“What was that about?” I whisper to Lucifer once we’re out of earshot. I sneak a glance back to find Stavros still standing there, watching us.
“Stavros was once a very powerful creature. Sometimes he needs to be reminded that he no longer rules. Not in Hell, and not on Earth. He doesn’t even rule his family anymore.”
“But you let him rule the Eighth Realm.”
Lucifer nods. “A formality. Part of being in power is knowing how to delegate. He is so starved for my approval and my ear that he wouldn’t dare defy me. Not that he would ever truly gain either one. Loyalty is important to me, and if history has taught us anything, I could never respect anyone who could hurt his own children. However, watching him snivel and squirm is quite entertaining.”
I find myself cackling at Stavros’s expense and look up at Lucifer with hazy eyes. That last drink of champagne has already got my head feeling foggy. That along with Lucifer’s magnetic charm. “You’re so bad.”
He gazes down at me, his expression warm with a touch of naughtiness. “You have no idea.”
We make our rounds, stopping to meet Lucifer’s closest advisors and dignitaries. And with a never-ending supply of champagne, it becomes easier to smile and pretend that this is where I belong. A large part of me knows it’s a betrayal—I should be kicking and screaming and acting like a rabid fool in front of his friends. But a small part of me kinda…enjoys it. The amorous glances from the men. The admiring gazes from the women. I’m a star here, not an afterthought. Not a pathetic pet tagging along, begging for the occasional pat on the head.
For once, I feel important—powerful. Even with my fragile mortality, I feel like I have the upper hand, although I know it’s only because Lucifer is at my side. But the fact remains is that he is at my side. Not keeping his distance and being aloof while I’m humiliated and shamed for being a naïve girl. He isn’t ramming his tongue down another female’s throat while I sit there and watch. Hell, he hasn’t even looked at another woman all night, and considering the drop-dead gorgeous people surrounding us, I can’t tell if he’s actually a saint, or immune to the opposite sex.
I don’t know what’s happening here—what’s happening to me. But the longer I’m with him, the harder it is to believe that his intentions aren’t true. The way he keeps his hand on the small of my back, offering his heat and protection, the way he introduces me as if I am the most important person in the world to him…how can I not feel different about him? When no one else ever has shown me that type of attention?
But I shouldn’t want his attention. Right? I shouldn’t want to feel strong and dominant in a room full of monsters. I should cower and hide like I have my entire life. Who I am—what I am—shouldn’t be something I’m proud of.
My gut churns with doubt. My head swims with confusion. If I were turned inside out, the whole room would see what an ugly, muddled mess I really am.
“Something wrong?” Lucifer questions, a slight frown dimpling his forehead. I offer a stiff smile.
“Just need the ladies room.”
“I’ll take you.”
Just a hint of pressure at my back as he gently leads me away. I go on shaky legs, trying like hell to remain calm and content. Something isn’t right. I don’t…I don’t feel well.
“I’ll wait for you right here,” he says when we reach the door marked for the women’s restroom. The half a dozen loiterers in the hallway openly gawk.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
“I’ll wait right here,” he repeats. He brushes the back of his hand across my cheek. “Take as long as you need.”
Stunned, I walk backwards through the swinging door, taking his warmth with me. There are other women at the vanity inside, but as soon as they see me, they smile and give me a wide berth. They’re afraid of me. For what, I have no idea. But I can’t remember a time when I didn’t receive eye rolls and mumbled snarky insults over a communal sink.
I slip into the stall furthest from the door.
And slam right into a hard chest.
An arm wraps tight around my body.
A hand goes over my mouth.
And before I can even attempt to fight or scream, the walls fall away, and I plunge into absolute darkness.
I crumple onto the bed—my bed—a scream stuck in my throat. I feel like I’ve just been launched from a cannon, or like I’ve been tumbling from an airplane. I frantically grasp random body parts to ensure I’m still intact. My stomach had to have fallen right out.
