I’d stared at this bloody amulet when I peeked in their bag of treasures, but I’d ignored it. The light fae enjoyed things that were bright and shiny, and the amulet was old and tarnished. It looked like it would be sold at a flea market somewhere.
My assumptions had cost me.
I reached out my hand. “Thank you, Cil.”
“Wait,” Samael said. I glanced at him and frowned. The demon looked shaken— something I’d never seen before. His eyes were on the amulet as he shot to his feet. “Don’t touch–”
Cil dropped the amulet into my palm and the room disappeared.
White fog. All I could see was fog.
“Cil? Zip? Samael?”
Nothing. There was nothing but fog. Until there wasn’t. My surroundings slowly came into view and I froze.
I was in some kind of… library?
Shelves stretched out before me as far as my eyes could see, and each was bursting with leather-bound books. Flame as tall as me bordered the library, caging me in. I swallowed and scanned my surroundings. How the hell was I getting out of here?
The books themselves looked ancient, and I took a few steps forward, scanning the titles.
They were in a language I couldn’t read, and disappointment pricked at me. But as I watched, the letters on the spines blurred, rearranging themselves until the titles were in English.
“Whoa.”
The books seemed to all be about… demons. I scanned the titles.Wings in flight: A Study of the Demon Form, Volume One, Two, and Three.
Demons: A History, Volumes one through nine, Powers and Limitations.
History, family trees, even detailed explanations of their wingspans… it was all here.
I surveyed the books. I was completely, utterly alone, in a library filled with all the information that I’d ever need to understand Samael and his people. I grabbedDemons: A History,Volume Oneand hefted it into my arms. Jeez, it was huge, and there were nine other books just like it.
I hauled it with me toward a blank spot on the floor, planning to sit cross-legged on the ground. A sofa appeared out of nowhere and I jolted.
It wasmysofa. Complete with my coffee table. Wow, a cup of coffee and I’d be set.
My favorite cup appeared on a coaster, the coffee still steaming. I gaped at it. All I needed was my cat and I could curl up for hours.
I froze. “I didn’t mean that. Please leave Lia alone.”
Silence, but she didn’t appear. I swallowed and sat on my sofa, which seemed much, much more comfortable than it usually was. I cracked open the book. It started with names I couldn’t recognize, and I skimmed the first few pages, then flicked to the index and ran my finger down the page.
“There.”
Samael. Jeez, he was mentioned a lot. I flipped to the first mention of his name and began to read.
Samael, son of Nisroch and Labassu, both deceased.
I frowned and flicked to his father’s name in the index, reading forward.
Nisroch was a high level general who bonded with Labassu, daughter of the underking.
I’d known Samael was a prince from the memory he’d shared with me. But reading about it solidified it in my head. According to the book, the royal family had been slaughtered by… Lucifer.
I kept reading. Lucifer was the current underking, but he hadn’t always been. He’d been one of Samael’s grandfather’s top advisors, and he’d planned his coup over several centuries.
This was who Samael’senemywas. Lucifer himself.
