Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lothar
Zenon called Roxy back within the hour. Their conversation had been brief, but he’d agreed to meet with her.
If Zenon thought this whole thing was fucking strange, which he absolutely would, he didn’t let on.
We’d seen him not that long ago at the bar.
He knew we were on a mission for Lucifer and I was banking on him playing along when the time came.
I hadn’t had much time alone with Roxy, but she assured me the message she sent her granddaughters would’ve made them suspicious. The male wasn’t stupid, he had to know something fucked up was going on and would come prepared.
“How much longer must I wait?” Sera said, pacing back and forth in the ramshackle cottage we were now holed up in. Since Beelzebub couldn’t leave the forest and risk being seen, he’d called on the demons who lived out here and ordered them to provide us with shelter.
“He should be here any moment,” Roxy said.
The cottage was surrounded by demons. Beelzebub sat outside while they all buzzed with excitement, like he was a fucking celebrity.
I glanced at Roxy again. On the outside she appeared calm, almost serene. I knew better. It was almost as if I could feel what she was feeling. Somehow, I knew her belly was in knots and her heart was racing. I also knew she was afraid—for me.
Sera paced across the room again. If she was worried that Zenon would be suspicious by the location Roxy had asked him to meet, she hadn’t said.
Maybe she was just that naive after being locked up for so long.
I got the feeling she was confused by a lot of things when it came to relationships between people, but then most angels had pretty shitty people skills.
She was extremely powerful, yes, but she’d been locked up a long fucking time, she said and did things that came across as gullible.
Or maybe she was just blinded by her thirst for power?
A commotion came from outside.
I strode to the window as Zenon landed right in the middle of Beelzebub’s superfan gathering.
His leathery batlike wings folded in, and he reached a tattooed hand back to the handle of one of his battle-axes, his yellow eyes sliding over Beelzebub.
His long black hair fell forward as he tilted his head to the side and curled his lip. “You lost, Lord Beelzebub?”
Roxy rushed over and shoved the door open. “Zenon! I’m so glad you came.”
He stared at Beelzebub for several more seconds, while B sat frozen under his cold-as-fuck stare.
“Please, come in,” Roxy said.
Zenon turned to her, finally releasing the lord from that frigid gaze, and strode into the cottage. He spotted me and his head jerked up before those yellow eyes, so like Lucifer’s, landed on Seraphina.
“Zen, brother,” I said.
“Loth.” He curled his fingers tighter around the handle of his axe.
“Appreciate you coming,” I said.
“Yeah?” He looked between me and Roxy. “Someone want to tell me what the fuck’s going on?”
Sera stepped forward. “I am Seraphina.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” he said. “Start talking.”
She bristled. “I understand you are Lucifer’s grandson?”
He said nothing, just stared her down. Not that many years ago, the male avoided making eye contact. A lot had changed since he’d found his mate, Mia.
“I also understand that you don’t think very highly of him?” she said.
Zenon didn’t flinch. His gaze sliced to Roxy, then me, then back to Sera.
He knew that was a lie. He also knew how much Rox loved Lucifer, how loyal she was.
It would have only taken him a split second to work out where this was going.
“You’re accusing me of something pretty fucked up there, Seraphina,” he said. “How about you get to the point.”
Seraphina straightened her shoulders. “I have a proposition for you.”
“No shit.”
“Roxy tells me you are resentful of Lucifer after his actions toward your father, and that you wouldn’t be unhappy if someone were to remove him from his throne…that you despise him, in fact.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Roxy’s had a lot to say, apparently.” Not denying it, playing along like I hoped he would.
“I didn’t give up that information voluntarily,” Roxy rushed out.
Sera threw out a hand, and Roxy flew back against the wall, hitting it hard before she was pinned there.
Every muscle in my body went rock solid, and Zenon’s nostrils flared, but thankfully he saw Roxy’s subtle headshake, telling him to let it go.
“You will be silent,” Seraphina snapped at her.
“I know you hate him, Zen,” Roxy rushed out. “But think what unseating Lucifer would mean. Please, don’t listen to her.” She was playing her part perfectly.
