"You..." War's spectral form glared down at me with malice. "Son of Death. You were one of my captors."
Shit. I should have known he'd recognize me. But I could turn this around. "That's right. I defeated you before, but now I'm offering you a chance to take me as your vessel instead. There's no one stronger than me, and you know it. I fought against you in the Elder War, and I fought against angels in the Great War. Now I'll fight with you."
"You also ended the Great War," Belial growled, then looked over at War. "He's grown weak in his old age. He fights for peace now."
War fixed his vile gaze on my son again. "Hmm. I sense you are good at sowing conflict. You are enemies with your own father, after all."
"No!" I flew forward. I couldn't let him take my son. I'd seen what it had done to Adam. No matter what had happened in the past, I would never consider Belial my enemy. Not even after he'd betrayed me so many times. Not even after this. Here. Now. He was my son. And I would do whatever it took to save him—as I'd promised Hannah. Even if it meant sacrificing myself. "Belial is weak. He's stood against me numerous times, and I've always defeated him. He's the biggest disappointment of my life."
"Then sacrifice him," War said. "And you will have my power."
Despite my hard words, even I couldn't do that. "No. There must be another sacrifice you will accept."
"Yes. The angel woman." War stretched out a long finger toward Hannah, where she fought against the fae man. "Your mate."
I clenched my hands at my sides. "I will not take her life."
"Ah, but the sacrifice I require is one of the mind." War leaned close, surrounding me with his spectral energy. "She will live, but I will take her from you. Choose now, or I offer the boy the same deal. We both know he will take it."
I looked up at him, fearing what he meant, but knowing I was running out of time. This was probably the best deal I would get, even if my heart wrenched at the thought of losing Hannah in any way. All I could do was pray she would be able to save me from what I was about to do to myself. "Swear she will be unharmed, and I will agree."
"Father, no!" Belial yelled, rushing toward me with Morningstar.
"I swear it," War's voice boomed. "I accept you as my vessel."
At his words, War slammed into me with a rush of power, chaos, and hatred. I felt like my body was ripped apart only to sew itself back together, then torn apart all over again. Every pore oozed pain and torment. A needle for every day I’d ever lived stabbed into me—and I’d lived for so many years. The agony felt like it lasted for hours or days, maybe even weeks. My knees hit the ground, overwhelmed by the fight to remain myself amongst all this overwhelming rage. It had only been seconds, but the anger inside me had built for centuries. And now it was free.
Something inside me had been stripped. Something important, but what was it? The idea that an integral part of me had disappeared bothered me greatly. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. On that one thing I needed to remember. Was something missing?
No matter. I was Lucifer and War and a god. Purpose and power filled me as I gazed across the battlefield at the angels and demons still fighting each other. As they should be.
I spread my hands and laughed, using my magic to stir their emotions. I tweaked that part of their minds that allowed the puny creatures to give in to their base instincts. Their primal sides. Their rage.
They turned on each other and fought harder, not knowing or caring who fell before them. And they died, one after another, fueling my power. Making me whole.
Give them anger.
Give them War.
34
Hannah
I blasted Philomelus with a combined hit of darkness and light, sending him flying back hundreds of feet. Azazel swooped down where he landed, her blades glowing, and I gave her a quick salute before turning back to help Lucifer.
But I was too late.
“No!” I screamed, as War surged into Lucifer, his angry essence surrounding him and sinking through every pore. Lucifer spread his arms as he accepted it, and understanding crashed over me as my heart shattered into a thousand tiny glass shards. He'd done it to save our son from such a fate—but now he'd cursed himself in the process, and the thought of losing him was unbearable. Maybe he could fight it. There was no one stronger than Lucifer. If anyone could control War, it was him.
Paths of angry red and orange light broke through Lucifer’s skin, like it couldn't be contained. It burst out of his body like molten lava seeping through cracks in the ground, pulsing with iridescent fury. He spread his wings wide, and they glowed red instead of their usual inky darkness. Black feathers lit by rage.
