by Ivy Asher
A huge smile crawls across my face as I examine what I’m feeling. “I’m happy,” I announce like the big deal it is. “I mean, I’ve had fleeting moments of happiness or enjoyment. But this, this feels...epic. It feels like something I can keep if I want to, like it’s mine.”
Toreon’s eyes soften and fill with emotion as he steps up and cradles my face. “It is yours, Sable. Forever. You should’ve always had it, but we’ll make sure you keep it now.”
His golden eyes burn into mine, and I stroke his cheek with my fingers before pulling his lips to mine. I kiss him slowly, savoring the promise I can still taste on his lips. Loving him for offering it to me.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his mouth as he pulls away.
“No, thank you, Sable. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have anything, including the happiness I feel every second I’m with you,” he confesses.
I kiss him hard, our mouths making words unnecessary, because I can feel it all in our kiss. Toreon pulls away, offering me one more peck before he steps back.
Vudu steps in front of me and drops his eyes so that they’re level with mine. “You are the best gift we didn’t know to even ask for. You are my happy.”
I nearly melt right then and there.
He kisses me softly, confirming his every word before pulling away. I work to blink back the emotion that stings my eyes as I smile at my mates. “I’m so glad I failed at seducing you tonight,” I say with a smile.
The guys chuckle. “I wouldn’t call it a fail. When you flipped over, we got to see your panties. That’s a win in my book,” Toreon teases.
“Yep,” Vudu agrees. “Now, let’s join this party and then leave as soon as possible, because I’m ready to have more time making you moan,” he announces as he pulls me forward and we continue down the rest of the stairs.
“You know...” I start, ready to flirt some more about our approaching night together, but shouting voices stop me mid-sentence.
We all go quiet, trying to figure out what’s going on, but whatever is being said is too muffled for me to make it out. Vudu looks at me and Toreon. I guess things were more tense than I thought. I just figured Taz said something that pissed Medley and Delta off, but this sounds like way more than that.
“Are you fucking kidding?” This voice rings out clear as day, and it’s Delta who’s shouting it. I lose all pretense of walking calmly into the festivities and instead barrel through the door of the dining room and straight into the melee.
“Not only are you insulting my mates, which I promise you, Sin or not, you do not want to do, but if you think I’d ever let you near our children, you’ve lost your fucking mind,” Delta growls at Envy and Gluttony, who look back at her just as pissed.
I stop in my tracks at that declaration just as the door slams behind us and everyone in the dining room turns to us.
“Are you pregnant?” I blurt out to Delta, completely shocked by her statement.
She frowns at me. “What? No.” She waves me toward her where she’s sitting down at the long formal dining room table. “But these Abdicated assholes seem to think that we should start breeding a new crop of Annuli and be beholden to them and anyone else in Hell who may have need of their services.”
I turn a shocked gaze over to the two Sins in question.
“We said nothing of the sort,” Envy snaps, her dark brown hair pulled up at the top of her head. “We said the numbers need to be replenished for the sake of balance, and you three have a duty to Hell.”
“We have a duty to no one, thank you very much,” Medley interjects. “We aren’t bound to Hell or to Heaven, we’re neutral by blood and by nature. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”
I step between my sisters, resting my hands on the backs of their chairs. “It’s not like you’ve protected the Annuli that came before us. So you should think long and hard before you go claiming things that don’t belong to you. Maybe look at the reasons why Annuli and Gatekeepers have been forced into hiding in the first place. If you’re concerned about the numbers and balance, then you should make sure people like Morax can never get to us again,” I interject.
“Oh, Morax was a one-off,” Lust defends, dismissing me as she flips her red hair behind her shoulder.
“A one-off that almost decimated all of Hell,” Delta argues.
“We had that well in hand, as you can see,” Avarice counters, the bracelets on his arms clinking together as he waves her off.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Delta shouts again while her mates sitting in a row to her left stiffen on her behalf. “You call what happened to my sisters and me, and all the demons Morax killed, having it well in hand? Are you fucking delusional?”
