Chapter 20 — It’s the end of the world as we know it

Lucifer:

I shoot up from my perch with a gasp and open my eyes as I search frantically for my mate. “Lana!” I call out.

Unfortunately, all I see is the destruction of my house. A chandelier hangs precariously from the ceiling, furniture is turned over or broken, and all of my windows are shattered. My once gleaming hardwood floors are cracked and broken.

Michael and Rafael stop beside me and give me grim frowns.

“Where the bloody hell is she?” I ask.

Michael shakes his head, “I don’t know, frère; she flashed out of the room as soon as you lost consciousness.”

My brow furrows as I search for a clue to where she might have gone. Rafael points to the journal we were looking at before everything went to shit. “I think it was a spell.”

I nod, “Once you said the words, Apolliana was set free.”

Rafael slides his fingers through his hair with frustration. “I’m so sorry, Lucifer.”

I shake my head, “It’s not your fault. We should have all been careful about reading these foreign scriptures. For now, let’s focus on finding her.”

Gabriel appears before us at that moment, followed by Fallon.

“What did your mate do?” Gabriel growls, which puts me on edge.

Fallon narrows his eyes at Gabriel before he moves toward me, “The world has grown completely dark again. What happened, father?”

I look at my brothers before I look at my son, “Apolliana has been unleashed. Did anything else occur?”

Gabriel interjects before Fallon can answer, “Yes, the seas are rising, and the forests are dying. How could you be so irresponsible, Lucifer?”

I grit my teeth as Fallon turns to face Gabriel and glares, “Who the bloody hell do you think you are?”

Gabriel arches a brow as he runs his gaze appraisingly over Fallon’s form. “I do not have to answer to an abomination.”

Before Fallon can attack, I step between them, “Stop it! We don’t have time for this!”

Michael stands beside Fall and glares at Gabriel. “Do not ever speak to our nephew in such a manner, you imbécile.”

Rafael looks at Fallon, then back at me, “This is your son?”

I nod, “Fallon, these are my brother’s, Rafael and…” I sneer, “…Gabriel. You already know Michael.”

Fallon gives Rafael a congenial smile before he turns to Gabriel and sneers. “I might be an abomination, but at least I’m no one’s errand boy.”

Gabriel scowls but does not retort.

Fallon turns back to me, “How did Apolliana break free? I thought the Siphon necklace would hold.”

I shake my head as I snap my fingers and fix everything that was broken before I step to the patio doors and look into the pitch-black night. “The siphon necklace was useless, and now she’s somewhere out there ready to reap havoc on all living beings.”

“Do you know where she went?”

I shake my head, “No, I do not.”

Fallon weaves his fingers through his hair as Gabriel paces in place and mutters, “You should have ended her when you had the chance. Now, we have an insane archangel female on the loose who is planning to end heaven, earth and hell.”

I arch a brow, “It’s not just one bloody female archangel, Gabriel—it’s four.”

Gabriel’s lips curl into a sneer, “Are we going again through this? There are no other mates out there, Lucifer!”

Just as he says the words, the earth starts to rumble again, and the patio doors tear off their hinges.

“Fuck, is that...?” Fallon mutters as four armored archangel females step into view. They’re a frighteningly beautiful sight as they stand before us in their colored armor, large feathery wings and flaming swords.

Apolliana leads in the front with her all-white regalia.

Gabriel gasps as he realizes who each woman is. “No…” he mutters with disbelief, “…it can’t be.”

Each man’s eyes home in on a specific female. Though you can’t see the top of their faces, you can tell that each woman is beautiful.

The women’s glowing eyes narrow as they face their mates for the first time.

Michael’s jaw ticks as he runs his gaze across his mate’s features. “Je ne t'ai jamais connu. Pardonne-moi.” I never knew of you. Forgive me. He tells the female in the blood-red armor.

The female hisses back in perfect French, “Je t'ai appelé et tu n'es jamais venu. Mais cela n'a plus d'importance. Tu n'es plus rien pour moi maintenant.” I called for you and you never came. But that doesn't matter anymore. You are nothing to me now.

Michael’s expression falls. I’m sure he didn’t expect such derision from the woman who was meant to be his.

