Lucifer glanced at him for a moment. He didn’t want Reggie leaving his post for this, so why was he disobeying direct orders? “Get back to your post, Gatekeeper.”
“Liam’s handling it.”
“You’re giving a new Gatekeeper keys to the prison and leaving him unsupervised?” The fuck? That wasn’t like Reggie at all.
“If you trusted him enough to be a Gatekeeper, so do I. He’ll be fine for a few minutes on his own.”
“We have a new Gatekeeper?” Finley asked. The Hound’s red hair matched his fiery attitude when he stood up. “Since when the fuck did you get enough energy for that, sire?”
“Since it was me who made him,” Gabriel growled from the back. “Sit your ass back down, Hound.”
Lucifer rolled on with the next issue. “One of Byrne’s Hounds was found on his own, catatonic in a field earlier.”
“Was he checked for signs of being a Dark Angel?” Asher asked. “Maybe Michael’s found a way to morph him faster than he did me and Sebastian.” Logical, fierce, and headstrong, Asher was a bold one. A strong one too, given he’d also been taken by Michael and tormented. And he made a good point.
“No, he’s not marked. Yet, at least.” Lucifer shifted his attention to Sebastian. The Hound sat next to his twin looking healthy, focused, and ready to kick ass. Next Lucifer looked at Tilly, the newest Hound created. She was sandwiched between Bishop and Valor, dressed in leather with her hair braided back and out of her face. For a moment, Lucifer couldn’t drag his gaze away from her.
Tilly was a miraculous creature. That stunning woman fell into the arms of a pack of broken men. Not once had she tried to “fix” them. She took them as they were – jagged edges, missing pieces, roars and razors, and loved them unconditionally. It solidified their pack, uniting them with such strength their collective energy radiated across the table.
Lucifer cleared his throat. “Tilly, what do you know of red skies?”
Her finely shaped brows rose into her hairline. “Uhhhh, not much. I read once that they were a bad omen. A sign of innocent blood spilled.”
“I thought that was blood on the moon?” another Hound chimed in.
“No, blood on the moon is in the Bible as a symbol of the great and terrible day,” a Hound named Priest said. He wasn’t religious, but you’d be on your knees praying if you ran into him in a dark alley.
Finley rolled his eyes. “Blood moons are seen when sunsets and sunrises on Earth reflect the moon during an eclipse. When the moon passes into shadow, a ring of red is produced. It’s science, Asswipes.”
Lucifer leaned back in this chair, “This is the entire fucking sky, not the goddamn moon.”
“Could be the sun’s rays,” Fin shrugged.
“But it’s not. I could feel it. And during that time, malanum attacked me and mine and when I came back down here, I had a group of innocents from London crying and stuck in our world.” Lucifer walked over to a map tacked to a wall. “The red skies, in a matter of twelve hours, went like this,” Lucifer placed his finger on Africa and traced it across the paper in a wave-shape until he stopped at Pennsylvania, then went south from there, toward Louisiana. “This sky, as some of you saw in your districts, is dark red. Almost black and streaked with maroon.”
“Something’s traveling,” Tanner frowned. “It looks like it’s hitting spots Michael’s set up shop during the past five years, doesn’t it?”
“Exactly,” Lucifer noticed the same damn thing. “But I know of no magic out there that can turn the skies these shades.”
“What about Elemental Angels?” Kalen asked from Lucifer’s right side. “Could they be getting involved?”
“Pure Elemental Angels no longer exist,” Gabriel answered first. “Most were used up by the first set of Angels and their sect crumbled. Those who survived, didn’t last long because the elements can easily consume the vessel holding forces of nature. The current generation of Elemental Angels are incredibly weak and have extremely limited ability.”
“Is there any Angel who has power to do something like that then?” Jack asked.
“You’re looking at him,” Lucifer confessed. “I’m the purest and strongest of the Elementals. And I didn’t make the sky like that. This is definitely something different. It might be more magic than nature.”
Someone whistled low. Others shifted in their seats. Lucifer hated that they were all looking at him like he could make it snow in Hell. Could he? Yeah. But he didn’t. It was a waste of energy and he preferred heat.
