The Devil's Advocate (Hell's Angel Book 2), page 12
“Got it. What if there are too many and they don’t fit in the apartment?”
“Take them somewhere else, to high ground. The highest building in town. I’ll find you.”
Nodding, he spread his wings and took off into the night. A second later, I followed suit, heading toward the town center, where the yellow police tape still surrounded the crater that led to the caverns below. With a grim smile, I plunged down into the abyss. Time to go dragon hunting.
Chapter Seventeen
I searched the existing tunnels, caverns, and caves and found nothing. But of course, this wasn’t deep enough. A dragon would have been discovered this close to the surface. Blasting through the rock, I kept going down, further and further, until I broke into a cave. Using magic to light my way, I slowly made my way further into the massive cavern. If there was a dragon in here, the last thing I wanted to do was startle it.
The cave broke off into tunnels, not dissimilar to those above, and I wondered if they’d been built to mimic these ones. Did the dragon worshippers know about this? Reaching a dead end, I turned on my heel to backtrack when a breeze hit the back of my neck. Spinning back around, I peered at the rock wall before me. And waited. Eventually, I found what I was looking for. An opening appeared, and another gust of wind stirred my hair before it closed again.
“Okay,” I said, “I see you. Very clever, I truly thought you were a rock.”
An eyelid slowly opened, revealing a golden eyeball. The nostril flared, and the mouth opened in a grin. What I’d thought was a rock wall was actually the hide of a dragon, and he’d been playing with me.
“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice deep and slow.
“I think I may have awakened you. I came to find out if it truly is time for you to wake, or…?”
The dragon sighed, and the wet, steamy gust blew my hair blew back from my face. I stepped sideways to avoid his breaths.
“How would you awaken me?” he asked, turning his massive head toward me.
I quickly moved further back toward the main cave. “Shall we talk out here, where it’s not so…cozy?”
“Are you scared I’ll burn you, human?”
“Not at all. For one, I’m not human. I’m Lucifer, an Arch Angel. And two, I run Hell. Fire is my game. You can’t burn me.”
“What is Hell?” he asked, lumbering toward me. He was so big that my head only reached his knee, and I couldn’t help it. I felt just a little intimidated. A first for me.
“It’s another dimension. Kind of like Heaven, only it’s for the bad guys. You haven’t heard of it?”
He shook his head, his tail striking the tunnel wall. Rocks fell. I hurried along the tunnel before he caved it in on us both. When I set foot in the cave, I flew into the middle and waited, watching as the dragon emerged, stretching his wings and neck once he cleared the confines of the tunnel.
“Why haven’t you heard of Hell?” I asked once he’d reached me. “There were dragons on Earth when man arrived. God made Hell not long after he created man. You should know about it.”
The dragon dropped his head, his breath blowing out onto the ground and sending up clouds of dust.
“I’m…lost.” His voice was sorrowful, as were his beautiful golden eyes. Now that we were out in the cave, I could see his scales were a deep emerald and gold color. He was stunning.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m cut off from my family, from the other dragons. Someone tricked me, placed a spell on me.”
“Tell me,” I encouraged. This could be the link I was looking for.
“I’d laid my first egg and was guarding it in my nest when she came. She said she needed my help. She told me I didn’t have to do much and that in return, she would ensure my egg—my baby—would always be watched over and live a long and healthy life.” I filed away the fact that what I’d thought was a male dragon was actually a female and made a mental note to not insult her by accidentally referring to her as a male. That wouldn’t go down well at all.
“What was her name? What did she look like?”
“She looks a lot like you. Her name is Lilith. And she took my baby.” The last words were said with a roar, and flames flew from the dragon’s mouth.
“I’m so sorry.” I was doing what Levi hated—apologizing for someone else’s actions—but someone had stolen this dragon’s baby. How could my mother be so cruel?
“You look like her. You know her.” The dragon rounded on me, fury in her eyes, and I raised my hands, spread my wings, and rose until we were eye level.
