Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lothar
Roxy sliced her hand, then curling her fingers into a fist, she closed her eyes and let her blood drip on the stones by her feet. They immediately rumbled to life, rolling and reforming, until they created our gateway from the Outer Realm back into Limbo.
I watched from the cage as Rox trembled, her powers still so weak after being surrounded by blessed silver for so long that she was struggling to maintain her hold on it. Seeing her like that lit fire in my gut and sent my fury higher.
Sera grabbed her arm before she could step through and shoved Roxy’s confiscated phone into her hand. “Contact Death’s mate, tell her you and Lothar are passing through, that you have Beelzebub and can’t stop for pleasantries.”
Roxy took the phone. “If I use the word pleasantries, she’ll think I’ve been body-snatched by someone with a stick shoved up their ass, so how about you leave the script to me.”
Outrage transformed Sera’s face. “Watch how you speak to me, handmaid.”
“What are you gonna do, torture me?” Roxy said, not looking up from her phone as she typed out her message. When she was done, she handed the phone back to Sera. “Does that meet your approval?”
Sera read over it. “Send it.”
Roxy took the phone back and hit send. “I forget sometimes how behind you are with technology. I guess when you were last walking the earth, they were still using parchment and ink?”
“Are you trying to anger me, Roxana? Because I assure you, you won’t like—”
Roxy’s hand shot up when her phone beeped, cutting her off. “We got a reply.” She clicked open the message. “She gave us the go-ahead.” She looked up at Seraphina. “So what’s your plan? We just waltz on through and cross our fingers that Death won’t notice there’s a fallen angel in his realm?”
Seraphina looked as if she were ready to tear Roxy apart. I’d guess it’d been a long time since someone had disrespected her like that. I didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed like Roxy was pushing her, testing her. Either that or she’d developed a death wish.
The beast snarled, unhappy, wanting to get closer, to protect her, but I was able to subdue him without too much effort.
Something had definitely changed. He wasn’t as loud, like his thoughts and feelings were muted by my own, especially when we weren’t in full accord.
I was sure, no, positive, that we were almost completely one again. It couldn’t happen fast enough for me.
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Sera said, a triumphant look on her face.
“But my powers have only strengthened, even during my confinement. Death will only know I’m in Limbo if I choose it.
” She turned to Beelzebub then. “Get in the cage,” she snapped, before her gaze slid to me.
“You’ll be pulling the cart, and if you or Roxana attempt to escape, I will activate your collars and you will both lose your heads. ”
Beelzebub opened the cage and I got out. The buzz in my head and the drain on my powers eased instantly. I stretched and cracked my neck, then kicked the cage shut behind Beelzebub, locking him inside, where that fucker belonged.
Sera let her robe fall then, underneath she wore leather pants and jacket.
“Who are you supposed to be?” Roxy asked, taking in the outfit that was almost exactly the same as hers.
“If we’re stopped for any reason, you will tell Death that I’m one of your sisters,” Sera said.
Roxy huffed out a laugh. “No one would ever believe that.”
“I’m dressed exactly like you,” Sera snapped.
“Yeah, but we’re warriors, and you’re just a cunt playing dress-up.”
Sera’s arm shot out in front of her, and Roxy dropped to the ground. Sera advanced, lifting her hand, and Roxy grabbed at her throat as blood slid down from beneath her collar.
“Stop,” I roared and charged forward.
Sera’s other hand shot up, aimed at me. “Stop where you are, beast, or I decapitate your mate.”
I stopped in my tracks and snarled, watching as Roxy gasped for breath. Then, still holding her throat, Roxy grinned wide, blood coating her teeth. Then she lifted her other hand and flipped Sera off.
“Stop,” I roared again, and not just at Seraphina.
All I wanted to do was tear the angel to bloody shreds, but Sera needed us both, and I had to believe that she wouldn’t be stupid enough to kill Roxy, not yet anyway. I curled my fingers into tight fists as the evil bitch leaned in and said something for Roxy’s ears only.
Rox bared her teeth but nodded.
Finally, Sera released her hold, and going by the way Roxy’s body slumped in relief, Sera had retracted the silver spikes she’d at least partially shoved into Roxy’s throat.
Seraphina straightened, her face a mask of twisted serenity. “This is where we part with our demon companions. Get ready to tow that cage,” she said to me.
