Chapter 11 — What do we do with this love?

Fallon:

I open my eyes, unsure of where I am. I’ve never slept so contentedly in my entire existence. After a moment, I realize that there’s a small weight on my chest and look down to find long golden curls covering me like a curtain.

My mind rears back to last night’s events, making my heartbeat quicken. My cock instantly stirs as I remember how delicious her lips felt wrapped around it. I also remember how good it felt to be between her thighs.

Resting my head back on the pillow, I think about where we go from here. We still have a prophecy hanging over our heads. However, as I analyze the situation, I realize that the prophecy would be mitigated if she was with me. I’m most assuredly, not the Creator’s Champion, and I have no soul. The fragment that Lucifer gave me helps contain my devil and allows me to live outside of the Nether.

Wrapping my arms around her, I look around the still dark room. Based on the lighting, I can tell that it’s still early in the morning. Pulling out my mobile, I check the time and rise when I see that I have several messages from Azazel and Mathias.

As gently as I can, I rise from the bed, tuck the blanket around Bree and get dressed.

Before I leave, I activate the sensors and cameras and call Azazel.

“Bloody hell, mate, where have you been? I’ve been calling you like mad.”

I grit my teeth, vexed at the thought that he thinks that I have to answer to him. I know that he’s no doing it to be a wanker, but it’s difficult not to tell him to sod off. “I’m on my way home from dropping off Bree at her apartment. We barely escaped when the club was attacked. Where there any casualties?”

He sighs. “A few had to go to the emergency room with deep wounds and bites, but no one was mortally wounded. Is Bree well? Zoe will end me if her best mate gets hurt.”

“She’s well, just shaken. Did you get an insight on who might have attacked?” I ask.

“Actually, that’s why Mathias and I have been calling you. Can you meet us at my flat?”

“I should be there in a moment,” I say as I come closer to the building.

Azazel is standing in the middle of his large balcony. Most winged creatures set up stations on their rooftops or balconies for seamless landings when they fly through the city. The last thing they want is to land on the ground and be seen by humans. It’s a precaution they use to help keep our world a secret.

I land beside him within moments. “Is the club destroyed?” I ask.

He scowls, beleaguered. “There was some damage but nothing we can’t fix. I’m more puzzled by the fact that they were able to breach my magical boundaries.”

He turns and signals with his chin for me to follow as he leads me into his apartment. Mathias and the others are sitting around talking. A large male is sitting in the middle of the room with several laptops opened in front of him. His aura shines like the moon, indicating that he’s a werewolf, and by his size, I can tell that he’s an alpha.

Mikhail rises from his perch next to the male and approaches me. “I’m glad you called us to pick up our women last night. If not, we would have been caught in the middle of the attack.”

I nod. “I’m pleased that you did. Fortunately, I was on the roof and was able to fight them off until we could escape.”

Mathias moves to the Alpha and whispers something to him as he leads him toward me. “Fallon, I’d like you to meet Traeger. He’s our Council hacker.”

I appraise Traeger, who is similar in height and coloring to me. But unlike my pale skin, his skin is golden. “Alpha.” I greet him respectfully.

Traeger bows his head in reference, understanding that my power is equal if not greater to his. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fallon.”

Azazel cuffs our backs, making me glare at him as he ushers us to nearby chairs. “Alright, enough with the sodding introductions. We need to get to the reason we’re here.”

Traeger rolls his eyes as he takes his seat.

I sit on his other side while Azazel sits across from us, settling between Mikhail and his brother, Rowan.

Mathias starts to speak. “As we all know, a horde of winged demons attacked The Garden of Eden last night. There were at least three dozen creatures. According to eyewitness descriptions, the creatures had cat faces, leathery wings, bird legs and a stone veneer.”

I interject. “The creatures also had razor-sharp teeth, sharp-clawed hands and wailed like a banshee. The wail was disorienting and painful enough to disable humans. Based on their appearances and abilities, I’d say that they are a mix of banshee, gargoyle, manticore and possibly a harpy.”

Their expressions range with incredulity as they process the horror of what might be created next.

