“Not yet. He stated he would help us against Lucifer and that he believes the angels in Heaven are trying to communicate with River.”
“What do you make of that?” Morax inquired, his tail flicking above his head.
“We can’t trust him, but I think he’s right about the angels trying to speak with River. Whether that means the angels will grow a set of balls and step into this fight or not, I don’t know. I do believe they’re trying to get some message through to River. However, unlike some of the other children of the angels, she can’t receive it.”
“Why did you not reveal this to the others?” Lopan asked and lifted his caultin.
“They accept her as their queen; they have no choice. However, it could make some distrustful of her if they learn the angels are trying to get a message to her and that one of the fallen has offered to help her. Some of our fighters have turned to Lucifer’s side before; we can’t have this information somehow finding its way back to him.Noone else is to know about this.”
“They will not,” Calah vowed.
“Whatever is necessary to protect our queen, my liege,” Lopan said. “You will also note that none of Magnimus’s illusions remain in the cavern.”
Magnus’s eyes narrowed on Lopan. He shifted his feet as if he were preparing to kick the leporcháin down the tunnel. I placed a hand against Magnus’s chest as Lopan grinned at him, revealing all his flesh-rending teeth. The two of them had never gotten along, each believing their capabilities to conjure things superior to the other’s.
“I noticed,” I said.
Lopan stared at Magnus before shifting his gaze to me. “They did well enough for simple illusions, and were good distractions while they lasted.”
“Good,” I said briskly. That meant Magnus had upheld his end of things. I already trusted him more than I had upon first encountering him again, but I wouldn’t take any chances when it came to River’s safety and Lucifer’s demise.
“I have a carnival you wouldn’t find so simple, and you would make a star attraction in it,” Magnus said.
Lopan turned away as if Magnus hadn’t spoken. Morax chuckled and all of Calah’s eyes rolled. Stepping away from the wall, I started down the side chamber again, stopping when River appeared with Verin and Bale. Behind them, the tiny nymph skipped along with River’s clothes in hand. The hounds brought up the rear.
River lifted her head and her amethyst eyes met mine. The black pants and shirt she wore hugged her slender frame. Her wet hair hung loosely against her back and over her shoulders. Watching the sway of her breasts in her shirt caused my cock to swell. Soon, we would be going to war against Lucifer, soon I would be putting her at risk, but before that happened, I would spend as much time with her as possible.
“Leave us,” I ordered the others.
Stalking toward her, I swung her into my arms and carried her back the way she’d come from. “Is there a place we can be alone down here?” I asked her.
“There is,” she said as she nibbled at my ear.
***
River
Kneeling in the shadows of the tunnel, I rested my hand on the cool ground. I breathed slowly in and out as I took a minute to rest. We’d been walking for what felt like hours, but we’d finally reached our destination. Finally reached the place where Kobal hoped to draw Lucifer into battle by using me as bait.
It wasn’t the most comforting of thoughts, but I’d do whatever it took to end this today.
“I keep waiting for him to declare that they’re magically delicious,” Hawk said as he knelt beside me.
I did a double take. “What?”
He nodded toward where Lopan stood beside Kobal, looking even smaller as he barely reached Kobal’s knee. “Lopan. I keep waiting for him to say that.”
“But why would he ever saythat?”
Hawk rested his palm on the rock floor. “It was from this cereal that existed before the war. It had this… Never mind.”
“Oh.” I vaguely recalled something like that, but it felt like a lifetime ago now. “I keep waiting for a rainbow to sprout around him,” I admitted.
He chuckled. His skin and eyes fairly shone with vitality, and I could feel the swell of his power prickling against my skin. It didn’t take a demon to figure out that he’d recently fed.
“You’re growing stronger,” I commented.
Hawk’s indigo eyes slid toward me. “I’m becoming more of a demon every time I feed; I can feel it.”
