Chapter 25
The other side of the bed is empty when I get up the next morning, and my shorts are still on. I’m not sure why I smile when I smell his pillow, but I do.
I slide out of bed, moving through the hallway, and start down the stairs when I hear the doorbell ring. My stomach twists in knots, and I jog down quicker.
Why did I just get a bad feeling?
I quickly remember I don’t want anyone from their world seeing me, so I shift to my phantom form just as Gage swings open the door to two guys in fancy suits.
He hands Gage an envelope, and Gage takes it before saying something in a language I don’t understand. As he shuts the door, he flips the envelope over.
I can see a wax seal on the back before he turns and his eyes collide with mine.
“Just tell me if it’s something bad,” I say quietly.
His lips twitch as he holds it up, and I quickly hurry to him, turning whole just before I snatch it from his hand.
I tear the envelope open, and skim the contents quickly.
North Tower Quad,
Your attendance is requested for a royal celebration with the king and his heirs.
No weapons allowed.
“The devil invited you to a party?” I ask, my voice cracking a little. “Is that good or bad?”
“It’s hard to tell these days,” he says dangerously close to my ear as his fingers trail down my arm.
He presses against my back until his hand reaches mine, and he rips the invitation from my hand before leaving me bereft and a little light headed.
I’m getting a “gullible” tattoo.
I follow him into the room with the others, and Jude’s eyes rake over me as Ezekiel hands me a bagel. I take it, eating it anxiously as Gage passes over the note.
Jude’s eyes leave me as he and the others read it.
“No date or time, so does that mean they’re just going to show up and send us there?” Ezekiel asks absently as he takes my bagel away and smears it with cream cheese.
Kai answers as I get my bagel back. “It means they’re springing this on us for whatever reason. And I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”
I moan around the mouthful of bagel now that it’s been turned into something twice as heavenly as it was before.
I don’t realize I’ve closed my eyes until I open them and see them all giving me an annoyed look.
“We’re trying to have a serious conversation,” Gage says curtly.
“Sorry,” I say around my mouthful, then look over to Ezekiel and add, “That’s way better. Thank you.”
He smirks when the others all glare at him, and he shrugs as he lazily chews on his own bagel.
“Sleep good?” Jude asks bitterly.
“Real damn good,” Ezekiel tells him with an unrepentant grin.
“What are we missing?” Kai asks.
“Notice how she didn’t go from room to room telling everyone good night?” Jude drawls.
Shit. They’re about to argue over this ridiculousness for no reason.
Looking around for something to distract them, my eyes land on the invitation, and my breath freezes in my lungs.
“What about it? I just figured she finally got tired of not hearing it in return.”
“Invitation,” I butt in, shoving it forward.
Two new lines literally start writing themselves like an invisible calligrapher is adding them.
Black tie. Be in the closest graveyard in thirty minutes.
“Shit,” Ezekiel says, dropping the rest of his bagel.
They all abandon the table and dart upstairs. I ghost out and change my attire to my badass clothes with all my fake weapons. I also wear heels, because they look really good, and I don’t actually have to walk in them, because I’m not going to be a real girl in hell.
No thank you.
The guys appear back in the room in no time, and I have to stare a little harder than necessary as they move around in their tuxes. They look like dangerous temptation in designer packages now.
That’s really not fair.
Their tattoos are covered by the shirts, making them look devilishly classy and mysterious. Jude shoots me a knowing look and smirks in my direction.
I clear my throat and start looking around like I’m not impressed.
Then I sneak a few discreet peeks as they finish putting their wallets and phones in their pockets.
“Why do you have to go to the graveyard? Why not just siphon down there?” I ask. “We can sneak around and figure out what’s going on.”
Kai shakes his head. “We can’t siphon to the underworld until we’re given access. Besides, you only saw a small portion of it. It’s endless, much like the universe. We don’t even know what section we’re going to.”
“Can I ask a stupid question?”
They all look at me expectantly as though I have their undivided attention.
“What happens if one of you dies?” I swallow a little more harshly after my voice breaks unexpectedly on that last word.
“We’re not really sure,” Gage says with a careless shrug.
“Ordinarily, we’d be sent up or down, if you know what I mean. But that was stolen from us when we inherited hell powers and soul responsibilities,” Ezekiel states just as casually.
“The other competitors who die in the trials are sent back to hell’s throat for a new transition. They may turn out the same, but that’s a rare thing. We tend to get a little more vicious when the powers take root. Most end up the monsters you saw while you were in there,” Kai goes on.
“Would you turn into monsters if you were sent for transition?” I ask quietly.
They all grin at me.
“We’re already monsters,” Jude tells me with a tone that has chills sliding up my spine.
They start walking past me, and I blow out a shaky breath as I turn and follow.
“You look ridiculous in that outfit,” Kai tells me without turning around.
