Page 47 of Wicked Savior
Lucifer strides over and claps the demon in front of me on the shoulder. He eyes the beasts on the ground around us and whistles. “I can’t believe we didn’t hold the line.”
With a strained smile, I reach out and clasp the demon’s hand to shake it. “Thank you. You did a fantastic job of defending us.” I pause. “Lucifer forgot to tell me. What’s your name?”
He flashes a worried smile at the fierce male behind me. “Moge. And it was my honor.” When I pull away, he slips the dagger into my hand. “I couldn’t have done it without the dagger. So I think we saved each other.”
“You gave him your dagger?” a dark voice hisses behind me. “What did I tell you about leaving yourself defenseless?”
It’s time. I’ve been dancing around this subject for days. I whirl around. When I see the deep claw mark on his shoulder is dripping blood, I cut off a piece of my shirt and press it against the wound. “About that… you see. I’m not defenseless. Not really. I mean, I am in this form, but not in my real form. I probably should have told you already, but it was too dangerous to tell you in the beginning, and there didn’t seem to be another moment.” I stop and think about it. “Well, maybe when we were at The Abbey, and I was recuperating. That probably would have been a good time.”
“Breathe, Evren,” he says with a chuckle. “Tell me.”
“I’m in hiding. If Gabriel’s—boss—knew I was here, it would be bad. Very, very bad. We’re banned from here. You see, I’m a go—” I start, but am interrupted by the fury rolling off Lucifer. He’s already mad, and I haven’t finished what I was saying.
His head swivels to look at his men, while his lips move to count their numbers. “He’s lost his fucking mind,” he roars. “Retreat. We’ll regroup and return with a larger force.” The demons start disappearing one by one.
Lucifer grabs my arm. “We’ve got to go.”
I shake him off and turn to face the object of Lucifer’s fury. It’s another herd of beasts. Fury burns through me. How can Gabriel say I’m a danger to the human race? Not when he only sees them as collateral damage in his personal war against me and the Druids and whoever else lands on his naughty list. Gabriel only cares about his agenda.
I look around at the demons who are littering the ground. Unlike humans, most of them will regenerate, but not all of them. The images of the bodies in town run through my mind, especially the one at the little girl’s feet. Was that her mother? A sister?
Aurora and Becca. John. Thirty-seven supernaturals who were only at the club for a night out. Those deaths are on me. But Lucifer’s right. The rest belong to Gabriel.
I look up at the sky and take a deep breath. So much for trying to remain incognito.
Lucifer shakes me. “What’s wrong? We need to leave.”
I slip from his grasp. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner and explained my reasons, but it’s too late.” Closing my eyes, I release the restraint on my true self. The human shell I’ve been wearing falls away, and I exhale as my true form emerges.
When I open my eyes, everything is sharper and ten times brighter. In this form, I can hear the tiny beetle scurrying into the brush and smell the decaying bodies in town. I swivel around to face Lucifer and catch my breath. If I thought he was handsome before, it’s nothing to what I see and feel now. He’s utterly magnificent. Power is radiating from him… along with a serious amount of rage.
Millions of hooves strike the sand behind me. “After I do this, can you take me to the warehouse and my bedroom? This will take almost all of my power, and I can only fully regenerate at home. Not this world. There’s a portal in my bedroom that will take me to my true home.” Without waiting for his reply, I turn and face the herd. Guilt, bitterness, sorrow, and rage. The emotions have been building inside me for days. I bathe in them, saturate myself with them, until they become the perfect fuel for my power.
Inhaling sharply, I hold the breath for a second longer to let the beasts get closer, then on the exhale, I release the power gathered inside me and hit every single one of them. They fall to the ground, dead.
Hellfire shoots past me and burns it all.
I sway. My power is completely depleted. The sky darkens and rumbles. I look up.
Lucifer steps beside me and tilts his head back. His brows crease with worry. He pulls me into his arms, and I hold him tight, relieved to see he hasn’t abandoned me.
The world blurs around us and stops. It’s not my room at the warehouse.
“Where are we?” I ask, swaying from the toll it took to release all that power at once. I look around and see black marble and a throne made of bones. “Underworld? Why did you bring me here?”
He pulls away from me to pace. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have kept your secret. It’s not as if I’m on the best of terms with the man upstairs.”
I sink down to the floor. “Honestly, I didn’t intend to reveal myself at all. My mother always told me the consequences would be severe if I did.” A derisive laugh escapes. “Besides, why should I trust you? The betrayed only out for revenge against his betrayer.”
His head rears back. “I never lied to you about my reasons for protecting you.”
My throat tightens, and I shake my head. “No, but you made me believe you cared. That it wasn’t all about revenge.” A tear slips down my cheek. “I need to go home. Take me to my portal.”
His hand sweeps the hair off my face. “I do care. Even when I thought you were human. I cared. And believe me, that is the absolute last fucking thing I wanted to do!” he yells, his voice raw. “Humans only survive long enough to steal your heart. And yet, I still couldn’t walk away from you. It was driving me crazy.”
I stare at him. “You’re lying. I heard you in the hall with Daire. Yesterday. Thousands of years you’ve been waiting for this moment, remember?” My voice cracks. “And when you showed up to save me, for some reason, I still believed you cared. But you do one thing and say another. I don’t know anything for sure. I need to go home. I can’t do this with you right now.” I lie down on the cold marble floor to rest for a second.
Alarmed, he picks me up. “I’ve got you. Just hang on, okay?”