“She’s my mother, and I swear, this is the first I knew of any of this.”
“Where is my baby? Did it hatch?”
“I honestly don’t know. You’ve been asleep way too long. You should have had several cycles by now, yet this is your first sleep, yes?”
“Yes. My baby, my egg, was the first.”
Holy shit. Mother had stolen the very first dragon egg ever laid. Why? And why this elaborate trap? Why seal Father in a hidden tomb in Hell and create the seal that would awaken the dragon whose egg she’d stolen? None of it made any sense.
“I know dragons can communicate telepathically. Are any others awake?”
She blinked slowly, then shook her head. “Enough of this,” she said, swishing her tail in agitation. “I must find my baby.”
“Wait! Wait!” I cried. “Earth has changed a lot since you were last awake. There are millions of people and not much forest.”
“So?” A puff of steam rolled over me, heating my skin and leaving it damp and slimy.
“You’ll not only kill a lot of them when you rise through the earth, but I’m afraid—” I paused, thinking how to word what I needed to say. “—I’m afraid they’ll hurt you or try to kill you. Humans have come a long way. They have weapons now. Powerful weapons that could hurt you. And dragons haven’t been seen on Earth for over three hundred years.”
“I’m not afraid of humans.” Another swish of her tail and another hot breath of steam.
“You should be. Believe me. Look, your baby isn’t on the surface. I’d know it if we had a dragon roaming around. And neither is Lilith. But I’m going to find her, and I’ll do my best to find your baby, too.” I didn’t want to think that this poor dragon’s baby was dead. That would be too awful to consider, but my mother had stolen the egg for a reason. I had to find out why.
“How can I trust that you’re not tricking me, like Lilith?”
“Because I’m not going to put you to sleep. I’m going to ask you to wait here. I’m going to get answers for you, find the truth, and then I’m going to come back. I promise. I’m an Arch Angel, and my word is my bond.”
“Child of God?”
I nodded. “Child of God.”
A few seconds passed. I didn’t think she was going to believe me, but finally, she sank down onto her haunches, tucked her tail around her body, and lowered her head onto her front legs.
“Very well. I will wait one day, and then I will search for my baby. And Lilith.”
“How about two days?” I hedged, trying to buy more time. I didn’t know where Lilith was or how I’d go about finding her. And if I was stuck on Earth, unable to travel between dimensions, I was screwed.
“One day.” For the briefest of moments, her eyes flashed red, and I knew I’d pushed as far as I could with her. She was a mama dragon who was missing her child. My heart hurt for her, for what my mother had done. How could she?
“I’ll be back. I promise.”
She didn’t answer, just closed her eyes and blew out another breath.
I left, flying back the way I’d come, up through the layers of the earth, until I was back in the town square. It was still dark, but the storm had stopped. There was no wind or rain, and while the ground was saturated and limbs had fallen from trees, it was over.
“Are the dragons here?” Levi asked as soon as I stepped through the door of his apartment.
I shook my head. “No. From what I could work out, it’s just one dragon. A dragon that Lilith spelled and then stole her egg.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. But the dragon has given me one day to find out before she comes up to look for her baby. And Lilith.”
“Do you know where her baby is?”
“I’ve got no clue. I had no idea about any of this. It was put into action eons ago. But it’s all connected, and it all seems to be coming back to my mother. She spelled a dragon and stole its egg—not just any egg, but the first dragon egg ever laid on Earth—then somehow trapped my dad in a hidden tomb in Hell, with a spell that, when broken, would wake the dragon. Why? I have absolutely no idea.”
Levi pulled me into a tight embrace. “We need to find Lilith.”
“We do,” I agreed, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. This had turned into such a mess. Instead of getting answers, I was only getting more questions.
“Where do you think we should start?” he asked.