Sera hissed and swiped her hand through the air, and Roxy’s belt was torn from around her waist, flew up across her mouth, and wrapped around her head. Sera turned back to Zenon, waiting to see what he’d do, if he’d rush to Roxy’s aid or leave her to suffer.
Zenon didn’t move a muscle. Didn’t try to help Roxy, and I knew it had to be killing him, but nowhere near as much as it was killing me.
“You have my attention,” Zenon said, turning back to Sera. “But if you want to do this, you better have a solid plan. Taking that fucker from his throne won’t be easy.”
Sera smiled.
“How am I supposed to sleep with that still going on?” Roxy muttered on the other side of the cottage.
Several hours had passed since Zenon’s visit, and we’d spent that time chained on opposite sides of the room while Beelzebub and Sera celebrated their win.
Unfortunately for us, the walls were paper thin. I screwed up my face when Sera barked another order at Beelzebub, then moaned wildly.
I lifted my head so I could see Roxy, something I’d purposely avoided doing, and as soon as I laid eyes on her, all I could manage was a grunt.
I’d filled her in on our plan, then I’d avoided talking to her.
I was afraid if I spoke to her again, I might say something I shouldn’t—like, maybe we should talk?
Or please just tell me why you chose Lucifer over me?
What a fucking fool. How could I ever trust anything she said?
Laughter came from outside. There were demons out there drinking around a fire pit.
Beelzebub had ordered them to guard the cottage.
If anyone came for us, they’d be utterly useless, and the blessed-silver manacles and chains we were wearing had drained us of power, leaving us weak and without the ability to protect ourselves.
The mating bond humming in the back of my skull wasn’t helping the feeling of helplessness, and making the small distance between me and Roxy more than I could take.
The circumstances of our mating didn’t matter to the beast. A newly mated hound was ruled by his protective instincts, and seeing Sera hurt Roxy today had shredded me.
If I hadn’t already regained control over the beast, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from attacking the bitch, and more than likely would have gotten myself killed.
A hound forced to be parted from his mate physically fucking hurt, and having her so close but not being able to touch her made the beast very fucking unhappy.
I rubbed my hands over my face, dropped back down to my pallet and shut my eyes. If I didn’t look at her, then maybe I could ignore this knot in my gut? I drew in a breath to calm my racing heart and got a lungful of her perfect, drugging scent.
“You’re going with the silent treatment, now?” Roxy said. “Really?”
Fucking hell. “Not in the mood to talk, Roxy.”
She blew out a long breath. “I get that, I do, but how the fuck can you say nothing when Beelzebub and Sera are getting freaky in the next room and are spouting some of the most bizarre dirty talk known to man?”
I smiled before I could stop myself. She wasn’t wrong.
“He called his own dick a flaming hot Cheeto, Lothar. I mean, dude, say you have a little red, weirdly shaped, finger dick without saying you have a little red, weirdly shaped, finger dick.”
A laugh rolled from me, taking me by surprise.
“The shudder I shuddered when she told him to ‘eat mommy’s ambrosia,’” she added.
I barked out another laugh. “I’m still trying to work out what was happening when he was making that fucked-up noise—”
“Like a happy seal,” she finished and giggled.
“That’s the one.” Another laugh rumbled from me. I didn’t laugh, not like this. It was a good feeling, though. Really good. Roxy’s giggles were like music and made my chest feel warm, my belly tight—and made my dick hard as fucking iron. All humor vanished, and I listened as her giggles died down.
“That’s a good boy,” Sera cooed from the other room. “That’s my very good boy.” Then all noise in the other room finally stopped as well.
A shudder slid through me, something about her tone lifted the hair on the back of my neck, and my skin felt as if a million ants were crawling all over me.
A feeling, a moment, that I couldn’t see or reach flashed in my mind for a split second, then it was gone, out of reach, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t call it back. What the fuck was that?
“Lothar?” Roxy called, breaking the silence.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry everything’s so messed up.”
“Me too,” I said, my voice rough as hell.
Several more minutes of silence filled the space. “If I could go back and change what happened…”
“But you can’t.”
And I could never forgive her or Lucifer for it.