Roxy pushed herself to her feet, and Sera grabbed her arm and shoved her through the gateway.
“Hike, dog, hike!” Beelzebub said when I towed the cage after them.
I didn’t react, though it fucking cost me.
Sera thought I was still controlled by the beast, that I was nothing but an animal, and that’s exactly what I wanted her to think.
I kept the beast’s red irises front and center, which wasn’t hard to do when I was so full of rage.
But more importantly, I needed her to trust me, to think she had all the control.
I stepped through the gate, and it closed behind us. Ignoring Beelzebub’s complaints about the bumpy ride, I followed Roxy and Sera.
Roxy walked with all the arrogance of the fierce warrior she was, letting Sera know that although she was being compliant, she needed to stay on guard.
And as furious…bitter, hurt… Fuck, I couldn’t name all the emotions swirling inside me yet, but despite what I was feeling, I had to fight not to smile when I thought about the shit she’d said to Seraphina.
At least her confidence managed to put me at ease.
I had a tentative plan, one that might fail miserably, but it was all I could come up with, and Roxy would need to play along when the time came.
I refused to let Sera and Beelzebub take Hell, and I’d do whatever necessary to stop them, not for Lucifer but for my brothers and my pack, because losing Hell to Sera would fuck us all, not just the selfish fuck currently sitting on the throne.
There was no doubt in my mind that Roxy felt the same way, just for very different reasons.
She’d protected her home in the past, many times, and she’d put herself last over and over again to serve and protect her king—even going as far as wiping our bond from my memory.
So yeah, she’d be down to do whatever necessary to protect her beloved Lucifer.
I dragged the cage over a fallen log with a snarl, the wheels bouncing off the ground. Beelzebub cursed me out, and I ignored him and carried on. Once this was over, I’d put as much distance between me and Roxy as I could. I’d give her all the fucking freedom she wanted so badly.
How long had she known I was her mate before she had Lucifer wipe all knowledge of our bond?
Had I known before they fucked with my head?
My memories of that time were hazy, he’d obviously fucked with them as well.
What did she think I’d do to her? Lock her in my den and keep her barefoot and in pup?
I never would have asked her to leave Hell, or her sisters.
Did she truly think so little of me? I had no idea, since she wouldn’t tell me any-fucking-thing.
Roxy shoved her hand under her jacket and rubbed at her shoulder, right over my bite—and I finally got a good look at it. It was big, ragged, raw. The beast had been careless, he’d torn at her flesh in his excitement, and shame washed over me stronger than before.
My gut tightened painfully. The scar would be setting in, there was no fixing the mess I’d made of her shoulder.
Usually a male would tend it regularly, lick it to keep it clean and stop our mates from feeling any irritation.
She’d taken so much from me, so many things that I’d only allowed myself to hope for in quiet moments on my own.
I’d imagined what it might be like to find my female, to win her trust, to finally make her my mate, to feel my knot for the first time, and give her my mark, a mark she’d wear with pride, like my brothers’ mates did.
I’d imagined a female carrying my pups, of climbing into bed with her at night and pulling her into my arms, of how the scent of her skin would call to me, no matter where we were.
Instead, I’d gotten lies and shame and pain.
My gaze slid down Roxy’s strong body, and my heart slammed hard in my chest when I realized that’s what I’d been feeling, the connection to my mate, and why the more time I spent with her, the more I’d been drawn to her.
The way she tasted was addicting, the way she fit against me as if she was made to be there, and yeah, her scent after it changed, had all been flashing red lights, but I’d been incapable of sensing the bond.
The scent thing, that’d been Lucifer as well, hadn’t it? He’d made her smell in a way that repelled me, so I’d stay the fuck away from her. I growled again, and I realized the sound was all me. The beast and I were again one, and thank fuck for that.
If Roxy and I were going to get through this, if we were going to defeat Seraphina, I needed to be in total control over my actions.
My gaze slid to Roxy again, and my stomach tightened.
Easier said than done. She hadn’t looked or spoken to me once since I spewed all my fucked-up, twisted-and-tangled emotions at her earlier.
I shouldn’t regret what I’d said, she’d more than deserved my anger, but I did.
I told her I hated her, but what I felt wasn’t that, I didn’t know what it was.
Despite everything, she was my mate, and hurting her in any way felt utterly wrong.