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The previous Lord Sloane had ruled for thousands of years. Change was hard anywhere. “They like malice in Hell. I guess it’s not so surprising. Do you worry about a coup?”
“Not from inside my house.”
He was leaving something out. “You said I didn’t have to worry about anyone harming me here. Why?”
“Because every member of the household is blood oathed to me. It’s the only way I can trust them. When my father was punished and lost his kingdom, I inherited the crown and everyone on this particular plane of Hell. They were required to either make the vow to me or leave this place. With the exception of my father’s butler. I dismissed him entirely.”
“So Tix is new.” I was glad to know my instincts were right with him. “What did he mean when he said he was bound to this plane and the land?”
“When I took on the responsibilities of the House of Sloane, I performed a ritual that bound him to the house and myself in a way that’s stronger than a mere blood oath. Though I screwed something up because he is far too willing to ignore my wishes when he thinks I’m in danger. I’m working with some scholars to see if I can fix him. What happened in the Under was completely unacceptable.”
“Do you really think he can hear the baby?”
Gray’s lips curled up slightly, and his hand went to my belly. “I think he’s teasing you. Tix, like the rest of this place, has adapted over the years. He wasn’t as comfortable in the beginning. He’s become infinitely more human, and I think that includes joking around. I know I certainly can’t hear the little guy.” He turned me around so he could cradle my slight bump that probably was from all the hot wings rather than my pebble-sized baby boy. “I know I swore I would never bring you here, but it feels right, Kelsey mine.”
“You brought Trent.” I was still trying to figure out how close my guys had gotten over the years.
“Yes,” he replied, his breath warm against my ear. “Once when he needed to hide out. I warn you, he gets horny here. I wasn’t joking about the whole animal-instincts thing.”
“That must have been sad since he had no one to help him with that,” I replied, just begging for him to tell me I was wrong.
He kissed my ear. “That’s a story to tell when he’s here.” He was quiet for a moment. “It wouldn’t bother you, would it? If Trent and I had sex.”
“Nope. Not even a little.” I was all up for my guys getting it on and getting to watch. And honestly, why did I have to be the only one who got stuff shoved up her butt? It didn’t seem fair.
“We were comfort for each other,” he admitted. “In the beginning, he was a replacement for you. He was someone I could have a physical release with and not break my marriage vows. And then somewhere along the way, I just loved him.”
Tears pierced my eyes, my heart filling with love for them both. “I’m so glad for that.”
He breathed me in, holding me close in that satiny moonlight. “I don’t know if we would have gotten there if you’d been here. I will never be thankful for losing twelve years with you, but I can see what it brought me. I found peace with this place, with who I am. I found a soulmate in Trent. I want this war over, Kelsey. I want our family safe. I want this baby and eventually his sister to never know a moment when they weren’t loved.”
He was referring to the baby she-wolf I’d seen in a vision so long ago. I’d seen my demon boy and she-wolf daughter. “We’ll get there. I promise.”
“Unless Lucifer murders us all,” Gray said with a sigh. “I know Lee thinks he’s the greatest thief in the world, but he’s never run a job on the Hell plane. I don’t even know how we get him to Lucifer’s plane. I really don’t see how this is going to work.”
I was taking a page from my new angel friend. I’d met the newest angel during my time in the Under. Duffy had said if his boss didn’t want something to happen, then it wouldn’t. And if he did… Well, I was hoping the big guy was on our side. “We’ll figure it out. Time moves more slowly here, right?”
“We won’t be missing much,” Gray replied. “Even if we’re here for a month, only a few days will have passed above.”
So we could take our time. We could wait for the right moment. After all, we had a secondary goal here. We were going to try to figure out where Myrddin would keep Liv’s soul and how we might get it back.
So it was good we had time.
“And we’re not worried that Myrddin comes down to the Hell plane on the regular?”
“Myrddin visits with the Morningstar. He certainly doesn’t come here. For all my father’s bragging, we’re considered flyover country here in Hell. This entire plane is dedicated to food production. I’m afraid we’re not important enough for Myrddin to visit,” Gray stated. “Though you should understand he couldn’t do anything even if he did. Not here on my lands.”
“I’m not worried about me.” I was the mistress of a Hell plane. I had some protection. “I’m worried about Evan and Lee. Lucifer is allied with Myrddin.”
“Not technically. I think you’ll find Lucifer is harder to pin down than that. There is no formal alliance between the two. The demonic world has supported him, but technically they’re neutral. Lucifer isn’t certain Myrddin can deliver what he promised. Until he does, there’s a chance Donovan could win this war.”
Politics. I hated them, but it sounded like they worked in our favor this time. “So Lucifer won’t turn in the kids because he’s hedging his bets.”
“That has been our saving grace for a long time. Unless Myrddin proves he can do what he says he can, Lucifer isn’t going to show his hand and potentially start a war he can’t win. The vampires are still strong. There’s also the possibility of the Heaven plane weighing in if they have the chance,” Gray explained and then straightened up as though sensing something coming. “Kelsey mine, I want you to stay very still. There’s a creature coming our way. Like I told you, it can’t hurt you, but I don’t want to startle it either.”
I did as he asked, going still, but I couldn’t stop the rush of adrenaline that poured through me. See, this was the way I expected to feel on the Hell plane—on guard, ready for a fight.
It slunk out of the shadows, four big feet prowling along the garden path.