Furious and overwhelming power pulsed from Lucifer, filling everyone on the field. As the energy hit all of those waging war against each other, they let out shrieks and cries filled with mindless anger, and began slashing and hacking at whoever was in front of them. Friend or foe, it mattered not. Rage had taken hold of them, and they fought with renewed vigor. If Pestilence weakened and sickened them, War did the opposite. He was a shot of caffeine straight to their anger centers.
And I was the only one who could stop it.
I launched into the air and flew in the lighted dusk to Lucifer, hovering in front of him. My mate was in there somewhere, no doubt fighting against the Elder God that had taken his body, and I had to reach him somehow. It was my only hope of ending this madness and turning him upon Adam.
"Lucifer, stop this!" I touched his arm and squeezed, willing our connection to help him focus past the influence of the god he’d welcomed into his body. "Listen to me! You have to fight it!"
He turned his head toward me with eyes that burned red like hot coal and gave me a scathing look. "Who are you?"
I blinked at him, confused. "It's me, Hannah. Your mate. You...you don't recognize me?"
Lucifer's impossibly handsome face was marred with hatred as he shoved me back. "I'd never mate with an angel."
I caught myself with my wings, even as his words shook me deep to my core. This was bad. What had War done to him? "I know you're in there." The words fell from my lips, a desperate attempt to have him acknowledge me. “Lucifer, you have to push through this!"
“Of course I'm in here. I once made the mistake of ending the war against the angels, but War has reminded me who I really am." He sneered at me as he spoke, while the battle raged around us. "It’s time to take over Heaven and reopen Hell. Then we'll conquer Earth, and Faerie too." He surveyed the scene of chaos in front of him with satisfaction. "Soon every realm will kneel before me. Their king. Their god."
No, I refused to let him become this monster. I would make him remember somehow. I gripped his shoulders, forcing him to look at me. “Lucifer! You are not War! I know you can fight this. You know who I am. I’m Hannah. I’m Eve! You are my mate. And you love me.” The wind whipped my last words away. "I know you do, even if War's made you forget."
Lucifer's furious red eyes burned brighter, and he grasped my wrist tightly but didn't strike me down. I stared back at him, searching his face for any hint of the man I loved.
“Mother!” Belial grabbed my arm and yanked me back. “There’s nothing you can do. He doesn’t remember you."
"No!" I cried. My soul felt like it was being torn in two as Belial dragged me away. I’d just gotten Lucifer back, just remembered everything about our past together, and now I'd lost him again. Even though we were no longer cursed, fate seemed to want to keep us apart, to make us suffer for the chance to be together.
But maybe there was hope. Lucifer let us go. He could've killed me easily while I'd pleaded with him, but he hadn't. More than that, the anger that affected everyone else had managed to spare me and Belial. No matter what Lucifer said, there was a part of him that wouldn't hurt me. That knew me, deep down, in the dark depths of his soul. Just like when Jophiel had made him forget Haniel, but he'd ended the war with the angels anyway. No matter what happened, I would always be with him.
As Belial pu
lled me to safety, I gazed out across the pyramid’s ruins and watched the battle going on around us. Angels and demons, who were previously on the same side, now fighting each other because of Lucifer’s magic. War’s magic.
Too many people were injured or dead, and Lucifer wasn’t going to stop here. War wouldn’t ever let him stop, and even Lucifer wasn’t strong enough to fight the Elder God's influence. Now Lucifer would go to Earth and restart the war against angels, and then he’d keep going until War conquered all. When he was finished, what would even be left?
I couldn’t let that happen.
Lucifer had saved our son, but in doing so, he'd lost himself. It only made me love him even more, because it was exactly what I would have done. We’d been through countless lifetimes together, and my love for him—and his for me—was the one constant through all of them.
But now I had to stop him.
I turned to Belial, frantically coming up with a plan that probably wouldn't work, but was our only hope at stopping War. "Where's the key to Heaven?"
