Chapter 41
Chapter
Forty-One
DEATH
“What are we supposed to be doing? You say Lucifer has gone silent. For all we know, he has been caged by the angels,” Sloth growled, standing from his seat and pressing his palms to the table.
Famine stared at him like a cat in heat. Sabine was the thirstiest of us, to be sure. All she wanted was to feed and fuck. Fair enough, I guessed. She certainly lived up to her title.
Slamming his hand on the table, Wrath called everyone’s attention to him. “Enough whining. The mission is clear. Take control. End the world. Rebuild in hell’s image. We don’t need Lucifer holding our hands for that.”
“And who will lead if he doesn’t return?” Envy asked, feet kicked up onto the table. “You?”
I stood, utterly annoyed by their conversation. “We will.”
“We?” Envy stared daggers at me. “We, who?”
“My sisters and I.” Sweeping my arms out to my sides, I gestured to the horsewomen in question. They joined me on their feet. “Just like we have this entire time.”
The Princes fell silent before the room broke out in stunned laughs. I made a point to meet and hold each of their gazes until the laughter died off.
“You think Lucifer is the mastermind behind this apocalypse? You think he could have ever gotten this far on his own?” I scoffed.
“If not for me and my sisters, you would all still be locked in your cages. This is our apocalypse. Our big showdown. We have been running this shindig since the beginning. Lucifer is nothing more than a puppet. A means to an end. And now that he’s out of the way, we can finally step out of the shadows. ”
Chains rattled from the other side of the room, muffled cries of protest coming in their wake from the two captives we had shackled to the wall. Minerva’s and Odette’s progeny. We were terribly close to having a full set. I almost felt bad for my niece and nephew.
Almost.
“And you expect us to follow you?” Pride asked, one brow raised.
I giggled. “Of course. You have been since you got here, silly.”
“You think Lucifer will simply allow you to take the reins and steal what he thinks is his apocalypse?”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “It’s not a matter of allowing. We will overthrow him on his return. Take what is ours.”
“What do we get in return for this mutiny?” Greed asked, tilting her head with more than a little curiosity.
“What everyone wants, my dear. Power,” I said with a wink.
The Princes exchanged a series of dubious glances.
I sighed, bored with all of them. “Listen,” I said, using my most reasonable tone. “The way I see it, the seven of you have two choices. You either fight by our side and join in the spoils of our victory, or . . .”
“Or what?” Gluttony snarled.
My grin was pure evil. “Or we’ll do the same thing to you that we do to all our enemies.”
“And that is?” Lust pressed, leaning forward with a hungry gleam in their eye.
My smile stretched, and I giggled. “We will destroy you.”