I’d always known Hannah would rescue me. It was one of the reasons I'd taken such a risk in the first place. But seeing the evidence of all her hard work made me appreciate her efforts even more.
I breathed in the scent of my library—the ancient pages, the leather chairs, and now the slight floral scent from Hannah's plants. Though I'd destroyed much of the penthouse when I was War, I'd left enough of this space untouched for me to work at my desk for a few hours, trying to catch up on everything I'd missed in the last six months.
I'd missed a lot, it seemed. Time hadn’t passed the same for me with War in my body. I hadn’t thought about normal things or needed to eat or sleep. I’d had two focuses.
One, escape the confines of Heaven. Two, bring war and chaos to the world.
Hannah stepped into the library, absolutely glowing in a pale green floor-length dress that showed off her rounded belly. Pride and love filled me, and I immediately stood and crossed the library to her, taking her in my arms. I’d never truly felt lucky before. Certainly not like this.
"Hello, my love. How are you feeling this morning?" I asked, as I drew her against me.
"Strange. I don't need to sleep or eat anymore...but I still like to do both of those things." She shrugged. "How are you?"
"I'm brilliant. Never better." I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Is it time for the meeting?”
“I believe it is.”
“Come with me?” I lowered my voice and spoke against her ear. “We’ll have time to nap later.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m coming to the meeting. I can’t let you loose with my Archdemons until I see that you know what you’re doing.”
"Oh, they're your Archdemons now?" I took her hand and led her out of the library, excited to be sharing my throne after so many lifetimes I'd spent without her. "I see how it is—I leave you alone for a few months and you take over completely."
"What's that saying? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine..."
"That does sound like marriage, yes."
As we held hands and grinned at each other like young lovers, we took the elevator down a level, to the command center. The demons working there bowed and some even clapped as we entered, and I gave them all a cocky grin and a little wave, though Hannah shook her head at me. It never hurt to remind them that I really did live up to all the stories about me.
We stepped into the conference room, where our allied Archdemons were waiting for us, along with Samael. They all rose to their feet when we entered, and Lilith actually rushed forward and threw her arms around me. Then she hugged Hannah next.
"You did it," she said. "You actually managed to save him."
"She did," I confirmed, with a wry smile at my wife. "I owe my salvation to Hannah, though I would like to thank each and every one of you for your part in keeping the demon world running smoothly over the last few months. Romana, thank you for your loyalty and for your people's help in guarding Hannah. Baal, I truly appreciate the risks you've taken in spying on Nemesis and Fenrir for me. Lilith, Hannah's told me your counsel and support were invaluable to her, and I thank you for that."
"I think I speak for everyone when I say it was an honor to help however we could," Lilith said. "However, we're all relieved you've returned to us."
"As am I. I thank you all for your loyalty during this difficult period, though there is one more person I must thank—Samael." I turned to my oldest, dearest friend. "You've supported me through all these years, and when I was gone, you stood by Hannah's side in my absence."
"I did what anyone would do in such a position," he said, his voice deep yet humble.
"No, you always manage to go above and beyond, my friend." I rested a hand on his shoulder, and he stoically nodded, though I can see in his eyes that he was pleased.
"Is it true you're both really Elder Gods?" Romana asked. "What happened to War? And Famine?"
"Yes, it's true," Hannah said.
"You could say we defeated them...and then took their place," I added.
"They're truly gone then?" Baal asked.
Hannah's eyes grew sympathetic. "I'm sorry. If I could have done it without defeating your mother, I would have. If it makes you feel better, she seemed to still care for you, in her own way."
He held up a hand. "Do not apologize. It's actually a relief to know she's gone. I no longer have to live in fear of my mother awakening and destroying the world."
I knew exactly how he felt—except my father, Death, was still out there, locked away in his tomb, waiting to be set free. With Famine released, we were one stepped closer to his awakening, and that thought terrified me like nothing else.
"Nemesis is dead too," Hannah said. "I killed her in the battle in Faerie at Famine's tomb. Unfortunately, Fenrir got away."
"Do you think he'll go after Death next?" Romana asked.
"Possibly, if he's still stupid and stubborn enough to continue this battle," I said.
"He is," Baal confirmed.
"Even so, he can't get into Hell, where Death's tomb is located," Lilith said. "Lucifer made sure of that when he sealed that realm up all those years ago. Only he and I have the keys."
"A good point." I turned to Samael. "Let's make sure to get extra protection on Lilith."
"That's not necessary," Lilith said.
"No, he's right." Baal took her hand, and I noticed Samael narrowing his eyes. "We must protect that key at all costs."
"What of Pestilence?" Romana asked.
The very thought of him made me bristle. "When I was War I
