Page 99 of Malice
Lilith sighed audibly and rolled her eyes. “That’s what I get for not being here to help name this collective.”
“First order of business, introductions,” Hades said. “I’ll go first. I am Hades, lord of the underworld, mate of Dahlia, who is the daughter of the horsewoman Death.”
And so it went, around the circle, as each member introduced themselves and the group they represented. Some were obvious choices, like Alek, Thorne, Kingston, and Moira, who’d inherited their parents’ spots from the original Council. Otherswereoriginal Council members, like Lilith and Caleb. Those two, along with Hades, now made up the “governing body” of the group, AKA they were the ones who would make and enforce the rules. The rest of us seemed to be selected mostly due to chance or our connection with the other group members. In other words, we were convenient.
Or at least, I guess that’s why I was here. Since Lilith had hand-selected Evander to represent the celestials, I wasn’t really sure what the fuck I brought to the table. I doubted it had anything to do with my hacking skills, and I was certain no one here was interested in thehumanpoint of view. This was a supernatural secret society, after all.
Finally, it was my turn to introduce myself. “Uh, I’m Asher. Half human, half angel, all hacker. Um, mate of Rosie, partner to Remi... and uh, to be honest, guys, I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t really represent anyone who hasn’t already been covered.”
Lilith laughed. “Oh, sweetheart, isn’t it obvious? You’re the heart of this whole thing. If not for you, none of us would be here right now. You were the one leading the charge and doling out information. It only stands to reason that you would continue in that vein. You’ve certainly earned your seat, if that’s what you’reworried about.” She cocked one brow. “Also, have you forgotten you’re the son of a horsewoman?”
I rubbed at the back of my neck, my eyes darting to Pan’s lavender ones. “I guess we are, aren’t we?”
“Don’t remind me,” Pan sneered. “She’s dead to me.”
“I mean, you did kill her.”
“More’s the pity it didn’t stick,” he muttered, wiping at an invisible speck on his pant leg.
“Unfortunately that is precisely why this group is necessary,” Lilith said. “We will never be rid of them. Once we stop this apocalypse, there will be another one brewing.”
Kingston groaned. “Are you for real?”
Lilith cut him a scathing glare. “Yes.”
Caleb sighed and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. “There will likely be a quiet period if we succeed, just as there was the last time Lucifer nearly ended the world.”
“Sounds a whole lot like it’ll be someone else’s problem,” I mused.
Lilith cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t be so smug, darling. That someone is likely your future children. Leave it to the humans to expect their progeny to clean up after them.”
“It’s not going to matter if we don’t nip this one in the bud,” Hades said, visibly irritated as his eyes burned with blue fire. “There won’t be a world to clean up, so can we focus on the matter at hand?”
The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room as we all took a collective sigh.
“Does anyone have any news about number six?” Kingston asked, attention on Lilith since she was the only one among us who’d left the so-called safe house since we’d relocated.
“If you’re referring to the release of the sixth Prince, that’s part of the reason I brought Evander,” she replied, gesturing for the angel to go ahead.
“Wrath has been released. The consequences of his arrival are far-reaching and devastating. Heaven won’t be able to shelter the humans from the effects much longer.”
“What do you mean, shelter?” I asked.
“The angels have been doing all we can to keep the humans from understanding the gravity of what is happening. We always have. Humankind has survived by the skin of their teeth countless times, and they’ve never been the wiser. Though arguably, they’ve never come quite this close to extinction.”
Before any of us could give voice to the massive “what the fuck” that prompted, the angel kept going.
“The Princes are more than simply Lucifer’s generals. They are seven of the fallen who rebelled alongside Lucifer. Stripped of their titles, they were cast out, their names struck from the collective memory when they were renamed for the sin they embodied. They’ve never been released from where they were imprisoned. Until now. We have hoped to keep it that way, but sooner rather than later, there won’t be any way to shield the humans from the horrors the Princes are unleashing.”
Alek shifted in his chair before raising his hand, eyes continually flicking toward Kiki in her portal as though afraid she was going to step through at any moment.
“Yes, Alek?” Lilith said, sounding increasingly impatient.
“How have you shielded them from anything? The sky is ablaze, and devastating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have wiped out huge swaths of the United States. Entire mountains have sunk into the ground.”
Evander lifted his chin, a defiant gesture I was very familiar with from living with Gavin. “As I’ve said, we have done our best. They see them as tragic natural disasters. Part of a life cycle. Some blame it on global warming. They do not realize it’s the literal end of everything, and we want to keep it that way. Traumatized humans don’t typically bounce back easily.”
The rest of us exchanged uneasy glances. As one of the only humans in the room, not that Pan really counted since he’d only been one for the better part of a year, I wasn’t sure heaven was as effective as they thought. I mean, people weren’t stupid. Fire in the sky was a pretty big fucking indicator that shit had gone off the rails.
