Page 20 of Found In Destruction

“Just spill, what’s going on?” Bash snapped. The entire room, minus our vampire bestie, was on edge.

“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but I just got out of a meeting with Daddy Lucifer…and guess who requested her own barrack? Diana.”

“There goes your plan,” I quipped to Desmond.

“Were you all plotting without me?” Judas asked as he sat in the empty love seat. “Rude.”

“You better fucking deny her request,” Ares growled.

Judas laughed, his bright eyes filled with mirth. “I told them we may not have room, and that I’d have to check availability versus the incoming reinforcement troops we have arriving this week. I’ll put off her moving as long as I can, but if Lucifer pushes for it, I can’t deny him for too long…”

“She belongs here with us, and I’m fucking sick and tired of her pushing us away!” Bash shouted as he raked his fingers through his hair.

“You and me both. As I’ve told you before, your antics upset Angela, which negatively impacts me,” he huffed as he pulled and twirled a curl of his hair. “It’s hard to woo someone who’s worried sick about whether or not her niece is safe.”

“Well instead of complaining, why not help us plan? We can kill two birds with one stone,” Desmond’s tone was a step above annoyed.

“So remind me again, you acted like your usual asshole self by not sharing pertinent information with her, Ares tried to knock her up, Bash knew about Ares’ plan and was an accessory, and Azazel knew her mom wasn’t dead and didn’t tell her? Did I miss anything?” Judas summarized as he leaned back into the chair and crossed one leg over the other. His matching cream linen pants and shirt with blue detailing screamed Cult Leader.

“Yep,” Azazel agreed, his tone sullen.

“My sire always told me—if you dig a ditch, put a body in it. You four dug your holes especially deep so you need to fill them up with something big,” Judas said.

“Which means…?” Bash trailed off.

“It means you need to find a way to fix the damage you’ve caused,” he explained, as if he was talking to a child. “For fuck’s sake, I keep forgetting that your posh British accent doesn’t mean you’re an intelligent lifeform—you just sound smart.”

Bash sent a gust of wind that swirled around Judas’ curly hair, flipping it askew before it slapped him across the face.

“So, you’re saying a grand gesture?!” Ares practically shouted as he bounced up and down with barely contained energy.

“Yeah, but a useful one. Something that sets it right, not a stupid flashmob.” Judas’ smile reached from ear to ear as he watched Ares’ face fall. “I knew you’d want to do a flashmob…”

“Okay, so for me that means continuing my search for ways to reanimate her mom,” Azazel said.

“I’m sticking to my plan, whether she moves out or not. Consistent presence, cat treatment.” Desmond’s voice was firm with resolve.

Judas rolled his eyes, switching his attention from Desmond to the rest of us.

Bash sighed, then cracked his neck while he mulled something over in his thoughts. “I’m not quite sure how to fix us, but I’ll think of something…”

“I’m going to be the best boyfriend, period. I’ll be there for her, day in and day out,” Ares announced confidently.

“That may not be enough, but it’s a start. Well, I’ll let you losers scheme on. My girl is waiting for me…” Judas’ smug face made their anger swirl around the room.

As he faded out, the rest of us looked at each other. None of them seemed confident in our ability to win Diana back, but only time would tell.

9

DIANA

After spending three days in the infirmary, I was reluctantly discharged. I wanted to stay there forever, where I could be alone and not have to deal with seeing the guys, but Judas’ medical team assured me I was fine. They promised me my magic would stabilize in due time, and I couldn’t tell them the real reason I wanted to stay. Until Judas could find me another secure place to live, I had to go live at my old barrack. With every step toward it, my anxiety mounted. Thoughts of all the good times clashed with the memory of the guys revealing the secrets that had broken my heart. Even three months later, everything still felt so fresh…so visceral, as if it had happened yesterday.

Ares’ cheerful tone rang through my mind…“I mean, she’s a week and a half late on her period. She’ll have to take a test, but I’m confident she is.”

I shook the memory off. Reminding myself of their betrayal wouldn’t make me feel any better. Getting another barrack to stay in would, though. I understand that we had backup troops coming in who needed rooms to sleep in, but I was desperate to have some space from the guys. The idea of having to spendtime with them—and be around themall the time—it seemed like torture. Could my resolve stay strong if I was constantly being bombarded by them day in and day out? I wasn’t dumb enough to think that Desmond was the only one who wanted to get back together. The rest of them were biding their time…and who knows what plans they had made in the interim.

“Are you ready for this?” Mal asked me as we stood outside the door. He squeezed my hand, then brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of my knuckles. The gesture made me melt, taking some of the panic away.

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