Chapter Twelve #2
Devon sighed happily. “They’re so cute together. In a really scary, Beauty and the Beast, sort of way. Not that I’m calling you a beast,” she hurried to explain. “Oh, shit. That came out wrong. I just meant—”
“Calm down, mate,” Braxton said, leaning in to kiss her forehead.
When Zander turned his attention toward them, Devon huddled closer to her mate. Kami noticed that Zander only gave Devon a cursory look before focusing his intense gaze on Braxton.
“You are Lucifer’s son,” Zander stated, staring at the younger male.
“I am,” Braxton said, lifting his chin as if in challenge.
“Oh, man. Please don’t fight here,” Micah pleaded. “We just got control of the kingdom, and I would hate to see it reduced to rubble so soon.”
“There is no fighting one of the four, unless there is a betrayal deserving of death.” Zander turned to address Devlin. “What does this mean for Raziel? How can he be replaced when I never felt him die?”
“I have no idea,” Devlin admitted. “I don’t believe he is dead, just missing.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Kami asked, feeling totally confused.
“Braxton’s inclusion.”
“My what?”
Devlin sighed. “Your inclusion into the Four Horsemen.”
Braxton blinked. “What? No, that’s just crazy.”
Zander scowled at Devlin. “Haven’t you explained anything to him?”
Devlin shrugged. “I was waiting until I found you.” Smiling, he said, “Braxton, you may be known as the God of Souls now, but you actually have a different title.”
“Which is?” Braxton asked after a long pause.
“Death,” Zander stated bluntly.
“One of the Four Horsemen,” Devlin explained. “As I am Conquest and Zander is War. Welcome to the club, kid. You are now Death. Being Death is what gives you the unique ability to send certain souls back to critical moments in their life to be reborn so they can fix their mistakes.”
Braxton slapped a hand over his face. “What the fuck? Am I going to have to go around killing random people now?”
“Death isn’t like that,” Devlin snapped. “While Raziel was shrouded in mystery and reverence, he isn’t like he is portrayed in most of the stories.”
“Unlike the terrifying finality often associated with his name, Death is a guardian of the boundary between life and the afterlife,” Zander explained.
“His presence is supposed to be both chilling and comforting, for he is not merely an agent of destruction, but a guide for souls. He ensures that the cycle of existence continues undisturbed. Raziel’s unique magic allows him to shepherd souls to their destined rest or, in rare cases, grant them a chance at redemption by sending them back to pivotal moments in their lives. ”
Braxton and Devon shared a speaking glance with one another.
“Among the Horsemen, Death has always been the most enigmatic,” Devlin said.
“He rarely reveals his thoughts to outsiders, preferring to observe and act only when necessary. His wisdom is legendary, and his decisions are guided by a deep understanding of the cosmic order. While others may fear him, we understand that Death is not to be hated or dreaded but respected.”
“Death is not just an ending, but a beginning. An essential force that keeps the universe in balance,” Zander concluded.
Since Braxton seemed completely overwhelmed, Devon rubbed his arm in comfort even though she had gone a little pale. “It’s okay, honey. We’ll just handle this like the last magical upgrade. One step at a time.”
“Actually, I don’t think you have formally taken over the role as Death until you…” Devlin’s voice trailed off.
Zander nodded. “We will need to visit the source to make it official.”
“The source?” Kellen asked.
“One of the seals,” Zander explained. “You’ve been infused with the magic, but you have not been granted the final key to unlocking the full extent of your abilities. We don’t know exactly what we need to do since a Horseman has never been replaced before. The four of us were born from the source.”
“So, there is a chance this is a big mistake?” Braxton asked hopefully.
Zander and Devlin both shook their heads.
“We sense the Death magic in you. There is no mistaking that,” Zander stated.
“Death magic. Great,” Braxton muttered.
“Just think of it like another title,” Kami said cheerfully. “You can still call yourself the God of Souls. Just like people call Zander the God of War.”