Mathias gestures to Traeger. “We have been checking security feed within the area, and we think we might have spotted Lilith. The female in the video shares similar features.”

Traeger turns the laptop toward me and shows me several grainy photographs of a female with long ebony hair. Unfortunately, her form is covered by a dark cloak, but there’s no doubt it’s her. “It’s her,” I mutter through the loud thrumming in my years. After speaking to them the other night, I knew the possibility that Lilith had returned was possible. Yet, a small part of me hoped that it would turn out to be untrue.

“Why is she doing this?” Mathias asks.

“I don’t know. The last time I saw Lilith, she was plotting ways to kill Lucifer so that she may take his throne and rule hell. I don’t know why she’d cause such havoc in the human world.”

“Unless she’s looking for you.” Azazel answers.

A sigh escapes my lips at his response. “That probably explains why the horde attacked me at the club. But why did they also attack the humans?”

“Perhaps it because her minions are unsure of who you are. It explains why the protective spell malfunctioned at the club. We found out that traces of a tracking spell interfered with the protection spell placed on the club. It could be she was tracing you but couldn’t pinpoint your location.” Mathias argues.

“The only reason she would search for me is that she needs to use me for one of her schemes. Which is why I need to find her and discover what she’s planning before she does something irreparable.”

Azazel nods thoughtfully. “I hate to even suggest it, but we need to talk to Lucifer and see if he can help.”

I agree readily. If anyone can thwart Lilith’s plans, it’s Lucifer. However, I have to extremely careful about keeping Bree out of it. The last thing I want is for Lilith to learn that Bree is the North Star, which the Oracle predicted would end Lucifer. If she ever found out, it would spell disaster for the world. “I will go and speak to my father after this meeting and see if he has made any progress.”

Mathias nods, “While you’re doing that, we’ll set up surveillance for her around the city and monitor in case any supernaturals go missing.”

Azazel rises with me and calls out the others. “I’ll be back later; feel free to anything in the icebox.”

Before I can argue with him, he gives me a significant look and leads me outside. “Listen, mate; I’m only coming along because I want to ensure that Bree’s safety. You and I are the only ones who know about her involvement with the prophecy, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Unfortunately, Lilith also knows about the prophecy, which is why we need to keep Bree as far as we can from Lilith and Lucifer.”

“Do you think Lucifer suspects anything?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, but I can’t guarantee that he won’t find out once Lilith becomes involved. We can’t underestimate her hate for Lucifer or me. Unlike Lucifer, Lilith extensively studied the prophecy and has paid very powerful Seers for any bit of information she could get. We have to be circumspect because I don’t know what either she or Lucifer would do to Bree if they ever found out.”

Azazel gives me a grave nod. “It’s all just a bloody mess, and I can’t even tell Zoe because she’d come back home. I miss her dearly, but I don’t want her involved in any of this”

“I know that Bree would not be happy if we told her either. Either way, it’s best if we don’t have another person to worry about.”

I can tell that he’s not happy with the situation but sees no other option.

“Are you sure you want to come with me?” I ask.

Azazel releases an aggrieved sigh. “Let’s just go before I change my bloody mind.”

Rolling my eyes, I convey us into Lucifer’s meeting room.

Lucifer looks up from a large table overflowing with books and scrolls. His welcoming smile slips into a scowl as soon as he spots Azazel. “What are you doing here, Fallon, and why did you bring that wanker?”

Azazel scuffs. “I’m here because we need to talk about Lilith, you arsehat.”

I shake my head and extend my hands in a halting manner. “Enough! We don’t have any more time to deal with this rubbish.” I look at Lucifer and get to the point. “Azazel’s club was attacked last night by a horde of…creatures who we believe were sent by Lilith. Several surveillance cameras caught her image several streets from the club.”

“Are you certain it was her?” he asks.

“Yes, she wore a cloak, but I recognized her face.”

Lucifer rests his palms on the table and growls. “You said a horde attacked the club; what where they? Where they a new species?”

