Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Evan stopped, her whole body going stiff. “Wings?”
“Yes, they’re right there.” Lucifer’s tone went crooning as though he was talking about some amazing, decadent experience she would enjoy. “You can feel them under the surface of your skin. It itches sometimes right between your shoulder blades. The same way you feel your claws and fangs. Tell me something, Princess. Have you started craving blood yet?”
Evan’s jaw went tight, and there were tears in her eyes. “I never will.”
She turned and fled back to the kitchen, and I prayed Fenrir didn’t rush out here to defend his mate.
“Ah, there’s the dick,” Lee said with a shake of his head before taking a long drink from the goblet in front of him.
“Of course,” Lucifer agreed. “I wouldn’t be a good king of the demons if I wasn’t a massive tool. But I’m right about your sister.” He sat back up before leaning my way. “In this aspect I’m quite empathetic, but I can’t see everything. I can only do that when I’m whole, and even then there are creatures who I can’t read at all. Like the dark prophet. Or yourself, Lady Sloane. Or the baby king here. I understand Lord Sloane. His nature makes him unique in all of the Hell realms. He’s the only one of my nobility I can’t directly control if I like.”
And he didn’t like. As charming as he was attempting to be, there was still a hint of malice in every word. He didn’t like not controlling every aspect of his realm.
“You know biology plays tricks with us.” Gray had a plate of food in front of him, laid out by Tix. “The universe seeks balance, and you would be far too powerful if there wasn’t a single check on you, your infernalness. The vampires are a check on the power of the Hell plane.”
“Only God himself is a check on me.” Now there wasn’t a hint of malice. It simply pervaded the air around me, making it seem thicker than before. Like the very air could choke me if it wanted to. If he wanted it to.
If Gray was worried, he didn’t show it. “Of course. I was only trying to explain why you can’t delve into Lee or Kelsey’s heads the way you’re used to. Could you hear Evan’s fears?”
“No.” And he was clearly irritated. “You’re all annoyingly closed off, except the witch. Even the academic is muddy. I’ve always had trouble with the fuckers, but I can feel his desperation to save the witch. It’s funny. It tickles.”
“Then how did you know what happened to Evan?” Lee asked.
His lips curled up in a smirk. “Well, my darling boy, I do have spies in the world. I would be a terrible ruler if I didn’t keep up with the players of the plane, so to speak. I did receive a report that the king’s daughter had been injured and was revived by a primal. I caught a hint of her physical duress, and I do believe it’s because she’s fighting the change. She’ll lose in the end.”
“Evan will be all right. I’ll make sure of it,” Lee vowed.
“Of course she will be. Is she trying to stave off the change with king’s blood?” Lucifer sat straight up, his eyes flaring with recognition as he turned Gray’s way. “Is the princess on king’s blood? Does she take it so she remains young for her wolf king mate?”
“She takes it so she’s tougher to kill,” I replied. “If it matters so much, so do I.”
“And that is also why you can’t read Lee,” Gray pointed out. “He’s a king, like his father.”
Lucifer considered the prince. “Yes, it seems Donovan has much power. I suspect he’s busy getting ready to take back his crown. One of the reasons I came today was to explain my position in this war.”
“You’re with Myrddin.” I knew where he would stand.
Lucifer shuddered. “Not at all. Myrddin is a prick who thinks far too highly of himself.”
“But he’s planning on closing the doors to Heaven so you can take over the Earth plane,” I pointed out.
“Is he? I don’t see a closed door. In fact, the veil between Heaven and the Earth plane is thinner than it’s ever been,” Lucifer complained. “I’ve heard rumblings that a few of the celestial planes are bleeding into the magical planes.”
That had me sitting up straight and paying attention. “Like the attached Fae planes?”
“The very ones,” Lucifer confirmed. “Myrddin had twelve years to do what he promised he would do, and now, if I am correct, he no longer has the Sword of Light. You do, Lady Sloane.”
“He hasn’t had it in years. He stole it and the queen took it back. Gladys belongs to me.” I hoped he wasn’t about to ask me to take one for the infernal team because I wasn’t handing Gladys over. “She was given to me by the heavenly prophet Jacob.”