LUXURE

Walking through the streets of Manhattan with Sirena by my side is such a stark juxtaposition to the plight we find ourselves in. We blend into the crowd of New Yorkers making their way to work and the tourists taking in the sights and sounds of the most iconic city in the world. Onlookers would never guess we were anything other than a regular couple—not a demon and an angel’s love child on the run for their lives from Lucifer’s enforcers and God’s warriors.

I relish the normalcy of the day—grabbing breakfast in a little diner on 42^nd Street, walking through Times Square, taking a cab up to Central Park, and enjoying a walk through the leafy oasis at the heart of this burgeoning metropolis. We don’t talk about anything supernatural deciding to wait until Sirena’s dad arrives to open that can of worms. Instead, we get to know each other a little better discussing our favorite foods, movies, and places we’ve been. For a human, she’s surprisingly well traveled. Of course, she’s intrigued by the thought that I’ve seen the world evolve from a desolate planet into the world we know today. I’ve been to every country in the world thousands of times, and I’ve lived through every influential time period in history. I regale her with stories of what Manhattan was like when the first buildings were under construction and how it grew and expanded into the most famous city in the world today. The anthropologist in her can’t help bombarding me with questions, but I don’t mind. I love just walking and talking with her, and it’s fun to have someone to tell my stories to remind me of happy times, sad times, and exciting times throughout human history.

She’s truly exceptional. Anyone else would be holed up in a padded room after the revelations of the past few days, but not Sirena, her thirst for knowledge trumps anything else. She sees this as an opportunity. Her eyes have been opened to an entire universe of discoveries to be made, species to be studied, other worlds to learn about. She has taken something negative and turned it into a positive. There is an air of excitement emanating from her today. She’s anxious to see her parents and know that they are safe, but she’s also desperate to quiz them about every aspect of her life—who they are, who she is, and why she had to be kept a secret under such heavy protection all these years.

It’s early evening by the time we head toward Kade’s apartment. I’d have been happy to put this off all day not knowing what to say to him after all these years, but I can’t wait any longer. I need his help to keep Sirena out of harm’s way.

She looks at me with trepidation. “This is the place.”

The Upper East Side—stunning penthouses with multi-million dollar views of Central Park—of course, this is where Kade has made a name for himself. “Nice digs.”

“Are you ready to see your brother?”

I think about that for a moment. The answer is ‘no.’ I haven’t seen Kadedus in a millennium. He mourned my death, he lost the power of The Brotherhood, and I could have fixed it. I could have ended his grief and restored our family to its rightful place as leaders of the Underworld. I want to see him, he’s my brother, and I love him, but I’m not happy about having him around Sirena. He’s selfish and jealous and stops at nothing to get what he wants. It’s why he’s so successful.

“Lux, are you okay?” She places her hand in mine smiling up at me with empathy in her eyes.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for this.”

“Were you close?”

“Yes and no?”

“Really, you’re throwing me a vague answer in the midst of all this crazy crap. If you can be honest that I’m a half-angel and you’re a demon, I think you can fess up about your relationships with your siblings.”

I can’t help but laugh at her standing with her hands on her hips, her brow furrowed in fake annoyance. I can tell she’s holding back a smirk, and it’s sexy as hell. “Kade and I would die for each other. We’re brothers. But are we friends? No. We never really have been. He’s the epitome of his sin. Why do you think he lives in Manhattan? He wants everything, he covets anything he doesn’t have, and wants everyone else to envy everything about him. It’s exhausting.”

“Okay. I can understand that. So you’ll die for him, but spending Christmas together is a big no-no?”

“Something like that. You certainly have a way with words, Professor.”

“Let’s get this over with. I’m here with you. I’ll be your buffer.” She’s incredibly sweet and has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. I take her hand in mine drawing strength from her calming demeanor.

“Okay.”

* * *

The lobby is lavish with marble floors and stunning wood paneling in the elevators. I think if I had a heartbeat, it would be racing right now—not something I would admit out loud. I’m the notorious Luxure Zonder, the deadliest demon around for thousands of years. I don’t get nervous or have ‘feelings’ about stuff like this. What the fuck is wrong with me recently? I’d like to think Sirena has had a positive effect on me, but the way I’m feeling right now? I’m not so sure.