“They were most definitely a species we had never seen before. I believe they were a mix of banshee, gargoyle, manticore and a harpy.”

His nostrils flare with untold rage as he rests his palms on the table’s surface. “I just received a list of other supernaturals that have gone missing this week, and all of those creatures are on the list, along with several more. If Lilith is on earth, it explains why my hunters have not found her.”

Lucifer pushes back from the table and strolls toward me. “You have to hide Bree from her.”

My heart pounds loudly in my chest, and my eyes widen. Azazel looks at me from the corner of his eye but remains quiet. “Why would I need to hide Bree from Lilith?” I ask as casually as I can.

Lucifer smirks. “Because she’s the North Star, from the prophecy.” His eyes narrow as they gaze into mine. “Did you really think I didn’t know who she is, Fallon?”

I grit my teeth, stifling the urge to rage at him. “How did you know?”

He shrugs. “Since the day we saved them from hell. After Alaina revealed her angelic side, I knew there had to be a reason why an angel would be born to a human family. I could sense that it had to do with Bree, and I was right.”

Nostrils flaring, I take a defensive stance. Azazel moves beside me and does the same.

“What are you going to do about it, Lucifer?” he asks.

Lucifer rolls his eyes. “If I wanted to hurt her, I would have done so already.”

He continues when he sees my skeptical frown. “I didn’t kill Bree because I could see that you care for her, and I would never do anything to hurt you. I could also see that you are doing everything you can to protect her and keep the prophecy from coming through, so I’ve left you to it.”

I’m astounded right now. I never expected Lucifer to be so reasonable about something so grave. This is not a simple gesture on his part, considering it might mean the end of his existence.

Of course, Azazel, being Azazel, has to comment on Lucifer’s sensible decision. “How bloody altruistic of you, mate. Perhaps there is some hope for you yet.”

Lucifer smirks and salutes him with his middle finger before he turns back to me. “I’m not completely altruistic. It also helps that she’s Alaina’s sister. I might have decided to reject my mate, but I would never hurt her sister.”

Azazel reels at his words. “Still can’t believe that you’re Lana’s mate!?”

Lucifer arches a brow at me. “You see what I have to deal with?”

I release a frustrated sigh. “Can we just focus?”

He gives me a respectful nod and looks at Azazel. “I know that you loath me. But I suggest you keep mum on that little tidbit.”

Azazel shrugs. “Do not worry. I have never shared and will never that information with anyone. I’m not the kind of wanker who hurts my enemy’s mate,” he mutters with that dig.

Lucifer’s jaw ticks angrily. For a moment, I think he’s going to reprimand Azazel. But to my surprise, he takes a deep breath and gives him a conceding nod. “Thank you, Azazel. I know that this may not mean much to you, but I regret what I did to Zoe. All I can say is that until I met Alaina, I didn’t realize what I had been putting you through. I may not want to be with her, but I would kill anyone who would hurt her.”

Azazel takes a couple of deep breaths before he replies. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you, Lucifer. However, I am willing to put my anger aside and help you find Lilith. Just don’t expect me not to throw clever quips at your expense every now and then.”

Lucifer scoffs. “I wouldn’t expect any less, you git.”

I clap my hands together, “Brilliant. Now, can we get back to the task at hand? We need to find Lilith and protect our women from her.”

Azazel quirks a brow and turns to Lucifer. “Wait, you truly rejected Lana as your mate? I thought that was just posturing.”

Giving both men an exasperated frown, I hold my arms out. “Can we please get back to Lilith?”

They both ignore me as they face off. “Have you lost the plot? She’s your sodding mate.” Azazel reprimands him.

Lucifer shakes his head. “My reasons are my own, Azazel.”

Azazel rubs the back of his neck and snorts incredulously. “It just makes no sense. But you’re right; it’s none of my business.”

Lucifer gives him a wry look before he turns back to me. “We need to go to earth and search for Lilith.”

We readily agree and proceed to meet Mathias and plan ways to draw Lilith out.

While they do that, I think about how I’m going to keep Bree safe. The answer that I come up with is not very satisfying.

Will I have to let her go?