“Heaven. Dad said her name and bolted. He knows something about all of this. It had to have been her who trapped him. He might not know where she is, but he knows something, and I’m not leaving without answers.”
Chapter Eighteen
Now that the dragon was awake and the storm was over, we could travel between dimensions again. I’d found Dacian and instructed him to remain on Earth to assist the humans in recovering from the storm damage. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have interfered, but this wasn’t any old storm. Ultimately, this was my mother’s fault, and it wasn’t fair that humans had to suffer because of it.
Levi had insisted on coming with me. He sensed just how much this latest blow had hurt. My mother, whom I’d always forgiven for abandoning me as a child, had done something worse. Something…evil. That was hard to stomach. In fact, the knot of angst in my belly right now was turning and roiling, and I wanted to vomit. Everything I thought to be true wasn’t. My whole world was changing so fast, and I couldn’t keep up.
“You okay?” Levi laced his fingers with mine as we landed at the top of the stairway to Heaven and walked through the Pearly Gates. Dacian had been right. Heaven was healed, and all was as it should be. The gates were pristine and standing wide open, allowing souls entry. The angel at the gate nodded at us in greeting.
“I’m—” I didn’t know what to say. I was shell-shocked. I couldn’t believe my mother was behind such horrible deeds. Add to that the recent discovery that my father hadn’t been busy but trapped in a tomb for thousands of years without my knowledge, and I felt lower than a snake’s belly. What sort of daughter was I?
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so quiet.” Levi nudged me with his shoulder, and I tried to smile, but it faltered and failed. So much was going on in my head that I just couldn’t voice.
“Thank you for being here with me,” I said instead. His support meant the world. I needed him—his strength, his love. He kept me going when I wanted to curl into a ball and cry. I prided myself on living a life of discipline and order, but I was now in a world of chaos, doubt, and confusion. And I didn’t like it, not one bit.
A silver hovercar glided up and stopped next to us, waiting. Blowing out a breath, I slid into the back seat, Levi right behind me. “Angel Towers,” I instructed the driverless vehicle, then leaned back as we smoothly pulled away, gazing at Heaven’s pristine streets.
“It looks good here,” Levi said, gazing out the window.
“Yeah, different from last time, huh? This is Heaven.” The streets were busy again, flowers were blooming, and people were smiling. All was as it should be, yet I still had that heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just couldn’t shake it. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The closer we got to Angel Towers, the more the pit in my stomach grew, and from it came a tiny spark of anger at both my parents. At my dad for draining me so severely and then leaving without an explanation. As for my mom, what she’d been up to was anyone’s guess, but everything came back to the two of them, and my anger about getting dragged into their marital squabble inched up a notch or three.
“You’re angry.” Levi slid his palm over my knee, squeezing.
“I’m furious,” I agreed, my calm voice masking my inner turmoil. I’d gone from a weepy emotional mess to an anger-filled angel within seconds, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I questioned my mood swings. But I shrugged it off almost as soon as the thought occurred. Of course, I was all over the place. My parents were up to something and dragging everyone else into their stupid games.
A rumble of thunder vibrated through the vehicle, and Levi squeezed my knee again, which resulted in a tiny electrical charge shooting across his hand.
“Ouch!” He snatched his hand away and frowned at me, then laughed. “Don’t say sorry, for fuck’s sake! That was unexpected, but I can’t say I didn’t like it.” He winked and placed his hand back on my leg, only this time higher up. Cheeky bastard. I leaned over and kissed his cheek—not the kiss he was looking for because we didn’t have time for anything else. We’d arrived at Angel Towers.
“We’re here.” It was redundant and entirely obvious, but I voiced the words nonetheless. My anger still bubbled beneath the surface, diluted a fraction by Levi’s flirting.
“Come on then.” Climbing out of the car, Levi held his hand out, waiting for me to place mine in it. Helping me out of the vehicle, he slung an arm around my shoulders, and together we looked up at Angel Towers. I hadn’t noticed how dull it was on my last visit, but it was startlingly obvious now due to the holy glow emanating from the massive structure. It had been absent the last time we were here.