Before he can say another word, each woman throws power at each of us, tossing us up into the air.

Each woman flies up and raises their flaming sword, ready to strike their mates down.

Fallon and I move to Apolliana, but she’s faster and stronger than she was before. She kicks Fallon in the chest as she slashes the sword toward me. I manage to dodge it, flip over her back and try to wrap her in my arms, but she headbutts me and flutters away.

My brothers also fight their mates, but you can tell that they’re trying to disable them because they don’t want to hurt them. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about their mates.

Gabriel’s mate is especially vicious as she cuts his chest and brutally strikes him with her fists.

Fallon tries to join the fray, but Apolliana halts his progress and calls out, “Why are you here, boy? This has nothing to do with you. Perhaps you should go home and protect your mate? Oh, wait, you’re too late for that.”

All of the air is sucked from the room at that moment as Fallon freezes in place. “What did you say?”

The women back away from their wounded males and stand beside Apolliana, ready to defend her as she speaks, “It seems you left poor little Bree defenseless.”

Rafael’s mate chuckles with derision as she stops beside Gabriel’s mate and sneers, “It was so easy to take the stupid girl. She was so busy scrolling through her phone to notice the threats surrounding her.”

Gabriel’s mate laughs with her, “She turned a pretty shade of purple before the life drained from her face.”

Fallon growls with rage and moves to attack, but I stop him before he can. “Don’t, Fallon!”

His eyes glow, and his claws extend as he gazes back at me with disbelief, “They killed Bree! I will end them all!” he roars.

I shake my head as I strain to contain him. “They’re lying to you, Fallon. If she had died, you would have felt it.”

Apolliana puffs out with exasperation and curls her lip into a pout. “Oh, you’re not fun, Lucifer. I would have enjoyed killing the proof of your betrayal. Now, what will I do for fun?” she asks in a bratty tone as she looks down at her clawed fingers, “Oh, I know, I’ll just kill him anyway,” she smiles as she aims her weapon at Fallon. Before she can strike, I push Fallon out of the way and block her sword with mine.

Apolliana gets a few hits in, making blood run down my chest and legs, but I continue to parry.

“Why do you protect him?!” she cries out, enraged.

I shake my head, “He’s my bloody son, Apolliana!”

She sneers, “Too bad you couldn’t be as loyal to me!” she cries out as she swings again.

Regret simmers in my belly like acid. I should have confessed my feelings. I’m such a git. “I didn’t know about you, Apolliana. If I would have things would be so different. You have to believe me.”

She scoffs at my words, “It doesn’t matter, Lucifer. Time is up for you and everyone else.”

Smiling, she aims her weapon at the floor and throws power into it until the floor opens up like a sinkhole. Everyone flies up but has to duck when hordes of locusts appear and begin to attack us.

While we fight the horde, the females disappear.

“Fuck, they’re gone!” Fallon calls out.

My brothers and I try to restore the damage, but we quickly realize that it’s a futile effort because the disasters keep coming. Lightning bolts rain down everywhere as the ground continues to quake. “We need to go!” Fallon calls out.

I nod and signal my brothers before we flash to my throne in hell.

As soon as we do, the house caves in.

Fallon stops beside me, his expression etched with worry, “I’m going home to see if Bree is there. Hopefully, Apolliana lied, and she’s safe.”

I nod, “Go, but if she’s not there, come back. I’ll see if I can find where Apolliana and the others went.”

As soon as Fallon flashes out of the room, I turn back to my brothers, “Is everyone alright?”

Michael nods, “We were able to heal our wounds.”

Gabriel looks distraught as he slumps down on a chair and gazes blankly forward. “I’ve always been the loyal one. I never strayed, and this is how The Creator pays me back. This is my reward,” he mutters mournfully.

Rafael sits beside him and rests his hand on his back in a comforting gesture. Rafael has always been the most sympathetic of us all. I, on the other hand, could care less about Gabriel’s self-pity.

Michael stops beside me and asks, “What do we do now?”

I look at the journals, “There has to be something here that will tell us where they are.”

