Page 143 of Enchanted

Because Dagon was the son of Lucifer.

Along with Cal, Mori, and Harlow.

By the time he’d talked me through how they’d all found their mates, men I also knew, we’d reached the gates to the compound. Instead of heading to the house, we turned towards the woodland.

“As for Ferry,” Rami continued. “He was the Grim Reaper.”

I came to a halt. “What? But he’s so…”

“Good-looking?” Rami guessed wryly. “I know. It was a surprise to the rest of us too. Up until he came topside to find Leo, none of us had ever seen his face.”

I gave a slightly hysterical laugh. “All that time I was sick, I was terrified of meeting the Grim Reaper, and you’re telling me it’s Ferry? Sweet, kind, brother-in-law to Matty, obsessed with Leo Ferry?”

“One and the same. Although the legend of the Grim Reaper collecting souls is a bit misleading.” He went on to describe what Ferry’s role and story entailed. Mainly, the endless centuries he’d spent waiting to be reunited with Leo.

When Rami was done, I found myself wiping tears from my cheeks. “That’s so fucking sad.”

“It is. And the worst part is that no one knew except the angel who saved Leo in the first place. Ferry carried the weight of his burden alone.”

My heart ached for him. Thank fuck he was happy now. “Tell me about the others.”

Rami started with Toby and Blaise, like he knew hearing about my closest friends would be the hardest.

Sure enough, I cried several times when he finally got to Matty and Riley. Not just because their stories were sad, which they were, but because I’d missed out on it all. Even though I’d technically been there when everything went down between Matty and Sebastian, I hadn’t known the truth.

When he was done, Rami pulled me into his arms and held me as I broke. I didn’t know how long we stood there. He didn’t rush me, just let me grieve the friendships I’d lost. The lives I’d missed out on.

“I want to see them again,” I hiccupped eventually. “Not yet, but soon.”

“I can make that happen,” Rami said softly, drying my face with his sleeve. “As soon as you say the word, I’ll reach out. But until then, we’ll keep your identity quiet.”

“Thank you.” I took a deep breath. “Maybe you should unscramble my brain now, or whatever it is you need to do.”

“Sure now is the right moment?”

“Meh.” I shrugged, giving him a watery smile. “It’s like ripping off a plaster, right? Let’s get everything out in the open and then we can figure out how to move forward.”

“Before I do, I want to explain something. Angels can often…sense their mates when they’re close by. I’d been feeling you for months, but whenever I sought you out, there was something blocking me. For a long time, I couldn’t figure it out.”

“What was it?”

“Damien,” Rami said, making my stomach clench. He clucked his tongue as he felt my fear, tugging me against his chest and rubbing my back soothingly. “Don’t worry, he can’t hurt you or anyone else ever again. He’s very, very dead.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The twins took charge. Even if they hadn’t used their powers to execute him permanently, I don’t think there was enough of him left to reincarnate.”

My nose wrinkled as I thought of the chaotic twins and their perpetually teasing nature. “Really?”

“Don’t let their fuckery fool you. They are just as vengeful as the rest of us, and arguably more violent.”

I leaned back to peer up at him. “You’re vengeful?”

“Very.”

“Then why did you leave Damien to the others?”

“Because you needed me more,” he said, brushing a curl from my forehead. “You come first, Ethan, always.”