Nemesis stood in the center of our group, her arms spread, and I realized she was using her powers of illusion to keep us hidden. Belphegor and some of her gargoyles led the charge, and I could only watch in horror as they approached the Fallen guarding the Tower.
With Nemesis’s powers cloaking her, Belphegor walked up to Lucifer’s guards, so close they should have been able to smell her, and waved her hand, putting them to sleep. She seemed to delight in their obliviousness, as they collapsed in the cold desert sand with a thump. I started to scream, to warn them, but a hand was clamped over my mouth. I struggled but couldn’t do anything about the attack, and the cuffs at my wrists were a constant reminder of my powerlessness. I turned my head toward Zel, pleading at her with my eyes, but she ignored me and stared ahead, her lips pressed into a tight line. How could she stand there and do nothing?
The soldiers, who I assumed were all imps and gargoyles, rushed forward and began killing Lucifer's guards with ease as they slept. This wasn't a battle. This was murder.
Belial suddenly bucked his captors, spinning around and kicking them, while the main force was distracted with the Fallen. I began fighting off the two gargoyles holding me too, but just when I'd broken free, I heard Adam's horrible laugh. I turned and saw Belial face down in the dirt, with a gargoyle with stone skin kneeling on his back, and Adam's sword at his throat. I bowed my head in defeat and let the gargoyles grab me again.
Adam smirked at me, delighting in my misery as he always had. “You always were too soft."
I pictured killing him in varying horrible ways for all he’d done. But he was wrong—I was anything but soft. “Kindness and empathy don’t make me soft. They give me the will to fight for what’s right.”
Adam rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword, then turned away as Belphegor approached. "Is everyone dead, Bella?"
"Yes. Philomelus has started the excavation now," she said. "It shouldn't be long."
Wait. I knew that name. I searched my memories and remembered the green-haired man I'd seen with Zel last night—that was Philomelus. A fae of the Autumn Court who I'd known during my time as Persephone. He'd had a twin brother, Plutus...who'd turned out to be the reincarnation of Adam. The two of them must still have a strong bond, if Philomelus was working with Adam now.
"Good." Adam lowered his head and kissed Belphegor, and the kiss soon turned into a full-blown make-out session, complete with roaming hands and way more tongue than anyone outside their relationship ever needed to see. "Let's go watch my brother work."
They held hands as they walked toward the crumbling tower, and many of the soldiers trailed behind them. Belial and I were made to sit by the trucks in the dirt. I asked for some water, and was completely ignored. I was freezing in the cold night air, but no one cared. All I could hear was a low rumbling sound by the tower.
Then the guard next to me suddenly dropped dead, his neck sliced open. Azazel spun and kicked and slashed with her light-infused dagger, taking out the other guards around us with ease. It happened so fast I barely had time to blink.
"Zel!" I exhaled in relief. "I knew you'd never betray us."
"Of course not. I had to trick that bastard so I could keep an eye on you." She tossed her dark hair as she sheathed her blade. "Can you believe Adam thought I'd join him just because we were friends when he was Gadreel?"
Belial got to his feet and eyed her warily. "Yet you just stood there and watched while they slaughtered your Fallen allies."
Zel's face flashed with anger. "My job is to protect Hannah. Have no doubt, their deaths will be avenged."
"Can you get these off?" I asked, holding out my cuffs. With them on, we couldn't use our wings, which made escape a lot trickier.
"I don't have the key. Adam's got it locked down tight." Zel searched the guards around us and held up some car keys. She tossed them to me. "Get in the truck and go. I'll protect you from the air."
"I'm not leaving you!" I ran for the nearest truck, the keys clutched tightly in my sweaty hands.
Zel's black wings spread behind her with a snap. "They'll come at us from the air. Someone has to hold them back."
She lifted off before I could argue, and Belial grabbed my arm and hauled me the final steps toward the truck. He'd grabbed a sword along the way. I should have thought of that. I got in on the driver's side, and tried the keys with trembling hands as Belial slid in beside me. The engine started up and I slammed my foot on the gas.
