I quickly sent off a few texts anyway, calling in a few favors. Now I had to wait.
While I drummed my fingers on the cover of one of Samael’s journals, Hannah returned to the library, her hair wet from her shower. Now she wore one of the slinky nightgowns I’d bought her, which just begged to be pushed up to her thighs or even ripped off completely.
She covered a yawn with her hand. “Quit reading those old books and come to bed already.”
“Yes, dear,” I said, as I rose to my feet. I’d worry about breaking the curse tomorrow. And find Gadreel, while I was at it. Where was that bastard now? I took Hannah’s hand, realizing she didn’t know about him yet. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“I suspect there’s still a lot you need to tell me.” Then her eyes widened. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you too. Something I heard at the ball. I completely forgot about it until now, but—”
Her words were interrupted by a loud crash outside the library. I immediately shoved Hannah behind me, while shouting broke out from the entrance of the penthouse. Was it Gadreel?
I turned to Hannah and took her face in my hands. “Stay in the library. You’ll be safer here.”
She nodded, her eyes wide with fear, and I kissed her deeply, fearing it might be the last time. She hugged me tight and then I headed out of the library, closing the door behind me. Without any windows, the library was the safest place in the penthouse for Hannah at the moment, and I had to deal with whoever was invading my lair.
I rushed through the living room, and from the corner of my eye I spotted dark shapes outside my windows flying back and forth in ominous patterns. I had no time to worry about that though, because at the entrance of my penthouse stood a tall, hulking man with hands turned into reptilian claws, now dripping with blood.
The blood of my guards.
“Mammon,” I growled, as I surveyed what he’d done. All of my hand-picked, loyal guards lay dead at his feet. “So you’re the one behind all this.”
The ancient Archdemon of the dragons let out a haughty laugh. “Hardly. I’m but the first of many who want your downfall.”
I drew my darkness around me, preparing to fight. “Then you’ll have the honor of being the first to die.”
He let out a massive roar, making the floors and window shake, and dragonfire burst out of his mouth. I smothered it quickly with my darkness, almost offended. He should know better than to think that would work.
“Why?” I asked. “Has your greed overcome you? You think you can steal my throne and be the next Demon King?”
“It’s time for someone else to lead the demons.” He swiped at me with his claws, and I easily dodged and avoided them, my movements flowing like smoke around him. “You never should have forced us to abandon Hell. It was our home.”
“A home that could no longer sustain us,” I reminded him.
He ignored me as he kept attacking, knocking over all my furniture in the process. “And a truce? With angels? Come now Lucifer, surely you didn’t think that would work.”
“You’d rather we kept fighting forever, while our numbers dwindled to nothing?” I cringed as he threw a chair into my bar, destroying dozens of bottles of my finest alcohol. “I did everything to save our people. The future of our race was at stake.”
“Our race? You’re not even a real demon!” He blasted me with another mouthful of dragonfire, which I blocked with a wall of darkness. His face began to redden, his frustration becoming obvious. “Angels never belonged in Hell. Once we rid ourselves of all the Fallen, we’ll reopen Hell and begin to rebuild it.”
We’d neared the huge windows overlooking Vegas now, and I had a clear view of the battle going on outside. My dark-winged Fallen angels fought in the skies against both dragon and gargoyle attackers, with blasts of fire and shields of darkness fighting for dominance of the air. I spotted both Azazel and Samael out there, but no sign of Gadreel anywhere.
“You plan on destroying all the Fallen?” I asked, cocking my head. “But what of Gadreel? Isn’t he working with you?”
Mammon snorted. “Gadreel is nothing but a tool the Archdemons have used to weaken you. He gave us the information we needed, but he’s a pawn. An inside man, if you will. He serves us, like all your Fallen will soon. They’ll be on their knees before the Archdemons, where they belong…or they’ll be dead. Along with you.”
His threats against my people made rage boil up inside me. “I am the true Demon King, and you will kneel!”
With a wave of darkness, I pushed Mammon through the windows into the night sky and launched after him, my dark wings spreading as I dove. Blood red scales slithered across his skin as his own wings erupted, his body shifting into his massive dragon form faster than I expected.
We wove and dodged through the sky amid the other fighters, though they gave us a wide berth. Mammon scraped at me with his enormous claws, but I pulled back, trying to avoid the pointed tips. He was too fast though, and one of the massive claws caught me, gouging a jagged split from my collar bone to my abdomen.
I went into a spin as I fell toward the city streets below. Pain washed through me, but the darkness forced my body to heal, and I fought for control over my flight. My wings beat strongly, lifting me back up, chasing the man who dared lead a revolt against me, who dared endanger Hannah.
He banked and whirled, flying high over the city lights, above the fighting around us. Pushing out my wings, I soared upward as fast as I could, and moved just in time as
