"I don't know."
Azazel flew through the front window, a murderous look on her face. “I’m going to kill him,” she muttered as she landed and her wings disappeared. She took one look at me in my ripped dress and narrowed her eyes. "What did he do?"
"Nothing. I'm fine." Lifting my still-shaking hand to my lips, I ignored the slight sting his rough kisses had produced. There was no denying how much his touch had turned me on, and that had a lot to do with why I was still trembling. I'd missed Lucifer so much over these last few months, and with these pregnancy hormones raging inside me, I'd been unable to stop my body from reacting to him. Even now, need pulsed between my thighs, begging for him to return and finish what we started.
Zel didn't look convinced. “The baby?”
I rubbed my bump and was rewarded with the familiar feeling of her rolling over. “She’s fine too. He didn’t hurt us. He never would.”
Zel crossed her arms. "We don't know that for sure."
"We'll double our guards immediately," Theo said, his head bowed. "I apologize, my queen. This should never have happened. I'll investigate immediately why my gargoyles weren't here to defend you."
I waved his apology away. "As impressive as your guard is, I don't think any of them could have stopped Lucifer tonight. But I nearly got through to him, which means there is hope."
Zel's face softened. "Hannah, I know you think that, but—"
I held up a hand to stop her protest. "I will find a way to save him. Call a meeting immediately with all my advisors. We have a lot to discuss and only a short time to develop a plan."
Less than an hour later, I sat in a rocking chair Zel had turned up with one day for the nursery, which had once been my bedroom in the penthouse, and then my office. She’d given no explanation, but the chair was plush and comfortable, and I’d loved sitting in it ever since. It had been a sweet gesture on her part, and it was the only thing in this room so far. I hadn't decorated the nursery yet—mainly because I kept stupidly hoping Lucifer would do it with me. Maybe such hope was foolish, but I couldn't allow myself to give up on it. If I did, I would truly sink into despair, and I'd had enough of that already in all my lifetimes.
Zel poked her head in the door. “They’re here.”
I joined everyone in the dining area of the penthouse, which had been cleared of glass already, and sat at the head of the table with the people who had been willing to drop everything to rush to my side. Samael and Einial, of course, plus Azazel and Theo, along with my youngest son Kassiel, his mate Olivia, and her other men, Callan, Bastien, and Marcus. They'd become my inner circle over these past few months. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
"What happened here?" Kassiel asked, his green eyes filled with worry as he took in the broken windows. Pride and love filled my chest when I looked at my youngest son, with a touch of grief because he resembled his father so much. Our youngest son was truly the best of both of us—smart, loyal, and brave, and always fighting for peace.
There was no sugarcoating what happened, so I simply said, “Lucifer has broken out of Heaven."
Many around the table gasped or widened their eyes in shock, but Samael simply asked, "How?"
"I don't know."
"What did he want?" Olivia asked.
I let out a weary sigh. "I think he wanted to kill me, but he couldn't do it. Even though he didn't remember me, he knew me on some level. When he discovered I was carrying his child, he seemed...confused. Or conflicted. Then he left."
"Any idea where he might go next?" Callan asked. He was a fierce angelic warrior and the son of my sister, Jophiel, who had died while protecting me from Pestilence. Since then, Callan and I had grown closer, clinging to what family we had left.
Bastien, another angel and always the logical one in the group, stroked his chin. "Considering last time he tried to reignite the war between angels and demons, I suspect wherever he's going, it won't be good."
"Don't forget he can also turn people into frenzied warriors," Marcus added, reminding me of those final moments in Heaven and the chaos Lucifer had caused. As a Malakim healer, Marcus had been one of the angels responsible for dealing with the aftermath of that fight.
"All the more reason he needs to be stopped immediately," Zel said.
Kassiel turned to her. "Or saved."
Zel scowled. "We'll see."
I pinched my brow, fighting off exhaustion. "Lucifer is a threat, there's no denying that. Before we do anything else, we need to warn Archangel Gabriel that Lucifer is back on Earth."
Einial spoke up for the first time. "I'll get right on that."
"Thank you." I nodded to her before continuing. "I don't know if there is a way to save Lucifer or not, but we're going to try. I did come across something in my research that has given me hope. We might be able to use another Elder God to subdue War and free Lucifer. Which means we need to go to Faerie immediately."
"You want to free Famine?" Kassiel asked, his eyes filling with horror.
"I do, yes. Before Nemesis and Fenrir do it first."
"No way," Callan slammed his hands on the table. "This is way too dangerous. Especially for you in your current state."
"It's the only option we have right now," I said. Callan had lost both his parents, and I understood that he couldn't bear the thought of losing me or his future cousin either. My nephew tended to be overprotective of those he loved anyway, but even so, he couldn't stop me from doing what I had to do. No one could.