The truck peeled off, sending dirt flying in every direction as I headed for the road up ahead. Belial leaned out the window, looking back toward the tower, his stolen sword ready in his hand. I couldn't see Zel, but I assumed she flew over us with her daggers ready. My heart pounded in my chest as I maneuvered the huge steering wheel, knowing this was our one chance to escape, and it wasn't a very good one. There was nothing around us for miles except dirt and sand and stars. But we had to try.
The truck lurched onto the road, and I nearly let out a whoop of relief, until I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw it was filled with dark-winged figures gaining speed father than should be possible, like something in a horror movie.
Belial saw it too, and he grabbed hold of the window and hauled himself up and out of it, then climbed onto the roof. My mouth fell open as I watched him, feeling a touch of pride even amid the danger. I so desperately wanted to go with him and protect him, but I had to keep us moving too.
The gargoyles reached us, and I heard the clang of swords striking above me, and the whoosh of air from powerful wings. A female gargoyle with blond hair tried to climb into the window next to me, and I slapped at her face, unable to do much else while driving. With her stone skin, it didn't do much, but then Zel yanked her off, slicing the gargoyle's throat with a glowing white dagger.
Suddenly the truck swerved and stopped, the tires squealing as they tried to keep going forward, but it was like something held us in place. I glanced out the side window and saw tentacles of darkness had grabbed the wheels, coming from Adam's hands. I kept my foot on the gas and yelled in frustration, as the gargoyles surrounded our truck.
Then Zel hit the window in front of me, cracking it instantly, and I screamed. She rolled off and fell to the ground, and I slammed my breaks. Where was my son? Was he all right?
Belphegor landed in front of my truck on bat-like taloned black wings. Adam set down beside her, holding Belial, who seemed to be passed out but otherwise unharmed. I took some small comfort in the fact that they wouldn't kill Belial, not yet anyway. They needed him.
Zel wasn't so lucky. As the gargoyles threw open the truck and hauled me out, they tossed me to the ground beside her. I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not, but she had a wound on her shoulder that was bleeding pretty badly.
"Nice try," Adam said, as he tossed my unconscious son down. "But there's no escape for any of you."
The last thing I saw was his horrid face before the world went black.
22
Hannah
“The tomb isn’t there.”
Nemesis's voice roused me from sleep, and I cracked open my eyes. I was back in the dirt near the tomb, surrounded by more guards, with chains attached to my cuffs again. Night had fallen, and my skin prickled against the cold air. Belial sat beside me, already awake and alert, but wearing enough chains that he could barely move. Zel was still passed out beside him. Not dead, thankfully, but still bleeding, even with the rapid healing of an immortal.
I sat up a bit, noticing Nemesis standing a short distance away with Adam, Belphegor, and Philomelus. My one comfort was that they all looked pissed.
“What do you mean, it's not there?” Adam snapped, before they all stomped back in the direction of the tomb.
“Welcome back,” Belial said to me in a low voice.
“I wonder what they mean,” I whispered. “How could the tomb be gone?”
He shrugged, seemingly indifferent to our predicament. Or maybe he was just as exhausted and defeated as I was in this momen
t. Our escape attempt had failed, and we wouldn't get another shot. Things seemed pretty fucking bleak for us, except for the fact that they couldn't find Pestilence's tomb. That might buy us a few hours. It would have to be enough.
I tried to offer Belial some hope. “Lucifer will come.”
He smirked. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"We'll get through this. I promise." I leaned close to my son and, even though I knew he'd probably pull away, I put my arms around him. The words were spoken partly to reassure myself, and I expected him to make a snarky comment in response.
To my surprise, Belial let me hold him. He was huge, so much larger than I was that it felt like I was hugging a tree, but I breathed in deep, committing this moment to memory. If I died tonight, at least I'd have these few seconds where we'd reconnected.
Adam and the others returned, attracting my attention as they barked out orders to their soldiers. Belial and I were yanked to our feet, then dragged forward and shoved back down to the ground in front of the group.