I press the button for the penthouse—biggest apartment in the building, obviously. I watch tentatively as the light flashes on each of the numbers, ten… eleven… twelve climbing higher and higher, closer and closer to the top, to Kade. He has always been leaner than the rest of us, but it’s the ace up his sleeve. Everyone underestimates him in battle. He doesn’t look the part of a towering warrior. He’s the smallest of all of us at six-foot-two inches. He has always favored martial arts over brute strength, and I’ve never seen him lose a fight (except to one of his brothers). He has no fear. He’s quick and stealthy, evading detection by his enemy. He can take them out before they even know who they’re dealing with.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

I stand in silence waiting for the doors to open. The feel of Sirena’s fingers interlinking with mine, a sweet moment of calm before the inevitable storm.

“BROTHER!” I’m pulled from the elevator and out of Sirena’s grasp by a familiar face.

“Kade.” He can sense my stiff reluctance to his embrace.

“What’s wrong, Luxure? Aren’t you pleased to see me after all this time?” He raises his eyebrow with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“I was just taken off guard. I didn’t expect such a warm welcome from you, brother.”

“Why the hell not? You have risen from the dead like Lazarus himself. A millennium of mourning your loss, and you have been returned to us. I am happier than I have ever been.”

A huge grin spreads across Sirena’s face. She’s stunning when she smiles, but I fear that she’s buying into Kade’s charms already. I know him better than he knows himself. He might think that he holds no resentment, but it will surface at some point, and I will be ready and anticipating the fallout. For now, I need to accept his help and hold onto a sliver of hope that the years have changed him, and his joyous celebration of my return is genuine. “Thank you, Kadedus. I wasn’t sure how I would be received by you and the rest of my brothers. I have carried a weight on my shoulders for all these years unable to alert you to my survival.”

“No need for guilt, brother. You were protecting us! Abiteth was lost to you, and you didn’t want to bring your troubles down on the rest of The Brotherhood. Am I right?”

“Yes.” And no. “I knew you would fight to the death for me, and I couldn’t ask that of you when I didn’t understand why Luc targeted Abi and me.” That was part of it, but in truth, the larger part of me didn’t want to face them—to face my life without Abiteth. Without her, I had no reason left to live, no reason left to fight. I’m not proud of it, but I holed up in a cave and waited for death. When it didn’t come, Selma was my salvation. She kept me alive, gave me purpose, and if she hadn’t done that for me expecting nothing in return, I wouldn’t be here today, and I wouldn’t have met Sirena.

Selma…

Shit. How will I get word to her of our plans? The Vollstrecker must know by now that I spent most of the last millennium in Uitare. They won’t be able to exist there for any length of time as I can, but if they caught me at the right moment, I would have no chance of escaping Lucifer’s vengeance.

“Why hello. Who is this stunning beauty you’ve brought with you?” I’m pulled back to the room by the smarmy tone of Kade’s voice. He brushes past me lifting Sirena’s hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. “You must be the infamous Sirena? Cole advised me that Luxure had quite the goddess for a traveling companion, but his description didn’t do you justice.”

Within two minutes of being back in his presence, he has my hackles up. I immediately step between them breaking his hold on her. He knows he’s riling me, and he loves it. Guess he hasn’t changed. I search Sirena’s eyes looking for a hint that Kade has the same effect on her. I give an audible sigh of relief when I see sparkling pale green eyes staring back at me, albeit with a quizzical look. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

I pull her into my side, possessive and protective, as I return my attention to Kade. “Kiss any part of her body again, and I’ll end you… brother.” I practically spit the words at him unable to contain my urge to claim her as mine and mine alone.

He laughs. “The years have changed you, Lux. You used to be such fun. Think of all the good times we had sharing girls.” He directs his gaze to Sirena as he continues. “Oh, the pleasure we would give them.”

“Stop it, Kade.”

“What? Are you ashamed of who you are?”

“Fuck off. I’m not ashamed, but I stopped being that person a long time before I left the Underworld. I would never have let you lay a finger on Abiteth.” Sirena flinches at the mention of her name. I didn’t think about it upsetting her.

“Oh yes! I remember now. One rule for Cole and another for everyone else. Tell me, brother, why was Cole welcome to share the love of your life and not the rest of us? Not the actions of a devoted man if you ask me.”

“It wasn’t like that! And I’m not fucking asking your opinion anyway.” Sirena’s hand slips from mine, and I’m only angered further that Kade is causing trouble. “This was a bad idea. I don’t know what Cole was thinking. We’re out of here. I don’t need your kind of help.” I take Sirena’s hand back in mine and am unnerved when she tries to pull away. I hold tight until she acquiesces.

