, nonchalantly.
“I should’ve known it’s Satanael’s daughter.” Beelzebub finally peels himself off the doorframe and saunters in the room.
“We have other pressing matters.” Turning away from us, Lucifer looks at Beelzebub. “Mammon is using jinn.”
“What?” Stumbling, Beelzebub gawks at all of us in turn. “How? Where did you hear this? That’s impossible!”
“It’s why I summoned you.” Lifting up, Lucifer faces the other fallen. “We need to speak to Abaddon. If I go myself, I will destroy
him before I hear what he has to say for himself. His name is mentioned more than I like in this mess.”
“I thought Lilith was in charge of him.” Everyone turns to me. “What? Maddison said he was given to her by her mother.” Shrugging a shoulder, I turn to look at the Trowe, so I don’t squirm under their penetrating gazes.
“I will not involve Lilith unless I must. She has too much pent-up aggression when it comes to Mammon. Before we set him in her sights, we need to figure out what he has been plotting.” Lucifer and Beelzebub grin knowingly at each other like high school boys.
“Weirdos!” Mumbling, I raise both eyebrows at Eric.
His lips curl up slightly, and he winks at me. Butterflies unfurl in my belly when I become aware of his skin surrounding me. His nostrils flare and hunger burns in his gaze, the amber eating up the green color of his eyes. I’m mortified when Lucifer and Beelzebub inhale loudly as well. With my face turning all shades of red, I clear my throat.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go find Abaddon. I really don’t want to be here longer than I must.”
“We are waiting for Leviathan.” A knowing smile graces Lucifer’s lips, and I wish the ground will split open again to swallow me whole.
“Your messenger boy sucks, dude.”
I should’ve known that as soon as I say that Colt will show up at the door. Baring my teeth at him in the resemblance of a smile only makes him glare more. Eric snorts, smirking at his brother, so I stomp on his foot. A displeased growl rumbles his chest while Lucifer shakes his head at us like we are misbehaving children.
“He said to meet him at the gates.” Turning away from us, Colt addresses his father. “We have incoming in less than thirty minutes.” We all straighten up at that. “A horde is headed our way.” Flicking his gaze at me, his lips thin out. “They know the girl is here.”
“Damn it!” Groaning, I thump my forehead off Eric’s chest.
Eric
Thinking I can get Helena out of here before something like this happens is too optimistic on my part. I like it when I’m a step ahead of a situation, but ever since the she-devil stormed my life, I’ve been acting on impulse instead of calculated decisions. Her life is spiraling out of control, and I’m hurled along with it. The consequences could be dire for both of us if I don’t get my shit together.
“How bad is it?” Helena looks at me when my father, Colt, and Beelzebub storm out of the room.
“He has an army stashed in this place at his disposal.” Grabbing her face between my palms, I take advantage of the moment we have alone to press my lips to hers. “No one will hurt you, Hel.”
“While we have a chance”—Pulling away from me, she glances at the fireplace—“wanna explain how your wings ended up in two places at once?”
Inhaling deeply, I look at them as well. “I don’t have an answer, Hel. On this one, I’m just as lost as you.” Subconsciously, I roll my shoulders, testing the feeling in case I imagined it. The weighted pressure indicating my folded hidden wings assures me it wasn’t a dream. “I never thought I’d feel them again after my father removed them.”
“You don’t want him to know that you have them back.” It’s not a question.
“I don’t want him knowing what lead to me having them back. There is a difference.” Grabbing her by the shoulders, I force her to look at me. “No matter how accommodating or helpful they all are. My father, Raphael, whoever it may be. They all have their own agendas, and I’ll be damned if I let them use you as a pawn for their schemes.”
“Thank you.” Lifting on her tiptoes, she pecks my lips, “I can’t say I’m happy to be here, but at least he is more forthcoming with information. The Holy assess are tightlipped. We know a lot more so we can be ready for whatever comes.”
“If he is willing to share, he expects to gain something from it.” Taking her hand, I lead us out of the room. “We better get moving so we can hear everything they say.”
“Paranoid much?” Snickering, she follows without question. My chest feels tight at the trust she is giving me. “I thought that was my job to be suspicious of everyone.”
“When it comes to you, I’m suspicious even of myself.” Twisting us through the hallways, I watch her from the corner of my eye. “I’m not taking chances.”
Nodding, Helena doesn’t lift her head as she scans the little fires illuminating the floors. The scattering of feet announces the Haltija we left sprawled on the floor catching up to us. After almost burning to death, he makes sure she can hear him move now. Biting the inside of my mouth so I don’t smile, I watch him shuffle around us like a dog on all fours.
