by G. K. DeRosa
“He did?” I was sure my eyes were wider than Dembrat the elf’s big bug ones.
“Don’t tell him I told you, but he really cares about all of his charged. The guy is much softer than he looks. He may seem like a hard ass, but the big dragon has a soft and gooey center.”
I chuckled. I couldn’t imagine anything about Talon being soft. And there goes my head off to the gutter again. What was it about my grumpy roommate that made me so lusty?
Logan shooed Dallas off and pulled me into his office, clicking the comm off behind his ear. I’d barely set foot in the cavernous chamber when an overwhelming presence blanketed my skin.
My eyes shot to the sitting area in front of the fireplace and landed on the back of a familiar dark head of hair. Lucifer angled his neck back and his lips curved into a crooked smile as his penetrating gaze raked over my jumpsuit. “My heavens, it is true.”
“Hi, Luci,” I mumbled. My grandfather’s presence always sucked all the air out of a room. Even I wasn’t immune to his all-consuming powers.
“Come, have a seat, my dear.” He patted the leather couch, and I trudged over, my feet like hundred-pound weights. When I’d asked Logan to get a hold of my gramps, I never expected an actual in person visit.
I glanced back at Logan for help, but the big coward hovered by his desk, his gaze intent on his computer. No one liked to deal with the devil.
I sank into the couch and drew in a breath. From the corner of my eye, I checked out his three-piece suit, complete with a crimson handkerchief peeking out the pocket. For Luci, even a visit to prison required elegant attire. And the man exuded elegance and power. It was gross to think about, but my gramps was hot and not hot like Talon or Hayden, but like angelically beautiful. “Thanks for coming,” I finally muttered, reining in my errant thoughts.
“Of course. Where else would I be if my dear granddaughter needed me?” He leaned forward and picked up the tumbler from the table, swirling the ice around.
I offered a weak smile. The truth was that we weren’t super close. Lucifer had more kids running around the human and supernatural worlds than he could keep track of, which meant his grandchildren were probably in the thousands. But the few times Dad had needed him, he showed up. I hoped he would do the same for me this time without ratting me out to my parents.
“Logan has filled me in on the situation. It’s quite a pity, my dear, but certainly not something you should be embarrassed of. Your father struggled with his demon for many years. He would understand and be most capable of helping you.” He took a sip of the caramel-colored drink and returned it to the coaster.
My head whipped back and forth. “Please, don’t tell him, Luci—or my mom or Emi. I just couldn’t bear them knowing what I did.”
He shook his head. “For the record, I think it’s a mistake, but I will abide by your wishes. Now, tell me what I can do for you? Break you out of here? Convince the SIA to set you free? Bribe some Etrian Assembly members perhaps?”
“No.” I gritted my teeth as indecision threatened my resolve. “I don’t want you to get me out of here. I need to pay for my sins. What—or rather who, I need help with is one of the other inmates, Delacroix Balthier. Can you get him off my back? And maybe spot me some spending money for my comm account?” I threw him a weak smile. I wanted to do my time—okay maybe not all ten years of it, but at least until I had a better grip on my powers. I also wanted to get out of here alive after I’d done that.
Lucifer arched a dark brow, his long lashes fanning over his porcelain skin. “I don’t know much about this Delacroix fellow, but I conferred with Thax, the Underworld warlord that presides over the hellus demon, and he’s agreed to provide assistance. I, of course, did not divulge our relation as I feared that would only put you more at risk.”
“Great.”
“And as for the cash, whatever I have is yours.”
“What will Thax’s help cost?” Logan appeared over my shoulder, his brows knitted. I guess he hadn’t completely abandoned me to Lucifer’s whims.
He steepled his fingers and smirked. “I was just getting to that.” Picking up the tumbler from the coffee table again, he brought it to his lips, sipping slowly. “Delacroix is an up and comer in the Underworld. He’s used his considerable influence to his advantage within these very walls. His connections run deep, his reach uncanny and Thax isn’t willing to burn him without a good reason.”