I snort and shake my head at them. “No wonder our kind has been practically wiped out. You idiots think you have it all under control.”
“Watch your mouth, pup,” Acedia says with a narrowing of his eyes, even as he’s slumped back against the chair, ash-colored wings plumped behind him. I feel Vudu take a growling step forward at my side, his muscles bunching.
“Or what?” Medley challenges, sitting back in her seat. Her inactivated scythe flashes into her hand, and the Sins gasp, chairs screeching back in alarm.
“How dare you threaten a Sin of Hell!” Lust screams like a banshee, making her already flushed skin go even redder, her outraged eyes snapping to Lucifer sitting at the head of the table, demanding that he do something.
The Devil just sits back, his fingers steepled, his light blue eyes taking everything in.
“I promise, sweetheart, if I was threatenin’ you, you’d be a pile of ash right now,” Medley purrs darkly, so at war with her pretty dress and sweet voice. “Oh, and the next time you reach over and touch my mate, I’m gonna mess up that pretty little face you like to hide behind,” she adds saccharine sweet, and I shoot Lust a glare.
She better not be disrespecting Medley like that.
“Pride, I think it’s time you put your progeny in check,” Envy announces, her driftwood wings twitching in agitation.
“I disagree,” Taz replies simply, and Delta’s eyes flash over to him with surprise. “I think my girls make some very good points, and maybe if you weren’t so stuck in your ways, you’d see that. This isn’t the old days where we crushed rebellion under the heel of our boot because it was all but a tiny ember. Morax and the unrest he stirred up almost burnt everything we built to the ground. And we didn’t even know he was a threat until he had us by the throat.”
The other Sins go quiet, some of them looking on contemplatively and some seemingly stewing in anger. My eyes land on Ire’s bright blue gaze, and he stares at me for a moment, his body tense, like he’s anticipating that things are going to escalate.
“Tazreel is right,” Wrath declares from beside Ire, her strong voice cutting through the weighted silence like a knife. “We haven’t done enough. We’ve become too comfortable in our roles, too sure of our own immortality. This business with Morax serves to show us how quickly we could have lost it all.”
She looks to each of her fellow Sins, allowing her words to sink in.
“We shouldn’t be sitting here telling jokes about Gatekeeper or Annuli progeny or the best ways to breed and use them,” she scolds, and I feel Toreon and Vudu stiffen at the same time I do.
Is that what started all of this?
Disgust and anger roll through me. Is that how they see us? As commodities? I mean, I knew Morax did, but these are the founders of Hell. I expected so much more.
“Maybe Morax is dead, but the trouble he started may never have the same fate. We need to be vigilant. We need to find ways to protect the last of the Annuli and Gatekeepers. We cannot expect their children to bail us out of the next war that befalls us—and there will be a next one, there always is,” Wrath states. “Plus, not all of Morax’s followers died with him. There is still plenty of discord throughout the Rings.”
“We need to purge Hell of balance-traitors,” Gluttony states ar
ound a mouthful of food, his bald head shining.
“Trying to do that will probably just create more of them. We could put everyone to work, show them again what we do is important and that there is no other way,” Acedia offers before yawning.
“We need to do a lot of things,” Lucifer announces before reaching for his glass of demon spirits and taking a slow sip. “We need to learn, adapt, and plan, but none of those things will happen here at the dinner table, so I suggest we adjourn to the war room and we stay there until we’ve figured out a better way to protect all the citizens of Hell and the other realms with them.”
All of the Sins nod and push up from their chairs at his command. The rest of us watch quietly, unsure of what to say as the room empties out, leaving only my sisters, our mates, Taz and Satan behind.
“Well, this should be interesting,” Taz harrumphs, turning to Lucifer with exasperation.