"I have it."
"Give it to me."
Belial scowled, but he took it out and rested the gem in my hand. It lit up immediately at my touch, reacting to my angelic nature. Only a few hours ago, this had been stolen from Jophiel's hands. Grief threatened to return, but I pushed it away. No time for that now.
"We need to get everyone out of here." I beat my wings hard against the air as I flew over the remaining living warriors, and then I remembered what Bastien had taught me. What he'd reminded me I could do. I gathered the light of truth in my palms, my powers so strong here in Heaven it felt like being hit by an electric bolt, and shot it over the field. As it hit everyone fighting, War's madness relaxed on them, just a little. Just enough to make them pause.
I landed in the middle of them and held out the gem, like I'd seen Gabriel do. The key reacted to my angelic blood as I thought of Earth, and a shimmering portal opened up. I concentrated and made it bigger, so multiple people could enter at once.
"Hurry!" I yelled, my voice booming across the field. "Go through the portal!"
The warriors seemed to snap out of a daze and began moving toward the portal, but I'd forgotten about Adam. With all the insanity going on, he had watched from atop his spectral white horse with a triumphant look on his face, loving the chaos and the death all around him. Now he focused on me and his eyes narrowed—and then he charged.
"I'll hold him back," Belial said, gathering hellfire in his hands. "Get everyone out of here."
I wasn't sure I could trust Belial, since he'd been on Adam's side only moments ago, but I couldn't stop to argue or question him.
All of the angels and demons still capable of moving headed to the portal, some of them crawling or helping others through, some flying on injured wings. Fenrir carried an unconscious or dead Nemesis on his back, but I didn't care at this point if they got away or not. All that mattered was getting everyone back to Earth so I could do what had to be done.
Belial flew around Adam so quickly he was a blur, attacking him with Morningstar, with hellfire, with darkness. Giving our forces enough time to escape. Whenever someone stopped and growled with War's rage again, I threw out more beams of light, focusing all my energy on making sure the truth won out. As I did, Gabriel opened a portal on the other side of the field, allowing even more people to escape.
An enormous spectral horse appeared in the distance, the color of dark red blood. It galloped toward us, passing by the angels and demons on the grass and approaching War. Lucifer mounted the massive beast and I knew we were out of time.
"Hurry!" I yelled. If they didn't get through soon, I'd have to leave some behind.
Belial suddenly hit the ground beside me, rolling in agony from Adam's sickness. The first Horsemen then rode across the field on his white horse and slipped into Gabriel's open portal, sickening anyone nearby along the way. The portal closed an instant later, and I swore under my breath.
Lucifer turned toward us and kicked his steed, his hatred and fury an oppressive cloud all around us. No doubt planning to do exactly what Adam had done.
We were out of time.
Across the field, Gabriel grabbed hold of someone with black wings—Azazel—and flew straight for my portal. A few others remained, stumbling to get through, and I feared they weren't going to make it. I had to give them a few more seconds somehow.
Before Lucifer’s steed reached the portal, I blasted him with darkness and light, pouring everything I had into knocking the great love of my life backward. I wouldn't leave Gabriel or Azazel behind. I couldn't.
My son pushed himself up to his feet, his face twisting with resolve. Blue hellfire poured from his hands, packing enough punch to knock him back long enough for the remaining angels and demons to get through.
“Go!” I yelled as I shoved Belial toward the portal.
He shook his head. "Not without you!"
I had no time to waste arguing with my willful son. I was his mother, dammit. He should listen to me. As he turned to face Lucifer again while letting out a wracking cough, I wrapped darkness around him like a chain and tossed him through the portal.
Lucifer came closer, magnificent as he sat high on his steed, and I stood blocking the way. It was just me and him now. As it always had been.
"Get out of my way, angel," Lucifer commanded, his horse stomping its feet impatiently, turning the ground to lava with every step. But he still didn't attack me.
