Page 219 of The Bonds of Indigo

“Took you less time to show her affection than me. I’m hurt,” Mister says as he plops his black feline butt down just a foot away from the large cat that could swallow him whole. “But I agree. Xeraphine, an ally is an ally, regardless of your feelings toward your own kind.”

Oh shit.

I hadn’t even considered that to be why she was looking at Lucifer with such hate. After everything her mother put her through, to Belial and Proserpina only aiding her in exchange for her body… it makes sense why she has such a destain for other Demons.

Placing my hand at Luce’s lower back, I crowd his space.

“Lucifer, Xeraphine is your mother’s reincarnation. She technically outranks you if we are talking about status.” Zuhara may as well have just slapped my little deviant with that. I’m not sure how the hierarchy works, and while I knew that was who Xera was, it wasn’t my place to tell Luce.

“Look at me, Xera,” Mister says. I catch her shifting her gaze down to her Familiar. “Tell him, it’s alright.”

She grumbles, “Lucky I like you.” Her head snaps back in our direction. “Due to my Hybrid status, the rupture didn’t occur, and I’m capable of giving birth more than just the singular time our kind is meant to. He wants me to have a child of Demon and Holy-bitch status with a Fallen cunt named Alaric.”

“And do what with it?” The strain in Lucifer’s tone tells me he truly has no clue what Belial is doing.

“Give it to your father, of course. For what purpose? I don’t know…” It’s now I feel a shift. There’s hurt in her voice, especially as she continues. “Gods only know what he’s going to do with it. Just another fucking child forced to do the bidding of a creature that has an objective and doesn’t give a fuck about the hurt it’ll cause them.”

For a moment, silence envelops us. While Lucifer’s trauma can never be compared to being kidnapped, tortured, raped and forced to breed; Xera and Luce have something in common. Both were forced by their parents into a life neither of them wanted. I think it’s now that my little deviant is putting those puzzle pieces together.

“My father wants to kill his brother, Vaeloris. Maybe he thinks raising a being of both eternal worlds could help make that happen…” He trails off.

“What information did your father have you get? I heard him ask you for it as I was leaving the Beyond before. Tell me,” Xera demands.

Even I am intrigued, because we haven’t had a moment of rest to get these answers. Alright, there were a few, but no part of me wanted to sit and talk.

“There are some Divine beings that believe Vaeloris is building up to wage war against Belial and the Beyond. Saying that he and what he’s created have become too powerful. That he could soon overthrow the Vayl. They aren’t wrong, especially with this news. If he gets that child… who knows what could happen.”

“I have no choice.” Xera isn’t as aggressive as she had been before, but she’s also been slowly pulled closer into Kai. “He’ll get the child at some point. I can’t have him coming for what’s mine.”

I nod, and at the corner of my eye, I can see Lucifer do the same. “I understand… I went to the Vayl to gather information from an informant. He confirmed that they are in fact attempting something. It’s just words in the air, nothing concrete.”

“A war between the Gods and Demons will take place in the mortal world.”

“If Vendra lifts the protection spell, as my father asked of our Witch,” Lucifer adds.

“Right. It is the common ground between the worlds, and will have catastrophic consequences,” Zuhara plugs. “We could see it all burn, leaving only Dylox and very few Mundanes alive. Likely enslaved to the victor for centuries to come.”

“If we are so lucky.” Mister moves toward Xeraphine, where he sits once more. “I know you do not care for many, but this will inevitably affect Sydni’s life.”

“I know.”

“I believe it is in our best interest to work together.”

“Ugh. I hate team-ups,” she grumbles.

“I quite enjoy them,” I finally say after what feels like eternity of not talking. “It’ll be good to have the gang back together.”

She shakes her head. “Syd stays out of this. She’s enjoying her ignorant love life with that Werewolf and Vampire.”

“Ooohh. Another couple that shares. I love it.”

Rolling her eyes, she looks up at Kai. “Bred from the same cloth, I swear.”

His ebony cheeks lift as he grins. “I’m far more handsome and witty.”

“I beg to differ,” Lucifer says through a cough. “The witty part.”

“Hey, now.”