Chapter 35

Beatrice

I couldn’t stay in falcon form forever, but my lack of clothing was a problem. It was the middle of the day, and I had very few friends. My social circle was bigger than it had been six months ago, but there weren’t many places I could show up naked. While I knew they wouldn’t turn me away at Bliss, I’d still need to get from the crowded building lobby to the office upstairs. I didn’t see that happening—meaning, I couldn’t ask Persephone for help. The same was true for Demi. She’d decided to stay in a hotel rather than taking Persephone’s bed after we’d convinced her neither of us was returning home with her. I decided to try Gryph’s house. I wouldn’t call the werewolf a friend, but he wouldn’t turn me away if he was home. He did private security work, so it was possible he was working.

I landed in his backyard to find a pile of clothes sitting by a tree. That meant Gryph was out for a run.

I grabbed Gryph’s t-shirt and slipped it on. He was tall with broader shoulders, so the shirt was huge on me. Since Gryph was missing his left arm, one arm was also sewn closed. I looked ridiculous, but at least I wasn’t naked. That thought alone proved I could be optimistic.

I waited for what seemed like hours for Gryph’s return. In reality, I’d probably only been waiting about twenty minutes, but I was worried Lucifer would find me. At first, I’d tried to convince myself he’d let me go, arguing that it was just a game to him. Even if it was a game, Lucifer wouldn’t want to lose. Powerful men were like that.

Finally, a giant three-legged wolf with glowing yellow eyes trotted into the yard. His head cocked to the side in question when he saw me.

“Can we go inside to talk about this?” I asked him.

“Sure,” he replied after shifting to human form. It always amazed me how similar our changes looked. I wondered if the werewolves felt the same buzz of magic just before their human form became hazy. I’d have to remember to ask Gryph another time.

Gryph grabbed the rest of his clothing and led me into his home.

“Can I assume your presence here has something to do with your brother?” he asked as he slipped on his pants.

“No,” I replied with a shake of my head. “Actually, yes. From what I’ve heard, he’s escaped the demon realm. My only source is a lying bastard, so I can’t guarantee that’s true.”

“The last I heard from Rainer, your brother was still somewhere in the demon realm, but they weren’t entirely certain where,” Gryph began as he searched for something to eat in his refrigerator. “I’m sure Rainer would have called me if your brother had escaped.”

“Rainer’s a liar, too,” I grumbled. “My brother’s escape must have been recent, so it’s possible he called you.”

Gryph set a tray of meat on the counter and then went to retrieve his phone. He listened to the message, his face tense. “Your brother has escaped the demon realm. I’m going to need to head to Bliss to make sure Julia is safe. You’re welcome to grab some clothes from Julia’s room and hide here. Maybe you should go back to the demon realm to hide from your brother since he’s not there and unlikely to look for you there.”

“No!” I said quickly. “I can’t go to the demon realm. While I don’t want my brother to find me, he’s not the only person I’m trying to avoid. Maybe I shouldn’t stay here. This is such a mess, and I shouldn’t drag you into it.”

“What’s going on, Beatrice?” he asked in a gentle tone. He was worried about his mate and wanted to rush off to Bliss to protect her. Still, he was clearly worried about me. It was touching.

“I’m not even sure where to start,” I admitted.

He nodded. “Go up and get some clothes while I let Julia know about Desmond. I also need to get some extra security over at Bliss. We’ll talk when you get back down. Julia will have my balls if I leave you when you’re this upset.”

“I’m not upset,” I argued.

His response was a snort.

With a sigh, I headed upstairs to find something to wear. I needed a shower, but I didn’t want to delay Gryph when he needed to get to his mate. Julia was about five inches taller than me, so her clothes were all too long. They were still better than running around naked or with only one arm hanging out of Gryph’s shirt. When I walked back into the kitchen, Gryph was off the phone and eating. Werewolves have extremely high metabolism rates and eat several large meals a day.

He finished what was in his mouth before asking, “Who are you hiding from, other than your brother?”

“Lucifer,” I replied.

“The Lucifer?” he asked, continuing when I nodded. “Why are you hiding from him? Did he find out about your stealing his car?”

“Oh, yeah,” I replied with a humorless bark of laughter. “He found out about the SUV. The stupid jerk must have been laughing at me when I confessed that to him. I can’t believe I trusted that lying son of a bitch. Just a normal guy my ass.”

“You’ve lost me here, Beatrice,” he began. “I’ve only met Lucifer once, but Rainer has told me enough to know he’s not the type to be amused by someone stealing from him. Why did you confess to stealing his car? You don’t want Lucifer as an enemy.”

“I didn’t even know he was Lucifer at the time,” I explained. “That probably sounds stupid, but I never studied fallen angels or demons in school. I met him when I was out with Persephone, and he told me his name was Dev.”

“Dev?” Gryph asked.

“Yes,” I replied with a sigh. “I guess it was short for Devil.”

“Lucifer is the guy you’ve been dating?” he asked.

I simply nodded.

“When Persephone said you were dating someone, I didn’t pay much attention,” he admitted. “Even if I had, I never would have guessed this. You never even suspected?”

“I didn’t have a clue until Persephone’s mom told me,” I admitted.

“When did you find out?” he asked.

“Last night,” I replied. “I confronted him right before I came over here.”

“You confronted Lucifer?” his shock was obvious. This time, he didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Does Persephone know?”

I nodded. “She found out last night when I did.”

“And you had no clue who he was?” he asked.

“He was in the shadows in the only pictures I saw of him in school. He also had those enormous black wings in all the pictures,” I explained. “When I met him, he didn’t seem anything like the Lord of Hell. Now, I can see the similarities. I’m such an idiot.”

“And you want me to help you hide from Lucifer?” he asked hesitantly.

“That is a lot to ask,” I admitted with a sigh. “I’m not going to hide from him forever. I just need to think before I talk to him.”

“You can stay here,” he assured me. “I’ll call Julia to update her on this new detail on the way over to Bliss.” By that point, he was talking mostly to himself. “Lucifer,” he muttered on his way to the door. “Just fucking great.”