Wasn’t I a good reason?
“Listen, Lucifer.” Logan rounded the couch and sat in the leather chair across from us. “Delacroix has been a thorn in my side since I arrived. I was sent here to clean this place up, and that isn’t possible with that demon terrorizing not only the other inmates but also my guards. I’m in the process of swapping out the entire staff, but the SIA and Etrian Assembly are giving me a hard time.”
“I don’t doubt Delacroix has men inside the agency as well—maybe even the Assembly.”
“Seriously?” My jaw nearly unhinged.
Lucifer nodded. “He’s got his eyes on the next open warlord position according to Thax. He’s building up his army from the inside.”
“Can’t you stop him?”
“I could, but there’s no point right now. He’s locked up inside this very fine prison, right Warden?”
Logan shot him a sneer, and my gramps chuckled.
“I find the less I interfere with my warlords, the less I have to worry about.”
“That’s because you don’t care what goes on in your realm,” Logan bit out.
Luci’s lips curved down as he shrugged. “Ruling the Underworld is highly overrated. I spent centuries on my ashen throne, and I greatly prefer my new one in Azar.”
“You’ll never head up the Etrian Assembly,” Logan hissed. “You were lucky you were granted a seat all those years ago.” Because of my parents.
“Anyway, I believe we’ve gotten a bit off topic. I came to help my young granddaughter, and I’d like to focus on that.”
“Yes, please,” I interjected.
“As I was saying, Thax will recommend that Delacroix give you wide berth in exchange for some intel on him and his crew.”
“This warlord wants me to spy on Delacroix?”
“Yes, apparently. You see, a new warlord may only be crowned when one of the six relinquishes their throne. And that only happens upon their death. Thax is merely watching his back. He wants to make sure Delacroix isn’t gunning for his position.”
“Gotcha.” This was way twisted.
Logan sat forward in his seat. “This sounds much too risky. Your parents would never be onboard for this.”
Lucifer cocked a brow and crossed his long legs. “We can always run it by them and see what they say.”
“No!” I shouted, jumping up. “I’ll do it.”
“This is not a good idea, Azara. We don’t even know Thax’s recommendation will stop Delacroix.”
“It’s our best bet for now.”
“No, it’s not. Please, Azara, let me call your parents and figure out a way to get you out of here. They still have a lot of powerful friends.”
I gritted my teeth, my jaw clenched in determination. I never wanted them to find out about this. Turning to Lucifer, I stretched out my hand. “Tell Thax we have a deal.”
“Wonderful. The warlord has an inside man that you’ll be reporting to. Once I confirm the details, I’ll have him contact you directly.”
“Okay.”
Lucifer stood, but Logan blocked his path. “What’s in it for you, Light Bringer?”
He quirked a dark brow, his lip lifting along with it. “Must I have an ulterior motive to help my granddaughter?”
“You always have a reason, Lucifer.” Logan speared him with a frosty glare, and I was impressed. Not many people had the balls to stand up to my grandfather.
He whirled away from the gargoyle and faced me. “One more thing, little one, the Underworld is abuzz with the resurgence of an old prophecy. The demons are scared, and when
they’re scared they get sloppy and do stupid things. Watch your back while you’re in here, regardless of promises or vows.”
What the hell does that mean? I opened my mouth to ask just that, when my gramps disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke and black feathers.
When the fog cleared, I turned to Logan, who looked about as confused as I felt. “Did you get any of that?”
The line between his brows deepened, and he snagged his lower lip between his teeth. “I’m not sure, Azara, but I don’t like it. Just like I don’t like you doing any of this. You are putting me in a very difficult position with your parents. They’d skin my stony hide if they knew I was allowing any of this.”
“Then make sure they don’t find out.”
He tossed his head from side to side, the tendon in his jaw working overtime. “Talon is to be with you at all times, do you understand me?”
“How am I supposed to get him into the demon block?”
“Don’t worry about him. He’s got his ways in.”
