That got a faint smile out of my lovely mate. "I'm still impressed you managed to end the war. I know how hard that must have been. And from what Olivia told me, you've been working to make sure the peace lasts too."
I sat back and picked up my wine glass, swirling the dark liquid inside. "I've done what I can to protect my people, and peace has been beneficial for both sides. Though it was painful to leave Hell behind, our population is increasing again now that we're living on Earth. For whatever reason, it's easier for immortals to have children in this realm. For that benefit alone we must maintain the peace."
Sadness touched Hannah's brow at the mention of children, but then her eyes took on a look of determination. "Then that's what I'll dedicate the rest of my life to—keeping that peace. After I deal with Adam, anyway. Do you know where he might have gone, or what his plans are?"
"I have my suspicions, though we haven't found him yet." I watched Hannah's expression, debating whether she was ready to hear this, before deciding there could be no more secrets between us. "The ancient journals he took were Samael's accounts of things that happened to us in the early days, when you were Eve and I had just left Heaven to rule Hell. It contained information about the curse, along with many other things... Including the locations of the Four Horsemen and how to release them.”
"The Four Horsemen?" Hannah’s jaw dropped, her fork dangling uselessly from her fingers. "They’re real, too?”
She said too like she’d only just started believing in angels and demons, and I wondered if telling her this was a mistake. "Unfortunately, yes. How much do you remember about the Elder Gods?"
She stared off into space as she searched her memories. "Not very much. They're ancient, powerful beings who created all the races and the different realms. But I don't remember what happened to them."
"Their children—angels, demons, humans, and fae—rebelled against them, as all children do in the end. It was the first war I fought in, back when I was an angel. The Elder Gods eventually retreated to another realm called Void. All except four of them. Pestilence. War. Famine." My mouth twisted in distaste. "And Death."
"Death..." Hannah whispered. "He's the one who cursed us."
Though I hated discussing this, I was pleased she was finally remembering her life as Eve, even if in only tiny snippets. "Yes. My father."
Her eyes widened at that. "Death is your father?"
"Indeed." Bringing up my father demanded another glass of wine, I decided, before I poured one for both of us. "He's gone by Death, the Grim Reaper, Thanatos, and many other names throughout history. Adam was always his favored human, and I was always a disappointment. Too much like my mother, Aurora, he always said. He thought it amusing to curse you in order to torment me for all eternity."
"But now you've broken the curse."
"Yes." I raised my glass to that. "Once again, I've defeated him."
She arched an eyebrow. "Once again?"
"After the other Elder Gods left, the Four Horsemen began destroying the realms of Earth, Heaven, Hell, and Faerie as punishment for our rebellion. A group of us, gathered from all the different races, fought and defeated them. Since it's impossible to truly kill an Elder God, we buried the Four Horsemen in secret locations across the realms of Earth, Heaven, Hell, and Faerie, and four of us—you, me, Archangel Michael, and High King Oberon—used our blood to seal their tombs." I scowled and finished off my wine. "I believe Adam and the Archdemons plan to release them now."
"Why?" she asked. "Why would they even consider doing that?”
“They know it's the only way they can defeat me." I shot her a wry smile. "None of the Archdemons are strong enough. They need the power of the Four Horsemen to take me down."
She took a bite of her potatoes chewing slowly, and then asked, "If the Four Horsemen are released, is that the beginning of the apocalypse? Like in the Bible?"
"Possibly. They nearly destroyed all four realms before we managed to stop them. I can't imagine what destruction they would unleash now after thousands of years in a tomb." My jaw clenched. "And even if the other Horsemen are released, we absolutely cannot allow my father to walk the worlds again."
"What can we do to stop it?" Hannah asked, her face pale.
"The Horsemen must be released in the order we sealed them, just as it says in the Bible. That means Pestilence is first. I’ve already sent people to that location to watch for any sign of Adam or the Archdemons. When they make their move, we'll be ready to stop them."
She nodded, though I could see our discussion was weighing heavily on her mind. It was a lot to lay at her feet, but I wanted her to know everything now. No secrets. No lies. No reason for us to be apart.
At some point during our discussion we'd finished our meal, and I rose to my feet and crossed over to her, offering my hand. "Come with me."
Her delicate fingers reluctantly slid into mine. "Where to?"
"We're going flying."
14
Hannah
I dragged my feet as Lucifer led me outside to the edge of the balcony overlooking The Strip below. The thought of flying again made me nervous for some reason. Maybe because as I stared off the side of the building, I remembered the time I'd nearly plummeted to my death. My wings would have really come in handy then, I thought bitterly.
Or maybe it was because allowing my wings out and using them to fly meant accepting the truth about who I was. Not a human, but an angel. Something I hadn't even believed existed until a few weeks ago.
Or maybe it was because the thought of flying reminded me too much of that terrifying, confusing night when I'd been resurrected, when nothing had made sense and all I'd wanted was to escape.
"Have you flown since the night you regained your wings?" Lucifer asked, as if he knew exactly what was going through my mind.
"No." I shook my head, backing away slowly. "I can't."
He gently pulled me back to the edge of the balcony. "The longer you wait, the harder it will become."
