was something I already knew. Hence why I had remained calm until this point, because I knew I was in no position to go searching all around Hell for Amelia when I was outnumbered and unprepared.
Something Dom also knew, as when I had Dariush create a portal to inform him of events, one of the things he was told was to get word to his council and the rest of the Kings. For everyone was need in this for us to have even a hope at succeeding. Because if Matthias managed to gain the souls and win this battle without being stopped, then what came next was him taking over the rest of Hell.
Meaning it wouldn’t be long until the mortal realm followed.
Dom knew this.
“So, I suggest, before my wife reaches over this table and starts to try and strangle you to death, you start talking about this wife of yours… before I let her!” Dom warned, and I could see he was right, Keira was on the verge of wanting to mount my head on a spike. So, another sigh later and I finally told them.
“Dalene was my wife when I was Judas.” After this, Keira’s mouth dropped open, and Dom looked thoughtful a moment before he gave his own father a nod.
“Well, I’d best go and ready my own armies, for I do not need to stick around for this past tale of woe to know which side I will be fighting for. My dear, a pleasure seeing you blush as always,” Asmodeus said, after rising to his feet and lifting a hand of his daughter in law to bring to his lips to kiss. Then, when she blushed further, he winked, making Dom growl,
“Did you say you had somewhere you needed to be?” At this Asmodeus chuckled, obviously enjoying being able to use Keira to get a rise out of his son.
“That I do,” he said with a knowing smirk, before he too left the room, leaving us with the privacy Dom knew I would want.
“So erm… getting back to the…”
“His bitch witch?” Dariush answered, making me scowl his way before I snapped,
“She is not my fucking anything other than the current bane of my existence!”
“Explain, Luc,” Dom said, in a calm tone that managed to ease my anger.
“Dalene was my mortal wife, and one that grew inflicted as the years passed and in such a way, that as a mortal man, I wouldn’t have ever truly understood at the time,” I told them, being honest.
“Inflicted how, with like a disease or something?” Keira asked naively.
“No, but by a demon,” I told her, after recently discovering for myself the true role that Matthias had played.
“Oh, God,” she muttered, putting a hand to her face.
“Matthias,” Dom said, guessing correctly.
“Yes, by my brother.” I nodded but Keira sucked in a quick breath again on hearing this.
“Jesus… eh, sorry, totally wrong name to say, of course I mean… Gods in Heaven… in Hell might be better,” Keira said, slipping up and making me grant her a small smile, as at the very least she managed to lighten the mood for a short time.
“To what gain did he do this?” Dom asked next.
“Knowing the reasons why Lucifer believed him a failure, I believe Matthias’ aim was to try and corrupt me enough so that I would be useless to Lucifer’s plans.” After this I then explained Matthias’ history, keeping it as brief as I could until it brought events back to tie in with my own.
“So, basically, he turned your wife crazy?” Keira surmised, and for her, this was something she had experienced first-hand after being kidnapped by a mad man who suffered the same affliction.
“Yes, he also became her lover, masking himself as nothing but a mortal man during those times, in hopes this would drive me into a jealous rage.”
“To what end?”
“To try and kill my wife, I can imagine,” I answered, making Keira shake her head.
“But obviously you didn’t.”
“No, in truth our marriage was done through a kindness and never out of love. Dalene had often before tried to manipulate deeper feelings from me but in this, only resentment grew.”
“Then why marry her if you never loved her?” Keira asked, which was a perfectly understandable question but then this was also where things got more… painful.
“When I met Dalene, she was serving wine in a feast. Long story short, she caught my eye, as I caught hers and being of the determined type, she waited until I had