More secrets. I’d had every intention on telling Logan about my mark and the last few weird magical occurrences, but his secrecy left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Maybe I’d tell him next time.
“Anything else I can help you with, Azara?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Nope.”
“Fine. I’ll walk you back to your cell. Talon and Hayden should be back by now.”
“Back from where?” I had to try, right?
His gaze dropped to the floor as he muttered, “Special work task with Actaeon.”
Liar! What was up with the Triad, and why wouldn’t anyone tell me the truth?
Chapter Twenty-One
“Good job today.” Talon reached out his hand, and I begrudgingly took it. It wasn’t easy on my ego to accept help from the guy who just knocked me on my ass.
“Yeah, thanks.” My fingers closed around his, and the heat from his palm soaked into my flesh. I’d never noticed how warm he was before. Or maybe it was because I’d never held his hand.
He pulled me up, and my cheap prison-issued sneaker slid against the cement floor, propelling me right into a hard chest. My hands shot up, and I grabbed two handfuls of rock-hard pectorals.
Talon stiffened beneath my touch, his entire body turning to stone. I didn’t dare look up to meet his eyes. “Oops.” I got my legs back under me and jumped back making a beeline for the mini fridge.
So embarrassing.
After grabbing two bottles and tossing him one, I sank down to the floor and chugged the water. The cool, crisp liquid slid down my parched throat, and a moan slipped through my lips as I drank. Talon’s gaze lifted, and a flash of silver streaked across his pupils. It held for an impossibly long moment, and a spark of heat lit up my insides.
“Sorry,” I muttered as warmth raced across my cheeks, and it definitely wasn’t from the intense workout session.
He grunted and then sucked down his own bottle of water in one long gulp. His head tipped back, and his lips closed over the plastic rim. Gods, I wanted to be that bottle. I couldn’t help my eyes from raking over the scruff of his wide jaw and drifting down his neck to his chiseled bare chest and torso, sweat glistening on his tanned skin.
Stop that! Things weren’t as frigid between my dragon bunkie and me since we started training, but I wasn’t stupid enough to imagine anything romantic between us. Well, my head wasn’t, but my lusty female hormones were another story.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I leaned back against the wall and took a few cleansing breaths. I couldn’t sell Talon on the yoga idea, but I did meditate on a daily basis to get my Zen on.
A few days had passed without incident, and I hoped it was because of my meeting with Luci. Now I just had to make good on my promise of providing intel on Delacroix and his crew. Nothing like provoking the beast when he’d finally let up on me. Or had he?
“Hey, did Dembrat ever claim the favor from Dallas?”
He tossed the empty bottle in the recycle bin before turning back to face me. “No.” His lips denied it, but his wandering eyes told me there was more to it.
“You sure?”
His dark brows furrowed. “Are you calling me a liar?”
I threw my hands up and huffed. All the Zen gone. Pushing back up to my feet, I grabbed some boxing gloves and headed toward the punching bag. I suddenly had an irrepressible urge to hit something.
I swung at the black bag, and my fist smacked against the canvas with a satisfying crack. I hit it again and again, the anger draining with each punch. Winding back for another quick-fire series, I miscalculated and the target hurtled back at me.
Black canvas blotted out my vision before a sharp pain pummeled my nose, and a loud crack ricocheted across the room. “Son of a denge demon!” I screamed as warm liquid dripped down my lip and into my mouth. The tangy, metallic taste of blood pooled on my tongue.
Talon was at my side a second later, moving impossibly fast for a guy that big. His hand gently closed over my jaw, and he tipped my head back. “Take it easy, wildcat. I think you got him.” He pulled out the towel hanging from his shorts and gently pressed it to my nostrils.
I squealed and shot him a narrowed glare, tears filling my eyes. Definitely not the desired threatening effect. “I think that damned punching bag broke my nose.”
His fingers moved from my jaw to the bridge of my nose. Carefully, he ran his fingers over the bone. “Yup. Definitely broken.” The corner of his lip curled.
