“Because the most influential people in Ashville will be present,” he answers me. “Belial is the king of fraud, opportunity, and lies. Think of him as the slimy politician, whose honeyed tongue traps flies before they can realize it was venomous all along. Lesser demons will consume your soul by possession, but Elite demons or kings of Hell don’t dirty their hands. They will persuade you to sell it for a price. Besides, secrets are the highest form of currency in our world. You wouldn’t believe what information people would sell their souls for.” Kaiden turns his head toward Sam. “And I don’t know what changed or why Lucifer is back.”
“How did you get that information?” I ask.
“A demon working at Lucifer’s palace sold it to me. He’s been working for me for a few years now. He was also the one who let me know Adramelech would be at the succubus party.”
Sam purses her lips. “What if it’s a trap, and Belial asked to come topside just so he could get his hands on Iris?”
Kaiden hikes a shoulder. “If that’s the case, then we kill him. However, I doubt Belial is the one behind the uprisings, since he has always been the most loyal to Lucifer. But you never know with demons. They all crave power above all else. It could have been a long ploy to overturn Lucifer.”
“So what, we’re going to off a king of Hell in the middle of dessert?” I chuckle out.
“We’re not killing him unless we have to. But it’s an opportunity to ask some questions. In Hell, you have to wait months to be granted the audience of a king. And even then, you can’t expect demons, especially kings, to be straightforward with their answers. They’re experts at manipulation and deceit. So, we’ll trap him in the Seal of Solomon while we interrogate him, then Malik will erase his memory.”
“Is this the same gala taking place at the mayor’s house? The one raising money for human trafficking victims?” Sam chimes in.
Kaiden nods. “Yeah, that’s right. How did you know?”
“They hired me to do their flower arrangements. I decided not to charge them when I heard about the cause, so they invited me. I can sneak into one of the rooms on the second floor tomorrow morning when my team is arranging everything in the ballroom and draw the seal. Then you could lure him there, and Malik could perform the spell to trap him.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kaiden says, then gives me a roguish grin that steals my breath. “I’m picking you up at seven.” He pops off before I get the chance to protest.
Sam sucks on her teeth as she turns toward me. “I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into you since we came back from Faerie, but I’m not letting you pull a Noah on me. You’re not allowed to ghost me.”
God, I’m going to miss you so fucking much.
The hurt shining in her eyes blisters my insides. But I have to protect her.
Shit. I sound exactly like Kaiden. Is this how he feels whenever he can’t share anything about my past? Maybe I’ve been too harsh because it’s a horrible position to be put in. I feel like I’m being ripped in two.
“Uh-oh. What’s that look?”
“What look?”
“You’re looking at me funny.”
I swallow through the lump in my throat. “I just love you.”
“I love you too, ho-bag,” Sam says before rummaging for something in her designer tote. She extends a book toward me. “Here, I came by to give you this. It’s about fated mates. Grammie said you might find it useful.”
“Thanks.” I offer a tight-lipped smile and wrap my fingers around the spine.
“Of course. I gotta go. The traffic is brutal, and I have to prepare everything for tomorrow. I won’t have time to doll you up, though, before the event. That mansion is ginormous. It’s going to take us the whole day to put up the flower arrangements. I even think I will have to bring my dress and change there.”
The relief her words bring me almost makes my knees buckle. “’Kay. No worries.”
I step back when she approaches to pull me in a hug. Her eyebrows scrunch, then she huffs a “whatever” under her breath before storming off.
I spend the next two hours packing while cinder blocks pile on top of my chest because even though I know it’s the right thing to do, leaving everything behind is proving far more difficult than I thought.
I just have to delay my departure for one day. Hopefully,tomorrow will bring some answers.
42
Iris
“You’re breathtaking, angel.” Kaiden’s voice wraps around me in pure liquid silk. He’s waiting in front of his Escalade, posture relaxed. I can’t help but drink him in. The way that black suit molds to his tattooed body should be illegal.
“Thank you,” I breathe, stopping in front of him. I didn’t recognize myself when I looked in the mirror earlier. Retro Hollywood waves cascade down my back while my face is painted to perfection. Kaiden sent an entire team to my apartment: a makeup artist, a hair stylist, a nail tech, and a masseuse. I’ve never been more pampered in my entire life. The makeup artist paired a classy eyeliner with crimson lips—theexact shade of the floor-length silk dress I found waiting for me on top of my bed when I got out of the shower.
