Desmond looked taken aback by her reaction, and he said nothing. Zareya wasn’t as distracted. She lunged toward me with the knife. I barely moved out of the way in time to avoid being stabbed.
Since Desmond hadn’t said anything more, I was certain he was busy dealing with Persephone. I had complete faith in my friend in a fight, so I focused on staying alive. Zareya wasn’t very big, but I’d heard she was vicious. Hopefully, my hours of training would pay off.
Kicking out, I caught Zareya off-guard, and my foot connected with her abdomen. She fell back with a whoosh but quickly recovered and came at me again. I continued to dodge the knife, trying to land another kick or a punch. Zareya wasn’t giving me any openings.
From the other side of the room, I heard fighting. My brother was cursing. The wards on the office dampened the power of the witches inside. That meant the powerful defensive spells Persephone knew were practically useless. I mouthed the words to a binding spell as I fought off the crazed blue demon. She froze just long enough for me to kick her again. Her hand was too close to her body to knock the knife out of her hand, and I didn’t dare try to grab it since I had no idea how long the spell would hold.
The spell released Zareya, and she stumbled back before coming at me again. This time, her black eyes glowed. Her lips pulled back as she snarled, “You annoying cunt! I am going to kill your friend while you watch, and then I’m going to cut you into little pieces.”
It seemed she’d forgotten about using me to get to Lucifer. If I didn’t get my hands on a weapon soon, I was in serious trouble.
Chapter 90
Lucifer
The bastard was going to pay for threatening Beatrice. If he’d harmed her, I’d kill him. “You’re a fool, Michael,” I spat out as I stalked toward him.
“Do you honestly think you can defeat me?” he asked.
“Do you honestly think we all give a fuck about giving you some gladiator style one-on-one fight with Lucifer?” Rainer asked with a laugh.
“Feel free to join the fight,” Michael taunted. “I’m the archangel Michael. I am the most powerful of all angels, the ultimate warrior.”
That might have been true at one time, but Michael hadn’t battled anyone in nearly two centuries, to the best of my knowledge. He’d always been far too cocky.
Michael extended his arm, and his flaming sword appeared. It was a weapon I’d once wielded—one that could easily cut through bone. Though I could no longer hold a sword of fire, I extended my hand and a sword with a black blade appeared.
“That’s a disappointing weapon,” Michael taunted.
It didn’t look like much at first, but my sword fed on negative energy. Michael was feeding it. The blade glowed and lengthened.
As we squared off, a horde of demons approached. It seemed Michael had only sent out part of his demon fighters. My own fighters were ready to take them on, leaving me to deal with Michael.
As he made the first move, my sword met his, blocking his thrust. His lips curled back. “Too bad the demons are keeping your minions busy,” he began with a sneer. “How many do you think it would take to defeat the great Michael?”
Was he honestly referring to himself in the third person? It seemed Michael had gotten even more annoying as the years passed. I made a mental note to tell my friends to kill me if I started acting that way.
“Just me, asshole,” I told him as I continued to block his blows. “Unlike you, I haven’t been sitting around dreaming about the old days. I can still fight. Is this all you’ve got? This is pathetic, Michael.”
Michael’s rage continued to feed my weapon. “Bastard traitor!” he roared.
“I’m the traitor?” I asked with a laugh. “Look in the mirror. You’ve lost what little honor you once had.”
I danced back and ducked when he swung his sword around in an attempt to behead me. Michael didn’t realize it, but this would be over soon. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured out my sword glowed brighter with each of his thrusts.
“How dare you question my honor?” Michael hissed before swinging his sword at me again. This time, he was smarter. He changed at the last minute, and I barely avoided losing a hand. The flames from the sword singed the flesh on my forearm.
“You snuck around here and made it look like Gabriel was responsible,” I said as I blocked two more thrusts. “You’re working with the worst sort of demon.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to destroy you,” he hissed.
I still hadn’t made any move to attack him. All I’d done was block his blows as my blade continued to absorb his anger. I didn’t want to waste energy until I knew I could take Michael down quickly. I needed to get to Beatrice.
“You’re not nearly as strong as you used to be,” I remarked in a bored tone.
“Make your move!” Michael shouted.
“What’s your hurry?” I asked. With Beatrice in danger, I wanted to finish this quickly and rush to her side, but I kept my feelings hidden.
More guards had arrived to deal with the demons. Soon, they would all be subdued or dead, as would Michael.
“After I kill you, I think I’ll keep your whore,” Michael began. “She must suck cock really well for you to set her up like a queen.”
“Stupid move, asshole,” I growled before swinging my sword toward his head. In his attempt to avoid being beheaded, Michael stumbled back, barely righting himself before I struck at him again. This time, I aimed for his midsection. He blocked the blow with his sword, and the flames flickered.
“You cannot defeat me,” Michael insisted as he swung at me again.
His movements were clumsier this time. When I ducked to avoid the flaming sword, I thrust my blade through his belly, angling it up to his heart.
Michael’s mouth opened as he stared down at my blade in his body. “I am Michael,” he wheezed out before coughing. “Most powerful of the archangels,” he continued around another coughing fit.