Nemesis leaned down in front of me, so close I could feel her hot breath against my cheeks. "Where’s the tomb?”
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Nemesis slapped me hard, making my ears ring, the impact so fast and shocking all I could do was take it. "I said, where is the tomb?"
Belial struggled against the men holding him and yelled, "Don't fucking touch her!"
Adam pulled Nemesis back. "Don't hurt my prize. Only I'm allowed to do that."
His prize? If he came any closer I would vomit all over his shoes.
As sharp pain blossomed across my face, I actually laughed. "I really have no idea. My memories are a jumbled mess."
"Maybe the son knows something," Belphegor said, stepping toward Belial with a knife in her hand.
"If you think that, you're bigger fools than I thought," my son said with a bitter laugh of his own. "Lucifer kicked me out of Hell centuries ago. I don't know anything."
"No, he doesn't," Adam confirmed. "But Eve does. I can get her to talk."
Adam looked at Belial for a moment, and then he slammed his fist into my son's stomach. I felt his grunt of pain in my own gut, and I clutched my chest as he bent over from it. Then Adam turned to me with pure evil in his eyes. "I won't kill him. You know that. But I'll make him hurt so bad he'll pray for death. Unless you tell me where the tomb is."
“I really don’t know!" I yanked at my chains, desperate to get to my son. "I’m not lying. I don't remember anything, I swear it."
"Then you better remember fast." Adam grabbed Belphegor's knife and sliced it across Belial's upper arms. Two quick slashes that made him bleed, though his face betrayed nothing.
"No!" I yelled, as blood spilled across my son's tattoos.
"Don't tell them anything, Mother," Belial said through gritted teeth.
Adam sliced Belial's thighs next, through his dirty, ripped jeans, and hot tears fell from my eyes. I yelled at them to stop, struggling and fighting until my arms and legs ached, and Adam paused and looked at me.
“Stop,” I cried. “I’'ll try to remember! Just let me think.” I sifted through memories, images coming and going from my head as I pulled them forward and rejected them. I vaguely remembered being at the tower as Eve and spilling my blood onto the tomb, but that didn't explain what had happened to it after that.
"This is taking too long," Nemesis said. "Cut him again."
Adam slashed the dagger across Belial's back next, tearing into his already ripped shirt. Where his wings would be, if he could pull them out.
"Wait, stop!" Closing my eyes, I searched frantically, trying to sort anything that had to do with the tomb. "I'm trying!"
Belial cried out, his hoarse scream echoing off the ruins, and I jerked my eyes open to see blood pouring from his back.
“Wait!” I cried. “I’ve got something. Stop hurting him.” My head began to hurt from the effort of forcing all the memories to comply. “Lucifer…”
“Lucifer what?” Belphegor asked.
The images flashed behind my eyes almost like I was watching an old, faded movie with some scenes missing. “He moved it. After Belial’s uprising. He said he was doing it to be cautious.” I slumped in relief, glad I’d been able to remember something so they’d stop hurting Belial.
But Nemesis surged forward, and her manicured nails lengthened, transforming into claws. She slashed at Belial’s chest, and he gave another cry of pain. “Where?” she asked, her tone calm—as if she hadn’t just spilled my son’s blood into the desert sand.
"I don't know!" I cried. I closed my eyes again as I tried to cover the rapidity of my heartbeat, the franticness of my thoughts, and seem as calm as she did. I couldn’t fall apart in front of them. Not if I wanted to protect Belial. And I needed to block out as many other senses as I could so I could concentrate.
I clutched my head, trying to remember. “I was human,” I whispered. “On a ship. With Lucifer.” I focused and concentrated as hard as I could, willing to do anything to keep them from hurting Belial. It was an older ship, with big masts and sails, the wood creaking as we sailed across stormy seas. Lucifer wore a billowy white shirt and trousers stuffed into large black boots. He turned and pointed across the waves.
