Seph drew in a steady breath. His mate was headstrong. There was only one way to deal with this, and it was going to piss Eva off more than she already was. Probably more than she had ever been before, but he needed time to think and was left with no other options. He would place a guard on his mate except he still wasn’t sure who to trust. Especially not after the Seven had been infiltrated by demons not that long ago. Lucifer was everywhere. He needed to do some digging and a visit to Lyzander might prove useful.
“Evangeline, I forbid you to leave this house. This is not a request from your mate. I’m pulling rank on you. Do you understand what I am saying?”
Her brown eyes darkened to black, and her fingers curled and uncurled as if she wanted to punch him. Probably did and he would let her. Later. When she was safe. Instead, she pulled her shoulders back, and a spark of anger mixed with defiance lit in her eyes. “I understand that you’re a higher ranking angel giving a command.” Her lips drew into a thin line. “And I also think you’re being a fucking asshole. Sir.” She spun on the toe of her boot and stormed from the room, slamming a door so hard he swore the house shook. Never had Seph pulled rank on his mate, and it broke his heart to see her so angry with him, but he reminded himself it was for her own good. She would get over it, and when things calmed he would tell her everything. In the meantime, she would stay safe nestled in the confines of their home.
Chapter Four
Eva paced the bedroom and knew the second Seph left the house. She opened the door, surprised it still hung on its hinges after the slamming she’d given it and marched back to the kitchen where she continued her pacing. “How dare he.”
She’d heard of mates pulling rank, but Seph had never done that to her. Yes, he was rough around the edges most times, but in all the years they had been together, he had never kept her in the dark like this. Something was definitely going on with him. He’d been edgy ever since his return from Lulerain. Eva crossed the room to look out the windows at the sun rising in her world. Today, she had been summoned to a meeting with the Maker, and there was no way she was not showing up. Her mate may outrank her, but the Maker ruled them all. Maybe she could even ask about the effects Lulerain might have on Seph so she could understand what was happening to him. Hopefully, whatever it was would be temporary, because she had no intention of locking herself inside this house.
Crossing the room again, she headed for the shower. Secretly she hoped Seph wouldn’t come back before she left. Otherwise, there would no doubt be hell to pay. Quickly stripping, she jumped in the shower to get ready for her meeting.
An hour later, Eva was walking across the marble floors of the Hall of Fate where she headed to the office suite at the back of the building. As she rounded the corner, she was surprised to find Ashley and Kelana sitting in cushioned chairs sipping coffee.
“Ladies. How nice to see you. Were you both summoned as well?” she asked, taking a seat of her own.
Ashley nodded. “Yes. I believe it has something to do with the rebuilding of the Tribunal.”
“Fascinating,” Eva commented as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Kelana, how are you adjusting to your new life?”
“Things are interesting for sure, but in time I’ll get used to it. Yesterday, I accidentally launched a fireball and scorched the kitchen cabinets.”
Ashley laughed. “I know the feeling. When I got my wings, I can’t tell you how many feathers I broke off from them dragging the ground. I forever was forgetting about them.”
Eva nodded in agreement then sipped her coffee. “Speaking of interesting, Seph is acting like a real ass lately.”
Kelana snorted. “I thought that was typical of these guys a lot of the time.”
“What’s he been doing?” Ashley inquired, but before Eva could respond, the door to the office opened, and they were greeted by the most beautiful woman in the universe.
All three ladies rose and gave a low curtsey. “My Domina.”
“Ladies, please call me Ambriel and come inside.” The Maker stepped away from the door to allow them to enter. “Have a seat. I have more refreshments at the table.”
Eva headed to a cushioned chair close to the open windows, while Ashley sat on one side and Kelana to the other. Ambriel poured glasses of water and set them in front of each woman.
“Thank you for coming this morning,” Ambriel started. “I have a very important task for the three of you.”
Eva glanced over at Ashley to gauge her reaction, wondering if this really was about the Tribunal.
“I’ll get right to it,” Ambriel continued. “I want the three of you to become part of the new Tribunal.” She paused and looked at each of them before continuing. “Now that we have a chance to start over, things can be run my way instead of that of my father.” A warm smile curved her lips. “I love him dearly, but he is a man used to ancient ways and well... I think that says it all.”
“I am honored,” Eva was the first one to find her voice.
“I don’t know what to say. Being the newbie and all, I’m not sure what it even means,” Kelana said.
“Thank you. I’m also honored and excited to see some changes,” Ashley replied.
“Good ladies, I’m happy to hear this. Kelana, I know you’re new to all of this, but not only are you our first female warrior in a long time, your demonic heritage will bring fresh opinions to the Tribunal. This brings me to the next item. I want the three of you to suggest the other four members. I only ask that you also consider some of the nephilim. I don’t have to tell you the life changing events they encounter when they come here and again when they mate.”
“I love that idea.” Ashley picked up her glass and took a sip.
