Maddox cringed. “Father won’t like that.”
“He’ll understand.”
“He’s going to freak out.”
Yes, he would, but not because she refused to go back to Sheoul-gra. He’d agree with her reasoning as long as he believed that she was safe. But he was going to go next-level Reaper when he learned that what had happened to her had been intentional.
“Epic freak-out,” Journey muttered, and then he looked over at her, his gaze as hard and cold as she’d ever seen it. “And I don’t blame him. Someone we live with, someone we trust, murdered at least one of his children and tried to kill another. Death at our father’s hands won’t be enough of a punishment, no matter who it is.”
She shivered, recognizing the danger in her stepson’s tone. It belonged to Azagoth, and it was the first time she’d ever seen this side of Journey. Gone was the laid-back goof who liked to surf and play Dungeons & Dragons with Cipher. In his place was a warrior. He’d grown up a lot in the months she’d been gone.
“So, where are you going to stay?” Maddox asked. “Here? In a fucking demon hospital?”
“This fucking demon hospital is protected by an anti-violence ward,” Eidolon said calmly. “And the fucking demons who work here are trained professionals who—”
“Sorry, Doctor.” Journey jumped in and tagged Maddox hard on the shoulder. “Mad here is a dick of epic proportions, and he’s sorry he insulted your hospital. We appreciate everything you’ve done. What he meant to say was ‘Lilliana, where would you feel safe?’”
Journey’s rare attempt at diplomacy made her smile. He was usually the type to crack a beer and settle in to watch a tense exchange like it was a sport. No wonder he’d been entrusted with more Primori to watch over recently, including Suzanne’s husband.
“If Cara and Ares are okay with it, I’ll stay with them again,” she said. “I can’t think of anywhere safer than a secret, highly defended island belonging to the Horseman of the Apocalypse known as War.”
Clearly still stung by Journey’s rebuke, Maddox rolled a shoulder in a sullen shrug. “I dunno. The secret castle in Greenland that belongs to the Horseman known as Death is a safe bet, too.”
He had a point, but she didn’t know Thanatos and his mate well. And besides, she’d take a warm, lush Greek isle over a frozen tundra any day.
“Father is not going to take this well,” Journey repeated.
Maddox snorted. “Yeah, well, imagine how much worse he’d take it if she died inside Sheoul-gra.”
A tense silence engulfed the room at the cold reality of the situation. She and the baby could die if she went home. And even if she went to stay with Cara and Ares, someone still wanted her and/or her baby dead. Making matters worse, Azagoth would be furious, and when the Grim Reaper got angry, no one was spared his wrath. Not even himself. He had a tendency toward self-destructive behavior that terrified her.
Cramps twisted her fingers, and she realized that she’d been holding Maddox’s phone so hard, it threatened to crack. This call would not be fun.
Stomach churning, she took a deep breath and dialed.
Chapter 6
Fury flowed in Azagoth’s veins like molten lava, bubbling just beneath the surface, held in check by a thin, fragile shell of ice. Somehow, he hadn’t exploded. Somehow, his beast hadn’t broken free.
Somehow, someone had poisoned his mate and tried to kill his child.
In his own home.
“Azagoth?” Lilliana spoke in soothing tones, no doubt attempting to ease his pain and keep his inner demon at bay. “I can’t come home. You know that, right? I can go to Ares’ island. Just until Sheoul-gra is safe.”
“I can have it safe in five minutes,” he swore. “I’ll get rid of everyone, and I won’t let anyone inside ever again.”
“Oh, darling,” she breathed softly. “That’s not the answer. It can’t be just the three of us trapped there forever.”
Yes, it can. On some level, he knew that thought was irrational. On a much higher level, he understood that his tendency toward extreme action was why he trusted Lilliana to make this decision.
“A?” she prompted, using the nickname that usually made him smile. “Are you there?” At his grunt of assent, she continued. “I’ll call you when I get settled, and we can talk about it.”
Talk about it? He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to kill. He wanted to own the soul of whoever had dared to betray him. He wanted to rip the bastard to shreds with his bare hands, wait for him or her to regenerate, and then repeat the process over and over. Like squeezing one of those little stress balls, except with more begging and screaming.
“I’ll find whoever is responsible, Lilli,” he swore. “I want our child to be born here, not on Ares’ island.”
“Me, too,” she murmured. “Please hurry.” She paused. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Azagoth set down the phone, his body numb, his brain buzzing with rage.
“Azagoth.”
He shifted his gaze to the speaker. He’d forgotten that the angel, code-named Jim Bob, was still standing in the library, his hand wrapped around a highball glass of Azagoth’s best rum.
Azagoth hadn’t even poured his own glass before Lilliana called. He reached across his desk for the bottle. “What?”
“What happened?”
He didn’t bother with a glass. He wasn’t feeling that fucking civilized. “Someone,” he growled, “attempted to kill my mate and child.”
Jim Bob slowly lowered the glass from his mouth. “Where?”
“Right here.” He took a long pull from the bottle, reveling in the burn of the alcohol pouring down his throat. When his insides were sufficiently on fire, he slammed the vessel down on the desk so hard the shelves rattled. “They’re okay, but they can’t come back.”
“Someone got to her inside Sheoul-gra?” Jim Bob let out an oh-shit whistle. “Where is Lilliana now?”
Azagoth shot his spy a look. His circle of trust was small, and Jim Bob wasn’t included, no matter how long he’d known him or how much information Jim Bob brought him.
“She’s safe,” Azagoth said, leaving it at that. Jim Bob was probably well-connected enough to find out if he really wanted to, but Azagoth wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Instead, he changed the subject to the reason Jim Bob had come in the first place: the rise of the fallen angel Moloc, and the massive surge in his powers after his soul was fused with his dead twin’s. “You said you’re here about Moloc. Why? Is Heaven up in arms because I sent a few souls after Bael?”
“Obviously. What you did was in breach of your agreement with Heaven, and it resulted in an already powerful enemy becoming even more powerful.” Jim Bob’s voice rumbled with irritation. Clearly, he agreed with his Heavenly brethren. “It was the last straw for your detractors. They claim you’re reckless, unpredictable, and your reach is too great. They want you either brought to heel or put down.”
“Fools.” Azagoth reached out and idly stroked the petals of the living crystal rose Lilliana had given him as a gift mere days ago. “All of them.”