Blood In The Stars

by Jennifer Shea

  Miller’s lips drew into a thin line. “You want to summon the Demon King. Here.” He blinked as if confused.

  Daria hid a smile. Miller had a way of making people feel stupid with one glance, and his current expression belittled Damien to less than nothing.

  Damien waved his hands toward the center of the room. “Set it up for me. If you don’t let my father come to me, then let me go to him.”

  “You could arrange some crystals here,” Jason suggested. “Or at least open a channel to put Damien’s mind at ease.”

  Miller narrowed his eyes. “I will not allow the Demon King to enter this house. This is a stronghold for the House of Witches.”

  At Damien’s glower, Miller sighed in acquiescence. “I can open a channel but you need to give me something to enable the connection.”

  Damien shoved the note at Miller. “Here.”

  Miller frowned and took the letter. He filled a large pot with water, set it on the stove, and turned on the heat.

  “What are we waiting for?” Daria whispered to Jason.

  “For the water to boil.”

  Oh. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that? She rolled her eyes in annoyance at the obvious and Jason just smiled.

  While they waited, Damien impatiently hopped from one foot to another. As the water in the pot started to roil and churn, Miller pulled out jars from his kitchen cabinets. Daria guessed they were spices, but nothing she had ever seen—scraggly twigs, dried, brown things in the shape of a frog, and a blackened circular disc. She didn’t want to know. She’d rather pretend they were put in to flavor the ‘soup,’ and just hoped no one would make her drink it.

  Miller threw in the letter, one each of the weird things in the jars, and then a dash of some kind of pink crystalline powder. A small puff of smoke rose from the pot and Miller waved Damien forward. “See if you can find him.”

  Damien shouted into the pot, “Father! It’s me, Damien. Can you hear me?”

  From where she stood, Daria saw nothing, but she very clearly heard a voice. “Where are you?” It came from far away as though at the end of a large cavern. Hollow and a tad faint.

  “I’m with the other sons,” Damien replied. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. Everyone’s fine. You got my letter, then?”

  Damien visibly relaxed and for the briefest moment, the smooth-talking demon revealed a great vulnerability. Though he had stood against the attackers with bravado, he worried for his father’s safety.

  “Who was it?” Damien asked through clenched teeth.

  Daria heard nothing but static in response.

  “Father?” Damien cried, desperation leaking into his voice.

  “We’re fine. Take care of things on your end first. And watch your back.”

  Then nothing. Damien leaned away from the pot. The blood had drained from his face.

  Jason placed his hand on Damien’s shoulder. “Get some rest. We’ll discuss it in the morning to see how we can help.”

  Damien vacillated, opening his mouth only to close it. After a few seconds, he nodded reluctantly.

  Miller offered to show them to their rooms and provide a change of clothes. Daria smiled at him gratefully. In their rush to escape, she didn’t have anything and she wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower in the morning and put on something clean and fresh.

  As she followed Miller out, she saw Alastor stop Jason from leaving. What could Alastor need to talk to Jason about?

  “Jason.”

  He froze, trying not to let the cringe show. But like a good little brother, he turned around to face Alastor.

  “Perhaps we can talk in private before you head to your room?”

  “Sure.”

  Alastor hadn’t said anything too derisive since his arrival at Miller’s house. It was out of character. Jason expected his brother would goad him more, stabbing into a gaping wound and turning until the screw cracked; that was his style. Always had been. Alastor without the usual insults worried him more. What was his brother up to?

  Alastor smiled at him. “Good. We can talk here.”

  They waited for the others to clear out of the kitchen. Alastor settled on a barstool and waited for Jason to do the same.

  He wondered if Alastor filtered through his vocabulary, trying to find the most scathing words possible to express his disappointment. He had already seen it in Alastor’s face. He didn’t need to hear it, too.

  “Would you have done it today? If I hadn’t shown up, would you have saved Damien and killed those demons? Or later with the water sprites, would you have stepped outside?”

  Jason didn’t reply at first, mulling over the events of the night. He could have changed into his true form to face Balthazar. When he went out to help Damien, he could have rushed into the fray instead of letting Alastor do the dirty work. And with the water sprites, he could have stayed outside to fight instead of hiding behind Miller’s gates with everyone else. Better yet, he could have gone back out. All those ‘could haves,’ but in the end, he hadn’t.

  Yet that didn’t change his resolve. He had made a decision to do whatever necessary to protect Daria. And if that meant taking another life, so be it.

  “Yes, I would have,” Jason admitted.

  “For her.” Alastor stared at him with what could only be described as shock. “You, who have never dirtied your hands, would do it all for her?”

  “But I didn’t, right? I didn’t end up doing it.”

  Suddenly, Alastor stood, his face somber and his eyes hard. “But it’s good to know that you would. That you’re capable of it, Jason. Never forget who you are. We are the children of Lucifer. Fallen angels. No matter how much you want to keep your hands clean, you can’t. They were born tainted.”

  “But they aren’t tainted with the blood of my family,” Jason whispered.