We head back toward the elevator when Kade jumps in front of us blocking the doorway. “Now, now. Let’s not be hasty. You always did tend to fly off the deep end at the smallest of things.”

“Get out of my way, or I’ll make you.”

“I’d like to see you try. I’ve got a thousand years of practice over you, brother. I doubt I’d even break a sweat taking you down these days.”

“Sirena, get into the elevator and close the doors. Pull the stop button and don’t release it until I tell you to.”

“Lux! I’m not…”

“Do. As. You. Are. Told.”

“No!”

God, she’s infuriating. “Do as you’re fucking told before I throw you over my shoulder and physically lift you in there myself.” She does as I ask with a look of murderous rage on her face.

I turn my attention back to Kade. “Show me what you’ve got, little brother.” He lunges at me slamming me into the elevator doors, and I can hear Sirena screaming inside. “Is that the best you’ve got? You’re getting weak in your old age, Kadedus.”

I grab his neck and throw him down on the floor smashing the marble beneath him. He disappears from my grasp appearing behind me. He wraps his arm around my neck in a choke hold, but I don’t need air to survive, so it’s a completely pointless move. I grab hold of his nicely pressed shirt and flip him over my head and into the wall across from me. He collides with the pretentious artwork sending it shattering to the floor. “I fucking liked that. I’m going to kick your ass now, Lux.”

“I love that you think you can. Shows you’re just as delusional as ever.” We jump at the same time crashing into each other, but I overpower him in sheer size. We burst through the doors of his apartment and blast through the coffee table. We punch and twist and throw each other causing all kinds of carnage to his pristine penthouse. I can feel his anger grow with every breakage, with every punch, but in the end, even his rage can’t overpower me. Out of practice or not, I’ll always be the strongest and the quickest of our brothers. I will always be one step ahead in a fight. I land the final blow pinning him to the window overlooking Central Park. “What’s it going to be, Kade? You going to shut your mouth and let us go, or do I need to smash this window and throw you across the park?”

I’m holding him at least a foot off the ground by his throat, so it’s a struggle for him to speak. “Welcome back, brother.”

I drop him to the floor. “What?”

“I had to make sure you still have what it takes. You need to be prepared for what’s coming.” He rubs his throat where my hand was crushing him. “And obviously, you haven’t lost a step in all these years. You’re still the biggest asshole of us all with a punch like The Hulk.”

I slump into the only chair that’s still upright in the living room. “Fucking hell, Kade. What was all that shit with Sirena?”

“She’s hot as fuck!”

“Watch your mouth. I might still rip your arms off and feed them to the lions at the zoo.”

“Simmer down. I knew the one thing that would test your anger to the limits and force you to fight would be her.”

“How did you know that?”

“Because I remember how protective you were of Abiteth. Plus, you’ve stayed dead for a thousand years, and now you’re putting it all on the line for this human girl, hybrid, angel person. She must be special for you to come out of hiding and risk Luc getting his hands on you.”

“Nicely deduced, Sherlock! But you still didn’t need to be such a colossal tool.”

“Fair enough, but I have missed riling you all these years. It truly is good to see you, brother, and if you’ll let me, I would very much like to help you stay alive. I hope that The Brotherhood can be reunited one day and take back what is rightfully ours.”

I go to him holding out my hand to help him up—an offering of peace and trust. “Okay, Kade. I need all the help I can get right now, and if you’re willing to help, then I will accept it.” He takes my hand, and an unspoken oath passes between us—protect The Brotherhood at all costs.

“I’m going to get, Sirena and we can discuss what we’re going to do.”

As I turn in the direction of the elevators, he laughs. “Tell her I’m not as big an asshole as I appear to be!”

“You have to earn that, brother.”

* * *

It’s been a long night, and I can see that Sirena is feeling the effects. Her eyes are struggling to stay open, her body resting heavily against my shoulder as Kade and I continue to talk through the night. Cole appears around midnight, and we confirm our plans. They have arranged a car with fake license plates to avoid being tracked, untraceable phones, clothes, new I.D.s, and a secluded destination for us to stay until we work out what we’re dealing with and how we’re going to fight it.

“You can’t make the jump, Lux. You need to avoid that unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

I don’t understand Cole’s reticence. “Why? It’s the quickest way to get Sirena out of danger.”