The Devil waves him off. “It’s time. The last one was ages ago. We need an update on the way we do things,” Lucifer says before looking down the table with a devastating grin that’s almost too gorgeous to look at. “Medley, you’re my new favorite for the time being,” he announces with a wink before he pushes away from the table and gets up.
“Hey!” Delta and I both object at the same time, and he smirks as he fixes the cuffs of his shirt.
“Step up your game, girls. Wreak havoc. Show me what you’re capable of,” he says as he meanders to the door. “Medley called Lust sweetheart and threatened to scythe her. I almost pissed myself laughing.”
I look over at Delta and Medley, perplexed, because I didn’t even see him crack a smile let alone laugh when we were all arguing. I guess he has a great poker face.
“Let’s do this again soon, Taz. You and your progeny really do provide the best entertainment. Oh, and before I forget...” With a snap of his fingers, Lucifer suddenly shifts someone in right beside us.
My mother blinks around in surprise, and the Devil shoots a wicked smirk to Taz. “Finish your celebratory dinner with your progeny, it’s only right. Then join us in the war room,” he orders. “Enjoy,” he adds with a glint in his eye, and with that, the Devil walks out the door with a spring in his step.
Our parents watch each other warily, and Nefta’s nose wrinkles. “Hell smells horrible.”
Medley cocks her head. “Really? Huh. I think it smells divine. Must be a demon thing.”
“Don’t drink the demon spirits, you’ll probably hate that even worse,” Delta says as she takes a sip from her glass.
Nefta looks around, clearly uncomfortable. I take pity on her, because obviously, she just got shifted here without warning, and it’s got to be a little intimidating to be around the triplets you gave up and the ex-hookup that you can’t stand.
“Um, should we eat?” I say, not sure what else to do. I was more than ready for this whole dinner to be over, but now Nefta just got portaled here—whether she likes it or not—so maybe sitting down for a meal is the least we can do.
Tazreel clears his throat and then gestures toward the now empty table. “Of course, yes. Nefta, would you like to have a seat and join us for dinner?” he asks, and even though it comes out a little forced and a lot stiff, it’s the effort that counts.
She nods once and moves hesitantly to a chair that Tazreel pulls out for her beside him, while I move around the table to one of the empty seats across from my sisters. I plop down next to Ire while Toreon sits on my other side, and Vudu pulls out the chair beside him.
“So, how are things in Heaven?” Medley asks conversationally, as dishes start to get passed around and people fill up their plates.
Delta warned me about the weird food she was fed at her last dinner here in Hell, but everything on the table looks relatively normal, unless the noodles in the fettuccini are worms or something. Like a smart sister, I wait for Delta to take a bite of everything and swallow it down before I declare it safe and help myself.
“Things are good. News of Morax’s destruction was welcome. The Legion requested to meet with the three of you to say thank you for the services you provided Heaven, but I told them I’d get back to them about when you three would be available,” she tells us as she moves food around on her plate.
Her armor gleams in the candlelight, and I wonder if she ever takes it off figuratively, if she ever relaxes.
“They probably want to give you three medals,” she tells us, a small smile sneaking across her face before she hides it away.
Tazreel sits up a little straighter, pride beaming from him. “Naturally, they should be rewarded,” he declares. Our realms would have fallen if not for our daughters.”
“Very true,” Nefta agrees, and I swear, food falls out of Delta’s shocked open mouth as they agree with each other before they go back to moving food around their plates.
I watch as Nefta’s eyes flit between me, Medley, and Delta, and there’s so much uncertainty in her purple gaze that I can’t help but feel for her.
I think back on the words that I snapped at her the first time I ever met her, and I suddenly feel bad. Every word I spoke was true, but I think I was missing a big part of the picture that I most certainly understand better after the argument that just went on with the Sins. It may have sucked for me, but I can see that Nefta tried to do the best that she could. She hid us for a very valid reason.
“How come we couldn’t have stayed together?” I ask abruptly, and Nefta’s eyes dart to mine as the question hangs in the air.
