Cipher (Demonica Underworld #8) - Larissa Ione Page 0,44
Reaver to tea.
Hell, until now, Azagoth had actually suspected they were a myth. Sequestered angels who lived on another plane and in all timelines at the same time? Yeah, bullshit.
Except, apparently, it wasn’t.
“They see instability in the current timeline,” Reaver said. “They stressed that Bael’s demise would cause even more destabilization.”
“And why do I give a shit about the destabilization of a timeline I know nothing about and that clearly favors Heaven in the Final Battle and beyond?”
“I’m wondering the same thing, bro,” Rev said. “If something’s good for Heaven, that means it’s bad for me.”
“Not when we have a common goal, and that’s to keep Satan from winning the Final Battle.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t give a fuck what your Fates have to say.” When Reaver cursed, Azagoth held up his hand to stay the lecture. “Take it easy, Halo. Bael doesn’t have to die for me to get my revenge. I can keep him alive and in agony for all eternity.”
Revenant stood, a big grin on his face. “I knew I liked you.”
Azagoth looked between the two. “So are we cool?”
“Yeah,” Reaver said. “But watch it. I don’t give a shit what you do, but I have to be the bad guy when the Angelic Council gets a bug up their collective asses.”
“Come on, bro.” Revenant opened the door. “I’m jonesing for a burger.”
Reaver was all about a fast food lunch, and they got out of there without so much as a goodbye.
The moment they were gone, he called out, “Lilli? I know you’re there.”
The hidden panel at the back of the library slid open, and a sheepish, gorgeous, pregnant angel stepped out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I slipped away to see you and heard you guys talking.”
“You just felt the sudden need to use the secret passage to come to the library?” He gave her a don’t bullshit me look. “You were ditching your bodyguard, weren’t you?”
She had the good grace to blush. “Maybe.”
She walked over to him, her hands on her belly. Beneath her palm, the baby moved, and when he reached out to feel the movement, his heart stuttered at the instant connection that formed between him and the child.
“Is Grim Junior talking to you again?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Grim Junior?”
“Do you hate it?”
“Yes.”
Her laugh filled his office and his heart. It was so good to have her back. “Guess we should talk about names then, no?”
“Soon,” he promised. “I’ve got a lot to do right now.”
“Revenge does take up a lot of time, I suppose.” She glanced at the door Reaver and Revenant had just gone through. “They seemed to want to put a damper on your plans to get it. What are you going to do?”
“What do you think, my darling?” He palmed her cheek and stroked her smooth skin with his thumb. He’d never take touching her for granted again. “I’m going to ignore everything they said and kill Bael, of course.”
And he dared Heaven to try to stop him.
Chapter Sixteen
The antechamber outside Bael’s great hall was freezing. Not that Lyre experienced cold the way humans did, what with all the teeth-chattering, hypothermia, and death. But it was still pretty uncomfortable, and when combined with the terror of what might lie ahead, she couldn’t help but shiver.
Bael had made her wait out here for almost twelve hours. Cipher’s fate was still unknown. The one bright spot in the day had come when one of his minions had brought news of his son’s death at Azagoth’s hands. Bael’s roars of fury and his murder of the messenger had given her the most pleasure she’d experienced in a long time.
Finally, the great hall’s massive doors opened, and Bael’s Ramreel guard gestured for her to enter.
She did her best to control her breathing, her pulse, and her sweat glands as she walked across the floor, her boots cracking down on the bones and teeth set into the umber tiles.
“My lord,” she said, bowing deeply when she reached the dais where the fallen angel sat on a throne made of more bones and teeth. A set of desiccated angel wings formed the back of the throne, the yellowed feathers dotted with ancient dried blood.
He didn’t waste any time. “I just found out that Azagoth murdered my son and my nephew, so I’m in a bad fucking mood. Don’t piss me off, Lyre,” he warned. “Tell me how Cipher disabled the demonweb block.”
“I don’t know,” she lied calmly, relying on one of the few skills