“What the hell?” I exclaim. “What just happened?”
“You’ll be fine.” Niko heaves a sigh, sagging onto the bed. He looks…not himself. His hair is tousled, and not in the deliberate way, and there are beads of sweat on his forehead. He also looks paler, with dark purplish circles around his eyes. I instantly forget about myself and my potentially missing organs, and cup his cheeks.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
He shakes his head weakly. “Getting you out of there without being detected took more out of me than I expected. I’ve been here too long. My body is…”
My eyes go wide with horror. “You’re dying. All over again.”
“Don’t worry. The alternative to this place is much more pleasing.” He even attempts a smile.
“Why are you still here? Go! You can’t stay! You need to leave now!” If he didn’t look so weak, I’d give him a shove to drive my point home.
“And leave you here to have all the fun? Never.” The words are like glass on his vocal cords, and he begins to cough, his whole body shaking with the effort. “Besides, someone had to see you off.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, feeling moisture on my cheeks. I didn’t even realize I was crying. But seeing him like this…dying beside me…I can’t let him do this to himself. Not for me.
“Needed to make sure you caught your ride.”
“What? Niko, you need to—”
Before I can finish my desperate plea, I hear the floor creak behind me, coming from the shadows across the room. With fists raised, I bound off the bed and whirl around to face the intruder, prepared to fight to the death to protect Niko, the Dark warlock who had risked so much to protect me. But when my eyes fall upon the beautiful beast looming before us, all coherent speech and thought dissolves as quick as my temper.
Legion.
“Eden,” he breathes. That deep gravely voice—his voice. I had started to forget it. And now hearing my name on his lips cracks me wide open.
“How did you…?”
He takes a step closer, hands raised in caution. “You’re not hurt? He hasn’t touched…” His face—that brutally gorgeous face—morphs into a scowl. I swear, I even hear him snarl.
“I’m fine.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “How did you…?”
“Dorian. I’ll explain everything, but we have to go.”
“Saskia packed her a change of clothes,” Niko says behind us. “But there’s no time. You have minutes…barely.” He struggles to his feet, using what appears to be his last reserve of strength. He seems to be fading away right before our very eyes.
Legion opens his palm, revealing a small vial of swirling, iridescent liquid, very much like the dose of magic the Dark King had me drink. “I made a promise to your brother. This is Gabriella’s magic. It’s the only thing strong enough to pull you out. You’re going with her.”
“What?” both Niko and I question with wild eyes.
“I’ll find a way out. Hurry. Take it.” He steps closer to push the vial into Niko’s hands. Close enough for his chest to brush against my arm. His scent of scorched earth and midnight jasmine invade my senses, creating a heady cocktail of bittersweet memories and overwhelming desire.
Niko shakes his head. “No. I can’t. Take it and get her out of here.”
“I keep my promises, warlock,” Legion states, his voice taking on that commanding tone I had grown to appreciate. It still makes my insides quiver.
“I can
’t leave. Stavros is linked to me. Pulling me out pulls him out. Besides, I have unfinished business. Eden needs you a helluva lot more than she needs me. She is the answer. Protect her with your life. And this time…don’t let her go.”
I turn to Niko with fresh tears rimming my eyes. “I can’t leave you here.”
“I’ll be fine, E. Go. Be badass. Save the world. Just do me a favor.” He fishes a small satchel from his pocket and places it in my palm, closing my fingers around the bundle. His skin feels like ice. “Give this to Gabriella.”
“What is it?” I ask, my voice cracking.
“Her something blue.” He smiles, and a single tear slides down his cheek. “I never got to give it to her. Tell her that little Niko is the most beautiful creature that I’ve ever seen, and that I love them all more than my cold, black heart can stand.”
Seeing his pain…feeling it as my own…I don’t try to mute the choking sobs ripping through my hollow chest. “Thank you. Thank you for everything. I won’t forget you, I promise. We’ll come back.”
