“Lazarus,” Lucifer’s voice barely sounded Angelic anymore. “Is she really… gone?” He couldn’t even say the word dead. He didn’t have the courage.
When the Angel nodded, Lucifer’s heart fell like the last leaf on a tree before winter.
“This is all that’s left?” Uriel’s voice sounded warped.
Lazarus nodded, “There was a pack of wolves that—”
Lucifer erupted in a rage so strong, the earth split, shook, and exploded around them. Pushing off from the ground, he soared so high, icy air froze his fucking wings into black blades. He roared. Filling his lungs with that frozen air, he screamed for all he was worth.
Then he aimed at the ground and plummeted, nose-diving towards his target – Revenge.
Eve’s scent wasn’t the only one he’d picked up when searching for his beloved. He’d caught the scents of the warriors who betrayed her and knew just who they fucking were.
He found them easily enough.
And when he landed in the center of their group, he showed no fucking mercy.
For once, Lucifer was grateful to be a monster. Fire blazed out of him, stretching and eating the ground until his flames ignited their motherfucking wings and devoured their skin. Their sudden screams while they ran around trying to escape the agony of what Lucifer did to them only made the beast hungry for more of their suffering.
He did things to those Angels. Terrible things.
Evil things.
Hateful things.
Disturbing things.
And when it was done, Lucifer no longer knew who he was.
But it felt fucking wonderful. He had zero regrets.
Lucifer returned, holding six severed heads by the hair. Tossing them on the ground, they rolled towards Gabriel and the others. Those half-charred, half-chewed off faces were frozen in terror. He’d also gone to the cells Lilith spoke of and saw Rave’s limp, lifeless form in a cage that had been wrecked. Lucifer took his head too.
No one said a word. Gabriel locked gazes with Lucifer and nodded once. Uriel paled. Constantine calmly walked over and stared at each head. Maybe the Angel wanted to put a name to each one. Maybe he wanted to see how vicious Lucifer’s true nature was.
“Betrayal is damning,” Constantine said. “This must be what it feels like.”
“To be damned?” Gabriel cocked an eyebrow.
“No, to be betrayed.” Con stared down at Rave’s collapsed eyeballs stuffed into their sockets, and spat on him.
Lazarus kept his distance from the rest, “He’d fallen in love with Lilith… wouldn’t you have done the same for Eve?”
No one answered.
Lucifer was incapable of words. His grief and anger were eating him alive. He needed to be out of this world. Gone for good.
“Are you still willing to protect?”
It took a second for Lucifer to realize Lazarus was talking to him. With his jaw set, he nodded. Lucifer didn’t belong in a world so ugly. Lucifer didn’t belong in a world with him so ugly. He has so much negative energy running through his veins right now, he trembled to control his wrath.
Turning his back on the pack he thought he’d spend forever with, he carried Eve’s lock of hair as the only token of this life he cared to keep.
Lazarus joined him and they left in silence.
Chapter 64
Hell was raised by night fall. Lucifer chose the realm’s name based on what Eve once called something filled with evil and suffering. There, secluded and desolate, Lucifer was bound to the darkness. He didn’t want to be with the Angels. Didn’t think they’d want to be with him either. He also didn’t want to be with mankind, fearing he was too dangerous to be mixed in with them.
So, he vowed to protect and maintain the precious balance of energy Lazarus assured would only continue to grow between the Divine and the Damned.
And it was his honor to rule this place, because whether the souls belonged with him or on the opposite side in a realm of pure paradise, Lucifer saw their energies as the last bits of Eve that would live on.
Gabriel never took over the Protection Sect. He couldn’t stomach looking into the eyes of anyone left from the brotherhood. He’d grown too lost to be their leader. That Angel derailed in frightening ways for a long time – his guilt for his actions dimmed his divine light. Instead, he trained Lilith and she took over as the leader of the Protection Sect that had relocated far from the original territory. Her number faded the day she was sworn in as leader. Then Gabe spent years with Lazarus, deciphering ways to decode his prophecies and string together a system of curses upon entire bloodlines that would mark time and raise alarms when there were to be fated shifts in the universe’s balance.
Constantine isolated himself from his brothers. With his talent for spinning stories, he spent centuries whispering in the ears of humans. He buried scrolls for them to find. Carved crude drawings in caves for them to study.
Faith grew. Divine energies strengthened. This was the way it was meant to be.
That fate was confirmed the day Uriel found his purpose. One night, a spirit dropped into Hell, confessed his sins, and was granted a period of remorse and reflection - Repentance. Uriel insisted he escort that soul into the realm of Paradise afterwards.
His number faded immediately.
Meanwhile, Lucifer grew dark in every way: His thoughts. His nightmares. His heart. He lost his freedom when he built Hell. He lost his wings eventually, too.
But not his number.
666 remained on his arm, a solid, stark, unavoidable reminder that he’d chosen this purpose, and it was not his fate. Just like knocking Michael from grace hadn’t been his fate. It was a sacrifice and nothing more. An action Lucifer would pay for, for all eternity.
It felt fitting that he should be locked and alone with nothing but barren walls and evil locked in cages. The darkest demons in Lucifer’s mind constantly reminded him that this was what he deserved. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
He put Michael in a place like this. Now he was in one too. Maybe the lesson learned should have been, What you do unto others will be what is done to you.
There was a silver lining to this tragic end, however. Lucy’s number faded the day he created his first Hell Hound. By then, souls were running around unchecked and no one was able to keep up with them. A soul dropped into Hell, furious and screaming for righteous revenge. Lucifer looked into that man’s eyes and saw the one thing he missed most about himself – The will to live.
