Silas stood almost as tall as Loth, and as we closed in, he unfolded his tattooed arms and let his hands hang loose at his sides, as if he were braced for attack. I understood why. Ursula wouldn’t make this mission easy on him, not for one moment.
She hooked her arm over my shoulder and pulled me in for a tight hug. “We got this,” she said against my ear.
I nodded, then she released me, and Urs and Silas strode out of the bar.
I hoped she was right. I really did. “I guess we should make tracks as well,” I said to Lothar.
“Ready when you are.”
We grabbed our bags, I waved to my sisters still partying, and together we walked out onto the street. Ursula and Silas had already disappeared. I had no idea where they were going, the location of the tournament was different every time, or how dangerous it would be. No one was allowed to speak about it afterward.
“Urs will be fine,” Lothar said.
I glanced his way and found him studying me. I quickly looked away. “I know.”
He was quiet for several beats. “Where to next?”
I pointed ahead and started down the street.
Lothar growled.
I turned back. “What?”
“I was created by Lucifer just like you were, Roxy. I’m loyal to him, and I’ve proven it, time and again, so knowing you’re keeping shit from me when it comes to this hunt is pissing me the fuck off.”
I stopped in my tracks. “I’m not keeping anything from you.”
“No?”
I scowled, even as guilt slammed through me. It wasn’t info about the hunt I was omitting. “No.”
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “Look, I honestly don’t know why you can’t stand the fucking sight of me anymore. Yeah, you’ve given me reasons for the animosity, but honestly, Rox, I don’t believe you. I don’t know this…this version of you, but we still have to get this done. So stop treating me like a fucking idiot.”
I froze in place. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“You’re hiding something.”
“I’m not.”
He bared his teeth. “Roxy?—”
“I’m not,” I said more forcefully.
He planted his hands on his hips. “You don’t want to share, fine. But you need to realize that we’re in this together. You may be Lucifer’s favorite, but you’re not my fucking superior. If we’re going to find Beelzebub, you’re gonna need my help, so how about you start by telling me where the fuck we’re going and the information Asmodeus shared with you?”
He was right, of course. I was acting like someone else. He was a hound, he sensed things, even if he didn’t understand it all. Emotions were confusing for him to read, even if Lucifer had given him and his brothers the ability to identify them, and my attitude and all the volatile things I was feeling had to be fucking with him. I was the one making this situation more difficult, not him.
I blew out a steadying breath, forcing myself to release some of the tension I’d been carrying the last few days. “I’m sorry,” I forced out. “You’ve done nothing wrong. The weirdness you’re feeling from me, it’s not about you.”
He frowned. “So what is it?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” I lied. “But I promise I’ll stop taking my shit out on you from now on and be my normal self again.”
The muscle in his jaw ticced, but thankfully he didn’t force the issue and, instead, nodded.
I hitched my bag higher and plastered a smile on my face, giving him the Roxy he wanted, instead of the psycho he’d been traveling with since we set off. “Okay, so our next stop is Limbo.”
His head jerked back. “You think B’s in Limbo?”