He doesn’t tell me not to cry. He doesn’t even tell me I’m foolish for promising things we both know are impossible. He just simply brushes away my tears with the tips of his cold fingers and gives me one last dazzling smile.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I say, sobbing even harder. “I won’t. Take my place. I’ll stay.”
Niko shakes his head, causing a lock of black hair to fall over his brow. He cups my face and strokes his thumbs over my damp cheeks. “What is it about me and stubborn, beautiful girls?”
I manage to smile through the heartache, remembering the words he said to me when I first arrived. “It’s like you’re a glutton for punishment.”
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” He leans forward and places a cold kiss on my forehead. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”
“They’re coming,” Legions announces at my back. The tension in his tone signals that they’re close.
Reluctantly, I step away from Niko’s grasp, knowing that minutes have turned into mere seconds. Legion is right there, and without thinking, I bury my face into his chest, inhaling his scent. His heat, his body…it feels like Home.
With one arm wrapped protectively around me, Legion opens the vial and tips it to his lips. That’s when I hear the shouts and pounding footsteps from the other side of my bedroom door. They’re right outside, racing down the hallway. Imagining those gargantuan serpent-skin guards kicking in my door and dragging me away makes me want to vomit.
“Hey, Legion,” Niko shouts over the chaos just yards away. He takes another satchel out of his pocket and tosses it to L, who effortlessly plucks it out of the air.
“What’s this?” he asks, a slight frown marring his brow.
Niko simply winks. “Give ‘em hell.” Then he’s gone, leaving only wisps of charcoal gray smoke in his wake.
Legion dips his chin, and pulls me in so close that I can feel the vibration of his inhuman heart. “Hang on.”
The footsteps are closer. I can hear their vicious snarls just feet away from where we stand. Any moment, those guards will come trampling through that door. And Lucifer…I don’t even want to think about what he’ll do.
“Take a deep breath. Close your eyes,” he whispers, his warm breath stirring my crown of curls. Just as I do as he commands, fully excepting his face to be the last thing I see, he shouts, “Now!”
Once again, the atmosphere tenses with an electrical charge, and our bodies are propelled through a tear between time and space. It feels like a vacuum that sucks up our limbs one by one and sews them back together again within the span of a single heartbeat. The darkness is terrifying, but it only lasts a moment. Then we’re tumbling onto a hardwood floor with a star carved into it.
I’m in the Se7en’s apartment. I’m in Chicago. I’m home.
“Holy shit, it worked,” a familiar voice says. Toyol steps into view, his almond-shaped eyes wider than I’ve ever seen them. “Holy. Shit!”
“Of course, it worked.” Phenex, the beautiful mahogany demon with honey eyes brushes past him and takes me by the hand, pulling me to my feet. “It’s good to have you back, Eden.”
“It’s good to be back. I think,” I reply, brushing myself off. I’m barefoot. Somehow, between being sucked out from Hell and reappearing here, I’ve lost my shoes. “What happened? How did we get here?”
“Gabriella,” a smooth baritone answers behind us. We all turn to see Dorian standing in the doorway, his ice blue eyes pinned on Legion. “You still have my magic in your blood. However, Gabriella’s magic was the only one strong enough to pull a demon out. A demon, or a Dark prince. That vial was reserved for Nikolai. Where is my brother?”
Legion heaves out a resigning breath, and meets Dorian’s glare. “He refused to leave. Stavros has somehow linked himself to Nikolai. If he’s brought back, so is your father.”
“How? How can that be? Once Hell claims them, all bonds of magic are null.”
“Hell hasn’t claimed him,” I explain, stepping forward. “Niko is in limbo. He’s being anchored by Stavros and his lost love, so he can’t move on.”
“Amelie,” a soft voice says from behind Dorian. Gabriella steps around him and comes to stand in front of me. Then, without warning, she wraps her slender arms around me in a warm embrace. “He’s being protected by Amelie. I knew he’d find you. He has a way of finding those who are lost.”