I swallowed hard, knowing he was right. Every time I backed down from flying, it would become a much more daunting task. I had to rip the bandage off and just do it already, but that was easier said than done.
"Trust me," Lucifer said. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"Other than kill me?" I asked, before I could stop myself.
"It worked out in the end, didn't it?" His cocky smirk made me want to smack him over the head. "If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't have your powers or your wings now."
"Did you know that would happen?" I asked, staring hard at him. "You had your memories back then. You knew I was really an angel."
"I suspected rebirth would return you to your angelic state, yes, but there was no way to know for sure. I considered it an added bonus to breaking the curse."
"Still not okay," I muttered, shaking my head.
Lucifer's wings suddenly unfurled behind him, so dark they made the night sky look bright. The area around us darkened slightly, as if the shadows were drawn to his power. In his three-piece suit, with his wings spread, he radiated danger and masculinity like no other man in this world, or any other. There was no doubt when looking upon him that he was the monster spoken of in every dark tale throughout history. The devil himself.
"I believe it's time to show me yours," he said, and I realized I'd been staring.
After a moment's hesitation, I let my wings out, my silver feathers expanding at my back, eager to be freed. It felt good to let them out—like taking off a bra at the end of the day.
"Beautiful," Lucifer said, as he reached out to lightly brush one of my feathers. "Look how you light up the night sky. My bright star."
His touch sent a shiver through me. Among angels, touching another's wings was an intimate act only done among family or lovers. That much I remembered, and yet I didn't pull away. Not when he looked at me like I was his entire world.
I tore my gaze away from him and stared down at the bright lights of The Strip. I could
do this. I could. I'd already flown once, without even realizing I could do it. How much harder could it be now?
Lucifer took my hand and drew my eyes back to him. His quiet confidence lent me some strength, and I nodded to signal I was ready. Together we leaped off the balcony, spreading our wings wide, and though my heart leaped into my throat, Lucifer's firm grip on my hand kept me from panicking. Wind caught my feathers and kept me aloft, and then instinct took over and I flapped my wings, taking me higher.
A laugh escaped my chest as we began to soar over The Strip, gazing down on the cars and casinos below. Lucifer had taken me on a flying tour of the city before, but he'd had to carry me then. Now I reveled in being able to fly by myself. The feeling was strange and yet so familiar, and like fighting, it came back to me easily. My body remembered, even if my mind struggled with it.
Lucifer flew alongside me, and somewhere over The Strip, it changed to a game of cat and mouse. One moment it was him chasing me, then I was chasing him. We laughed our way around loops of the tallest casinos, his darkness keeping us hidden from view.
Then Lucifer caught me, pulling me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest. My heart beat so rapidly, it seemed to pound throughout both our bodies. I caught my breath as I looked at him, drowning in his roguish green eyes—the eyes I’d loved as long as I could remember.
Slowly, so slowly years could have passed, Lucifer lowered his head. His mouth found mine, and heat rippled through me as he grazed his tongue across my lips, demanding to be let in. I sucked in a gasp as he gained entry and kissed me hard, his arms tightening around me, his black wings moving slowly to keep us midair.
When he raised his head, his smoldering gaze made my breath hitch with desire. He suddenly shot forward, carrying me through the air toward The Celestial at a speed no mortal could match. Wind tickled my heated skin as we flew through the night, and when we reached the penthouse, Lucifer reached out with tendrils of darkness and yanked open the sliding door to his bedroom.
We landed inside and he set me down on the floor. Before I could even protest, he gripped my black dress and yanked it off me. I'd purposefully chosen that one because it could come off easily, and I wore nothing underneath. The arrogant, satisfied grin on his lips told me he knew why too.
There was no hiding it. I craved him. Desperately. Last night had been like a delicious appetizer, but now I was ready for the main course.
His eyes raked over my naked body as I stood before him, and my nipples hardened in response. Then he stalked toward me, making me take a step back, and then another, until my back hit the wall. Right where he wanted me.
He took my chin and kissed me hard, holding me in place while he thoroughly seduced my mouth. Then his mouth danced across my skin, down my neck, teasing his way to my shoulders, and then my breasts. He spent some time there, licking and sucking, making me moan, before he continued his path downward. To my belly. To my hips. To the triangle between my legs.
He nudged my legs wider, his large hands gripping my thighs, before his mouth found my pussy and claimed it with a swift brush of his tongue. With a soft groan, I leaned back against the wall for support, my knees suddenly weak.
He looked up at me and met my eyes. "Admit it. This is where you want me. On my knees. Groveling at your feet. My tongue in your pussy."
"Yes," I cried out, as I dug my fingers into his thick dark hair and pulled his face back between my thighs.
He hoisted me up, putting my legs around his shoulders, giving him better access as he thoroughly devoured my pussy like a starving man. He fucked me with his tongue and sucked on my clit, and I was powerless to do anything but hang on and ride his face, my hips thrusting wildly. My climax came upon me like a tidal wave, and I yelled his name as the pleasure crested over me.