“If you jump while the Vollstrecker are looking for you, you could find yourself in the midst of them. They will be looking out for any supernatural activity.” There have always been demons and angels scattered all over the Earth, and therefore, it’s been easy to get lost in the background, but I’m already anticipating his next sentence. “They will be tracking any being jumping with a human in tow.”

“Cole is right, Lux. And you can’t use your senses to find us. We’ll find you.”

“I know. That’s why I’m in this mess in the first place. I need to learn to control when I sense Sirena. At the moment, I don’t even understand why it’s happening.”

“Yeah, you have to get that shit sorted sooner rather than later.” Cole seems agitated, but I brush it off with everything else going on.

“I’m trying. As long as she’s with me at all times, we should be fine.”

“God, what a horrific thought spending all day every day with a smoking hot chick.”

“Kade. I warned you. Not another word.” He and Cole are having a great time laughing at my expense. “Let’s just get back to work, but first I’m going to go and put Sirena to bed. She’s exhausted.” She murmurs as I lift her and walk her down to the bedroom at the end of the hall.

I can hear Kade and Cole laughing and joking together as they wait for me to return. It reminds me of what my life used to be. They’ve obviously grown close in my absence, and I can’t help but feel envious. I’ve missed the closeness that only brothers can share. The laughs, the jibes, even the fighting. And yet as I cradle Sirena in my arms, I have no desire to rejoin them. All I want to do is lay down next to her and watch her sleep. What is she doing to me? When I hear Cole start talking strategy, I force myself to leave her gently covering her in a blanket before I go. She looks like an angel, and I can’t help but wonder why she is choosing to trust me.

As I close the door behind me, I hear a small sweet voice in the darkness. “Lux?”

“It’s me. Get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Will you come back and sleep next to me?” I can sense her fear in the wavering whisper of her voice.

“I need to talk to my brothers for a while, and then I’ll come back. I promise. Now rest.” I know it must have taken a lot for her to ask. She’s a strong woman, and she’s obviously not used to asking anyone for anything. I admire her willingness to show vulnerability.

Cole and Kade are deep in discussion when I return. They are discussing the best way to reunite The Brotherhood to ensure we’re at our strongest when the Vollstrecker finally catch up with us—and they will catch up with us. It’s not a matter of if but rather when.

“You should go and tell Gier and Cray first. We get both of them in one trip. They’re always up for a fight, and they have some unsavory connections that could be useful.” Cole nods as he leans over a map of America laid out on the table.

“That’s cool with me, I’m up for a road trip to Vegas. I have some loose ends to tie up first. We should probably steer clear of jumping for now until things die down?”

“Good idea. Luc is probably going to start watching us when he doesn’t find Lux.”

“You need to tie things up here and head out to give them some back-up.”

I interject at this point. “I don’t need a babysitter.” As much as I appreciate their help, I don’t like anyone making decisions for me. “And contrary to popular belief, I’m not dead, so stop acting like it and fucking well include me in the conversation.”

Cole is in my face in seconds. “You ungrateful bastard. We’re putting our lives on the line for you. Leaving everything we’ve built for ourselves in your absence and following your sorry ass around to keep you alive.”

“I can keep myself alive. I’ve been doing it for the past millennium.”

“Yeah, and then you got the hots for some half-angel and put a target on your back and a neon sign above your head. So shut the fuck up and let us help you.”

I fucking hate it when he’s right. “Fine. But I can contribute. I haven’t lost my edge… have I, Kade?”

Cole bursts out laughing. “Burn.”

“Fuck off, Cole. Both of you can fuck off. I was going easy on you. I didn’t want to shame you in front of your lady friend.”

“My bad! And here I thought I just completely kicked your ass. Now can we get back to the task at hand?”

“Yes.”

“Agreed.”

We plan a route to Phoenix making sure to avoid the major cities. If we’re spotted along the way, then all of this will be for nothing. Cole has an underground bunker there which should keep us below the radar for now. Kade will join us in a few weeks, and Cole is going to find out what’s happening in the Underworld before going in search of our twin brothers. He’s putting himself in the firing line going back down in plain sight of Luc. He’s risking his life. Kade might be a jealous bastard, but he’s leaving everything behind for me. That is a debt I’ll never be able to repay.

If it was only me, I would stand my ground and fight alone until the end. I would spare my brothers any danger or loss. But it’s not just me, I have Sirena to think about. And when it comes to her, I’m selfish. I will stop at nothing to keep her safe. So tonight she rests, and tomorrow we begin our journey.

A journey to stay alive.