With the pain of saying goodbye still fresh on my heart, there are tears in my eyes when she pulls away. “He did. I’m so sorry. I wanted to bring him back…more than you could ever know. He loves you—all of you.”
“I know he does. I feel it every time I look at his nephew.” Now there are tears shining in her eyes.
“Here,” I say, opening my palm to reveal the small satchel. “He wanted me to give this to you. He said it was your something blue. He also said that your son is the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen. He watches you all, you know. He looks after you still.”
Her tears fall freely now as she opens the satchel and reveals a large, blue gem. We both gasp at its brilliant beauty.
“The diamond of Skiathos,” Dorian explains, coming up behind his wife and slipping a hand around her waist. “Forged from our crystal blue seas. It’s been in my family for centuries.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell the Dark King. “I swear, L wanted to send him back with me. He wouldn’t risk unleashing your father.”
“I believe you,” Dorian nods solemnly. He turns to Legion. “The debt is paid. I appreciate your efforts.”
“I wish I could have done more,” L replies sincerely. “From now on, you have friends in the Se7en. If you ever need us, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Your hospitality is reciprocated,” Dorian says before looking to me. “And if you ever want to visit my kingdom in Skiathos, Eden, you are always welcome.”
“Thank you.”
I halfheartedly go through the motions of saying goodbye, not because I’m not sad to see them go, but because I’m nervous about being back here. Without that distraction, I’m left with them—the Se7en. So much has happened. And when I force myself to look around the room, it’s almost as if I’m looking at distant friends whom I haven’t seen in months…years. Or maybe I’m staring at strangers. Things are different now. I’m different now.
Everyone is here—Phenex, Toyol, Cain, Jinn and of course, Legion—aside from Andras, and that conniving bitch, Lilith. That hurts. I know Andras and Lilith are close. Hell, they share a room. But I thought Andras and I had bonded. I wasn’t pathetic enough to believe that we had become besties, but I at least thought he’d care enough to be here. Shit, even Cain showed up—wicked scowl and all—and he hates me.
“Let’s get you to the infirmary,” Phenex suggests, trying to gently usher me across the hall like I’m some 90-year old granny. He’s the only one who has dared to approach me. Even playful, fearless Toyol has kept his distance. And Legion…he just
stares at me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear right before his eyes.
“I’m fine,” I insist.
“No one goes to Hell and comes back fine,” L remarks, his silver gaze taking inventory of every one of my breaths. “Maybe just a quick check up to make sure you haven’t been—”
“I said, I’m fine,” I repeat more forcefully. I look at the demons standing around me, all wearing various masks of concern. And for some irrational reason, that makes me angry.
“Eden, we only want to help you,” Phenex chimes in, using that gentle voice that intended to make even the most hostile patients docile. No dice. It just sounds condescending to me.
“Help me? Really?”
“Of course. You’ve been gone for some time. I can only imagine the horrors you’ve faced.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” I lie.
Legion steps forward. His hands are outstretched, yet he makes no attempt to reach for me. “Lucifer has ways to influence your thoughts. Your emotions have been compromised. You have to know you were being played.”
“Played?” I state incredulously. “You think he was playing me? Funny. He said the same thing about you.”
“What?” The expression on L’s face is one of shock…pain even. As if I’ve just slapped him.
“He told me everything. The beginning of humanity…how you once were. How are his intentions any different than yours?”
His voice is flat when he says, “I want to protect you.”
“He said the same thing.”
“I care about you.”
“So does he.” I shake my head, willing away frustrated tears. No more. I’ve cried too much already.
“Eden…”
I raise a palm to halt any further coaxing. “Stop. Just stop. Thank you—all of you—for rescuing me. For that, I’m grateful. But I need some time. I need space. Just give me that right now.”
I turn to exit the room, but pause mid-step. “Where is she?” I ask—no, demand—my back still turned.