Lia’s brows furrowed. “I was going to ask this earlier, but…I thought Ares was the God of War?”
Zander frowned. “Who?”
Devlin sighed and patted his shoulder. “An annoying upstart in the Celestial Realm who is actually the God of Dispute. He decided to change his title to God of War after you disappeared.”
“You let a little nobody use my name?” Zander growled, utterly incensed.
“Not by choice, brother. It had spread before I had a chance to stop it. We can find him and hurt him later,” Devlin promised. “But for now, it is best not to start a war with the Celestial Realm.”
“Why?”
“Just…no wars for now,” Kami interjected, rubbing his arm in a soothing gesture.
Zander kissed her forehead. “Do not worry, beloved. Killing one insignificant god would not start a war.”
“You say that like you go around killing gods all the time,” Crispin said curiously.
“Well, he did crush the souls of a reaper and the God of Slumber tonight, so there is that,” Devlin supplied.
That left the rest of them speechless.
Trying to cut through the tension, Kami smiled and patted her mate’s chest. “Congratulations, sweetie. That was fast work. Those two were involved in the curse, so they deserved to die.”
All she got was a few weak nods and some serious side eye in response.
“So, who did you say is going to be taking care of the reapers?” Ramsey asked.
“Seneca and Killian Black,” Devlin said. “Killian already knows most of the reapers, and they will arrange someplace that can house all of them properly for as long as they need.”
Braxton’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Thank fuck we don’t have to do it.”
“Leaving the reapers to Killian and Seneca will allow us to focus on finding Raziel,” Zander pointed out.
Jilli suddenly stood up and spoke, her voice ringing with power. “Bound in magic and cloaked in night, the amulet guides the way to the light. While it finds, it never forgives. What it awakens, forever lives.”
When she slumped down in a dead faint, Kellen and Ramsey reached out to catch her. They carefully placed her back in her chair, while Crispin hurried over to check her for injuries.
“What was that? What the hell does that mean?” Lia asked.
“The amulet?” Sapphire asked. “Like the one I used to control my powers? I can go get it if we—”
“No,” Kami said, excitedly. She tried to jump to her feet, but Zander held her in place on his lap. Instead, she turned and shook his arm. “The amulet, Zander! My amulet you said Death made! Maybe the poem means we can use the amulet to find and wake him!”
He grinned at her. “My mate is so clever.”
Zander held up a hand and called the amulet to him. When it arrived, his Horseman mark on his palm lit up as he tried to use it to find Raziel, but nothing happened. “It’s not working for me. Perhaps the new Death can use it since they have similar powers.”
“Can we please not call me new Death?” Braxton begged. “Brax will do.”
“Try to find him,” Zander ordered, ignoring the rest of what he’d said.
The amulet was passed to Braxton who held it in his hand. “I don’t feel anything.”
“Try bleeding on it,” Kellen suggested, earning him a scowl in return. “What? That kind of thing usually works in the movies.”
Shaking his head, Braxton placed the amulet on the table and used one of the steak knives to slice a cut on his palm. He let a few drops of his blood drip onto the amulet, but nothing happened.
“We should just wait for Lia to wake up,” Ramsey suggested. “Maybe she can tell us what the poem means.”
“She usually has as much trouble figuring it out as we do,” Sapphire pointed out. “It doesn’t come to her with instructions or translations. Just cryptic as fuck messages.”
“That’s true,” Kami agreed. “But it said he’s still alive, right?”
“We can hope,” Zander said.
“Pass me the amulet.”
Devon lifted it off the table and handed it to Lia to pass over to Devlin. The moment the amulet was placed on Lia’s hand, it lit up as bright as a star.
“Holy shit!” Lia exclaimed. “What the hell is happening? Why is it doing that?”
Kami spun around to stare at Zander with wide eyes. “Does that mean…?”
“I think we just found Death’s mate. But the real question is, can she find him now?”