his head” thing. Now that I thought about it, it was likely the latter.
Oh, and there was one other condition to the agreement. Braxis had to kneel to the King of Hell and swear his fealty in front of his Fengoth warriors. I didn't think this was a big deal since every duke has to kneel to Lucifer to accept his ducal crown. But Braxis had taken some convincing—especially with the bit about his men watching him kneel. And yet, when faced with my furious men, Braxis had immediately dropped to his knees and begged their forgiveness. Although, that was probably because Braxis craved their approval far more than he did Lucifer's.
Braxis had been fighting on behalf of the Bleiten of Reaksar—a continent on Hell—for most of his life. The Tribes of Reaksar refused to submit to Lucifer's rule, and Lucifer had refused to trade useful technology, especially weapons, with them because of it. All of that would change now that Braxis had been crowned Duke. He had agreed to rule the Reaksarian tribes for Lucifer and monitor the trade agreements that would be steadily growing with every year that passed peacefully. Except that Braxis was about to leave Hell.
The ICD I had just put away was basically a long-range cellphone that could only contact other Bleiten ICDs paired with it. One ICD could pair with up to five devices, which made for a very small network. But I had enough room left on my Bleiten ICD to connect it to Braxis's, and he had just used that connection to let me know about his crowning... and his imminent departure for Earth.
I suppose I hadn't truly believed that Braxis could convince Lucifer to let him return to Earth right after accepting a ducal crown. But even without the Triari relic, Braxis had a silver tongue, and he had gotten the King of Hell to agree to allow Braxis's chosen representative to rule in his place until he returned. I wondered if Braxis had told Lucifer the real reason he was returning to Earth—to win approval from my men to court me. Since one of my men was Lucifer's son, I couldn't see him condoning that.
“Oh, forest fires,” I cursed as I stared around the beautiful bedroom with its antique French furnishings, chosen carefully with Cyprian's help.
My new home was big enough to accommodate the enormous Bleiten warrior—now a duke—but was my life? Or my heart? I honestly had no idea and that, appropriately enough, scared the hell out of me.
Chapter Two
“Braxis has been crowned,” I announced as I joined Malik and Kyrian in our living room—the main living room that we used most often.
The men were playing chess before the massive fireplace with its antique stone mantle. They might have looked like a couple of rich scholars if they hadn't exuded power and sex. Both had muscular bodies hardened by years of war, but Malik was a bit larger than Kyrian—more brute than sleek predator. Kyrian, with his shoulder-length dirty blond hair (grown out from its previous military cut), his chiseled Triari features, and ocean-blue eyes looked like a warrior king. While Mal, with his Bleiten body, sharp features, pitch-black hair, and piercing purple eyes had the look of a villain Kyrian had to defeat. The human clothing—tailored shirts and slacks with dress shoes—detracted from this illusion a bit. Nonetheless, I sighed in pleasure to see the delicious contrast they made. Mine—both mine. Is it wrong that the thought thrilled me?
“Has he convinced my father to let him return to Earth?” Malik's deep voice reminded me of thunder at night—a sound that brought a tingle of fear but in a good, snuggle-under-the-blankets way.
“Yes.” I took a seat on a nearby couch and crossed my legs primly.
Kyrian slid his gaze my way. “Are you all right, Mara?”
“Of course,” I said with a weak smile.
Kyrian lifted a brow.
“A little nervous,” I admitted. “How do you two feel about Braxis returning?”
Kyrian and Malik shared a heavy look. For men who had been at war with each other their entire lives, it was miraculous that they'd become so close. But sometimes their silent communication annoyed me.
“Just say it,” I huffed wearily.
“He saved your life,” Mal said gruffly. “He saved Danu. He's done his damnedest to make things up to us. We forgave him for what he did.”
“But we haven't forgotten,” Kyrian finished. “Braxis hurt you before he saved you, sweetheart. He attempted to hurt you very badly and the only reason he's still alive