Page 9 of Malice
“It’s not terrible, as far as plans go.”
“How confident are we that they’re going to be successful?” Asher asked.
“As confident as we can be.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but even if they are successful, wouldn’t that just piss Lucifer off even more? You know, give him an even stronger reason to carry on with his war?” Hades asked.
“Perhaps, but it also creates a more even playing field. If Lucifer gets his antichrist, then it’s game over for all of us. If he doesn’t, there’s still a chance we can win.”
“So what do we do in the meantime? I, for one, don’t intend to sit around and wait. If I learned anything from MommyDearest, it’s that the only person who gets to decide my fate is me.”
I smiled at Asher. “I hope that’s true. And to that end, if you intend to be on the front lines of the upcoming battle, then you need to get to safer ground.”
“What do you mean?” Asher asked.
“Darling, you’re shacked up on the edge of the hellmouth. Do you really think this is the smartest place to gather your army? This is one of the first places hell’s army will break through. You’ll be overrun before the battle begins.”
Remi leaned closer to Asher and whispered, “She’s mean.”
“Can I kill him?” Drystan asked, not bothering to lower his voice.
I bit back a smile. “No, pet. We need him.”
“Lilith is right,” Hades said, ignoring Drystan. “We are running out of space to house everyone. Lilith found us, which means Lucifer will be able to as well.”
“How? There’s no reason for us to be on his radar at all. And even if we were, he doesn’t know where we are.”
I sighed. “Lucifer can trace me at will. He won’t do it until he’s exhausted all other options, and I can only hope he’s too preoccupied with finding Merri to give chase, but when he decides to, he will come for me.”
“Wait, are you telling me you brought war to our doorstep?” Remi asked, jumping out of his seat. “What the hell kind of ally are you? Why didn’t you just pick up the phone and call instead of putting us all in danger?”
“Now can I kill him?” Drystan tried again.
I shook my head and sighed. “Remington, war was already on your doorstep. It’s only a matter of time before you all find yourself in the crosshairs once more. And I stayed away as long as I could.”
Asher’s sigh joined mine. “She’s right. We were just giving her shit for keeping her distance. We don’t get to be pissed now that she’s here. And really, it doesn’t change anything except the timeline.”
Remi pointed at me. “You aren’t invited to the new fight club.”
“Fight club?” Drystan asked.
“He means their next hideout, my darling.”
My fae prince huffed. “As if we’d want to spend any more time with these miscreants than absolutely necessary.”
“Well, do you have any suggestions on where we should go next?” Asher asked. “I’m all ears.”
If I was honest, I wasn’t sure where they could successfully settle their army. No place on earth would protect them indefinitely. But I knew one thing: the final battle loomed ever closer, and we all needed to prepare for the worst.
“I don’t know. Until we figure something out, we must hope the horsemen are successful.”
Remi stood and stretched. “I’ve never been so excited for someone else to get laid.”
“Oh, I don’t know if that’s true,” Asher said with a smirk. “Remember that one time...”
“I stand corrected. I’ve never been so invested in someone other than us getting laid.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked to Hades. “Show us to a room? Drystan may actually kill this one if we have to hear him speak another word. My protection only goes so far.”