“You’d better hope your maker calls you home, or you’ll be dead in a matter of minutes,” I told him as I removed my blade. Michael collapsed to the floor. His hands glowed as he tried to repair the damage my sword had caused. It wouldn’t work. The venom created by his own negativity would literally eat him from the inside out, devouring his soul.
Looking around, the demons were nearly defeated. “I need to get to Beatrice!” I shouted at the others as I ran toward the portal to my home.
Chapter 91
Beatrice
I was still alive. That had to be a good sign. Persephone was holding her own against my brother. Zareya had backed me out of the waiting room and into my office. I’d managed to get in a few kicks, and she’d only sliced my right arm once. Grabbing the laptop from my desk, I swung it at Zareya but missed.
“Stupid witch,” she snarled. “What makes you think you can beat me? You’re nothing like your brother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I replied. I was still holding the laptop.
This time, when she lunged at me, I dodged and swung the laptop at her again. I got lucky and hit her in the side of the head. The knife fell to the ground, and I scrambled to grab it. We both got to our feet, and Zareya pulled out another knife. At least, we were more evenly matched now.
“I’m going to enjoy slicing you open, bitch,” she snarled.
Knife fights weren’t something I’d studied. Even with the knife, I was still outmatched, and I couldn’t continue to just survive until help arrived. I had one chance. With any luck, my magic wasn’t too muted. Mouthing the words to the defensive spell I’d never expected to need, I threw the knife at Zareya.
“No!” Desmond screamed.
His speed amazed me. He kicked Persephone, knocking her back as he mouthed the words to a spell to stop the knife. My brother had never been good with spells, so I was shocked when the knife hung in midair.
Zareya hadn’t attacked me yet. I needed to break my brother’s spell on the knife.
“You know I’m th
e stronger witch,” I told him. Even if Zareya moved, the spell would cause the knife to follow her.
My brother gave me a taunting smile. “Maybe you are in some areas but not this one.” His attention shifted to Zareya. “You’re the only person I’ve ever loved more than myself.”
Never would I have guessed my brother’s intent. I’d assumed he was trying to change the trajectory of the knife so it hit me or possibly a wall, and I knew he wasn’t powerful enough to accomplish that. Instead, Desmond pulled his power back into himself while it still had a strong hold on the knife. My spell broke, and the knife changed directions, plunging into Desmond’s heart.
Zareya’s scream echoed through the room as she charged toward me, but she never made it. Lucifer was already in the room, a black sword in his hands. The sword sliced through Zareya’s body, ending her life.
That’s when I completely humiliated myself by vomiting and promptly fainting.
Chapter 92
Lucifer
Beatrice had been asleep for nearly four hours. She’d regained consciousness briefly after fainting, but Rainer had used a sedation spell to put her to sleep again. I didn’t want to force her to witness the horror in the room any longer. Her brother was dead, and Zareya was in two pieces on the floor. The nasty gash on Beatrice’s arm had also needed tending, and I knew it would be painful. Beatrice hadn’t learned to channel my power to speed up her healing yet.
Persephone had remained surprisingly calm through the entire ordeal. I owed her a great debt. I suspected, if it weren’t for her help, Beatrice would be dead. She’d evened up the odds in the fight.
Hades was another matter. I’d had to lock him in a detention room once he heard Persephone’s arm might be broken.
“Lucifer?” Beatrice asked in a sleepy voice.
“I’m right here,” I assured her, as I sat on the side of my bed and stroked her cheek.
“I’m going to kick Rainer’s ass for sedating me,” she grumbled. “These spells make me feel like crap.”
I chuckled. “You have me to blame for that. I didn’t want you to see any more. It was too much for you.”
“I’m so embarrassed,” she said on a groan. “I can’t believe I passed out. Don’t even think about mentioning the other thing.”
“Of course not,” I agreed with twitching lips.
“Are the Hellhounds okay?” she asked.
“They’re fine,” I assured her. “Everyone is fine.”
Not everyone, but the people I cared about were fine. Beatrice’s brother was dead. I had no clue where Azrael would take him. I’d passed on deciding Desmond’s fate—not because I hadn’t wanted to send his soul somewhere suitably horrific, but because he was still Beatrice’s brother. Azrael had promised to deal with the matter, and based on the gleeful look in his eyes when he’d come to collect Desmond’s soul, I was certain he’d handle things in a satisfactory manner. As for Zareya, my blade had destroyed her soul. Michael had come close to the same fate when his maker had called his soul home. Since Michael hadn’t been cast out of Heaven, I could only assume he was undergoing some form of angelic punishment.
“Desmond sacrificed himself,” Beatrice said softly. “I never thought it was possible for him to care about anyone, but he sacrificed himself to save Zareya.”
“The right woman can make a man want to be a better person,” I uttered. “I was terrified when I thought I might lose you.”
“Thank you for teaching me to defend myself,” she uttered with a sleepy smile. “I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes against Zareya without that training.”
“You are a tough witch,” I praised.
“I’m still tired,” she admitted.
“Then rest,” I told her.
“Stay with me,” she breathed out.