Azazel, Zoe and Fallon appear in my throne room at that moment, followed by the Samael, an unfamiliar female, the Cross brothers and their mates.

Azazel gives me an alarmed look, “I figure this would be the safest place for us to lay low since the Earth is being torn apart.”

I nod as I gaze around the room. “You’re all welcome to anything that I have.” I look at my former demon lord Samael. “Do you remember where everything is, mate?”

Samael nods, “The décor is better than it was the last time I was here, but I’m sure we can figure it out.”

“I’ll let you to it then,” I mutter before I turn to my distraught son.

“Apolliana didn’t lie. She took Bree!” Fallon tells me.

Zoe eyes my brothers as she approaches Fallon and rests her hand on his shoulder, “I think I know where she is.”

“Where?” Fallon asks.

I arch a brow, “How...?”

Bree shows me her mobile. “Bree and I were texting stupid memes when she rang me. But when I answered, I could hear her talking to Lana. Most of it was jumbled, but I heard Lana say the Holy Sepulchre. I tried to look it up, but all networks are down due to all of the disasters occurring.”

My eyes grow round as I look at my brothers. “The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. It’s where humans believe Christ was buried.”

Michael nods, “But Christ wasn’t real.”

I nod, “True, but it is considered one of The Creators holy temples.”

I look at Gabriel, “Any idea what The Creator might be hiding there, mate?”

Gabriel shakes his head, “No, I do not. I never had a reason to ask,” he states bitterly.

I shrug my shoulder, “I’m going to that bloody temple,”

My brothers nod, “We’re coming with you,”

Azazel and Fallon move forward, “So are we.”

I shake my head, “No, Azazel, you stay here and help Samael defend my fortress. I get the feeling Apolliana and her sisters were not quite done with us.”

Rafael stops before us and asks, “Which brings me back to our fight earlier. Why didn’t they kill us when they had the chance? Why make such a show by wounding us before they left?”

My eyes narrow, “…the blood. They wanted our blood.”

Their eyes widen with horror.

Gabriel’s face pales as he sorts through what he might know. “The Seals. They opened all of the seals, but The Creator’s scriptures state that the last seal could only be opened by the most powerful celestial blood—our blood. It’s the only way they can eliminate creatures in hell as well as in heaven. That’s why only Earth is suffering through apocalyptic disasters while heaven and hell remain untouched. With our ancient blood, they will be able to create the ultimate destruction.”

Michael rubs the back of his neck and gives me a wary look, “You cannot get any more ancient than us, frère.”

I nod, “Then we have to stop them before they open the seal.”

Everyone moves back and slips into their armor. Fallon gives me a steady look. “If Apolliana killed Bree…” he swallows hard as emotions threaten to overwhelm him.

I place my palm around his neck and give him an encouraging smile. “Have faith, Fallon. If Apolliana had wanted to kill Bree, she would have killed her at your house. I think Apolliana had a reason for taking her. We’ll find her.”

With those final words, we all flash ourselves outside the church.

Smoke billows across the sky, followed by the booming sounds of fireballs as they land on buildings, destroying the town’s ancient façade. Sounds of human suffering echo through the cobblestone streets, along with the sounds of falling debris.

The church looks ominous as it sits untouched in the center of such devastation.

Moving forward, we keep a wary eye on the shadows. Thankfully, we have supernatural vision, which makes it easy to walk through the dark halls. As carefully as I can, I open the church doors. The church’s interior is grand with its massive marble floors, high artfully painted ceilings depicting biblical scenes, marble columns and dome. The dome hovers over the stone of anointing where it is believed Jesus was anointed before his burial and the shrine of Golgotha where he was believed to be sacrificed.

“There’s no one here,” Fallon states.

I look around, but the place seems abandoned. “There has to be something. Perhaps an entrance. Let’s all split up and search.”

We search around for several minutes but come up empty.

Gabriel stops in front of the shrine and points to the marble altar inside of the shrine. “Do you see that?” he mutters.

Everyone comes closer and looks at the altar. It is believed that the top of the altar is made from the stone that an angel rolled away from the entrance of Jesus’s tomb. Slivers of light permeate the cracks of the stone.

