Outlaw (Wolves of Royal Paynes #4) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,64

hands out like a magician's assistant at the end of a trick. "This all happened centuries ago. By the time my sire became a general in the thousand-year war, I was a demon, ready to become a king."

"What are you king of?" Storri's eyes were wide, utterly enraptured by all that he'd heard.

"Demon king of missed opportunities."

Storri's pink lips pouted. "Well that isn't as dramatic as I'd hoped."

Faust smiled wide and pulled his mate into his lap.

"Isn't it? And what would've happened if I'd climbed from hell and headed to the nearest brothel instead of following a familiar scent? I never would've found my half-brother, and you would likely be bound in the back of a van right now. An opportunity not grasped is a very terrible thing, little neph."

Storri's mate was more than happy to play knight when Storri squeaked and hid his face in Faust's chest.

"Going back to the story…" Claus looked only slightly offended. "Once little Quinlan came into the world, the two went on the run, pretending they ever had a chance of a happy family. They reached the end of their rope, plain as that. I was told from the demons on the front line. They fought to the end, running until there was no more road. No direction to disappear into."

I hadn't been expecting a parental reunion like the ones the others had gotten. Until now, I didn't have a reason, other than it didn't feel possible. If our archangel parents were only allowed to speak to us in a time of great need, then, I should've spoken to mine years ago. "So, my parents, they're both…dead?"

Claus nodded, his face empty of his usual sarcastic charm.

Diesel's warm arm squeezed my shoulders. "How do you know all of this if you were in hell?" he asked

"As I told you I am stunningly adept at filling in the gaps. I knew when my sire had died because I heard the story from those who had killed him. I knew I had a brother because I felt his creation, here, in my abyss." He tapped the middle of his chest. "I knew where the demonling was because I could smell him, just as I'd smelled Thalasso on the former Skull of Arach owner."

"And you never told anyone you have a half-demon brother? Not even your… boss?" I stumbled over what word to use. Boss wasn't correct, but it felt rude to assume.

"You mean the devil? No, we aren't pals. For the most part, in hell, everyone does what they're supposed to do. You only hear from the devil if you've done something to get his attention. No one wants the devil's attention, not unless you've got some bargaining chips."

Jazz's nose wrinkled and his knee bounced. "What does that mean with Portal? We thought the devil was, like, CEO and founder."

"Portal?"

"The company behind all of this? The guys who hired my dad to kill me?" Jazz rolled his hands over each other with no small amount of exasperation.

"Ohhh, the figurehead. It hasn't always been Portal. Travel from hell to here isn't common, but has been necessary to get the job done. We also need an organization on earth to keep up with soul servants. Souls are the highest form of currency in hell, and humans are always willing to give theirs up for the most ridiculous thing, so it's a program that works. Runs itself most times, but when it doesn't we need a stronghold and since time moves in circles in hell, any stronghold built here will likely be dust the next time it is really needed. So we borrow ones that already exist. We've used companies, organizations—cults are easy because the followers hardly notice a change. Any demon is allowed to utilize the stronghold, but the majority are on a strict telecommuting level, trading souls for servitude. I assume Portal could've briefly once been a true business, but from now until it becomes unsuitable, it's every demon's headquarters on Earth."

"What was the figurehead before?"

"I believe it was once an organization called the Freemasons and then, more recently, the Illuminati."

"Those things still exist!" Jazz cried out.

Claus winked. "Or do they?"

Diesel brought his lips to my temple, and my cheeks warmed. He touched me so freely now. That hadn't been the case before, and my stomach still flipflopped when he reached over to squeeze my thigh or kiss me.

My wraiths came back into the room with Dog walking beneath them.

"It's strange seeing them on the outside." Claus jerked