“Hot. The word you’re looking for is hot. Or maybe badass. Not ridiculous.”
To that, I get a round of laughter, but I still strut like a boss until we siphon to the graveyard.
The second our feet hit the cemetery ground, Ezekiel reaches over, his hand passing through me. Light flashes, and we’re sucked into hell. I think.
It’s hard to tell when we’re in the glamourous section that hides all the monsters, hellfire, and screams of agony.
The chandeliers are in abundance, crystal and ornate. The marble floors are a crisp white that contrasts elegantly with the gold accents.
It’s a royal party.
“Another set of quads are here,” Ezekiel says, leaning closer to Kai as they have a little stare down with the said second set of quads.
“And they’re bonded like you?” I ask.
“Just like us. All the quads,” Kai says quietly.
“So we didn’t just make friends with the devil and get invited to the party. This has something to do with the trials coming up in a week,” Jude states just as quietly, looking around.
“Definitely. Just spotted another set of quads and a few pairs as well,” Gage says with the same nearly muted tone as he snags a glass of champagne off a passing tray.
“Stick close, little protector. You might come in handy tonight,” Kai tells me warily.
My eyes are already searching the scene, but I pause my search when I see Lamar moving this way.
“Incoming,” I tell them, moving closer to what I feel like is my friend, even though he doesn’t really know me.
Lamar’s eyes land on them, and he turns and looks over his shoulder before facing them again.
“I’ve come to tell you Manella was removed from creating these trials,” he tells the quad in a hushed whisper. “Lucifer designed the upcoming course himself.”
“Is that why he arranged this party? To announce that?” Gage asks, stepping closer.
“I’m not quite sure what this party is about. I only learned of it thirty minutes ago.”
I exchange a look with the guys. Apparently those invitations all arrived at the same time.
“I offer this as a token of peace and gratitude. There will be riddles in this course that could cost you your life, and monsters that don’t even have names yet. Lucifer has created the hardest course in history, and I haven’t a clue as to why,” Lamar goes on.
The guys all bristle. “And I was starting to think he might like us,” Jude drawls.
“Lucifer only cares for his children. His opinion of anyone else can change on a whim. Trust me; I know this very personally.” He looks around again, then faces them one last time. “I do hope you brought your protective spirit.”
I pat his hand, and his eyes drop to the contact as a grin spreads over his face.
“Good,” he says, not looking back up immediately. “It may be your best hope of surviving, no matter what Lilith’s cost. I do appreciate you loaning it to me, though I’m not sure why you did it. Manella explained it belonged to you instead of me.”
Gage rolls his eyes. “We don’t really have any control over her, so don’t thank us.”
His head cocks. “Her?” Lamar asks, his tone going confused as all the guys stiffen. “The protective spirit is an actual being? And you can see her?”
He takes a wary step back as he studies them, and Jude’s lips tighten as Gage mutters a curse.
“I should return to Manella,” he says, a curious look in his eyes as the expression on his face worries me. “Beware of the riddles. Don’t treat them with no importance,” he reminds them, then turns and walks away.
He moves through the crowd, and I watch him as Gage runs a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Way to slip,” Ezekiel bites out.
“Fuck. I have no idea how I did that,” Gage says under his breath.
“What does it matter if I’m a girl instead of an it? Is hell sexist? Do they know it’s the twenty-first century topside?”
Lamar gets close to Manella’s ear, whispering something I can’t even hear. Manella’s eyes immediately cut toward us, and Kai curses as he looks away.
“And he just told Manella. Guess that gratitude only extends so far,” Kai growls.
“Not sure why you’re surprised,” Jude drawls.
Manella looks wary and surprised as he moves through the crowd like he’s searching for someone.
“I don’t get it. What’s wrong with me being a girl?” I ask absently.
The crowd parts enough for me to see who Manella is talking to, and my heart stumbles when I see Lucifer. He doesn’t look this way. He doesn’t even react other than to smile like he has a secret.
When his eyes do come up, it feels like he’s staring directly at me, though I see no recognition, and his eyes skip over me, searching around the four of them like he’s trying to pinpoint my location.
“The devil looks intrigued,” I grumble. “Someone please tell me what I’m missing and put me out of my misery.”
Jude blocks my vision, stepping in front of me. “Lamar has a lot more knowledge of the heirs and their powers. He figured out something we’ve been piecing together, but now we’re certain of it.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“That Lilith couldn’t have created an actual being. I don’t even know if Lucifer can create something like you,” Gage answers.
A chill slithers over me as I look back over to Lucifer, seeing him moving this way.
“Then what am I?” I ask so quietly that I’m not sure they hear me.
Regardless of whether or not they heard it, they can’t answer since the devil is now standing near us.
“I’m glad to see you boys in one piece. I trust there have been no further incidents?” he asks conversationally.