Michael walks toward the altar and lifts the stone. The altar’s floor is intact. However, we can hear sounds coming from beneath. “There has to be something beneath,” I mutter.

Michael nods and casts power into the altar until it cracks and crumbles, creating an opening below. “Definitely a passageway,” Fallon mutters as he looks down the illuminated opening.

Without a word, everyone jumps into the opening. Long caverns lit by torches extend everywhere, explaining why we could see the light through the altar.

“Which way do we go?” Rafael asks as he peruses the winding passages.

“It’s like a bloody maze down here,” Fallon mutters impatiently.

“Quiet,” I whisper as I hone my hearing.

Wind whistles everywhere, along with the sounds of the flickering torches and the booms from the destruction occurring above us, but I try to listen to anything that might sound familiar.

The others go to nearby openings and do the same.

It’s a tedious task, considering all of the interference occurring outside, but eventually, I home in on a familiar voice. “Do you hear that?”

I mutter and turn to the hallway behind me.

“It sounds like chanting,” Michael whispers.

I nod, “It sounds like females chanting.”

Without a word, we carefully head down the hallway. We are all careful of where we step or move, thinking that there might be traps along the way. Unfortunately, nothing happens as soon as we walk through the passage, but we remain cautious.

“I’ve seen the Temple of Doom, and I’m not going to take any chances,” Fallon mutters as he warily looks around the space.

At some point, Gabriel steps beside me and meets my eyes.

I arch a brow at his thoughtful stare.

“You were right, Lucifer. The Creator made a fool of me.”

I shrug as I continue, “Do not despair, brother. The Creator made a fool of all of us.”

His jaw ticks as he angrily marches forward, “I can’t believe I have a mate.”

I pat his back, “I felt the same way when I first laid eyes on Lana. For a long time, I was in disbelief until I realized that The Creator might have had ulterior motives for creating her.

“Mine wants to kill me,” Gabriel states grimly.

My lip quirks with amusement at my brother’s tone. “Do not despair, little brother. At least a fourth of the people here want to kill you.”

Michael, Fallon and Rafael laugh.

Gabriel puffs out an aggrieved breath, “Can you be serious for once?”

I scoff as I continue to walk, “Contrary to what you may think, Gabriel, everyone here understands what you’re going through. We all have something to lose. Except for Fallon, all of our mates want to kill us.”

Gabriel places his palm on my chest and growls, “But mine truly hates me. I don’t think she will ever forgive me.”

I look at my brother’s hand as I slowly push it away, “Look, Gabriel, it’s not a surprise to anyone that you wouldn’t believe us. We all knew that you were the bloody Creator’s brownnosing bitch boy, and I’m sure your mate will overlook that flaw as she will the millions of others you carry.”

“Must you always be so crass, Lucifer? You’re so juvenile.” Gabriel reprimands.

I know that it’s not the best moment to jest, but I feel that each man needs a moment of respite from their worries. Humor always works for me.

I look at the others before I look back at my younger brother. “You’re allowed to curse now, Gabriel? You’re no longer living under daddy’s thumb. We all know that’s not what you wanted to call me.”

His lips tighten as he takes a confused step back.

“Don’t you know how to curse, little brother?” I ask tauntingly, “Well, let me help you. How about you say, Lucifer, you’re such a fucking git. Or, Lucifer, why are you such a bloody arsehole? Just pick one.” I mutter.

Michael snickers, “It wouldn’t be a lie, frère. I especially take pride in calling you a douchebag.”

Rafael throws his head back and laughs, “Or ye can call him a dobber?”

Fallon laughs, “I like to call him a wanker or a sod.”

Gabriel gives each man a disgruntled look before he turns away from us and continues down the passageway.

“Come on, Gabriel. It’s not like you’re going to hell. Even if you are, I can always give you a room in my fortress. I promise The Creator will not thrash you if you do.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes, “You are all so annoying, you know that?”

I nod, “My mate tells me that all of the time.”

“So do I,” Fallon says with a sly smile.

The voices grow louder as we come closer, and all amusement is lost.

Once we reach the cavern threshold, we ready our weapons and prepare to confront our mates.