I stepped out into the hallway and glanced around, but didn’t see or hear Jophiel anywhere. I considered finding her and explaining that I had to go, but I honestly wasn’t sure she’d let me leave. She’d try anything to make me stay. Anything to prevent me from returning to Vegas—to Lucifer.
But fuck that. This was my life, and I was taking control of it.
Yesterday Jophiel had given me a brief tour of her gigantic mansion, including her four-car garage, and that’s where I was headed now. Once there, I found a panel by the door that had a row of key fobs, which no doubt unlocked one of the ridiculously expensive cars before me. I took a moment to eye up the cars—a burgundy Porsche SUV, a black classic Rolls Royce, a yellow Lamborghini, and a silver Audi—and then grabbed a pair of keys. I rushed over to the Lamborghini, because when you’re stealing a car from your angelic ‘sister’, you might as well go big.
When I got on the street, I found the button to put the top down and cranked the radio. My hair blew out behind me, immediately getting tangled up, and I kicked off the heels and tossed them to the passenger seat.
Vegas, I was coming for you. Consequences be damned.
29
Lucifer
After my encounter with Jophiel, I returned to Vegas, keeping my word to give Hannah some space even though it tore me apart to do so. Besides, my people still needed a king, and Samael said he wished to speak with me. I had some questions for him too.
The sun had barely risen by the time I arrived in his office. He was on his computer, completely absorbed in whatever he was looking at, but he glanced up sharply as I entered.
“Did you find Hannah?” he asked.
“Yes, she was taken by Jophiel.” I slammed my hands down on his desk, making him jump. “The Archangel gave me back my memories. Turns out, my mate was once an angel, and we were together before the Earth Accords were signed, when our relationship was forbidden. No one knew about us, except Jophiel…and my most trusted advisor.”
Samael’s chair squeaked as he rolled back and looked at me in alarm. “Lucifer, I can explain—”
I clenched my teeth. “You kept this a secret for years. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I thought the pain would be too intense. I thought it might be better if you didn’t know. Less agonizing. For both you and Hannah.” The look on his face, the twist to his mouth, said he was tortured by the decision, but that only made me angrier.
“Keeping those secrets was not your decision to make.” I kept the desk between us, or I would've been too tempted to grab his throat like I’d done with Jophiel. “Did you set up Brandy’s kidnapping to bring Hannah back to me? Are you behind the attacks on my mate’s life?”
He held his hands up in supplication. “Of course not. I wanted to keep Hannah away from you, not bring you together. I assumed Jophiel had her hidden somewhere, but that suited my ends. It kept you both safe and alive.”
“Not safe enough. Someone found her and brought her here.” I fixed him with a glare as I asked questions I’d never wanted to voice. “Have you ever thought about taking my place? Or becoming the leader of the Fallen?”
He drew his shoulders back. “I’m offended you would even ask me such a thing. I’ve been your closest friend for thousands of years and have always served you well. You’re questioning my loyalty when I’ve never given you any reason to do so.”
“You’re the only other person who knew about Hannah’s life as an angel. What was I supposed to think?”
“There is someone else who knew. Adam.” Samael returned to his desk and took a seat. “That’s why I asked you to meet me, actually. At the ball, Gadreel told me he’d tracked down a human who might be Adam.”
“Where?”
“He didn’t say.”
I took the chair across from Samael and stroked the rough stubble on my chin as I considered this news, my gut telling me something wasn’t right. I scoured my memories, including the ones Jophiel had just returned to me.
When Eve had been reborn as an angel, I’d believed only Samael knew about our relationship, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe someone else knew too. I’d never found Adam in that life—normally I tracked him down and killed him as retribution for what he’d done to my mate, but Jophiel intervened first and took my memories. I never even knew what he looked like. Could he still be alive?
In every life, Adam was reincarnated as a pair with Eve. If she was born human, so was he. Except when she was Lenore. The one who’d killed her was an angel, according to Gadreel. When I’d found them, there’d been a dead angel beside her, his sword covered in her blood, and I’d simply assumed that the curse didn’t differentiate between an angel and a Fallen.
But what if it did?
Now someone had lured Hannah to Las Vegas, for the sake of bringing her back to me. Why? Just to take her away again, knowing it would hurt me more now that we’d found each other. But how?
My mind followed the trail of clues. Asmodeus said he’d received a text from Samael ordering him to seduce her, but Samael claimed he’d never sent it. It had to be someone close to us, someone who knew too much, who had access to everything.
Someone like Samael’s assistant.
Someone who spent too much time chasing both Lenore and Lilith.
Gadreel.
Could it be? Could Gadreel be Adam? Had he