“No.”
The four of them bow at the waist, and I try to think of ways to calm down before I kick their asses for not addressing him as king or Your Royal Evilness or something, damn it. He’s so not the guy you want to offend.
He doesn’t seem to even acknowledge the misstep though.
“You can stand,” he says absently. His eyes land on Jude’s for a brief moment before flicking between all four.
“He’s really good at guessing about liars, and it’s not good if he suspects you of a lie,” I decide to remind them.
Jude’s lips twitch, but it happens so fast that I almost wonder if I’ve imagined it.
“Oddly enough, I couldn’t find any proof of power when I finally managed to find your very thin files. The only information I seem to have on you is your address and your soul count. I’m not even certain how you obtained your weapons.”
Gage doesn’t even bat an eye as he answers. “We were tested when we were summoned on the day our powers manifested. Damnedest thing happened, though. I think it must have been performance anxiety.”
“Why would you be a smartass to the fucking devil?” I groan, wishing I could slap the hell out of him.
Gage’s lips tug at one corner, but like Jude, he wipes it away before I can be certain.
“I see,” Lucifer, eerily amused. “During forty-seven summons all four of you had performance anxiety?” he adds, returning the smartassery with a touch of fuck-you-little-turds.
“It’s a problem. We’re working on it,” Kai says in an assuring tone.
“Just so you know, I’m almost positive I can’t protect you from the damn devil,” I point out.
I’m going to kill all of them.
Still, Lucifer manages to maintain his humored expression.
“I only got a glimpse of two of you, and I’m not certain what you did. Care to try and explain it to me? Because I quite feel like you’re being underutilized and pointlessly tested in these trials.”
“There’s not any real way to explain it, since we’re not entirely certain what we’re doing,” Jude says with a shrug. “We just know how to kill. We like it topside, but we’d like to earn access to this plane as well.”
“I’m sure you would,” Lucifer says, stroking his jaw thoughtfully. “It’s the best of both worlds to remain topside with all the perks of hell. Clearly if you had too much power, we’d have to bring you down below, since it’d be against our law to leave that much of the world unbalanced with dark influence.”
“We never really died, so we have no dark influence, since our souls are still whole,” Jude immediately points out.
Lucifer actually looks both surprised and intrigued by that confession. “Well, that certainly is another kind of imbalance, but not one that breaks any laws. And a very interesting turn of events,” he goes on, his grin spreading.
The guys weirdly seem to be tenser now that the devil seems pleased.
“But I’m afraid I do need to learn what your powers are so we can categorize you. If for any reason you’re stronger than you should be on the surface, I’ll take into account you have no dark influence. I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement.”
They all look wary now.
Lucifer gets closer to Jude, the amusement falling from his face so smoothly, as though it was an illusion all along despite how genuine it appeared. The ease of the transition chills me to the bone.
“The thing is, you somehow penetrated the notoriously impenetrable chest of a guard. Not that you’d know that. Surface guardians aren’t privy to such knowledge, which is why you never once thought about exposing yourself.”
Jude’s jaw tics, but he remains a stone, keeping his eyes on Lucifer.
“Then you turned him to dust. They didn’t regenerate,” Lucifer goes on.
A prickling blanket of dread slips over me.
“That sort of power is very high level. It rivals Lamar’s, and he’s a very old immortal who has spent a large amount of time letting his power grow under the influence of this world.”
Lucifer gestures around, as though reminding us we’re surrounded by very powerful people who’ve been drinking the hell juice and getting stronger for a long time.
“And you don’t even have access to here yet. Makes a person wonder just how strong you’ll be if you succeed,” he says, then steps back.
His smile returns like it never left, and his face is deceptively light and amused once again.
“I’ll eventually learn just how you managed to do that.” His eyes flick to Kai’s. “And I’ll learn what you did as well, since that’s quite the mystery that intrigues me even more.”
Kai’s fists tighten beside him, and I press my hand against his back as though I’m trying to calm him down.
“You can’t punch the devil in hell. Get him topside. I heard he can die there,” I tell him, patting his back now.
The tingles make me want to turn whole, so I withdraw my hand. My job is done anyway, because Kai’s unclenched his fist, and a smirk toys with the edges of his lips.
“Good luck in the trials, in case I don’t see you before then. And enjoy the party,” he says, gesturing around, his smile growing as he starts backing up. “Hell is known for its parties.”
Two girls immediately join him, one for each arm, and he grins as he turns and walks away. Several really stunning women walk by in their lingerie or just completely naked.
I’m not really sure why I’m just now noticing this.
“So help me, after how you jerks treated me over Neal last night, if any of you try to have sex with some really hot hell girl, I will let you die,” I decide to point out. “I might even push you into a giant centipede’s mouth to see if you turn into one after transition.”
