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“We’ll keep trying,” I said with a small smile. “And you’ve been a wonderful father. The best father I’ve ever had.”
He huffed and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. But a little hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
I looked around at the room. It was as if Esther had never been there. Papers and books were strewn everywhere and the wastebasket full. Luke had stashed the wooden box in his special safe to investigate until later. I couldn’t help feel a pang of disappointment at its absence. I would’ve loved to see him open it and discover the secrets within.
“What do we know about the Six Princes?” I asked suddenly.
Luke looked up at me. “Why do you ask?”
“The demon we killed today was talking about a prince,” I said, rubbing the tension from my temples. “It made me realize you’ve never taught me about them. I guess if I’m going to be board
material, I’d better learn about them.”
He watched me with a heavy expression, his lips pressing into a thin line. For a moment, I thought he was going to refuse. But, he did a sharp turn in his chair and plucked a worn book from his bookcase, plopping it in front of me.
“There are six Princes of Hell,” he began, flipping through the pages. “They lord over the underworld and their separate factions. Over the centuries, we’ve gathered very little information about them, but what we have has been documented very carefully.”
He opened the book to a page with a pencil sketching. It was a vague drawing of a tall, broad man wearing a cape. In thick cursive writing below, it said Arawn.
“This is Prince Arawn. He is said to be the eldest of the six. Stubborn as an ox and as powerful as ten.”
I stared at the image. It wasn’t what I’d expected. In my nightmares, the Princes of Hell had resembled humongous scaly creatures, not men.
Luke flipped the page to a new drawing. “This is Prince Iku.”
His picture was less detailed, but still clear enough to show a tall man with skin the color of coal. A scrap of cloth hung from his waist, but other than that, he was naked.
“They don’t look evil,” I said, glancing up at Luke.
He made a face. “Evil takes many forms. But have no doubt, the Princes of Hell are every bit as nasty as those demons you fight every day. Except, the Princes have intelligence behind their actions. That makes them even more dangerous.”
I nodded, looking back down at the book. In a lot of ways, it made sense that they appeared as humans. Humankind could be as heartless and evil as the demons from Hell. I’d seen it with my own eyes.
Luke took me through the remainder of the Princes, each as intimidating as the last. There was Prince Nergal, a dark imposing figure in the drawing, hidden beneath a cloak. And Prince Aita, an emaciated looking man, and Prince Han, who looked like he’d just walked out of an eighteenth-century hospital with bandages wrapped around his appendages. Finally, there was the youngest of the brothers: Prince Seth. There was no picture for him and his description was sparse. Apparently, little was known about the last Prince of Hell.
“Who do you think Elizabeth was talking about when she mentioned her Prince?” I asked Luke, rubbing my tired eyes. My body wasn’t used to sitting in a chair for hours at a time. It ached to move or find a place to sleep. I couldn’t decide which.
“There’s really no telling.” Luke flipped the book toward him and looked through the pages. “Any one of these Princes could be vying for dominion on Earth. Maybe all of them.”
I gulped, thinking about the war party I’d witnessed during my brief visit to Hell last year. The forces I’d seen gathered there were impressive. Enough to wipe out the entire Nephilim race. The wrath of six Princes of Hell would be unimaginable.
“Tell me,” Luke said, putting the book away, “are you really serious about taking up the mantel of joining the board? Or is that just something you said to pacify Gabe’s parents?”
I smiled sheepishly. “That might have been why I blurted it, but I really do mean it. If and when I ever learn how to destroy my demon, then I’ll reconsider my options.”
Luke nodded his head, a pleased expression on his face.
The mention of Gabe’s parents had made my stomach clench. I rubbed a hand over my belly and groaned at the thought of facing them tomorrow night. “They really hate me, don’t they?”
Luke looked confused. “Who?”
“Georgia and Ben Cael.” I flicked my wrist. “They hate that I’m with Gabe.”
He chuckled and stretched his arms behind his head. “They don’t hate you. They just don’t know you, yet.”
I moaned and threw my head back. “I’m not sure getting to know me is going to help my case.”
Pushing himself from his chair, he came over to my side of the desk and took my hand. Intensity shown in his blue eye as he lowered to his knee and gave me a stern look.
