I smiled at that. But the smile quickly fell from my face. She frowned up at me.
“What is it?”
We needed to have a difficult conversation. The kind of conversation that my little witch was not going to be pleased by. Her frown deepened, and I forced myself to broach the subject.
“We need to discuss what will happen if it becomes too late for the counter spell.”
She stiffened. “You mean if I fail. That’s loser talk, Samael.”
“I would be remiss if I didn’t ensure you were prepared for all possibilities.”
She shook her head, and I tightened my hold on her. “This is important.”
She sighed. “Fine. What do I need to know?”
“If we run out of time, and you are still alive…” she flinched at the thought, but I pinched her pert nose lightly. I would do whatever I could to ensure that I didn’t take her with me. If there was one thing I knew, down in my gut, it was that Danica wasn’t fated to die this way.
“Ag will help you,” I murmured. Danica’s chin stuck out stubbornly, but she was listening. I had a feeling it was just an effort to humor me, but if the worst came to pass, one day, she would remember this conversation.
“Lucifer will come for you. It’s why he had the black witch perform the Spell of Three in the first place. He has obviously been kept informed of my tendency to act first and think later when it comes to you.”
Her lower lip trembled, and I nuzzled her tiny ear. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I assured her.
Danica scowled up at me. But I could see the retribution burning in her gaze. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about what would happen if she were left alive. But I knew my little witch, and she would burn with vengeance.
“Tell me everything I need to know about Lucifer,” she ordered.
I smiled. “We won’t have time for me to tell youeverything, but that’s what Ag is for. He will be your closest advisor, and he, too, will be chasing revenge.” I could only hope that he would respect my wishes and keep Danica safe while he found that revenge. I pushed that thought away and focused on my little witch.
“I have seven of the nine Black Books. Lucifer made a mistake when he banished Cyprianus from the underworld. Cyprianus was furious enough that he left a small piece of a spell in each of the grimoires. When pieced together, the spell will weaken Lucifer’s connection to the underworld, making it possible to kill him.”
Danica took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, her expression deep in thought. “Do you know where the other two grimoires are?”
“I know where one of them is. Before you went missing, I sent Belphegor to Peru, where a tribe of humans was rumored to have last seen the eighth book.”
“I wondered why I hadn’t seen Bel around,” Danica murmured. “Okay, and the ninth book?”
I growled. “It escapes me still.”
Danica shot me a teasing grin. “Something’s not conforming to your expectations? Must be difficult.”
I tucked a lock of her hair behind one ear. “I’m becoming used to such things,” I said meaningfully.
She laughed. “I’m assuming you guys have notes and theories on the location of the ninth book.”
“Yes. Ag has access to everything.”
“Okay,” she blew out a breath. “So if you cark it, and I’m left hanging around, grief-stricken and gunning for revenge, my best bet is to get my hands on the nine Black Books.”
Her tone was light, but I caught the flicker of terror in her eyes. “Correct.”
“What else do I need to know?”
“Lucifer’s main assassin is called Daimonion.”
She nodded. “He killed Vas’s parents.”
“Yes. He’s extremely dangerous. Lucifer keeps him close, as he has enough supporters of his own to make him a threat. However, he remains the assassin with the highest kill rate.”