Eva was excited to begin this new project and couldn’t wait to get started. This meant she would become one of the Seven. The ruling body who enforced the rules. But more important, they would help acclimate the new females. Finally, changes would happen and they could bring the ruling body into the current century. Everyone knew the old Tribunal had ruled with outdated laws, none of which was female friendly. When the original Seven had been infiltrated by demons, everything fell to pieces. Their society had been sorely in need of rebuilding for a long time, and finally that time had come. Kelana looked a little unsettled so Eva slipped into her mind.
Don’t worry. Ashley and I will bring you up to speed.
The newest member of their fold gave a visible sigh.
Zander.
Seph, what’s up?
Just finishing a job and wanted to check in and see how you guys were doing. Eva told me the other day that you’re on the search for more angels being held in Lulerain?
Yep and we could use your help. This place is bigger than anyone realized.
Seph exhaled. He could use their help as well. There are catacombs and places that likely haven’t seen anyone in centuries. Who knows what Lucifer had going on there. I’ll stop by and see what I can do.
Excellent! See you in a few.
Seph headed to one of the many gates that transported beings around Hell. Luckily, like many reapers, he could find Lulerain simply by stepping into a gate and thinking about the destination. For others, it was tricky because Lulerain shifted locations like many of the towns in this fucked up forsaken territory. Here one day, gone tomorrow. After entering the gate, Seph pictured the pits of Hell, thought of Lyzander, and within seconds he was there. When he stepped out, he found himself in front of a gothic castle that looked as if it had jumped off the screen of an old vampire movie.
“What the hell?” He trudged up the stone steps until he reached a massive door. Before he could thump the gargoyle knocker, the door swung open.
“Dude,” Raze greeted. “Come on in.”
Seph crossed the threshold, scanning the entry. “Why is Dracula’s castle sitting in the pits of Hell?” He couldn’t wait for this explanation. Raze led him down the entry and past several rooms until they came to a vast library where Cade and Lyzander sat drink
ing beer of all things.
“Hey.” Lyzander tossed a can of brew at him, and Seph was quick to catch it.
“I’m still waiting for an explanation on what the fuck this place is?” He took a seat in a brown suede chair as far away from the lit fireplace as possible. Why everyone had fires burning in Hell was beyond his comprehension.
Cade grinned. “Lucifer’s other palace. We discovered it while doing recon.” He shrugged. “We had to toss out the vermin, but that was part of the fun. So far no one has dared challenge us for it, but we’re ready to take them on if necessary.”
Seph shook his head as he looked around the room. A wall of leather bound books occupied one side and a desk made of African blackwood took up a large footprint on the other. What caught his eye was the protruding face and two clawed hands that appeared to be trying to make an escape through the wood on the front of the desk. Only the demon king would have something so gaudy, and knowing Lucifer, he really had condemned someone who pissed him off to an eternity inside that desk.
“Interesting.” It was the only word Seph could come up with at the moment, but he was curious what treasures of information this place held. “So, what else have you discovered?” He pulled the tab on his beer and chugged down half the can. The bitter taste cooled his parched throat.
“That Aezyla held a great deal of power here and now that she is dead, there is chaos.”
Seph raised a brow. “In Hell? I find that hard to believe.” The very foundation of Hell was chaos.
Lyzander glared at him but continued, “We haven’t figured out how far Malik’s reach went so we are waiting to see if anyone else steps forward and tries to take charge.”
Malik had been an ancient elite angel who had––for whatever reason––gone rogue. He had a network of minions, including the demon bitch Aezyla, doing his bidding. They still didn’t understand the full extent of that madness, but it appeared Malik had gone bad long before anyone realized there was a problem. Starting with commanding the slaughter of his own daughter and her family simply because his daughter was part succubus. She had survived thanks to Lyzander. Now the two were mated, and Kelana was the first female angel warrior in a very long time. Unfortunately, Lyzander, Cade, and Raze had recently fallen in order to save Kelana from her father and now reported to Ashley, the Angel of Death. Seph hoped these three stayed on the right path, because he of all angels knew how the darkness could seduce.
“Well, that seems like a sound plan. Has anyone taken the bait yet?” he asked.
“No,” Raze responded. “Right now we’re fighting to establish our own dominance so we can begin to locate any angels still being held here. This ain’t gonna be a cake walk.”
Everyone nodded their head in agreement.
“Have you found any interesting information inside this castle? I mean, if this was one of Lucifer’s strongholds, there must be something of use here.” Seph got up and walked to the wall of books. All the titles were in Latin of course. Many were dated, starting from the first day in time. He pulled one from its place on the shelf and flipped through the pages.
“Intriguing. These seem to be an account of historical events both here and in the human realm,” Seph said. Since they were already aware of everything that went down in history, there was no reason to waste time reading so he put the book back.
“What are you looking for?” Lyzander asked.
Seph wished he could tell his friends, but even if he felt he could trust anyone, he had no idea what he searched for. “I don’t really know.” Another book caught his eye and he pulled it out. It was titled Family Tree. Inside were hand written entries. As he scanned the pages, he soon realized he was looking at Lucifer’s black book, so to speak.
“Shit. Do you know what this is?” He shook the book in the air.
“What?” Cade asked.