“I take it that means God is in?” Levi asked.
“It always did have a glow. I’d forgotten,” I admitted.
Crossing the foyer, I ignored the angels who turned and stared at us and the whispering that ensued. The last time I’d visited, the lobby had been deserted, but now that God had returned, his mere presence attracted the angels like moths to a flame.
We remained silent on the ride up. I was concentrating on keeping a lid on my anger. I’d fought long and hard to stay professional where my brothers were concerned, and to have a temper tantrum in front of them was not high on my agenda. I couldn’t wait to see Dad, get all the details from him, and find out once and for all what the hell was going on. I also wanted to know whether my brothers had known all along. If they had, I was going to kick their asses from here to Hell; consequences be damned. The elevator shook a little, and Levi chuckled.
“You’re going to rip him a new one, aren’t you?” he asked conversationally.
“I’m going to try not to. But…I’m pissed off.” I had no intention of pretending I wasn’t angry and hurt.
The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open, revealing the boardroom. The last time I’d been here, Gabriel was sitting at the head of the table. Now it was Dad. I stopped, my eyes taking him in. He hadn’t aged a day. Chestnut brown hair shone under the lights, his blue eyes twinkled, and the dimple in his cheek appeared as a welcoming smile lit up his face.
“Lucifer! I’m so pleased you came.” He stood, and I noticed the robes he used to wear were gone. Now he was dressed in a snappy charcoal suit. The long hair that he’d always worn in a bun was now stylishly cut, and he was clean-shaven. So different, and yet the same.
“Dad,” I responded, stopping at the opposite end of the massive boardroom table. Levi stood just to the left of me.
“And Levi.” Dad smiled at him. “I have to thank you for looking after my daughter.” He headed toward us, arm outstretched, looking to shake Levi’s hand. I stepped in between them, blocking him.
“About that.” My voice was cold. “About how you almost killed me, stole all my magic, and then left me for dead.” A loud clap of thunder shook the room, and Dad stopped, a frown drawing his eyebrows together.
“Lucifer, no. That’s not how it was.” He was genuinely surprised, and it was all I could do not to raise my hand and shoot a fireball at him. How dare he? How dare he suck me dry, leave me, and then be surprised that I’d feel this way?
“Sweetheart.” He reached out, but I backed away, bumping into Levi, who settled his hands on my shoulders, his presence comforting. “I left in a hurry because I had to stop your mother.”
I laughed. “She was long gone, and you knew it. You had to have known you were trapped in there for a long time.”
“I lost track of time, but from the wasting of my body, I knew hundreds, if not thousands, of years had passed. But I’m immortal. I cannot die. I just had to wait it out. And you found me. Saved me.”
“And you couldn’t hang around long enough to say thank you?”
He cocked his head, then looked down at his shoes before meeting my eyes, the same shade of blue as his own.
“You’re right. I apologize. I now understand how it must have seemed to you—that I took your magic to heal myself and then returned to Heaven without you.”
“I didn’t want you to bring me with you, Dad! I wanted you to stay. I wanted you to care enough to make sure I was okay. And I wanted an explanation as to what the hell was going on. Who trapped you in there and why?”
“It was your mother,” he responded with absolute certainty. “Sit,” he ordered, spinning on his heel to return to his seat at the head of the table. Not wanting to shout over the length of the table, I chose a seat in the middle. Levi sat next to me, once more resting his hand on my knee. I covered it with my own, squeezing it back. I felt calm. In control. The anger was still there and could quickly erupt, but for now, I was in control.
“You’re certain it was mother?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you see her?”
“She sent me a message when I was creating Hell to meet her there. She wanted to talk.”
“What about?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I hadn’t seen nor heard from her since she left me.” Did I detect a hint of sadness in his voice? A touch of pain?