Her gaze flashes with regret for a split second as she looks at me before clearing her throat. “You could have unknowingly broken the wards I had put on you,” she answers, and I think about the fact that Medley’s blood is what finally shattered the last of mine, and I nod in understanding.
“You know what I was wondering?” Delta begins. “If you wanted to hide us from demons and angels, why leave us so close to the portals of the Hellgate?”
At our sister’s question, Medley and I both look to Nefta curiously.
“It was a failsafe,” Nefta admits. “If anything ever happened to me, I wanted Tazreel to be able to find you to keep you protected. I had protocols in place to alert him,” she states, making Taz look slightly taken aback at her trust. “Plus, you all would’ve been naturally drawn to the portals anyway. It was better to keep you close to them in case you needed to flee into Hell.”
My sisters and I exchange a look, filled with surprise at Nefta’s forethought. Even though things didn’t quite work out the way she planned for us, hearing that she thought about ways to protect us even if something happened to her is comforting.
“I know how I come across, that it might seem like I’m unfeeling or that I didn’t care about abandoning you…” Nefta starts as she sits back in her chair and stares down at her hands for a moment before looking back up at me and my sisters. In this moment, she doesn’t look so much like a hardened Heavenly warrior. She looks like a female filled with regret.
“Life and experience hardened me more than I knew. I’m working on that,” she promises with a wry smile. “But I promise I was trying to give you the best life I could. I thought I had found families that would love you and protect you. I thought each of you would grow up treasured and happy, completely ignorant to the dangers that have always surrounded our kind. I don’t know how your wards were damaged, Sable,” she says, clear contrition in her beautiful face. “And I’m so very sorry that your lives were not what I had hoped for you three.”
Nefta’s eyes well with emotion as she stares at each of us earnestly, her gaze begging us to see what she was up against, what a difficult decision it was, that she cares.
“And you should know that I did want you. But I thought being with me would make you even more of a target. Perhaps I should have tried anyway, or I should have told Tazreel. I was convinced it was the best way at the time, but now…”
“No,” Tazreel interrupts. “You were right to do what you did. I still don’t like it, but I can see h
ow there was no right way to protect them. Hell wouldn’t have been any safer. It was an impossible decision, and what happened is out of anyone’s control.”
Everyone sits back from the table like Tazreel’s admission just sent a shock wave down the table that forced us all back.
“I’m sorry,” Nefta offers evenly again, her shoulders squared like she’s ready for her words to be flung back in her face. I watch her, her stance like she’s ready for battle, and I try to put myself in her shoes, knowing what I know now.
It’s one of those things where I wish life wasn’t so brutally hard, and yet all the pain and loss and loneliness is what led me here. It’s what made me who I am. Hating her doesn’t change what happened to me, to us. I don’t even know if I can really say that I would want what happened to me to change if it meant I wouldn’t end up here with my sisters, with my mates.
I can feel in my chest that Medley and Delta feel the same way. That what they have now far outweighs the struggle it was to get here.
I look back and forth between my biological parents, at the effort they’re making with each other all for us. Maybe things went badly for us in the past, but it doesn’t mean that our future has to be riddled with it too.
I take a deep breath and fix my gaze on Nefta. “Thank you for saying that and for helping us destroy Morax. I don’t want to speak for everyone here, but I would like to move forward. Like Taz said, it was an impossible choice, and what happened was out of everyone’s hands. We can start fresh now, if you want,” I offer, and it almost breaks my heart as I watch the strong Legion Colonel in front of me fight to keep from breaking as emotion slams through her.
“I agree with Sable,” Medley announces, and Nefta’s head drops as palpable relief ripples out from her as she works to keep her composure.
“Me too,” Delta adds. “We can build on this now that we’re all together. We can be there for each other like each of us deserves and wants.”
Nefta wipes at her eyes and clears her throat, nodding and lifting her head as she wrestles to keep control.