Kai shakes with silent laughter, but he ends up voicing a groan.
“Why did we use our powers?” he asks.
“It felt like I had to. I was just going to punch them,” Jude bites out.
“I was going to slam them into each other and knock them out. Instead, I killed them,” Kai tells him, clapping his shoulder.
“So we can thank you two uncontrollable hotheads for the unwanted exposure,” Ezekiel growls.
“How were we supposed to know the guards are that resilient? There was very little information on them available to us,” Kai points out.
“I’m assuming you don’t want them knowing about your power because it’s too strong to be topside? Like the devil hinted at?” I ask.
They give me a wary look.
“The devil already knows. I highly doubt I’m more of a threat to you than him even if I am out to get you,” I say on an exasperated breath.
“It’s not that,” Ezekiel says, looking around us, reminding me we’re not exactly draped in privacy.
They start smoothly moving through the party, and they make their way into a bathroom. Ezekiel checks it, and I hop up on the counter as he proceeds to investigate every stall.
He closes his eyes like he’s concentrating, and then his eyes open as Kai locks the door.
“Nothing in here to listen in,” Ezekiel says.
Gage turns his attention to me. “Partially. We sure as shit don’t want to live here full time. It’d get old. And though the parties are lavish and much more fun than the clubs, things are twice as lethal down here than up there. The ones strong enough to kill us are given limited amounts of time when they can be topside unless in mortal form.”
“Mortal form?” I ask.
“They can be born into the world as a mortal if they’re important enough or blessed by a royal, and they live until they die, then they bypass transition and return to their form that has been preserved in hell,” Kai explains.
“Awesome,” I state dryly.
“They’re not as powerful in mortal form, but it doesn’t really matter. They can’t legitimately die, so they live a fast-paced, rock star sort of existence until they get sent back to hell,” Ezekiel tells me.
“I think we’re telling her a little much now. Half of this stuff is among the things we learned from Harold just last year,” Jude growls.
They ignore him, much to my surprise.
“If we’re topside, we’re among the most powerful there on a full-time basis. Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond when it’s a game of life and death,” Gage continues.
“But we’re getting stronger, and we have no idea what we’re doing some of the time,” Kai says quieter.
“Now you’re definitely telling her too much,” Jude snaps, looking at them like they’ve all gone mad. “Just tell her the part she needs to know and stop sharing the details we never agreed to discuss.”
“Why are you getting stronger?” I ask, even though I think I already know.
“It seems to happen every time you ‘level up,’” Ezekiel says, his jaw tightening a little as I take a step away from him.
“That’s why you didn’t want me gone,” I say more to myself than them, looking down at the sink. “That’s why you closed the books when I tried to read them, and why you got jealous about Neal, and—”
“Neal had nothing to do with the equation. That was uncontrollable blind-rage jealousy,” Ezekiel interrupts, shrugging unapologetically when I look over at him.
“You never really wanted me there. You just wanted the power boost.”
They look at me like they expect me to cry, when all I really want to do is just walk out. Swallowing my pride, since I don’t have a hell of a lot left, I just nod.
“Alright then. So how big of a boost did you get after I reached this last level?”
“Haven’t tried it out yet,” Kai tells me. “We’ve been recovering from our stint in Hell’s throat and trying to conserve all our energy for the trials. It drains us to use too much, and the soul stones drained us in general.”
Jude throws his hands up and walks out, slamming the bathroom door behind him.
“I’m not hearing anything so top secret right now. What’s his problem?” I ask. “I’m the one who should be walking out and slamming a door. The four of you know how much I care about you, no matter how hard you deny it, and you act like it’s no big deal you’ve been using me.”
Yeah, that last part comes out bitter.
“First rule of hell: Don’t trust anyone you don’t share a bond with,” Kai says with a sardonic smile. “Yet, as you already pointed out, the devil is already onto us. However, Jude still doesn’t want you equipped with the same knowledge we have or admitting our weakness about not knowing our true powers or reach.”
“I find it worth pointing out that Jude is the only one who hasn’t tasted her,” Gage states dryly. “And he’s the only one still keeping secrets.”
He cuts an accusatory gaze at me.
Ignoring him, I turn toward Ezekiel. “What do I have to do with any of this? What’s my connection to the four of you?”
His lips purse. “We don’t know,” he answers honestly. “It could be a cosmic perfect storm of some sort, and you could have used us an anchor to…fuck, I don’t even know at this point.”
“We need to get back out there before someone takes notice of our absence and gets too curious,” Gage says, exiting.
Kai turns and follows, and Ezekiel exits with me. I even suppress a taunting grin when he opens the door for me.
He mutters a curse under his breath when he realizes what he just did, and he walks off a little briskly.
Prickly they may be, but right now, they’re mine to protect. Nothing else matters when their lives are at risk.