Everyone looking at him like he was the most powerful fucker on earth didn’t sit well with Lucifer. His powers weren’t his fault. That he’d been created with so much potential only led to him gaining more enemies than friends in the past. And definitely more scars than respect. One was only as powerful as they allowed themselves to be. Lucifer kept his success on a short leash. Always had. Always fucking will. “What news have you on the infections?”
“They’ve spread like wildfire, sire,” Finley leaned forward to look at his maker. “We’ve done as you said and slipped your purity spells into as many victims as possible.”
“We’ve laced a bunch of water dispensaries, too,” Priest crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Not sure if it’s helping or not yet. Can’t really do a public survey and keep the malanum population down at the same time.”
“We’re too short staffed for this.” Byrne growled.
Lucifer knew that, but his hands were tied. He didn’t have the energy to make more Hounds or more of anything. What he had left, was now spread thin. “I know I’m asking a lot from each of you,” he said in a low tone. “And I know that you’re burning out.”
“We’re doing what we can to give you the strength you need,” Constantine said from behind Lucifer’s chair. “Trust that we’ll not let you suffer. Shorten your rotations, sleep, eat, hunt, repeat.”
“And fuck,” Lucifer added. He knew damn well his Hounds needed to fuck to have their balance. He’d never truly considered it a curse until now though. Shit. “I’m asking you… no,” he huffed, “I’m fucking begging you to do whatever it takes to keep your heads on straight. I’ll have men and women on standby for you,” he had a list of humans ready to sell their soul to aid the Devil for a chance at redemption. If it came down to it, he’d take some of them up on their offers and release his Hounds on them. “Keep it consensual.”
“Always,” Brock frowned. “But… why are you pep talking us? The fuck is really going on?”
“We believe Heaven’s been breached. Hell too.”
“The walls are cracking again?”
“No Fin, but…” shit, he didn’t want to say, “we’ve had other intruders.”
Calling Eve an intruder felt both wrong and accurate. Damnit.
“Go back to your districts, watch the skies. If you see it turning, alert me and the others. We need to map this thing out, see where it might be heading next. Michael’s been hiding since the catacomb raid, so we’re going to have to lure him out. I’ll be doing that.” Just Lucifer’s presence outside of Hell should be enough to entice Michael out of his cave, wherever it may be.
“Keep on trying to save those who are infected, but if you can’t,” Lucifer sighed, “then they’re only casualties of war.” Was his tone cold? Yeah. It needed to be. He couldn’t save the world any more than he could save himself while in a cage. All Lucifer could do right now was minimize the damage.
A small muffled noise broke through the silence in the room. It was faint, but Lucifer frowned and looked over at Gabriel. He cocked a brow, signaling his brother to check on Eve. The sneak was probably snooping.
He didn’t know if he liked that idea or not.
“What of Heaven?” Brock asked. “Have you spoken to those Angels about this yet?”
“Yeah,” Uriel clasped his hands behind his back. As Uriel explained what happened in Heaven, Lucifer tried to listen in on what Gabriel was saying to Eve behind closed doors.
Chapter 29
Gabriel slipped into the Devil’s bedroom, “The fuck are you doing?” Eve kept trying to rehang a painting. She didn’t answer him so he marched over and grabbed the frame from her, “Answer me, Eve.”
“I would think the answer is obvious,” she wretched the painting from his hands – it was of a faceless woman’s profile with leaves and flowers tangled in her hair. She continued trying to hang it back up. “I bumped the damned thing with my wings and knocked it off the wall.” Her hands shook as she tried over and over to hook the wire in the back.
“Why do you have tremors?”
“I’m out of my element. Hell’s magic is fucking with me.”
Yeah, he understood that. Didn’t think she’d be affected by it though. Nothing ever affected her. Gabriel snatched the painting and hung it in two tries. Then he crossed his arms and walked to the opposite side of the room to get some space.
“You don’t have to babysit me,” Eve scowled. “Lucifer said to stay here, so I’ll stay.”
