“Of course they were.” Raphael grimaced. “They’re always two steps ahead of us.”
Sophia looked concerned. “How bad?”
“Really fucked bad.” Wrath examined the edge of his battle axe. “The faster we carved them down, the faster more appeared. It could be this Indolex fucker has found a way not only to recruit existing demons but may be creating them as well.”
“No.” Sophia gaped at Wrath. “But only hell princes can do that.”
“Well, this fucker can do a lot of shit that only hell princes are supposed to be able to do.” Wrath scowled. “While we’ve been farting around, patting ourselves on the back for being the most unassailable and powerful beings in the universe, he’s been learning how to take us on.”
Sophia absorbed this in silence, and then nodded to a waiting seraph. “Double the guards, and increase patrols.”
“You think they’ll attack heaven?” Ramiel frowned.
“I think we’ve been complacent too long,” Sophia said. “We’ve sat back secure that whatever was going on, we could handle it. That’s not working out so well for us, now, is it?”
All the signs had been there. Lucifer shook his head at himself. The seals cracking, the horsemen rising, the fucking demon rebellion. The others could catch Sophia up on the disaster they’d witnessed. He needed to see Bianca and assure himself she was okay. They didn’t have time to fuck around with unresolved issues. He needed to sort out the situation with her and get back to the job of stopping Indolex. “Where is Bianca?”
Sophia stared at him. “She’s here, and she’s safe.” She turned back to Wrath. “Indolex? Would that make him a sloth demon?”
“Likely.” Wrath thought it over. “I’ll see what I can dig up about him.”
“I want to see her.” Lucifer persisted. Bianca was his, and she must understand that and come back with him to his demesne where he could make it his imperative to look after her.
“Lucifer.” Sophia sighed. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
Wrath whistled. “That’s gotta smart.”
“Of course she wants to see me.” He resented having to explain himself, but he didn’t fancy fighting his way past Sophia and her host. Sophia might look like the Sugar Plum Fairy, but she could hold her own. They also didn’t need to be fighting amongst themselves with everything else that was going on. “Bianca is merely angry with me. Her point is made. Take me to her.”
Sophia raised her brows, and her cerulean eyes went hard as sapphires. “That sounded an awful lot like you giving me an order.”
He’d moments ago come from a massive battle, at which he’d had to let Ashe go. For Leona, which ultimately meant for Bianca. Lucifer reached for his morsel of remaining patience. “You don’t understand how matters lie between Bianca and me. Whilst I appreciate the whole feminine power, girl squad thing you have going, I’m not leaving until I see her.”
“Fuck me,” Wrath muttered. “Just when I think you can’t get any stupider, you prove me wrong.”
“You need to leave.” Sophia’s wings sprang free. Seraphim appeared around her, armed and pissed off.
Lucifer had done it all for Bianca, brought Leona, lost Ashe. “I’m not leaving without seeing her.”
“She doesn’t want to see you.” Sophia snarled.
“I will see her,” he bellowed, his wings ripping out of his back.
Raphael leapt between them, one arm at his chest, the other at Sophia’s. “Let’s all calm down. We have much bigger things to concern us.”
“She is keeping my woman from me.” Lucifer shoved Raphael.
Raphael shoved back. “You need to get yourself under control.”
Wrath snorted. “Nah! Let the stupid shit lose it. He’s on a losing roll. He lost Ashe, and now he’s lost Bianca.”
Lucifer saw red. On this day, his brother ended.
The clamor of giant things breaking reached Bianca as she was on her way to see Sophia. Leona was exhausted and in shock, her magic drained to a dangerous low, but the angelic healers had assured her Leona was going to be fine. All she wanted was to see her children, and Bianca had left Leona with Ethan and Emma cuddled beside her.
Something huge crashed, and the entire palace shook. Bianca turned to her angelic guide. “What is that? Are we being attacked?”
“No.” The gorgeous dark angel shook her head. “That is two hell princes fighting.”
A boom sent a plume of dust into the hallway. Afraid she already knew the identity of one of the combatants, she asked, “Which two hell princes?”
The angel stopped, cocked her head, and then rolled her eyes. “Wrath and Lucifer.”
“Shit.” She hadn’t wanted to be right. The ground shuddered, and she had to grab the angel for balance. “They’ll bring the palace down around us.”
“Maybe.” The angel shrugged.
“But…but…” Bianca motioned the beautiful hallways they were traversing. Light from floor-to-ceiling windows brought out the patina of the dark wood floors. Sophia’s palace was airy and spacious, and from what Bianca had seen, exquisitely tasteful. It would be a crying shame for it to be destroyed. And she refused to be worried about Lucifer. That prick could take care of himself. Even against Wrath.
The angel grinned and tugged her forward. “Raphael and Ramiel will step in before it comes to that.” She walked them in the direction of the commotion. “Besides, it’s hardly the first time two warring beings of power have razed a building.”
Beautiful rugs covered the floors. Priceless antique artifacts nestled in alcoves positioned along the creamy walls. It was no comfort at all that a lovely place like this had been destroyed before.
They rounded a corner, and the hallway opened into a large atrium.
Haziel was lounging on one of the cream and buff upholstered sofas. She waved to them. “Hi, how’s your friend?”
