Page 86 of Happily Ever Bitten (Underworld Royals 2)

A green glow lit the horizon as Grigory and I teleported into the outskirts of Noxia Kingdom, near the dark forests that bordered the palace grounds.

What is that? I wondered, studying the bizarre energy force. It didn’t belong here.

I think it’s Narissa, Grigory replied. She told Jeremiah she had an idea right before she ran off ahead of him and Adrik.

Ah, that must have happened while I was getting dressed. She’d been gone when I returned to Grigory’s suite.

A red gleam added to the mix, the force of it stealing the air from my lungs.

And that would be my mother, Grigory said.

She’s fighting Narissa?

No, I think she’s helping.

I hoped he was right. Where’s Lucifer? He would be useful right about now, but Grigory said he’d disappeared shortly after bringing Lux the bag of figs. And from what Jeremiah said, the dark lord was refusing Lux’s calls.

Something tells me this is another of his trials, Grigory muttered.

I cringed at that thought. The last time Lucifer put me through hell, I’d been… I swallowed, not wanting to finish the thought. I was stronger now. Capable of fighting.

And I had a viper to find. She kept moving, popping into Noxia, then back to Neptune, and then into Noxia again. She’d varied her positions now, as if she felt me tracking her.

I needed to go about this a different way, to try to track her energy as she moved and attempt to anticipate her intent.

Do your thing, Grigory murmured. I’ve got your back.

I didn’t doubt that for a second.

Closing my eyes, I focused on Napia’s aura, hunting her with my mind.

This is my future, I thought. My purpose as Lucifer’s harbinger, to stalk dark souls and remove them from the Underworld.

I could feel the rightness of it as I concentrated, the elaborate skill set ingrained inside me after years of creative molding.

Every experience of my life groomed me for this moment.

Prepared me for the inevitable.

Shaping me as Lucifer’s perfect weapon.

A soul stealer.

A protector.

A being of rightness.

I shivered, the energy swirling around me in a familiar wave, coaching me on what to do next. Follow Napia. Determine her patterns. Tap into her mind. See through her eyes.

Shades of red and gold glimmered in my mental visage, the

familiar room unfolding around me as I recalled my last experience within those very walls.

“The grand hall,” I whispered. “She’s planning to attack from within.” Because she didn’t realize Lux had administered the figs to everyone inside.

He nodded. “Then let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and initiated the portal charm, whisking us into the palace interior.

Where Napia sat waiting for us.

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