Shit. Fuck.
I slapped a hand to my forehead with a wince. How the hell was I supposed to explain this to the horsemen? They barely came around about the four of them being my mates, and now I was somehow supposed to tell them there was a fifth? And Lucifer, at that?
Oh, that was going to go over so well.
Not to mention the sleeping with him part.
Fuck my actual life.
Where was the apocalypse sinkhole when you needed one? It could swallow me right now and spare me from all of it.
Then another, far more terrifying thought took hold, my hands clutching my belly. Was I pregnant with his antichrist right now?
Oh noooooo.
Sonofabitch!
I couldn’t even fully blame my demon side for this, because Iwasattracted to Luc. I always had been, and I knew I was playing with fire every time I dreamwalked with him.
My emotions were such a tangled mess, I didn’t even know where to start with them. Guilt. Fear. Satisfaction. Relief. Affection.
Wait a damn minute, affection?
Gaze darting to Luc, I studied him for a second. He was a bloody, disheveled mess. The one-two punch of feeding on him in the dream and then again here had knocked him out cold.
At least the mission had been successful.
Apprehension streaked through me at that. The mission had been successful, which meant the horsemen were coming for me. Who knew how long Lucifer would be down? I had to get outwhile I could. If I didn’t leave now, I was one hundred percent certain I would never escape.
As silently as possible, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, pausing only long enough to steal a peek at myself in the full-length mirror. Oh dear God. I was just as bloody as Luc. The memory of purposefully marking myself with his blood had my cheeks burning red, and I quickly dropped my eyes to pull on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt I’d left on the floor.
With each movement, each noise I made, my heart pounded harder. He could wake at any moment. He was the fucking devil. So powerful he could do almost anything.
And he’s your mate.
Holding my breath, I pulled the door open wider, thankful he’d left it ajar when he’d come in and found me in my feral state. A soft creak made me wince, and I looked back to find him in the exact same position as I’d left him.
For the briefest second, something a whole lot like regret flickered through me. I didn’t want to leave him here, so vulnerable and alone. He would be so hurt that I left him.
And what about me? I’d left my mates behind before, and the pain had been nearly unbearable. Could I really do it again? To myselfandhim.
As soon as the doubt registered, I steeled myself and shook my head.
No. Bad girl, Merri. He’s still the bad guy, you have to get the fuck out of here.
Something that sounded a lot like a groan from the bedroom sent ice running through my veins, and without further hesitation, I sprinted for the front door.
Grim
I’d knowhell from anywhere else, no matter the facade painted over its landscape. This was a corner of hell, to be sure. The lakeside cabin flickered in and out of existence, being replaced by the mouth of a dank cave cut into a volcanic mountain.
The second my horse’s hooves hit the ground, I was off its back and running.
Distantly, I heard my brothers arrive, but my attention was pinned on the cabin’s open door and the woman spilling out of it.
Merri.
She caught my gaze as she reached the edge of the porch, her expression frantic before she looked back into the house. Fuck, she was hurt. Blood stained her throat and the exposed skin of her chest. That bastard had harmed what was mine. I’d have his wings for trophies after this.
