This time I wouldn't lose her. This time, if Adam tried to hurt her, I'd rip his fucking throat out. And this time, he'd stay dead.
Zel noticed me wince, and her hands immediately moved to her waist, the hilts of her daggers against her palms. "Is everything okay?"
Theo, the captain of my gargoyle guard, appeared beside us as if summoned by Zel's concern. He was tall and muscular, with black hair and a slight French accent, and his hands were already turning to claws. “Did you sense a threat?”
I shook my head and flashed them both a quick smile. By now I was used to them being overprotective, even if it could be annoying sometimes. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine."
Theo gave a cursory look around the garden anyway. "Let me know if you need anything, my queen."
"I will, thank you."
He bowed stiffly, then retreated again. Theo was the younger brother of Romana, the new gargoyle Archdemon. Their mother, Belphegor, had conspired against Lucifer in a plot to overthrow him, but Romana and Theo had chosen a different path after her death. They'd sworn loyalty to Lucifer, and now served me in his absence. A good thing too, because the gargoyles had proven to be the only people immune to Pestilence's plague attacks as long as they were in their stone form. That was one of the reasons Azazel had chosen them for my security. A smart move, since Pestilence aka Adam came for me three months ago.
It was hard to tell how much of him was Adam anymore versus Pestilence. They seemed to have merged into one horrid entity hellbent on destroying the world...and taking me as their prize. I supposed that meant there was still some of Adam left in there, which gave me hope for Lucifer too.
There was no way I was letting Adam take me, and I'd burn the whole world down before I let him hurt this baby. He'd already taken a daughter from me once, but never again. So when he came for me, as I knew he would, I was ready. My unusual mix of light and darkness powers had only grown stronger with my pregnancy, and my gargoyles and I managed to fight Adam off, weakening him enough that he had no chance but to turn tail and run. No one had seen him since.
Probably a good thing, since before his attack he'd been making people sick all over the country. With Archangel Raphael's help, I'd formed a task force comprised of angelic healers and gargoyle warriors, who worked to clean up the chaos Pestilence caused. It was only a matter of time before he emerged again, and when he did, we would be ready. I glanced back at the waterfall, peering past the water at the cave behind it. A cave with a tomb inside it strong enough to hold an Elder God.
Or so we hoped.
3
Hannah
I walked, or perhaps slightly wobbled, into the meeting room with Zel at my side. I tried to appear cool, calm, and confident, hoping I looked like I knew what I was doing, even while my daughter continued to press against my ribs in the most uncomfortable way. Life didn't stop when you were pregnant, especially when you had a kingdom of demons to rule.
Samael was already there, along with the Archdemons Lilith, Baal, and Romana, to represent the Lilim, vampires, and gargoyles, respectively. I nodded to each of them as I took my seat at the head of the long table, but I couldn't ignore the fact that there should have been three more Archdemons present. The dragons were still staying away, remaining neutral after the death of their leader, Mammon. His son, Valefar, had not officially stepped up as Archdemon yet, and I suspected he was waiting to see what happened before he chose a side. The dragons' numbers were so low that I couldn't blame him for being cautious, even if I hoped he would join us.
The other two Archdemons, on the other hand, would not be welcome even if they came crawling back at this point. Nemesis, Archdemon of the imps, and Fenrir, Archdemon of the shifters, had gone too far in their attempts to overthrow Lucifer. They couldn't be forgiven for what they'd done. If it weren't for them, Pestilence and War wouldn't be released, and Lucifer would still be here. Of course, some of the blame also rested on my oldest son, Belial. He'd been the mastermind behind it all, at least at first, but I hadn't seen him since we'd trapped his father in Heaven. He appeared to have turned a corner at the end of that battle, as if he might have regretted acting against his father, but his continued absence troubled me. Now I wasn't sure where his loyalties lay.
Samael's dark eyes met mine in a silent question, asking if I was all right, asking if we could begin. He'd become indispensable to me in these last few months, a true friend I could depend on for anything, even though I knew he was hurting too. He wasn't one to show emotions, but Lucifer was his oldest friend, and he dearly missed him also. I gave him a slight inclination of my head, signaling I was ready.
Samael nodded to me and cleared his throat. "Now that our queen is here, we can begin. May I have everyone’s attention?”
“You always have my attention," Lilith murmured as she gave him a little wink. As usual, she looked gorgeous with her dark curls and blood red lips, her green eyes accentuated by a low-cut dress of the same color. As the oldest succubus, she oozed sensuality even
