Death snickered and rubbed her hands together in glee. “I think I missed you.”
“I wish I could say the same,” I crooned, tossing her a toothy smile.
The Princes were not impressed by our posturing. I could feel their impatience permeating the air. Honestly, I didn’t get it. They’d already been waiting centuries to be released, what was a few extra days?
“Why are we sitting here discussing this? If you know where the vessel is, why haven’t we brought her to Lucifer? Our king has given us many tasks, but this one is the most important.” There Wrath went, bursting into the conversation with about as much tact as a bull in a china shop.
“Well, I don’t know where she is right this second. But I do know she left them. She’s more than likely on her way to find the one man who can offer her a place to stay. Sweet, sensitive Cole.”
“Who the fuck is Cole?” Pestilence blurted.
I tsked softly and shook my head. “Careful, sister. Our sweet Lucifer might take offense to you speaking about him that way.”
“She’s with him?” Lust crooned, perking up from their slouch in the corner. I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting this particular Prince, but they were a bit of me, and like always recognized like.
“If all went according to plan, yes. Our king will be on his honeymoon until further notice.”
Death eyed me suspiciously, her shrewd gaze narrowing as she asked, “How do you know all of this?”
“Because, sister, while you were here doing fuck all, I was hiding in plain sight. Helping them all with every pathetic need they had. Counseling Merri in matters of the heart. All I had to do was bide my time, manipulate her just right, and the idiot horsemen played right into my hand. They broke her. I gave her the wings she needed to fly.” My lips curled up in a grin as I thought of our last moment together. “Allons-y, mademoiselle,” I murmured, mostly to myself, frankly missing the Frenchaccent I’d had to keep up while wearing the handsome Christian like a cheap suit.
Emotions rippled through the room, a delightful bouquet of interest, jealousy, and my personal favorite, respect.
A slow clap started, Death giving me her signature simpering smile. “Brava, sister. You always were a clever little cookie.”
Ignoring the patronizing compliment, I stood and braced both arms on the table. “While the king is away, we are in charge.”
“Wait just a damn minute. Why are you in charge?” Pride protested, eyes flashing with righteous indignation as he jumped to his feet.
“Because, you silly muppet, my sisters and I are the only reason the rest of you are here. Now sit down and be a good puppy.”
My sisters snickered while I watched Pride wilt like a flower left in the hot sun. Pretty, but useless. Just like him.
“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. There is still a very real threat to the success of our endeavors. Everything hangs in the balance, and we must be prepared to topple the scale in our favor.”
“So what do you propose?” Greed asked, eyebrows lifting.
“I’m so glad you asked. We do anything and everything required to ensure this apocalypse goes our way. No matter the cost.”
Chapter
Six
LUCIFER
“How does one coax a skittish creature out of her hiding place? Why, with treats, of course.” My delicious houseguest was playing the hermit role far too convincingly at present. After a day of her being locked in the guest room, I had to take matters into my own hands.
Lucifer would have stormed in there by now and confronted the situation head-on, butColewas much more of a gentleman.Colewas safety and comfort. A man who would give her space and gently bring her out of her shell. So... cookies it was.
Yes, Lucifer Morningstar knows how to bake. Of course. Why do you think they call desserts sinful?
Also just, come to think of it. But I suppose that’s neither here nor there.
I glanced around the counter, tallying up the ingredients listed in the classic red and white gingham-covered cookbook. “Sugar, flour, eggs...” I murmured, nodding along. Perfect.
After a quick flourish of my hand, everything appeared before me. Let’s seeColedo that, hmm? You think a regular mortal like him would have a line on eggs? During the apocalypse? Pfft. Unlikely.
It didn’t take long before I had the dough mixed, and now I stood there, adding the final ingredient with a smirk twisting my lips. I watched as the chocolate chips came pouring from the bag into the mixing bowl like a waterfall of pure delight. One greased cookie sheet and a preheated oven later, we were in business.