Lucifer made a deal with him: one night to avenge his death, for an eternity of hunting what Lucifer called malanum. That was the first of hundreds of Hell Hounds to come.
Packs formed. Gate Keepers were made. Hell’s prisons grew. Angels segregated and most stayed far away from mankind because their resentment got the better of them.
And the world kept fucking turning…
Which brings us to present day where there were homeless veterans on the streets, free Wi-Fi available at every coffee shop, and social media was the greatest addiction mankind had ever known.
Religion could set your soul free or get you fucking killed. Some chose to stay out of it all together. Not Today Satan was worn on patches as a fucking fashion statement. Folks drove around with bumper stickers that said “Coexist.”
They had no clue how impossible that was – to deny the devil his due… or to co-fucking-exist.
Sitting in front of her small fire, watching the flames dance and logs crackle, she took a swig of her water and let it burn down her throat. Holy Water was the only thing strong enough to numb her out nowadays. It was some seriously potent shit.
Faith was a powerful energy. Entire kingdoms were built on the invisible substance called Faith. Entire empires had fallen from the destructible nature of it too. She was certain Angels all over the universe were strong and vibrant because of Faith – and they owed it all to the humans who believed in them.
She didn’t believe in shit. Well, with the exception
of Holy Water’s power over her. That, she happily put her whole heart and soul into having faith in.
Unable to drag her gaze away from the fire, she half-chuckled to herself. Maybe she should burn her house to the ground. Collect the insurance money. Start over someplace new.
Again.
Fire was an obsession. Nothing but the heat of those flames touched her icy heart. Caressing the letter that arrived two weeks ago, she ran her thumb over the name on the un-opened envelope. She wasn’t going to read what was inside. She never opened a letter addressed to the fuck up’s name scrolled in beautiful handwriting.
Tossing it into the blaze, she watched the edges of the high-quality paper curl as the flames started devouring it.
Tipping back her bottle of water, she smiled to herself. To Hell with the house, maybe I should set the whole world on fire. Would that finally warm her fucking bones? Probably not. She took another sip of her water instead.
Dogs barked in the other room, but she didn’t bother getting up.
“What do you think they’re doing in there, Anam?” She glanced over and watched him gnaw away on one of her Christian Louboutins. The red sole had enough punctures and teeth marks to be used as a fly swatter. “You have the most expensive taste in chew toys, big boy.”
Anam responded with a tail wag.
A light shined through her bay window and she frowned. No visitors were expected tonight. No visitors were expected ever. She owned one hundred acres for her and her rescue dogs and all the other animals she sheltered until she could relocate them someplace better. No nosey neighbors. No sounds of the city. No nothing. That meant whoever this was better turn the fuck around and leave.
Getting up, she swayed a little before grabbing her handgun from the coffee table. Anam hopped up and dropped his shoe, staying right alongside her as she went to the front door. Whoever it was didn’t knock – they jiggled the handle and turned the motherfucker so they could just walk on in.
She smiled.
Whoever this idiot was would soon find out they’d picked the wrong house to rob. Anam stood between her and the door, his hackles raised and teeth bared while he growled his warning at the intruder. She whistled and six more dogs ran out of their favorite lounging places to join the ranks. When the door opened, she had her gun in one hand, her bottle of water in the other.
“Hello, Flower.”
Eve was stunned speechless for about five whole seconds. Maybe it was ten. Her dogs didn’t attack Lazarus, even when he stepped over her threshold and into her home without an invitation. They stayed still, studying him and staying between her and the Angel.
Lazarus tugged on the cuff of his button-down shirt. His wings weren’t corporeal at the moment, they were like translucent golden light. Easy to hide should he wish. Unlike hers… which she was unable to conceal, no matter how hard she tried or what magic she attempted.
Jealousy and wrath reared their ugly heads as she glared at him.
“What are you doing here?” Eve’s voice was weak and she hated herself for it.
“He’s back, Flower.”
Eve’s heart slammed into her throat and she took a step back, shaking her head in denial. Unsure if she should put the bottle to her mouth, or her motherfucking gun, Eve feared neither were going to be strong enough to help her.
“Michael’s returned?” She never thought it would be possible.
“Yes, but that’s not who I meant, Eve.”
She took another step back. “Wh-who do you mean then?”
“Lucy,” He approached her slowly and the dogs allowed him to get right up to her face – the traitors. “Lucifer has returned.”
“Here?” she choked on her guilt and fear. Dropping both the gun and the bottle of Holy Water onto the hardwood floor, Eve clutched her throat. “He’s in the human world?”
Lazarus cupped her face with his hands. “Pack your things. Now.”
Continue this pack’s journey with Book 2 in the Third Trilogy: Raise the Dead.
Other Books By This Author
Hell Hounds Harem Series:
Restless Spirit
The Dark Truth
The Devil’s Darling
Hard To Find
Hard To Love
Hard To Kill
Raise Hell
Raise the Dead
Ruler of the Righteous
Sins of the Sidhe Series:
Shatter
Shine
Passion
Bargains
Ignite
Awaken
Rise
Exile
For information on this book and other future releases, please visit my website: www.BrianaMichaels.com
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About the Author
Briana Michaels grew up and still lives on the East Coast. When taking a break from the crazy adventures in her head, she enjoys running around with her two children. If there is time to spare, she loves to read, cook, hike in the woods, and sit outside by a roaring fire. She does all of this with the love and support of her amazing husband who always has her back, encouraging her to go for her dreams.
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