“I love you," I said, my voice choking with emotion and tears pricking my eyes. "I'll come back for you, I swear it. I will find a way to free you."
I rushed through the portal just as he charged me, then closed it right before War and his red horse came riding through. Leaving Lucifer alone in empty, war-torn Heaven.
35
Hannah
I collapsed to the ground, my body spent, my soul broken. Fuck, that had been close. If I'd been a second slower, War would have made it to Earth. I could still smell brimstone from his horse on me, and my hands shook with both terror and the horrible realization over what I'd done.
I'd locked my mate in Heaven. I'd left him as a monster. I'd done it to save everyone in this realm and every other, and I knew if Lucifer was in his right mind he would have approved of my decision—but that didn't make it any easier. Lucifer was lost to me, and I wasn't sure how I would ever get him back.
I gazed across the field, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. No one was fighting any longer, no matter what side they'd been on before. Imps lay next to angels, shifters groaned beside gargoyles. Archangel Raphael had been smart enough to stay behind on Earth with some Malakim to heal us in the event of something like this, and they flew across the field now, tending to everyone who needed it. I spotted Marcus bending over Kassiel, healing his wounds, and breathed a sigh of relief to see my youngest son was all right. I also saw Azazel speaking with Samael, and Olivia hugging Callan while Bastien looked on. All of them wonderfully, miraculously alive.
Adam had vanished though, and there was no telling where he'd gone. Although I'd managed to cage War, we still had Pestilence to deal with. Somehow we'd have to stop him before he did irreparable damage to this world we all shared.
“What have you done?” Belial stared at the spot where the portal had disappeared. He let out another horrible round of coughing, clutching his chest, and then collapsed against me.
"Help!" I yelled, and Archangel Raphael himself hurried over to me. He surrounded Belial in bright white light, slowly removing all traces of Pestilence's disease from him. It was a miracle Belial had fought it off so long. When the healing was done, I thanked Raphael and he flashed me a wink and a flirty smile, before rushing off to the next emergency.
"Why?" Bastien muttered, as he stumbled to his feet again.
I rested my hand on Belial’s tattooed arm, willing him to understand. “I had to trap Lucifer there. It was the only way to contain him. He’s an Elder God now, so he won’t die. He’ll just get an
grier and angrier. But this gives us time to figure out how to get War out of him and remind him who he really is."
Belial clenched his fists, his frustration pouring out of him, so thick I could almost see it. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was going to take on War to stop Pestilence. That was my plan, once I realized I’d fucked up by letting Adam become Pestilence. Father ruined everything.”
My poor, misguided, stupidly brave son. He was far too much like his father. Probably why they'd never gotten along.
“He did it to save you.”
Belial's face screwed tight with anger. “Why? Why would he save me after everything I've done?"
“Because you're our son." I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight, unsure which one of us needed to be held more. "No matter what you do, we will always love you."
The muscles of his back tightened at my words and he pulled away, his face hard. "You shouldn't."
Then he stormed off, he steps stiff and angry. I stared after him, but let him go. At least I’d confirmed what I’d always suspected—that he wasn’t totally evil. There was hope for him yet. And Lucifer knew that too, or he wouldn’t have sacrificed himself to save Belial.
Gabriel moved through the crowd to stand by my side. "Good thinking back there. You saved us all."
"I did what I had to do," I said with a sigh.
“I'm just glad the angry haze from War has passed. All I wanted to do was fight. I’d been about to declare open war against the demons again.” He looked at me, his eyes full of pity. “I’m sorry you had to leave him there, but it was the right thing to do. We can’t let War start the battle between angels and demons again. Not when we've worked so hard for peace."
“We won’t.” No matter what else happened, I wouldn't let that battle start again. I was an angel, yes, but my heart was with the demons. I belonged in both worlds—and I would give my life protecting the peace between them. "And somehow we'll stop Pestilence too."
Devilish Mate: Claimed By Lucifer Book Two Page 21