“You’re so quick to obey,” he eyes narrowed suspiciously. The Eve he knew wasn’t submissive. She did as she pleased. “You’re different,” he hedged.
“Aren’t we all?”
“No,” he was still the same incorrigible asshole he was since he came into existence.
Eve sat down on the corner of the bed, her wings folding in her descent to the mattress. “Lucy’s made quite a kingdom down here.”
Gabe said nothing.
“The power of this place is mightier than I expected it to be. It feels incredible.”
“Tempted by this little taste you’re getting?”
“Fuck you, Gabriel.”
“Bet you’d like that. Constantine’s dick wasn’t enough? Maybe add Uriel’s next time. They fuck well together.”
Her cheeks reddened.
“Didn’t they tell you? That’s how they’ve gotten along without you for so long.” Uriel and Constantine would use each other as poor substitutes for what they really wanted. On numerous occasions they’d asked Gabriel to join them. He always declined.
Nothing came close to Eve. And Gabriel didn’t settle for second rate pussy and ass.
Eve’s chin kicked out, “Maybe a good fuck in the ass would do you some good. Bet you’d be more cheerful after a good ramming.” Eve stood and bristled her feathers, “Always does the trick for me.”
His lips curled into a snarl. “Who else have you been fucking?” Because he’d kill them all one by one and make Eve watch him do it. That she would deny Gabriel and each of his brothers – her motherfucking pack – from touching her or getting close to her, then go find comfort elsewhere? Not acceptable.
They all offered. They begged her to keep at least one of them close to her and she always said no. If she then went running into some other sonofabitch’s arms and sucked his dick, Gabriel would raze this world and save Michael the fucking trouble.
He prowled over to Eve. She backed up – something he hated – and when she ran out of room to run, he dipped his head in her face. “Who?”
“Someone who is most definitely nothing like you.”
That hurt. But not as much as him saying, “Traitor.” Eve shrank back as much as he’d allow her and not an inch more. “You seek pleasure when we offered ourselves? What kind of mate does that?”
“The same kind of mate who forces one of her lovers to fuck a fleet of other women since she couldn’t get to him.” Eve’s face reddened more. “The same kind of mate who’s been too ashamed to—”
He cut her off with a hand over her mouth. He didn’t want to hear her sorry ass excuses or poor-pity-me’s. “How are you here?” he snarled. “I keep asking myself that fucking question. How are you here, Eve?” He slowly peeled away his hand from her lips and she was smart enough to not speak. “You’re timing is too fucking perfect.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He slammed her against the wall. Jesus, she was fucking rock solid. Like her bones were made of iron and her skin was steel. She had evolved in a troubling way, which only forced his theories to go in the darkest direction imaginable. “Michael has done everything to break Lucifer down. To weaken his defenses. He took his Darling Sara – a Hound who has always been a close second to you – and stripped her down, left her a fucking wisp.”
Gabriel inhaled the scent of Eve’s fear and her motherfucking arousal. It made him sick with guilt. It also made him strong with fury. “Losing Sara was bad enough. Having the malanum chip away and crack Hell’s prisons was worse. And Luce has been drained time and time again lately. The only ones who can do that are the four of us and his Hounds.”
It was a theory hadn’t brought up to his brothers yet.
“Michael can drain the rest of us,” Gabe kept his anger steady, “but he’s never been able to touch Lucifer. If he could, he’d have left him a husk back in the Brotherhood of Angels. But he didn’t, which means he fucking can’t. But you can.” He watched her swallow. “And now, here you are. After all this time. After all those attempts to break through Hell…. The moment Michael is his strongest, is the same moment you come barreling through Lucifer’s defenses and into our kingdom.”
Our kingdom. It wasn’t a slip of tongue. It was ownership and acceptance. Gabriel was now a part of Hell’s foundation. He wasn’t about to let it fucking crumble.
She tried to speak and he put his hand back over her mouth. “It would make sense,” he whispered in her ear, “you coming back into Lucy’s life – in all our fucking lives – it would be the fastest and most effective way to ruin what’s left of us.”
