to tell me you have goodness inside you?”
“I was an angel—the brightest and best of them all.”
“And the least modest.”
Lucas smiled. “My target from earlier today was only one possible candidate. There is another I have lined up who has already enthusiastically agreed to take my place.” He crossed his arms. “Tick tock, Eden. Darrak has very little time left. Time works differently in the Netherworld. You said you’d do anything for the chance to save him. Are you willing to give me your celestial energy for that chance?”
She hesitated and slid her hand over her stomach.
Lucas noticed. “I can make you one solemn promise. Your child will be fine. I’ll personally guarantee it.”
That was . . . reassuring. A promise from Lucifer himself.
Eden’s mind swam, but she didn’t have that difficult a time with this question. Was she willing to give up her angel side—a side that had given her nothing her entire life but a bit of unreliable psychic insight thanks to an absentee father? Would she give that up in order to rescue the man she loved—the father of her unborn child?
“Yes,” she said. “I agree.”
“Say it again.”
“You can have my celestial energy. All of it.”
“One more time.”
“You can have it, Lucas. Yes.”
His warm smile widened. “Thank you.”
She crouched down, watching him warily, and put her hand on Andy’s furry back. The werewolf had gone very quiet, watching the two of them as though witnessing a tennis match.
“Now bring Darrak back,” she said firmly.
Lucas ran his index finger over the edge of her desk as if looking for dust. He probably wouldn’t be disappointed. “Well . . . that wasn’t exactly what you just agreed to.”
“What?”
“Remember, Eden, the wording is important. I don’t have the ability to snatch Darrak right out of the Void. Nor do I have any desire of going anywhere near that place. It’s very dangerous there, even for me. No, what I said was that I could offer you a chance to save him.”
Fury rose inside her. “You asshole. You tricked me.”
“Not a trick. It’s not my fault your head is not in the game.”
“A chance? That’s it?”
“Yes. I will grant you entrance to the Netherworld. Mortals, even if they’re witches or nephilim, or both, are still vulnerable there. Without my permission you would burn up the moment you entered my kingdom. But tonight I’ll let you in so you can seek your demon at the very edge of his ultimate doom.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re sending me to Hell.”
“You don’t have to go at all, if you don’t want to. However, I should warn you, our deal holds no matter what your decision is. I will, however, ensure your safety and your child’s safety . . . but Darrak, well, he’s the wild card in this scenario. No money-back guarantee.”
Her nausea came back in full force, but she tried to ignore it. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll go.”
“Just one more thing. You need a guide.” He smiled down at Andy. “Would you be willing to protect your lovely business partner tonight? She needs someone who cares about her. I don’t think I’d trust anyone else to help her in this quest.”
“Andy, wait . . .” Eden began.
But Andy barked.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Lucas held out his hand. Andy walked over toward him and Lucas grasped either side of his head. The next moment, dark light slid along Andy’s werewolf form and he whined.
Eden grabbed Lucas’s arm. “Stop it! You’re hurting him!”
Lucas shook his head. “He’s fine. Better than ever, in fact.”
Andy looked different now. His fur had quickly changed to become black, short, and wiry. He was at least fifty pounds heavier than he’d been before. And his eyes were now red, with slits for pupils more like those of a cat. He looked like a cross between an otherworldly black panther and a Rottweiler.
Eden gasped. “What did you do to him?”
“Consider it an upgrade.” Lucas stood up and brushed his hands off on the front of his pants. “He was a werewolf. Now he’s a hellhound. They’re the best guides in the Netherworld.”
Eden stared with fear at the muscular black monster that bared its sharp teeth at her.
“Christ on a cracker!” a voice proclaimed in her head, but the hellhound’s lips didn’t move. “I need a drink!”
Her mouth dropped open. “Andy, I can hear you. How . . . how can I hear you?”
“You can hear him because he’s the first and only werehellhound. Now, you best get going. He’ll