  Alastor tilted his head. “Touché.”

  “Why do you keep forcing me?” Jason asked tiredly. “I don’t want to kill you.”

  He had never wanted to rule the House of Fallen Angels. Alastor was the oldest and Jason had always been content to live out his days as the youngest, disfavored son. Even now.

  Alastor narrowed his eyes. “That’s why what you want is out of the equation. It’s what must be done if you wish to marry her.” He paused. “If you stood in my way, Jason, I would not hesitate to cut you down. Remember that lesson well. That’s what Father did when he rebelled in Heaven. There is always a price to get what you want.” With that, Alastor left Jason to his solitude.

  Will the price be our lives? Jason couldn’t suppress the despairing thought. He had to find another way. For all that he and his brother no longer acted like family, it didn’t change the fact they were. That alone would always stay his hand.

  Miller came back not long after and showed Jason to a room downstairs. It had a queen-sized bed and its own bathroom. Silently, he handed Jason a few items of clothing, all designer labels as befitted Miller’s station in life.

  As the witch turned to leave, Jason called out, “Wait.” At the look on Miller’s face, the scrunched brows and downturned lips, it was obvious Miller suspected what Jason would ask.

  “About what I said earlier,” Jason leaned close and whispered almost soundlessly, “Show me how to lower the shield.”

  Miller’s big eyes flared even larger and he stared incredulously at Jason. He shook his head. “That’s what you meant about the marriage? You want to leave?”

  “The marriage must be sanctioned. You must let us out.”

  “It’s a secret of our House. You can’t expect me to share that.”

  “Then give me the code to the gate,” Jason argued.

  Miller stepped back as though afraid of what Jason might do to gain the secret. “It’s on a ro
tating basis through a security company that my House owns. I don’t even know what the code is until I need to use it.”

  Jason blew out a frustrated breath. He had heard about such measures for company IT secrets but had no idea the witches employed the same devices.

  “Even if I give you the code, who would possibly preside over the marriage? You need me,” Miller added.

  “If you know I need you, then you should help me. The House of Witches has always protected the auspicious ones.”

  The marriage had complications. Jason knew that. Sanctioning was one thing. Finding someone with the ability to preside over the marriage and act as a witness was quite another. Miller was the only one he knew who could fulfill both duties.

  He tried another tactic. “We love each other.”

  Miller took another step back, creating a larger distance between them. “I know. It’s obvious. I’m rooting for you guys, it’s just . . .” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. After a long silence, he said, “I’ll think about it. You should get some rest.”

  Fine. Forget about the code. Jason didn’t want it anyway. He wanted the secret to disengage the force field. Something needed to be moved. He just needed to figure out what.

  Tomorrow, he’d take a stroll in the garden and investigate further.

  Tomorrow was Daria’s maturation date. And tomorrow, the world would descend for her flesh and blood.

  He had to find the exit. When he did, he’d take Miller with them.

  Chapter 19

  Daria yawned and trudged down the long hallway. She had intended to find Jason after everyone went to bed, but once she had gotten to her room, the comfortable mattress beckoned to her. The day had been hell and she welcomed sleep with open arms. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she passed out.

  For the next four hours, she slept like a dead woman. Then at six sharp, her eyes shot open. Rays of dazzling sunlight spread across the lake and speared through the large windows of her room. She’d forgotten to close the curtains and once awake, she found she couldn’t fall asleep again. After showering, she put on a shirt and shorts that Miller claimed had shrunk in the wash.

  As soon as she descended the stairs, she noticed someone standing at the base. Daria hesitated, not ready for a confrontation this early in the morning, but it was too late to retreat upstairs.

  Stifling the sigh that threatened to rise from her throat, Daria tried to be cheery in her greeting. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” Lucifer replied.

  He still wore the same clothes as yesterday but managed to appear refreshed. She wondered if he had slept at all. Or maybe he didn’t need sleep.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. Can we talk in the solarium?”

  He asked politely, but she didn’t think refusing was really an option. Normally, she loved talking to people’s parents. Old people loved her. She knew exactly how to charm them. This man was an entirely different story.

  Lucifer wasn’t old. Not in appearance, at least. She also had no idea how to ingratiate herself. Nor was she sure if she wanted to.

  There was no doubt in her mind that Jason’s father disliked her. It was written all over his face. She could easily recall the way his cold eyes had raked over her as he killed the sprites. In fact, she wasn’t even sure Lucifer liked Jason much, either. Naturally, he wouldn’t care for the future daughter-in-law.

  Lucifer led her down the hall and when they turned the corner, Daria saw Miller’s sunroom for the first time. Light flooded in from four sides with the glass walls arching into a partial glass ceiling. Bamboo chairs and tables faced the lake.

  Lucifer motioned for her to sit and she obeyed. They didn’t say anything at first and Daria kept glancing at Jason’s father. She still couldn’t quite believe that she was sitting in the same room as the one-and-only Lucifer. Was he really the brightest star that fell? Whatever the story might be, she wished she had paid more attention in her religion classes.