She bit down on Gabe’s hand. He hissed at the pain, but didn’t pull back. She’d have to gnaw his hand off to get him to back the fuck down right now. His protective instincts were screaming on Lucifer’s behalf. He might love Eve, but he loved his brothers more right now. He wanted to be wrong about this. Hand-to-the-Creator, Gabriel wanted Eve to fight back and deny it. Knock his teeth out and ram him in the gut for the accusations he was making. But she did no such thing.
It was awful.
Gabriel’s wings expanded. “Lucifer’s weakening. You’re weakening him more, aren’t you? You’ve come to Hell to destroy it from the inside out.” Michael already tried that once and was successful enough to take out a lot of Lucifer’s people. “Were you part of the massacre against his ladies too? You sent them into the Devil’s arms and then regretted it? Have you been working with Michael this whole fucking time?”
Eve’s eyes watered. If looks could kill, she was murdering him in a hundred unpleasant ways right now. Maybe he deserved to die for the things he was saying. Still…
“It’s killed him,” Gabriel growled deep in his chest. “Of all the things you could have done to break the Devil, him knowing the truth of you, of us, has destroyed him.” Gabe knew because Lucifer admitted it to him. “He hated us for bringing those women down here. Hated himself for fucking them over, and over, and over,” he watched Eve’s face pale, “and now he hates you for being the one to use his weaknesses against him like that.”
Gabriel flinched when she bit down harder on his hand. She was giving him a warning. He knew damn well that if she wanted to, Eve could rip the flesh from his bones in one chomp. That she hadn’t said she was showing mercy.
He would not return the favor.
“You’ve made him feel like a traitor. Disloyal. Unfaithful. And I know I was a part of that, but you fucking tricked me too,” his gaze raked down her body. “You swore you couldn’t get to him. You were so fucking convincing, Eve. We all had pity for you. And Lucifer has spent his entire life in Hell mourning you.”
Her teeth eased back a fraction.
“It was all lies,” he growled.
She bit down harder again.
“I’m not going to let you wreck him anymore.” Gabriel’s wings flared out even more. “I love you, but I love him more.” She should understand that priority. Eve always loved putting Lucifer first anyway. Now Ga
briel was doing it too. “If your plan is to come here and reduce him to a fucking animal so Michael can have him, I will personally feed you to that beast he becomes. Piece by traitorous piece, I’ll serve you up on a fucking silver platter.”
Did she know he was bluffing? Was he bluffing? Gabriel’s head swirled with rage and fear and anguish. What was happening to him right now? He ran a finger down her cheek and smeared her tears away. “I’ll give you one opportunity to set this right.” Blood dripped down his forearm and onto the floor while Eve continued to keep her teeth clamped down on him. He whispered a curse against the hand still covering her lips. The spell slid through him and into her mouth. The curse took more energy than it should have out of him - a problem for a later date.
“Are you working for Michael?” Gabe stayed steady and focused on Eve - reading her body language, her eyes, her scent. “Answer me.”
He lifted his hand from her mouth and she released her bite. “No,” she croaked.
If she lied to him, her tongue would die in her mouth in a matter of seconds and rot like a hunk of steak left in the sun for two weeks.
“Are you on our side, or has this all been a lie?”
“I’ve never not been on your side, Gabriel. And nothing I’ve said or done has been a lie. Despicable, maybe. Hurtful, absolutely. But I’ve stayed true to all of you. And faithful.”
Gabriel’s cheeks tingled. “Could you really never break a barrier until now?”
“I didn’t even know I could do it now. I watched Sara walk through the portal and grew jealous. Anam ran in after her and disappeared. I freaked out and tried to punch the portal, and ended up breaking through it.”
Not once had an animal crossed into Hell before. Gabriel filed that away for later, too.
“Will you die for him?” Gabriel wouldn’t give Eve an inch, so she still couldn’t leave her place against the wall.
“I have died for him a thousand times already,” she whispered. “And I’ll do it a thousand more if necessary. I’d die for each of you.”
Raise the Dead Page 23