Then he stood up and dropped me down in one fluid motion, catching me in his arms, wrapping my legs around his hips. His cock entered me hard and fast, making me gasp at the sudden breach. He pressed me back against the wall, hands on either side of my head, and I clung to his shoulders as he pounded into me. His hips pounded against me, slamming me back against the wall, his cock thrusting deep in a relentless pace. He fucked me like he wanted to become one with me, like he couldn't stop until he'd marked me inside and out. He needed this as much as I did, I realized—this connection, this confirmation that we were still mates, no matter what happened between us. I felt the mate bond thrumming between us, invisible and yet so powerful it couldn't be denied, and I threw my head back and gave myself up to Lucifer completely.
My pussy clenched around his cock as I came, and then he let out a guttural roar and slammed his cock deep into me. I felt his hot seed fill me, and he kissed me hard as we both shuddered with release. I held him tight, kissing him back, squeezing my thighs around his hips so he couldn't leave me just yet.
I rested my head back against the wall and sighed at him. "This doesn't mean I forgive you."
Lucifer carried me over to his bed and set me down on it. "You don't need to forgive me. But from now on you will sleep in my bed."
I bristled at his words. "I have my own room."
"The other room will still be yours to do with as you please. And then, every night, you'll return here to me. We both know you sleep better beside me, anyway. " He flipped me over onto my stomach, and then entered me again from behind, his hands rough on my ass and his cock already hard again. He bent over and said right into my ear, "You can hate me. You can fight me. You can punish me. But you will do it by my side. As my queen."
Any protest I might have made was lost as he claimed me over and over, all night long.
15
Hannah
With a sigh, I plopped into my favorite chair in the library. It was my favorite place in the penthouse to relax, and after that training session, damn, I deserved a break. I’d fought Azazel and Callan together for the first time, and they’d kicked my ass. But we’d all known it wasn’t actually a fair fight—at least not yet. There would come a day when I’d take them on and beat them, I was certain of it. Alas, that day was definitely not today.
I shifted and groaned, wishing my angelic healing would hurry up already. I’d landed hard on the roof, courtesy of Zel’s enthusiasm, and if I'd been human I probably would have broken something. At the very least I would have sported a nice bruise, but because I was an angel, I only had some temporary discomfort while my body healed itself. One of the best perks of immortality for sure.
It had been a week since I'd returned to Las Vegas, and Zel and Callan now had to work really hard for their wins during our combat practice. My other training was going well too. Olivia helped me remember different aspects of angel and demon history and culture, while also getting me up to date on all the changes that had happened in the last forty years. Bastien taught me to regain control of my powers, and I annoyed everyone by reading their auras whenever I saw them. Lucifer's was especially intriguing to me, since the ring around his was as black as night, except for a few traces of light that shined through.
After that night with Lucifer, I turned the guest room into my office and personal space, and in my free time I began drawing up plans for Persephone's Garden. Every time I worked on it my excitement grew, and I couldn't wait to start ordering plants and really getting to work. My true self was starting to surface, and I felt more complete than I’d felt in several years—probably since the last time Jophiel had wiped my memory. I was Haniel mixed with Lenore, Persephone, Eve, and many more. A new Hannah, one I created myself.
I stood and walked around the room, trailing my fingers over the spines of the many books, but none called to me today. I came to a halt in front of the sword I’d grabbed from the wall and used against the gargoyles who’d invaded this space not long ago. Muscle memory had kicked in on that night, and I’d fought and defeated them like I was born to do it. I hadn’t known then that I was born to do it
The sword seemed to call to me as I looked at it. I plucked it off the wall,
enjoying the weight and craftsmanship, the perfect balance as I held it, so familiar from hundreds of years during which I’d clasped it in my hand. Morningstar. Lucifer’s sword from when he was an angel.
As I balanced its weight and adopted a fighter’s pose, something nudged at the edge of my thoughts, and I studied the sword, turning my hand so it gleamed and reflected the lights in the room. At a mental push, a mere urge, it pulsed with darkness, the only sword in existence infused with both light and dark power.
It responded to Lucifer’s power. Only he could wield it. Lucifer…and me.
As I practiced with the sword, slicing it through the air, running through the familiar series of exercises and remembering what it felt like to fight with it, I lost track of time. Until Kassiel walked into the room.
My youngest son stopped short, staring at me with something like shock.
“Kassiel! It's so good to see you again.” I lowered the blade and offered him a smile. I hadn't seen him since that first meeting, and I was eager to talk to him again, but he looked wary. Almost like he didn't want to see me. "Are you all right?"
“Yes, sorry. It’s just strange seeing you in this body, holding the sword my mother wielded against angels.” He raked a hand through his almost-black hair. “I only knew you as Lenore, and though Father told me about the curse and your reincarnation, I've never experienced it personally. I never met you as Haniel. Until now, anyway.”
My heart broke a little at his words. I was essentially a stranger telling him I was his mother. He hadn't known me in over a century. How could I blame him for being hesitant? I'd lived the last forty years with no memories of having any children, so I didn't feel much like a mother either. I silently raged at the curse, and at Adam, and at Jophiel. They hadn’t only kept me from Lucifer. They'd kept me from my sons too.
Devilish Mate: Claimed By Lucifer Book Two Page 9