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"I sent your father and brothers to the Hamptons with Sam. They are safe there. However, we had put them into a trance. In this state, they remember nothing of what has happened in the last few days."
"Do they remember me?" I whispered, startled.
"They remember you, but they don't miss you."
At first, I wanted to be angry, but then I changed my mind. It was a temporary protective measure and probably the best thing for them at the moment.
"What about Aspasia, Maggy, Emma, the Amazons, and the escaped women?" I asked.
"They are all safe, too. We will meet them in the next few days to discuss how we can proceed after this disaster," came a very matter-of-fact reply from my counterpart.
"We?" I asked suspiciously.
"Yes, dear Myrina. We." Again, he gave me a challenging look. "You won't be able to stop the Knights of John and John Adam Nash in particular on your own." I gasped for air to ask the following question when he quickly continued: "But those are topics we'll discuss another time."
Disappointed, I closed my mouth. I suspected I wouldn't get anywhere with this man today. He was very stubborn. How I knew that, I couldn't say for sure. But when we weren't arguing or locking eyes, there was something familiar between us I couldn't interpret. Maybe it had something to do with my dreams? Those of women from other times. I didn't know anything about reincarnation, and I didn't know if I could believe in it, but if Lucifer in the underworld was real, why shouldn't reincarnation be possible, too?
I was aware I was better off staying away from Tanael. Too often, I had to pay with a broken heart after our encounters. But I found it difficult to avoid his presence altogether. As long as I didn't get too close to him physically, nothing should stand in the way of a friendly relationship—at least, that's what I hoped. Besides, there was also Zuri, his wife.
"Where is Zuri anyway?" I wanted to know. "Is she also here in the underworld?"
"Yes, she's here too. You can have breakfast with her in the morning if you like." He looked at me inquiringly and frowned slightly when I nodded in agreement.
"And what kind of being is she? A goddess?" The way she looked, I couldn't imagine anything else. She had to be a goddess.
"No, Zuri is what you call an angel. And yes, she is one of the fallen, just like Sam."
I nodded briefly and tried to give all this information a place. So, there really were gods and angels. What else awaited me?
"Is Stephan an angel, too?" My curiosity was piqued; by now, I knew that Stephan was one of Tanael's people.
"A demon."
"Demon?" My voice was a little squeaky when I said the word.
"Yes." A mean grin flitted across his lips. "A demon of darkness. In your stories, he would be counted as a vampire."
"Vampires?" Now, it was a shrill sound that left my throat. I quickly ran through my memories of the butler in my head: ice-cold skin, eyes like a frozen mountain lake, and an amazingly keen sense of smell. Had I ever actually seen him in the sunlight? When he had driven me to training, it had always been at dusk.
"When exactly will the effects of Hecate's medicine wear off?" I wondered. There was something really creepy about the calmness with which I absorbed all this information.
"Only when you have been able to process everything does its effect slowly diminish."
"I still have so many questions," I confessed, stifling a yawn as I made myself comfortable in my wing chair by the fire.
"I understand that, Myrina, but you should really go to sleep now," Tanael urged me, or was his name Lucifer?
"What should I actually call you? Tanael or Satanael or Lucifer?" The question was out before I could stop myself. Was it strange to ask the so-called devil which name he preferred? Yes, absolutely! What if he wanted to be called the Dark Prince or something? The corners of my mouth twitched briefly at the thought.
"Tanael. I want you to call me Tanael."
A mischievous glint had entered his eyes. Had he read my mind? Could he do that? I would have to be more careful with my thoughts around him, just in case.
"Why does your home look like a villa in Italy?" I wanted to know and took a closer look around the room. Like in my room, there were high ceilings with decorative moldings. In the middle hung a sweeping chandelier that must have held more than 50 candles. Mahogany shelves that reached the ceiling and held countless books lined the walls. A desk stood in a dark corner of the room. There was no bed to be seen anywhere. Was this his office?
"I have always loved Italy, its colors, smells, people, and the wonderful Italian cuisine. I have created my own paradise here." Suddenly, he was kneeling right before me, his face close to mine. "And my bed is in another room, a red room."
"Oh," was the only sound that came from my lips. It was more of a whisper than a word. I had been lying in his bed the whole time?