“Always,” I murmured as I laid beside her and cradled her in my arms. “I love you, Beatrice LaCroix.”
Chapter 93
Beatrice
“Aren’t you glad I dragged you out of the house tonight?” Persephone asked as she set a sparkly pink drink in front of me. Her left arm still had a brace on it, but the sprain was healing quickly, and it hadn’t slowed her down one bit.
“Why are we drinking unicorn blood again?” I asked.
Persephone paused, her drink almost at her lips. “I wonder what real unicorn blood tastes like.”
I laughed because only Persephone would wonder something like that.
“Have you given him an answer yet?” she asked.
“Not yet,” I admitted.
“Why?” she asked. “You want to live with Lucifer. You’ve only spent two nights at our apartment in the last two weeks.”
I did want to live with Lucifer, but for some reason, I still hadn’t said yes. It could be that he’d only asked me one time. After I’d told him I needed to think about it, he’d agreed to be patient and done his best to seduce me into going to his place every night. My two nights at home were because I’d gone out with Lucy. He seemed averse to seducing me in front of his daughter.
“Oh!” Persephone squealed. “The band just arrived. I’m going to see if I can talk to them.”
Without waiting for my response, Persephone dashed away, still holding her sparkly drink. My eyes scanned the room and stopped when they landed on the man leaning against the bar. Dressed in a fitted black suit, his long hair was pulled back from his face. He looked imposing and sinfully hot. His crystalline blue eyes met mine as he prowled across the room.
Without waiting for an invitation, he sat right beside me and leaned in until his warm breath caressed my ear as he spoke. “Hello, Beatrice.”
A shudder of desire ran through my body. “I’m surprised to see you here,” I remarked in a breathy voice. Lucifer always had this effect on me.
“Persephone mentioned you’d be here,” he replied, his hand settling on my jean-clad leg. “She suggested I stop by.”
“She did?” I asked.
He nodded. “She also suggested I get some advice from Hades. Whatever do you think she meant by that?”
I shook my head and laughed softly. “Don’t even think about kidnapping me,” I warned.
He chuckled at my response before continuing. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” he began.
“Kidnapping me?” I asked.
“Don’t be a smartass,” he warned before standing and reaching out a hand to me. “Come dance with me.”
“You already know I’m not much of a dancer,” I reminded him as I placed my hand in his.
He drew me close before leaning down to murmur close to my ear, “You already know I’m a strong lead.”
“Yes, you are,” I breathed out, and I wasn’t referring to his dancing ability.
I allowed Lucifer to lead me to the dance floor, abandoning my sparkly pink drink.
Since there was a well-known band performing, The Cauldron was packed. Not surprisingly, the crowd made plenty of room for us on the dance floor. I laughed at their reaction. There were obvious benefits to being with the biggest badass in the room.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about how funny it is that everyone is terrified of you and your sparkly aura,” I teased.
He groaned and muttered, “I thought we agreed to never bring that up again.”
“I would never make that sort of agreement,” I assured him.
This seemed like the perfect time to talk to him about living together, but before I could speak, he said, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately.” He seemed too serious.
“What have you been thinking about?” I asked hesitantly.
“You living with me,” he stated. “I’d like to rescind my offer to have you move in with me.”
I stopped dancing, took two steps back, and stared at him in stunned silence. Was he breaking up with me? That didn’t make any sense. We’d just been joking and flirting. We were already bound together for eternity.
My expression must have
conveyed my concerns because he quickly added, “I’m saying this all wrong. I want you with me forever.”
“I’m not following,” I admitted.
Lucifer, the Lord of Hell, Angel of Darkness, the devil himself, dropped to one knee before holding out a ring made of a white gold band with several emeralds. “Beatrice LaCroix, will you marry me?”
“We’ve already bonded,” I reminded him, my eyes locking with his. “You don’t have to do this. I know fallen angels don’t marry like other species.” All a fallen angel needed was a bonding of magic, not a formal ceremony.
“I want to do this,” he assured me. “I love you. You are the woman I want to spend eternity with. Say you’ll be my bride. We’ll have a ceremony that’s as big or small as you want.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” he replied.
I planned to say yes, but not before I messed with him a little. “We’ll have to contact The Council of Witches and find out when we can get on their schedule,” I said thoughtfully.
“Council of Witches?” he asked hesitantly.
“They’ll insist on doing an affinity test and a bonding ceremony,” I pointed out. “I wonder if they could do the wedding at the same time as the bonding ceremony. We can ask Isadora when she comes by to help me plan.”
It was almost impossible to hold my laughter in when I saw the sick expression on Lucifer’s face. Rather than telling me no, he took a deep breath and nodded. “Whatever it takes to make you happy,” he assured me.
I launched myself into his arms, tears burning the backs of my eyes. “You’re such an idiot. I don’t want to be around the Council of Witches any more than you do, but thank you for agreeing just to make me happy.”
“I’d do anything to make you happy,” he promised. “So, are you going to give me an answer?”
“Yes,” I told him. “I love you, too, and my answer is yes.”
He kissed me and grinned. “I told you that you’d fall in love with me.”
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