Page 9 of The Eternal Mirror
I may as well take this opportunity to rid his mind of any notions that Amber will ever be his. “I am Amber’s bonded mate.” His eyes narrow, and I continue, “We were brought together by the goddess, Selene. We are connected for eternity. Selene bestowed her powers on Amber, but she granted me powers from Vortex, including the ability to shift into a dragon.”
So take that and shove it...
I rise to my feet. “I need to rest.” Actually, I think sleep will be impossible. But I’ve had enough of the company, and I need to plan. I grab a bottle of wine from the sideboard as I head out of the room.
“We will talk more tomorrow,” Thanouq calls out.
Not if I can help it.
The following morning, I am up before dawn. I didn’t sleep; I just stared at the ceiling above my bed. I’m heading to Earth and to the allies Amber suggested. I’ve always been a loner, at least since my brother Khendril left when I was eleven. Even as commander of the army, I felt alone.
But I’ve learned in these last months away from Astrali and my father’s influence that it’s a good thing to have people at your back—people you trust. Even Thanouq, who can’t seem to keep his hands off my mate, I would trust with my life.
Amber believed in these people on Earth, so I will follow her advice—for now. Plus, I need to find a way to make contact with Astrali and discover what’s happening. My best chance of that is Brown. Brown is the guardian of one of the safe houses on Earth; he protects and controls one of the mirrors between Earth and Astrali. He doesn’t like me, but that may change a little when he learns that I plan to go up against my father. He hates my father. I suspect most of the guardians feel the same way. That’s why so many went over to Lucifer.
My father created an army of guardians, half-breed Astralis, to protect the worlds of Valandria and Earth from Lucifer’sonslaught. My brother Khendril was a guardian. They have the ability to shift but were denied the immortality of the Astrali people. Many were bitter about this, and when Lucifer offered them eternal life in exchange for their loyalty, they accepted. I suspect most came to regret their decision. They became the shadowguard, mere wraiths of their former selves.
The guardians who remain loyal to my father are given roles when they are too old to fight. Some look after the safe houses on the different worlds—the houses where the mirrors are kept. Brown is one such guardian; he maintains the safe house near where Amber lived on Earth. Maybe he can get in contact with my cousin, Sheela and procure me news from Astrali.
I’ve dressed as closely as I can to Earth norms: black pants, a black shirt, and boots. No weapons: I can pick some up on Earth. Grimlet watches my movements carefully as I dress. I consider leaving him behind.
“Grimlet is coming,” he says, as though he can read my mind. And maybe he can. I know nothing of gargoyles. I don’t even know if there are any others, or if Grimlet is totally alone in the world.
I nod, and he leaps the distance between us, landing on my shoulder. I grab a jacket and head out the door. Minutes later, I stand before the mirror Amber created to take us to Earth and then to Hell.
I whisper the words of the spell and step through into another world.
Chapter 4
When Lucifer’s Daughter Walks into a Throne Room...
Someone shoves me from behind—my money is on the officer trying to look like he’s in charge—and I stumble into the room.
I right myself and glare over my shoulder at him. He reaches out again but then catches my gaze. His eyes widen; I’m not sure what he sees there, but it’s enough to make him back off. I give him a sweet smile—okay, not that sweet—and turn back to face whatever, or whoever, is waiting for me.
The room is quiet, like it’s holding its breath, waiting for something to break. And it’s fucking huge, with a big ass throne at the far end. My guess is that it’s some sort of reception area for meetings, with white and gold marble floors and pale gold walls.There are no windows—based on the trek we just took, I think we’re deep inside the palace—but when I look up, I find the ceiling is a glass dome, and through it, I can see the stars. It’s pretty. There’s no furniture except for the throne and a row of plush gold velvet seats along the far wall. Suddenly my legs feel weak.
A man stands at the far end of the room. He’s forty feet away, and I still feel his magic pressing against my skin, crawling up the back of my neck like spider legs. A shudder runs through me.
He nods at the two men. They back away, and I hear the door click shut as they leave the room. We’re alone now, just the two of us: me and my boyfriend’s—AKA my bonded mate’s—dad.
He stands in front of the throne oozing malevolent magic.
Waiting.
I keep my spine straight and try not to look nervous, which, actually, I’m not. Not anymore. All my nerves have been burned away by my rage and fear. Fear for Zayne and Josh. Not for me. Just hours ago, I was in Hell, and my father had promised to make me and everyone I care for suffer for eternity. It didn’t happen. I beat him. But I had come to terms with the idea of my death, and I’d realized that death is not the worst thing that can happen.
Then again, death can be messy and very painful. But there’s no point in dwelling on that...
I approach him slowly, and the air grows thick and oily as I get closer. I come to a halt about ten feet away. My stomach is tying itself in knots. Not fear. Just… okay, fine. A little fear.
He doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink. He’s like one of the statues that guard the gate, inhumanely still.
And he looks so like Khaosti, it’s unsettling—same hair, same height, same glow to his amber eyes—but where Khaosti is fire and fury, this man is ice.
He’s dressed in black pants, a loose purple shirt, and long boots, a circlet of gold rests in his black hair. He looks stunningly handsome and pretty normal. Except there’s something so wrong about him that my stomach churns and my mouth floods with saliva. I swallow.
His gaze drifts down my body, lingering on my breasts, which is icky but unsurprising. I still have my hands cuffed behind my back, which kind of makes my chest stick out. I think I have enough magic to do something about that. I whisper a spell, and the cuffs at my wrists click open and fall to the floor. I roll my shoulders and rub my wrists.