Belial screamed again, his loudest yet. I couldn’t open my eyes. I had to keep going. I sorted through the foggy memories. The ship docked, and the massive tomb was hauled off with ropes into a carriage. We continued through hard rain in the dead of night to a ring of stones in the grass.
“Stonehenge!” I opened my eyes. “It’s at Stonehenge!”
Adam grinned and stepped close to touch my face, almost tenderly, but I jerked my head away. "I knew you would remember."
"Get ready to move immediately," Nemesis said to the nearest guard.
Oh fuck, what had I done? I'd led them right to Pestilence's location.
I turned to Belial, who watched me with inscrutable eyes, probably disappointed with me for revealing the location. I started to crawl toward him, horrified at the sight of his blood, wanting nothing more than to hold him tight. "I'm sorry," I said to him. "I had to do it."
But then Adam turned to Belial and offered him his hand. I paused, staring open-mouthed, as Belial took it and rose to his feet. Adam removed the cuffs around his wrists, and my son let out a relieved sigh, rubbing the skin there. Then a gargoyle handed Belial a small towel to wipe up the blood. His cuts were already healing, now that the cuffs were off, and I realized they weren't very deep.
"Thank you, Mother," Belial said, as he cleaned himself up quickly, then tossed the bloody rag to one of the nearby men.
"What..." I glanced between Belial and the others, who'd begun packing up and loading things into the trucks. Belial now moved freely between them, as if he was one of them.
“Prepare the jet,” Belial ordered. “We’re going to England.”
"Belial, what's happening?" I asked, reaching for him. I didn't want to believe what I was seeing—my own son betraying me. "Belial!"
His eyes landed on me again, and they were hard. He looked at me like a stranger. No—an enemy.
"Knock her out."
“No!” I screamed as he walked away, my heart breaking even worse than when Lucifer had killed me.
Belphegor moved in front of me, and it all went dark.
23
Lucifer
I stepped inside Belial's bar for the first time. I'd visited many times before, but I'd always watched from a distance, telling myself this would be when I finally stepped inside and spoke with my son. Now I feared it might be too late.
The place was a mess. Broken windows. Splintered chairs. Cracked tables. The mirrored wall behind the bar had been shattered, with smashed liquor bottles strewn about, making the room reek of alcohol. I picked up one of the menus scattered on the floor and stared at the Outcast Bar logo. Two tiny dots of blood marred the black wings stamped across the top. Was it Hannah's blood? Belial's? One of the
ir attackers?
I dropped the menu and scanned the dark room, lit only by a bit of magic from my angelic friends. Clearly a fight had taken place here, but the victors had done a good job of cleaning up the evidence. If any had been defeated, their bodies had already been removed. Only these tiny drops of blood remained.
Good thing I had someone who could help with that. When we'd departed from Las Vegas, I'd brought Samael, along with Kassiel, Olivia, and her other men. Most of them were outside, combing the area for any clues, but Bastien was the one I turned to now. As the son of an Archangel, he had an extra power that I needed—the power to read objects and see the past through them.
Bastien stepped up to the bar and rested his hands upon the smooth wood, then closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned toward me. "Gargoyles."
"I knew it," Samael muttered.
"What happened to Hannah?" I asked.
"Belphegor put her to sleep and she was taken away," Bastien said. "Along with Azazel."
I swore under my breath. This wasn't the first time Belphegor and her people had attacked Hannah. When I saw the Archdemon again, I was going to rip her apart, limb by limb. "And Belial?"
Bastien's dark brows furrowed. "He initially seemed to be knocked out by Belphegor—but once Hannah was asleep he stood up and brushed himself off. He walked out of the bar with Belphegor."
"No." The word slipped out of my mouth, even as the obviousness of it hit me like a punch in the gut. Belial was working with the Archdemons. Of course he was. He'd tried to overthrow me once before, and it hadn't worked, and now he was part of the plot to do it again. I should've known he would try again. What a fool I'd been to think perhaps we'd been ready to let the old grievances die, to hope that Hannah might finally be able to mend what had been so thoroughly broken.
Devilish Mate: Claimed By Lucifer Book Two Page 14