Dex was numb, his feet heavy as he was dragged along. “How can the Devil be real?”
“I told you about Eternal beings, but that’s only the beginning. Telling you everything today was too much.” Dante cut an apologetic glance at Dex. “We aren’t angels; however, Lucifer did lead a group of us to fall to Earth.”
Sweat gathered at the back of Dex’s neck as something else Dante had said finally registered. “Wait. Is the Realm of the Damned the same as Hell? You didn’t tell me that either. How do you know my parents aren’t in Hell? They stopped going to church long before they died.”
Dex’s dad had never been big on attending. He’d accompanied his mom when she’d asked, and she’d stopped going after Dex had come out.
She’d never made a secret of her disagreement with theirchurch’s exclusion of LGBTQ+ people, but finding out that Dex had still worried over what she’d think of him had affected her deeply. Later, she’d talked about finding an inclusive congregation and rekindling her faith, but had never gotten the chance.
“It’s not about going to church,” Ollie said, steadier than before. “Hell is for witches. It’s about magic, not sins or moral failings. Witches can’t reincarnate, so they go to a different afterlife. There’s no fiery pit of punishment.”
Thank fuck. Dex would have lain down on the sidewalk in relief if the others hadn’t kept dragging him along.
He glanced around, surprised that they’d arrived at Ollie’s apartment already.
After trudging up the stairs, Ash greeted them inside, looming tall, his eyes glowing orange.
Shit, he was terrifying. Dex shrank back. He didn’t know Harper’s boyfriend well, and he could obviously do magic.
Ash wordlessly stepped out of the way, and Ollie guided Dex to the couch, not letting go when they sat down.
Harper hovered near the kitchen. Dante and Ash headed straight for him, talking in low tones.
How was this happening? Everyone was so tense. This was bad, obviously, but Dex couldn’t seem to put it all together.
He held Ollie’s hands tight. “What did he do to you?”
Ollie closed his eyes, tears spilling over. “Lucifer almost murdered me when I was at the beach with Dante. He r-ripped my throat out.”
Dex gasped. His whole body went cold, and his stomach rebelled, almost expelling the ice cream he’d eaten. He choked the nausea down.Ollie’s throat?Ripped it out with what? It was something a bear would do, not a man.
Ollie went on, “I’m Dante’s mate. We have a magical connection, and Lucifer attacked me because he believed Dante was lying about it. If Lucifer had been right, I would have died.”
“No.” Dex grabbed Ollie’s shirt like he could hold him here and save him from what had almost happened. He didn’t know what mates were, but that didn’t matter. He’d almost lost Ollie.
“It was horrible.” Ollie shuddered. “It hurt so much. I was drowning in my blood.”
Dex made a strangled sound.
“I still have flashbacks sometimes. It’s better than it used to be, but some nights, I can’t sleep. I feel his hands on me. Seeing him with you, I was terrified of what he’d do. He targeted you. He must know we’re friends.”
Luc had been planning to hurt him? Dex couldn’t see it, not with the sweet way Luc had held him. But he didn’t doubt Ollie. His pain was tangible between them, and it scared the hell out of Dex.
“How could he know we were friends?”
Harper settled beside them on the couch. “Lucifer has been stalking our group. He started following Ash, and then me. He threw me off the roof.”
Dex covered his mouth, his hand trembling.
He’d kissed Lucifer. Had practically begged to have sex with him. Dex’s skin crawled. He wanted to wash the memory of his desire away. How had he not realized he was in the presence of a monster?
“H-he’s evil,” Dex managed.
Harper and Ollie shared a grim look, neither denying it.
Ash came up beside the couch, resting a hand on Harper’s shoulder. “Luc wasn’t doing anything good hanging around you. That’s for damn sure.”
His growly tone set Dex’s senses on edge even though Ash was clearly on his side. Being afraid now was a joke after missing any sign that Luc was dangerous, but Dex couldn’t help it.
