Demon King (Claimed By Lucifer #1) - Elizabeth Briggs Page 0,35
a long time since I’d shown my true self to humans, and I forgot how skittish they became around blood and magic.
“Hannah is the reason we found you,” I explained. “She’ll be relieved to see you’re all right.”
“Am I?” she asked with a short laugh, as she rubbed her arms and gazed at the hotel with dark memories in her eyes. Yes, she definitely needed to leave this place. After my people finished searching the motel for evidence, I’d burn it down in her honor.
I snapped my fingers. “Gadreel, please escort Ms. Brandy back to The Celestial and set her up in one of the luxury suites.”
Gadreel stepped forward and nodded, his pale wings stretching out behind him. She stared at them with her mouth open, and then he said something quietly to her before picking her up. I could have carried Brandy myself, of course, but that felt like a betrayal of Hannah. Another woman in my arms? No. I only wanted the one who was meant for me.
I barked out a few orders to the remaining Fallen and Lilim at the scene, making sure they left no stone unturned in their search. I didn’t know why those shifters had taken Asmodeus and Brandy, but their betrayal made my blood boil. I needed to know if this was an isolated rogue group, or if this was part of a larger act of mutiny. Hopefully when Asmodeus recovered he’d have some answers too.
I took one last look around before taking off into the sky, eager to tell Hannah that her friend had been rescued. My part of the deal was complete.
Now it was her turn.
11
Hannah
I paced back and forth in the penthouse until my feet ached. Shouldn’t they be back by now? I checked the clock for the fiftieth time but only two minutes had passed since I’d last looked at it. I groaned and turned away before I drove myself even more mad.
Azazel watched me from where she lounged on the black leather sofa in Lucifer's living room. With her rich, dark skin and black leather clothing, she looked like a panther—deadly but deceptively relaxed. While drinking a glass of red wine, she watched every single one of my movements like she had to report them all to Lucifer.
“You’re making me tired, little mortal.” She yawned and shifted her position, stretching like a feline.
I stopped and sighed. “I’m sorry my pacing exhausts you. Aren’t you the least bit worried?”
Zel snorted. “Not at all. If your friend isn’t dead already, Lucifer won’t let her be hurt. And if she is, well, it’s already done.”
I threw my hands up at her infuriating response. “What about Lucifer? He’s your boss, isn’t he?”
She laughed in response to that. “You really don’t need to worry about him.”
Maybe not, but I was surprised at how much the thought of him being wounded made my chest tighten and my heart pound. Why did I even care? He was the devil, for crying out loud. Should I be rooting for him at all, or was that like siding with evil? But if he was rescuing innocent women from kidnappers, wouldn’t that make him the good guy? Damn, this shit was confusing.
Still, I probably shouldn’t be worried. I’d only known Lucifer for a few short days, during which he’d basically held me captive. Okay, he’d also bought me a lot of nice stuff and treated me like a queen, but I’d also seen some pretty terrifying things. Not to mention, I’d nearly died too.
To say I was conflicted was an understatement.
I sucked in a breath. All I wanted was for Brandy to be safe. I would focus on that and figure out everything else later.
With nothing to do but wait, I plopped into one of the armchairs and jiggled my leg. Zel moved again on the sofa, cat-like, adjusting so she could see me better.
“So you’re a fallen angel?” I asked, trying to make conversation. Mainly to distract myself from glaring at the clock once more.
“If you must know, I was once an Erelim.”
I gave her a blank look. “Am I supposed to know what that is?”
She sighed and began to speak like she was explaining something even a child would know. “Angels have four Choirs, each with different abilities. Malakim are healers, Ishim can go invisible, Ofanim detect truth, and Erelim are warriors of light.”
I shrugged. I still didn’t really know what she was talking about. “So what happened?”