I opened my notebook and glanced at the latest I’d learned about the Elder Gods and the Four Horsemen. None of it seemed very hopeful. The Elder Gods couldn’t be destroyed because they were ancient and primordial, representing basic components of the universe such as light and darkness, death and life. Just as one could never completely eliminate pestilence, war, famine, and death from the world, so too could those Elder Gods never be truly defeated. But they weren't all-powerful. For one thing, much like the fae, they couldn't lie. Of course, they were probably as tricky as fae too. Or even worse.
For another thing, outside of Void they required host bodies if they wanted to be corporeal. In addition, the Horsemen required a sacrifice from that host in exchange for giving them all the powers of a god, although I wasn't sure if that was true of all the Elder Gods. Pestilence required a sacrifice of the heart, which Adam had given when he'd killed his lover Belphegor. War needed a sacrifice of the mind, and it seemed he had taken Lucifer's memories of me as his payment. Famine supposedly asked for a sacrifice of the body, while Death needed a sacrifice of the soul—whatever that meant.
Not for the first time, regret and guilt squeezed my chest for trapping Lucifer in Heaven, but I'd had no other choice at the time. I couldn't let him come to Earth, not once I saw that War had taken over and turned my mate into someone else. Someone I didn't recognize...who didn't recognize me.
We were running out of options and out of time. At some point, we'd have to stop at least one of the Horsemen, if not all of them. We had the tomb in my garden, taken from Stonehenge and repurposed, but we weren't sure if it would truly hold an Elder God for long. It might contain Pestilence for some time, but what of the others? War was still out there, and Famine might be released soon. We might be able to defeat them—but if Death was released, I feared we would be completely screwed.
I flipped open one of the old tomes that described the Elder Gods during the ancient times when all the different realms were connected. In those days, Elder Gods often fought and defeated each other. They couldn't be totally destroyed, but they could be subdued and removed from their hosts, which gave me some small amount of hope, although it was mixed with a heavy dash of terror.
I was starting to think the only way to save Lucifer was for one of us to take control of another Elder God. Of course, that would require a sacrifice, and there was no guarantee whoever did it would be strong enough to not be consumed by the god in the process. Or that they wouldn't need saving, once they too became a monster.
No, there had to be another way to get through to Lucifer. I just needed to keep reading through all these books, and surely I would find something. I had to.
I was the only one who could save Lucifer from himself.
I sighed and got up, stretching my aching body, then headed back into the main part of the penthouse and to the kitchen to grab myself something to eat. I had a feeling it would be a long night, and I was starving again. As I opened the fridge and began scanning the shelves, something caught my attention, something tugging against my soul, and I turned around.
With a boom that seemed to shake the entire building, the huge windows overlooking The Strip burst in, raining glass all over the penthouse. Instinctively I threw up a wall of darkness woven with light to protect myself from the blast, and when I lowered it, my mouth fell open. Framed between jagged shards of hanging glass was my mate, the person I most wanted and most dreaded to see.
I scrambled back toward the other side of the room, my voice trapped in my throat, preventing me from screaming for my guards. This couldn’t be happening. It was too soon. We hadn’t worked out a plan yet.
Lucifer's black wings spread wide, and anger and hatred burst out of his skin with an ominous red light, the same color as his eyes. Eyes that fixed on me with such fury it made my hands tremble and my pulse spike.
Lucifer had arrived—and he looked like he wanted to murder me.
4
Lucifer
I roared, making the walls shake as I landed inside the penthouse. My throne room, now defiled by the blond woman in front of me. How dare she lay claim to my seat of power and then turn it into a fucking garden. Everywhere I turned, there were more flowers, and the air smelled of nature. I could almost hear the plants growing. Another reason to end her. Slowly. Painfully. While she begged for mercy on her knees.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" I asked, as I stalked across the room. The pull toward her was irresistible, and I devoured the sight of her full hips, heaving breasts, and lush lips. I sensed her fear, and it was intoxicating. Damn right she should fear me. All living things should. "You locked me in Heaven and now you claim my home as your own?"
Even with terror coursing through her veins, she stood straighter, defiantly staring back at me with those magnetic blue eyes, while her hand lingered protectively over her belly. "No, Lucifer. I live here—with you. This is our home. Don't you remember?"
"Liar!" I yelled.
Her eyes widened like she knew what I was about to do before I conjured a sword made of hellfire and shadows. It was darkness wreathed in red fury, and power coursed through me when I held it over her. But as I looked down at her face, that beautiful face that had haunted me for months, my sword never fell.
