Cipher (Demonica Underworld #8) - Larissa Ione Page 0,62

and break dishes just minutes after Reaver and Revenant arrived. So don’t bullshit me.” She came to her feet, and when he reached to help her, she swatted his hand away. “You released souls to kill Bael, and they found out, didn’t they?”

Azagoth had always kept his work and his home life separate. He’d never wanted Lilliana to be exposed to the ugly part of his job...or the ugly part of himself. He didn’t want her to see how the soul sausage was made, when it came down to it.

“I don’t want you to worry, Lilli. You’ve got enough to deal with as it is.”

“Don’t,” she warned. “Don’t shut me out. Never again. You swore.”

He wanted to deny that he was shutting her out. And if he was, he wanted to assure her that he was doing it for her own good. But shutting her out was part of what had led to her leaving him in the first place. He’d held her hostage emotionally, not giving her that bit of him that she craved. And then when he had expressed emotion, it was anger. Always anger.

He’d promised he’d do better. It was time to fulfill that promise.

“You’re right.” He inhaled softly. “Bael’s dead, and the Wonder Twins know about it. But they’re the least of my concerns. Moloc’s still alive, and he’s more powerful than ever. He’s going to come after me with everything he’s got.”

“That’s why you’ve put a rush on bringing in the last of your human-realm children, isn’t it? To get them out of the way.”

He nodded. “And it’s why you always have a guard. Moloc will stop at nothing to get what he wants from me.”

Earlier, Lilliana had mentioned that the hellhound she’d befriended on Ares’s island might be joining them, and the mutt was welcome. He wasn’t fond of the beasts, but they were fiercely loyal, and no one would fuck with Lilliana with one at her side.

“Why does Moloc need you so badly?” Lilliana asked.

He reached for his favorite bottle of rum. “Because I have the key to Satan’s prison.”

“The key?” She lost color in her face and sank back into the chair. “Satan is in Sheoul-gra?”

“Yes and no.” He abandoned the bottle and moved to her. He needed her more than the alcohol anyway. “When Revenant and Reaver trapped Satan, they created an inter-dimensional prison using the same basic frequency as the Inner Sanctum. Satan’s cell is both inside Sheoul-gra and not inside it. I, alone, can access it.” Leaning against the desk, he rethought that. “Well, Reaver and Revenant can too, but only if they can find it.”

Lilliana looked down at her belly. “I don’t like this, Azagoth.”

Which was why he hadn’t wanted to tell her about any of it. He’d wanted all the stress, all the ugliness, on his shoulders. Not hers. But no matter what, he’d protect her, and he’d keep her safe, no matter what it took.

“I don’t either, Lilli,” he said, dipping his head to give her a kiss that was more than affection. It was a promise. “But I won’t let anything happen to you or our child.”

Stepping back, he pulled a gold-tipped white feather from the sleeve of his right arm, and a silver-tipped black feather from the left and laid them on the desktop. Neither Reaver nor Revenant had noticed when he’d lifted them from their wings.

Lilliana reached for them, her slender fingers skimming over the delicate glitter. “What are these? I mean, obviously they’re feathers, but what for?”

“Insurance,” he said grimly. “They’re insurance.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cipher held Lyre’s hand as they stood near the portal that would get them into Sheoul-gra. Well, it would if they had permission. Apparently Azagoth had recently sealed it after the death of one of his children.

“Can you see it?” Lyre asked, referring to the spell that kept the entrance closed.

“Yup.”

“Having second thoughts?”

“What, about breaking a spell that the Grim Reaper put in place to protect his realm?” He snorted. “Nah.”

She squeezed his hand reassuringly, well aware that he was having second thoughts. Third thoughts. Fourth thoughts.

There were a whole lot of thoughts going through his head right now.

“We don’t have to do this,” she said. “We could disappear somewhere. Live away from everyone else.” She shrugged one battered shoulder, still bruised and bloodied from the battle. Her major wounds had healed already, the fractured bones and lacerations, but without wings his damage was taking far longer. “I heard Pestilence lived in a cave for centuries. So, you know, there’s