  “I’m nothing like the stories humans tell,” Lucifer began, obviously reading her mind yet again. “The Bible tells you nothing of our chains.” He pushed back his sleeves and revealed the same black wristbands that his children had. “I just didn’t like how things were being done up there,” he added with a shrug. “That’s all.”

  The shrug seemed to dismiss the banishment from Heaven as if it were just another disagreement, a small snafu. Next, was he going to tell her there wasn’t a God?

  “Oh, there’s definitely something ruling up there. Though it might not be what you think.”

  “Please stop doing that!” The words burst out before she even realized. Daria stiffened and flinched, preparing for punishment and retribution from him.

  But it never came. Instead, he smiled and nodded. “Sorry. I forget sometimes. My wife hates it.”

  It wasn’t what she expected him to say but it put her mind at ease. Maybe Lucifer could be normal when he wanted to be.

  The chair creaked when he leaned back. The eyes that assessed her weren’t warm, but not quite unkind, either. She didn’t know what ran through his mind, but she knew he was sizing her up. He tilted his head and his brow crinkled in confusion. In that one small movement, he appeared heartbreakingly young.

  It reminded her of Jason.

  “You love him.” The comment startled her. Perhaps Luke had read her mind again. She nodded.

  “Why?”

  Could love be explained through simple words? She didn’t even know when she had fallen in love with Jason. Already they had gone through several life and death situations during their brief acquaintance. Always, Jason had stayed by her side and protected her. And she trusted he would be there in her time of need.

  For years, she had depended on no one. Yet once she had Jason to rely on, she realized she didn’t always have to act strong. She could lean on others. Jason made her feel safe.

  Security alone didn’t bring about her love. It had grown through his tender attention, his gentle smiles, and his warm embraces. She plain liked the guy. His jokes made her laugh and the thought of him always brought a smile to her lips. He awakened places in her heart that she had long kept locked.

  He brought out the best and worst in her. And she didn’t have to hide anything from him. She could be her true self.

  She tried to make Lucifer understand her feelings. “I used to have this . . . emptiness in my heart. But it’s gone when I’m with Jason.”

  “You could have that with any man.”

  Daria nodded slowly. “Maybe. But when I’m with Jason, I know everything will be all right. That he’ll take care of me.” She smiled, staring out beyond the windows. “He accepts me for who I am. And I accept him.”

  “But he won’t dirty his hands to protect you. How can you love a man like that?” Luke leaned forward in his chair, a broad smile growing on his lips. “My son has never killed anything in his life. That is why he retains a power that none of us have. He can heal.”

  Pride should have lined Luke’s voice, but Daria heard only disgust.

  “I see nothing wrong with Jason’s choices or feeling pride in them. I don’t want Jason to change his beliefs for me. He has never killed, but you make it sound like a personality defect.”

  Luke frowned and narrowed his eyes. An involuntary shiver crawled under her skin. She would not let this man intimidate her. She’d look him in the eye and speak her mind as she always had.

  “You don’t seem to like Jason very much. Why?”

  Surprise flashed across his face but he hid it just as quickly. Still, Daria was secretly delighted to catch him off guard.

  “Why would you say that?” he asked.

  Daria shrugged. “It’s the way you look at him.”

  “I love my children,” Luke whispered. “But only angels ha
ve the power to heal the wounded. Jason has always been less ‘fallen’ and more ‘angel’ than his brother.”

  He stood suddenly and stretched his arms. Daria got the distinct impression that he was trying to make a quick escape.

  Not yet.

  To stall him she queried, “Is that why you like Alastor better?”

  “I never said that. Alastor has accepted who he is, who we all are. Jason, on the other hand, has never fit in with the family. If he had a choice, I’m sure he would fly up to Heaven and join his uncles.” Then Lucifer gave her a knowing glance. “But if Jason were an angel, he would never be able to see you again.”

  The words left her nauseous. Jason wouldn’t leave her for a place in Heaven.

  “Did I strike a chord, perhaps?” Lucifer asked with a low chuckle. “It doesn’t matter if Jason kills someone, you understand. Specifically, he must kill Alastor.”

  How could he say that? She refused to believe any father wanted his children to war with one another. Yet here he sat, Jason’s father—affirming this horrific idea.

  “Jason loves me. He’ll stay with me,” she protested.

  Lucifer snarled, “My son has the potential to far surpass me in power. His innate abilities could make him the most powerful in the realm. No one would dare question his rule.”

  “Then isn’t it better to sanction our marriage?” she whispered. “He could rule the realm with the auspicious one.”

  “Just how auspicious are you, I wonder?” With a disturbing little smile, he said, “Happy birthday, Daria.”

  Daria started. My birthday! And her date of maturation. These promised, awe-inspiring powers for her to defend herself and her loved ones . . . where were they?

  “Do you feel different?”

  Did she? Daria stared down at her hands, as though expecting the strange sparks that Jason had. Nothing there. She lacked energy but that probably came from not getting enough sleep.