“This is basically a list of every woman Lucifer has fucked over the centuries and the children they bore.” The three men across the room paled, their mouths open.
“Holy shit. That’s like a gold mine,” Lyzander stated as he pushed from his seat and came to look over Seph’s shoulder. He whistled. “How many do you suppose are still alive?”
Seph flipped page after page. “Do you notice that each female only gave him one child?”
“Yeah, I’m seeing that pattern. I also see that at some point he disposed of the mother.” Lyzander’s gaze met Seph’s. “What a fucktard.”
Soon, Cade and Raze were also standing behind him, and all eyes were glued as the pages turned. At the top, the mother’s name and species were listed then the date of conception and birth. Depending on the species, pregnancy could be anywhere from a couple of months to an entire year. Next was the child's gender and name followed by the date of their mother’s demise. Below that were a list of special traits or powers the child showed and at what age. Seph noted that some ended with only a couple of entries, while others had much longer lists.
“Do you suppose Lucifer also killed his kids?” Cade asked.
Raze snorted. “He’s the type of bastard who wouldn’t think twice about it if the child didn’t prove useful.”
Seph felt his throat tighten when his gaze landed on an entry.
Mother: Jennifer SomnersBreed: Nephilim
He scanned down the page, searching for the child’s name.
Daughter: Lilly
Son: Fredrick
He swallowed. A thousand razors tried to force their way down his throat. As he read down the page, the list of abilities these children had proved they were growing powerful. How the hell had Lucifer mated with a nephilim? Was this the Lilly he asked Seph to bring to him? And most important, why did he choose to have two children with her? When he looked back up to the date of the mother’s demise, he blinked hard. Three times.
“Son of a bitch! Did you see that?” Lyzander asked.
“Whoah. The words just faded in until they... This was last night!” Cade ran his fingers over the scruff on his jaw. “That line was blank a second ago.”
Seph slammed the book shut, his heart going so fast that he was certain the others heard it. “I need to get back, but one of you must study this and learn everything you can. We need to track these children of Lucifer’s down and see who is still alive.”
“Agreed.” Lyzander reached for the book and pulled it from Seph’s grip. “We’ll show this to Ashley as well. I’m sure she can help us track them down.”
Seph nodded. Still in a daze, his mind raced to Eva. She had been called to duty last night. No. It’s only a coincidence. No way was the person she escorted Jennifer Somners. His gut said otherwise.
Chapter Five
Eva left the other two women still making a mental list of potential members they could interview. She wanted to check on the boy and see how he was doing. It was a promise she had made and intended to keep, despite Seph’s command. Hopefully she’d make a quick trip and be back before his return. Opening her senses, she used her link to the child and entered the human realm. Eva found herself hovering over a gated community with large mansions that sat on expanses of green grass. Palm trees swayed in a gentle breeze. Zeroing in on a stucco home in the distance, she knew that was where the boy lived. An instant later, she stood in his back yard staring at a young girl who she estimated to be in her early twenties, sunbathing next to the pool. Eva moved in for a closer look, still cloaked, and studied the young woman.
The girls eyes popped opened and focused on her. She bolted upright, grabbed a pair of sunglasses, and slid them on. “What the hell?”
Eva looked behind her to see what the girl was looking at but saw nothing.
“I’m looking at you. Why are you here?” There was a tinge of anger in her young voice.
“I didn’t think you could see me,” Eva replied. This must be the boy’s sister. If Jenny did have angel ancestors, it would explain why Eva was visible to both children.
“I see you. You must be the one Freddie spoke of, the one wh
o took my mother.”
The girl must take after her father because her black hair and dark eyes were nothing like the fair-haired woman Eva had escorted the other night. Now that she thought about it, the boy didn’t look like his mother either. “I’m sorry about the loss of your mother.”
The girl smiled. “That bitch got what she deserved.”
Eva’s mouth dropped open in stunned silence. Perhaps this was the girl’s way of coping? Anger in the younger ones when they lost a parent was fairly common. “How is your brother?” Eva sensed he was inside, and would check on him personally, but found she wanted to hear the girl’s answer.
“He cared more about her than I and is still upset. I’m sure over time he will come to see that she was nothing more than a nuisance.” The girl stood and walked toward the pools steps. As she started into the water, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Now go the fuck away.”
Rather than continue this heated conversation, Eva decided to head into the house in search of the boy. It didn’t take long to locate him planted in front of a large screen TV, game controller in hand. She opened her senses and detected no one else here. While it seemed strange there were no adults around, the girl outside was old enough to care for both of them. Eva settled on the floor next to him and looked at what he was playing. She wrinkled her nose.
“Should you be playing such a violent game?”
He set down his controller and looked at her. “It helps my anger.”
Well that she understood. “How are you doing? I met your sister outside.” She searched for the right words. “She seems angry as well.”
“Sissy’s always in a bad mood.”
“Do you have any family that lives here with you?”
He shook his head and picked up the controller, focusing on the game again. “No. My stepdad died about a year ago. That’s when my mom tried to have my sister locked up.”
Unleash The Darkness: (Eternally Mated Novela) Page 3