Oppressing thoughts try to push me to my knees, memories of this place that I’ve buried so deep I thought they’d never find their way to torment me again. The air starts burning my lungs, the stench of sweat and blood so vivid I glance at my arms to make sure I’m not bleeding. My father’s voice booms in my ears, “Get up you pathetic shit. You are my blood, you never kneel.”
Claws push from my fingertips, alerting Helena of my mental state. Grinding my teeth, I force them back, not daring to look at her. If I see disgust or fear in her expressive eyes, it’ll gut me. Or even worse, pity. Lengthening my stride, I almost run out of the front door. After the warm fresh air blasts my face, I become aware that Helena didn’t say a word.
She didn’t demand to know what’s going on, nor did she stop asking what’s up my ass. She is still clutching my hand, her tiny fingers digging in my skin. I don’t deserve her understanding, compassion, or loyalty. I want it and will hold onto it till my last breath, but I don’t deserve it.
I don’t deserve her.
“How good of you to join us,” Colt snarls at me.
“How about you mind your damn business dumbass, before I knock your ass over again, huh?” I’ve never heard Helena growl like a beast before. Even my father and Beelzebub turn to her in shock.
“You have women fighting your battles now?” Colt snarls at me but takes a step back from her with his arms lifted at his sides.
“Are we sure he is not a jinn?” Helena glances at me. “I can stick the pointy bit of my dagger right between his eyes just to make sure.”
“Colt is suffering from personal inadequacy, I’m afraid.” Pulling her back, I give him a glare. “We have other problems to deal with. He can handle his own.”
“We should keep the girl inside.” As soon as Beelzebub turns to my father, I tighten my hold on Helena.
“The girl is right here, you ass, and you can talk to her directly.” Yanking her arm, she does her best to dislodge me. Launching herself at Beelzebub, I manage to snatch her by the waist before she gets too far. “No one is keeping me anywhere.”
“All of you act like you’ve never dealt with a female in your existence.” Frustrated that they keep on angering her, she almost slips away.
“And you became an expert when exactly?” Beelzebub turns to me incredulously.
“When I shot him in the ass.” Helena grins proudly. “Well, in his upper thigh, but it was close.”
With a groan, I keep her from stabbing anyone while the three of them laugh. Even the damn Haltija is chuckling, sounding deranged. I almost crush her arms when her body goes slack, and she stops struggling. Expecting Mammon’s lackeys to already be within sight, I turn to face them, pushing her behind me.
“Holy shit!” Helena blurts, and grabbing my hand, she drags me towards the front doors. “That’s a jinn?” Her eyes are too large on her face, and she puts more speed into her movements. “Get inside, all of you. That thing messes with your head.”
Confused at her panic, I let her pull me along, turning to look over my shoulder. When I see what has her concerned, I wish this day will end so I can have a fresh start to make things right. The smirk on my father’s face makes me want to punch him.
“Hel, stop.” Pulling her back, I prevent her from going further. “It’s not a jinn.”
“It’s that dragon thing, Eric.” Snapping, sh
e tries to hide the hurt, but I see it clearly. “I have no desire to feel like my skin is melting off my bones.” Flinching, she scrunches up her button nose at the Trowe. “Sorry.”
“What is she talking about?” Of course my father will want to get involved with this.
“Yes, Eric. Do tell. What is she talking about?” Colt, not wanting to miss an opportunity to piss me off, looks triumphant.
“I had no intention of coming here.” Pushing the words through clenched teeth, I don’t dare to look at Helena. “If I had it my way, we would’ve been back in the human realm while the rest of you stayed oblivious of our presence here. I didn't think when we passed through the portal that we’d end up so close to the palace. It must’ve triggered the wards because we were almost spotted a few minutes after stepping foot through the gate.”
“I see.” My father’s face slips into the mask of indifference he shows to everyone. I’ve known him long enough to be able to see the disappointment and anger burning bright in his gaze. “You used the girl to hide your presence.” One sharp nod is all I can give.
The ground rocks when the black dragon drops in the courtyard. Obsidian scales glimmer in the moonlight, the long neck swiveling side to side until the head tilts sideways and a vertical yellow pupil shrinks and expands, taking us in. Helena steps next to me, taking my hand in her sweat-sleeked palm. Guilt eats a hole in my gut for adding to her anxiety.
“If it starts messing with my head, I’m going to charge and stab the shit out of it.” Murmuring under her breath, she doesn’t look my way.
The dragon chuckles.
A sound, like rolling rocks down a hillside, vibrates the ground and I feel it through my feet. When the head lowers at eye level, Helena stiffens. Blowing out a breath, I rub my face with my hand roughly.