AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Myrddin put a hand to his chest, awhat, me?expression coming over his face. “I don’t know what stories they’ve been telling you, Hunter, but I only ever tried to help the royal children.”
I noticed the Lucifer who’d hung out with Trent kept right on eating while the one with Gray joined mine. It was a reminder that he was everywhere.
“See, he tried to help,” Lucifer Two proclaimed.
“He tried to help them into a grave.” I looked around because I expected Eddie to come running. Tix, too. He should be running to protect his precious master, probably leaving me and Trent here to deal with the real problem.
“Not at all.” Myrddin moved close to the Lucifers, as though to point out that they were good friends.
And he was going to try to eat my soul.
Dread. I could feel it like a snake coiling and getting ready to strike. Wrong. Something was wrong. I put a hand to my belly. I couldn’t panic. Panic was the enemy.
“Eddie,” Gray tried again. “Tix.”
Lucifer’s head shook. “They can’t hear you. The whole protecting you from danger doesn’t apply in this realm. Did I fail to mention that? You can’t expect to be protected from me. I am the ruler here. I control all things on the Hell plane. Now, we should talk about the boy.”
“He’s here?” Myrddin asked, his eyes narrowing. “I can’t feel him.”
“He’s under my protection,” Lucifer explained. “For the moment. It was naughty of you to send that witch with an Uro spell. Nasty thing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I certainly wouldn’t send someone to kill my own flesh and blood.” Myrddin was an excellent liar, but this one I didn’t think was a lie.
“No, but you would send someone to kill Lee Donovan-Quinn.” I knew exactly what had happened. It had been foolish to think Lucifer would actually help us. The Midnight Kingdom had lulled me into thinking there could be some good found here in Hell, but I had to remember who Lucifer Morningstar was.
I wasn’t sure if it was him or Myrddin who was infusing the room with the feeling of wrongness. I would have sworn I could feel the child in my belly turning. Like he was panicking, too.
Cold eyes turned my way. “Well, the lad has tried to kill me on more than one occasion. His mother recently blew up my home.”
“Her home. You stole it,” I accused. I was going to fight through whatever spell they were sending my way.
“What do you want, Lord Lucifer?” Gray stepped in front of me again. “I would like to remind everyone here that my wife is pregnant with the next head of the House of Sloane. That is supposed to mean something. Even here in Hell we have rules.”
“And I would never harm a demonling,” Lucifer returned. “Never. Especially since I really want to see what happens when a royal demon puts a baby up in a Hunter. I think it could be spectacular. All that power. So no one is going to harm your child or Lady Sloane. And you know what I want, Grayson.”
So he was playing hardball.
“And I’m here to negotiate.” The words came out of my husband’s mouth on a low growl. “Though now I have to wonder if you haven’t been maneuvering me into a position I don’t entirely understand. Someone’s been trying to kill my wife and child.”
Lucifer’s mouth turned down. “I told you I wouldn’t do that. I was unaware you were having problems. We should find the perpetrator. As you said, Lady Sloane is carrying the future ruler of the Midnight Kingdom. Whoever it is will be dealt with, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are the one trying to manipulate me, Grayson, and I don’t take well to that. You have a talent I need.”
“A talent you cannot take from me,” Gray countered.
And that was precisely why he’d brought in Myrddin. He wanted to force our hand. “Are you planning on giving Dean to Myrddin if we don’t capitulate to your every whim?”
“Something like that,” Lucifer murmured. “The truth of the matter is, Dean is the blooded child of Myrddin Emrys. He is currently here on the Hell plane, where I have dominion over everything. He has enough demon blood to come under my rule while he is here. So I get to decide what happens to him. There are two bidders. Let’s see who comes in with what I need.”
“Lord Lucifer, you promised me,” Myrddin argued.
“The only promise I made was that you could leave here with something of import. I never said what that thing or person would be,” Lucifer replied. “You’re off your game. Now, I want to stop prevaricating and get down to business. Grayson, I want an open-ended contract for your services or I’ll allow Myrddin to take his son.”
“He’s going to kill him.” I wasn’t about to allow this to happen, but I couldn’t think of a way out right now. If Gray signed that contract, we would never be free. He would be forced to descend on Lucifer’s whims.
I heard a low growl and realized I had another problem.
Fenrir was at the doorway, and somewhere in this palace, I would bet his nice clothes were in tatters because he was in wolf form. Evan stood at his side, her eyes narrowed.
“What is he doing here?” Evan asked. “I wasn’t sure what was happening because this psycho scented the air and then his clothes exploded and I had to run to keep up. I take it we’ve been betrayed. What a fucking surprise. Calm down, Fen. You can’t rip Lucifer’s throat out. I’m pretty sure it grows back.”