“Are you laughing at me right now?”
He smirked, revealing a dimple I’d never seen before. Probably because the cranky bastard never smiled. “You’ll be fine in a few hours. You do have supernatural healing abilities, right?”
“Yeah.” I’d never broken anything though. Mezlor may have been taking it too easy on me.
“Do you want me to take you to the healer?”
My thoughts raced back to the witch that I’d seen with Logan. I’d gotten a total jealous vibe from her. “No, I’m okay,” I finally answered.
“Here, let me clean you up before we head back then.” He released me and walked over to a small cabinet next to the mini fridge. Pulling out a first aid kit, he sauntered back over. “Sit.”
I cocked a skeptical brow and removed the blood-soaked towel from my nostrils. “You’re going to play nurse now?”
A growl vibrated his throat, his eyes shooting daggers. “You just said you didn’t want to see the healer, and I can’t let you walk back to our cell like that. If Logan sees you, he’ll lose his shit and I don’t want to deal with that.”
My hand shot out to grab the kit from him, but he held it out of reach. “Just give it to me. I can do it.”
“Sit,” he snarled and crouched down on the floor. He glared up at me until I gave up and folded down beside him.
My nose still throbbing, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared up at the high ceiling as he removed supplies from the kit. The acrid scent of alcohol wafted to my nose as he neared with a cotton ball clenched between his fingertips.
“Hold still and keep your head tilted back.” His minty fresh breath swirled between us, cutting through the mix of blood and alcohol. I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze to meet his, only his glacial orbs were locked on my lips, my nose, anywhere but my eyes. He gingerly swept the cotton over my skin, removing the sticky blood.
His touch was so gentle, his breaths soft, so unlike Talon. The air between us thickened. My heart tapped out a jagged beat at his proximity. I cursed my traitorous organ, certain he could hear it. Hell, I could hear it roaring across my eardrums.
“Adrenaline is still kicking,” I muttered stupidly.
“Uh, huh.” His eyes never deviated from their task, his lower lip snagged between his perfect teeth. An endless minute later, he sat back and our gazes practically smacked into each other. My tongue darted out to lick my dry lips and the pungent lingering taste of alcohol assaulted my taste buds. His eyes lowered to my mouth,
and a faint growl reverberated in his chest. Or did I imagine it?
The door swung open and slammed against the wall. My eyes darted to the large angel in the doorway.
Talon’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he shot up to his feet. “Good to go.”
“Thanks.”
Hayden’s baby blues zipped from me to Talon and back. “Did I miss something here?”
“Yeah, the punching bag attacked your little pumpkin.” Talon ticked his head at me and sauntered toward his friend.
“Do you want me to hit you up with some angel healing?” He strode over and dropped down to the floor beside me.
“You have healing power?”
“Of course, I do. I’m an angel remember?”
“But you’re fallen…”
“I still get to keep all the cool powers.” He winked. “And I get to have a hell of a lot more fun.”
“Why wasn’t Hayden’s healing mojo an option?” I glared at Talon, who’d made it all the way across the room already. Like he’d maxed out on the amount of time near me.
“I didn’t know he was back.”
I nudged my cellie in the ribs. “Where’d you go?”
“Special work task with—”
My hand shot up, cutting him off. “If you guys feed me that same line of BS one more time, I’m going to scream.”
“It’s not a lie,” Hayden began again. “It’s just none of your business and you, my little demon friend, need to keep your nose out of our dealings.” His big index finger reached to boop the tip of my nose, but I swatted it away.
“Just fix my nose already.”
“Bossy little thing, isn’t she?” He shot Talon a mischievous grin.
The mercurial dragon lifted his shoulders nonchalantly as he reorganized the weight rack. I still hadn’t told him about my deal with Lucifer. I was trying to figure out how to break the news without admitting who I was. Plus, I was kind of dreading it. He wasn’t going to be happy especially since Logan made me promise to take my guard dragon with me.