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By the time the ornate double doors swung inwards they’d managed to bring their joviality back under wraps. Well, it was manageable at least.
All heads turned in the direction of the newcomer. Only one person could command the attention of everyone in a room before they’d even laid eyes on him. The power that was barely contained in his aura was beyond belief, and his essence as the King of Hell well lived up to legend. He’d terrified men since time began. He’d seduced more women than even he could recall, and they’d loved every minute of it.
Lips twitched, hands covered mouths. They tried, truly they did, and they possibly would’ve succeeded if Dante hadn’t opened his damn trap.
“Hey, Hades. How’s it hangin’?”
This time none of them could contain their mirth and it was less to do with hanging balls and more with the sight before them. Dante even dropped to the floor, rolling around like a pig in mud, tears streaming down his cheeks. There was no doubt who was behind it.
A bewildered Luc gazed at them, his brow furrowed.
“Care to share what you all find so amusing, boys and girls?” Came the honey over steel voice that sent shivers down a lesser being's back but that could send anyone he wished to their knees.
Perri was the first to pull herself together, making her way to Luc’s side she placed her arm on his shoulder and indicated the mirror above the bar.
Luc’s face was a study of the classic comedy double take as he took in his once midnight black, ear length, hair. Now blue ombre locks shone like a gas flame around his face. His eyes zeroed in without hesitation on Dante, now sitting on the floor looking up at Luc expectantly.
“Come on, Boss, I’ve got just the stuff to get that shit out back in my room. It’ll take just a minute to fetch it and we’ll get you back to normal before we chat to the other side. It’ll do Gabe good to have to wait for once.” Perri tried to usher Luc to the door, but he stood firm.
His eyes hardened and Dante smirked. He liked to push their buttons, and pushing Luc’s usually brought back the Luc of old, at least, for a bit. Luc gently pried Perri away and guided her to her seat, before heading back and leaning against the bar. His eyes flashed and sparkles of gold swirled in his dark brown, almost black irises as he locked gazes with Dante.
Lips curling into a sinister smirk, Luc raised his hands and slid them through his hair before bringing them back down with a casual elegance unique to him. He now looked like that Hades character from the Descendants, only less rough around the edges. Fucking Dante had made them all binge-watch that shit last week. The fucker had been planning this all along. Admittedly Luc rocked the look and Roth sensed what was coming next.
“Thanks, D, I think I’ll keep it.” He flashed him a grin full of teeth and a wink before turning to pour himself a drink.
Dante’s face went slack, the color in his cheeks leached away. Yeah, he’d fucked with the bull and Luc had him by the balls. Retribution was coming and Dante had gotten what he’d wanted.
Lucifer, at his finest, was in the house.
Chapter 5
As he gazed at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, Luc felt his grip on reality slipping. A steady slide into madness. The amused, yet cautious faces of his friends reflected back at him, but all he saw were pale gray eyes and dark red hair. His favorite colors. The only colors he ever wished to see. Moonlight created a halo around her perfect face. She was here with him now, he could feel her, could almost reach out and touch her silky smooth skin. Why didn’t she speak? Why didn’t she run to him with open arms and slide her soft curves along the hard planes of his muscled body? He caught a flicker of blue from the corner of his eye and felt her amusement deep in his very soul. Strength filled him, renewed him. She began to fade away, and he was thrust back into the present. More himself than he’d been for a long while. His eyes once again landed on his now blue haired reflection.
Dante was asking for an ass whooping with this latest stunt. Right before a meeting with the head of the ‘I have my head so far up my own ass’ club, too. It was a good thing he enjoyed a joke. Dante was like the annoying younger brother you couldn’t help but love. That didn’t mean he was safe from retribution though, and Luc knew just what to do with him. It was a good thing he’d had since the beginning of time to curb his natural inclination toward swift retaliation. This required finesse, and he was in it for the long game. As his face dropped and realization of his fuck up hit him, Dante once again looked like a newbie angel thrust into a role he was not prepared for. Luc almost took pity on him, but the glow from his head was so bright he could still see it in his peripheral vision. Nah, the little fuck could suck it up and deal with the consequences.
Samael waltzed in and the mood in the room immediately shifted into professional mode. Everyone sat or stood a little bit straighter. Dante moved from his position on the floor, taking his seat in a blink and you’ll miss it motion. Glasses were placed away from hands and everyone seemed to be watching the door.
Behind Sam came Havoc, Seth, Eli, and Abbie. The latter was so distracted by the screen in her hands that she didn’t notice the boys in front of her coming to a halt. And three . . . two . . . one . . . yep, she hit the wall of stone that was Eli and bounced backwards, and would have hit the floor had Eli not reached back with lightning reflexes and wrapped her wrist in his firm grip.
As they passed Luc and the rest of the team they nodded their heads in acknowledgment and respect. Seth and Havoc though, they avoided Roth’s gaze and almost bowed in supplication. That told Luc all he needed to about Roth’s headspace this fine day.
Yep, this could get ugly. Throw in Gabe, the douchebag, and it could be straight up volatile. With a heavy sigh Luc took his place at the head of the table. His mind wandered as he gazed out of the windows which overlooked the realm he’d created. Soon its beauty would be obscured by the faces of Gabe and his inner circle of idiots.
Luc had tried for centuries to find Michael. Not just Michael, but his Grand Consortium too. Once Gabe took ‘temporary’ control, what a laugh that was, it hadn’t taken long for Michael’s inner circle to either be forced out, disappear, or abandon ship to search for Michael themselves.
Not one of the 13 had a shred of respect for Gabriel. They knew what he was truly like. Power hungry and as slimy as a snake oil salesman. Even if his appointment had come from the being who ruled them all, they wanted no part in whatever he had planned.
The third stringers were now Gabe’s go-to lackeys. He’d manipulated those weak little shits into believing he was their ticket to the big leagues, and they’d slurped that shit up like tequila off a stripper’s toned stomach.
Just then, Gabe’s sour, pinch lipped face flashed up on the screen, and for a brief moment an image of Gabe, chest bare except for sequined nipple tassels, spread out on a tabletop with his gang of idiots all over him licking his abs appeared in his mind. An amused huff escaped him, and his lips turned up, which caused Gabe’s already severe features to darken with barely leashed rage. The guy had always been such a fucking killjoy.
Time to get to work. There were no niceties, no hello, how are you? Which was totes fine as they would only waste time, and it wouldn’t mean a goddamn thing coming from him or his little ass-lickers anyway. Jumping straight into business was always best with this lot. Judging by the look in his eyes, Gabe definitely had an agenda today. His furtive gaze darted to the side more than once, a clear indication of his nervousness.
“Hello, Gabriel,” Luc said with a careless grin, deciding to be the bigger man. Which was actually very true in more ways than one.
“Lucifer,” came Gabe’s clipped response. “Feeling a little Disney today, are we?” he added, sarcasm and disdain slipping into his tone.
“Nothing wrong with a little fun now and again, is there, Gabriel? Or would you not know what that is?” came Luc’s swift, yet casual reply. Gabe’s lip curled in response, but he held his tongue, even as his eyes flared wide. Time to hurry this shit fest along. “Okay then, let’s get this done and dusted, shall we? I don’t know about you, but I have a shit ton of things to get to today. I’d rather not waste too much time sitting on my ass, no matter how plush the padding under it may be.”
