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)
If I stabbed the walls, would it hurt Lucifer? I needed to figure out which part of this place was where he kept his balls because I could tear through those and then he wouldn’t be thinking about the fact that Lee was trying to take one tiny feather.
Yep, those were the thoughts running through my head when I should have been calm and collected.
“Do you have a place where I can settle Dean?” Lee asked, holding the young man without showing the extra weight affected him at all.
“Ah, the young Emrys,” Lucifer said, joining us and looking down at the man in Lee’s arms. “He looks so peaceful, and yet I can hear him screaming from here. He doesn’t have much longer, you know. He’ll be dead in the next twelve or so hours.”
I wish I could say he sounded sad about that, but there was a certain satisfaction to his words. Like he knew he had us over a barrel. Which he did. He knew he had something we needed, couldn’t live without, and he meant to extract maximum payment.
“Allow my servant to show you to a room where Mr. Emrys can be comfortable while we negotiate for his cure,” Lucifer said, snapping his fingers.
“Malone,” Lee corrected. “He’s Dean Malone.”
Lucifer shrugged, an elegant gesture. “The name doesn’t change the nature of his blood.”
“No, but it changes the nature of his being.” Lee started to follow the small demon who’d shown up at Lucifer’s bidding.
“We’re going to go with Lee and make sure Dean gets settled in all right,” Fenrir said.
My gut clenched because what they would really do is try to give Lee cover so he could look for those wings.
It was starting, and I had to play my part or it would all be over before we’d had a chance to save my husband.
“Hurry along, then.” Lucifer waved the young adults off as Evan joined her brother and Fen. “The old folks will be in the salon having a drink. I’ve brought in an ale I think the wolves will enjoy, and a blood wine for those more Hell-plane inclined.”
“That sounds lovely.” Gray seemed as calm, cool, and collected as I thought I should be.
It all sounded terrible, but I couldn’t be honest at this point.
I was still thinking about Liv and the awful things she’d said to me. I don’t cry easily, but I’d wept when she’d left. I’d sobbed for all the things we’d lost and might never regain. That person who’d stood there and casually told me her life would be better if she’d let me off myself hadn’t been my best friend. I hadn’t recognized her at all in that moment. My heart hurt. Like actually hurt. There was an ache in my chest, like it was overly full and needed a release valve.
I didn’t think I could give the order to end my best friend, but I also couldn’t let her fall back under Myrddin’s influence.
Any more than I could let Gray fall under Lucifer’s.
“Lady Sloane will require something non-alcoholic,” Tix announced with a sad shake of his head. “I sent over her dietary needs.”
Lucifer frowned. “Why? She’s a werewolf. I thought they all drank. Is something wrong with her? Gray, does your lady require a medical professional?”
“I’m fine.” I didn’t like how all the attention was suddenly focused on me. I let my hand drift up to the stone at my neck. It seemed warmer than it had before, likely a side effect of being near the big boss. “I’m just pregnant.”
“With a demon child,” Lucifer said as though that should change everything.
“A halfling. Not even a halfling since his dad is a halfling,” I pointed out. I started to follow him down the hallway. The walls seemed washed in red, our footsteps echoing.
“A royal isn’t really considered a halfling,” Lucifer explained in an academic tone. “That child you carry won’t be affected by alcohol in any way. You can eat whatever you like and the child will be fine. Demonkind are a hardy lot. For what it’s worth, so are werecreatures. While it can be hard for a she-wolf to get pregnant, once she is, the child is damn near impossible to harm. Ale is one of the things she-wolves crave during pregnancy.”
“I’m not exactly a she-wolf.” Sometimes it was hard to figure out where I belonged in the supernatural world.
“No, you’re something more,” he replied, gesturing to the big wooden doors ahead of us. They swung open without a single creak, exposing a den-looking room luxuriously decorated in reds and golds. Further ahead I could see the room kept going, the lines flowing out to a balcony that overlooked the grounds. It was the kind of thing that looked great in a magazine, but I wondered what happened when it rained and the rain didn’t recognize the inside-outside borders. Though it probably did here in Hell.