Blood exchange was once a sacred connection between bonded mates and no one else, until demons discovered that keeping their immortality on Earth came with a price.
Onyx sipped his drink. “Fine. If you say it’s not an issue, then it’s not. What did you want to talk about?”
“I have an idea.” That was putting it strongly, but confidence was key in most endeavors. “I don’t believe the council will ever allow us to return home, but witches don’t have to share our fate.”
“Witches?” Onyx and Nico exchanged confused looks.
“It’s not right for witches to be damned for demons’ transgressions. I want to argue for their entrance into the rightful afterlife.”
Nico’s eyes narrowed in Luc’s direction, but he didn’t speak.
Onyx said, “That’s very noble of you, but how will that help you bond with Dex?”
Luc’s grip tightened on the armrest. “It might not. This isn’t about Dex. Not completely. Something has to be done about the souls in Hell. No one but those of us who chose to fall should be punished.”
A knowing look crossed Onyx’s face. “Only those of us who chose. Meaning mates should also be allowed into the Eternal Realm.”
“Exactly. If the council listens to reason and lets witches in, they can’t deny our mates unless they admit to punishing them for being associated with us, and for no crime of their own. There’s no reason mates shouldn’t be allowed to travel between realms.”
Onyx’s face fell. “Except that travel itself is forbidden, hence us being stuck here.”
Luc couldn’t deny it. This plan wasn’t perfect. “We have to start somewhere. There’s no refuting our claim when it comes to witches, and if it goes well, we can push for more. I’ll bring my case to the gate, but I don’t think anyone will listen.”
Onyx caught Nico’s eye. “Gee, I wonder why.”
Luc ignored that. “I need help. I’m here to ask for your support. I can’t bring the argument forward alone. There needs to be a united front.”
Onyx finished his drink and set the glass aside. “What good will my support, or even Ash and Dante’s, be? We’re always on your side. The council doesn’t know you fucked that up and had to earn our trust back.”
Onyx spoke as if Luc had succeeded in earning his trust. Did he mean it, or was it nothing more than a slip of phrase?
Luc couldn’t dwell on it. This wasn’t about him. Centering things on himself was his fatal flaw.
“I was hoping for more than your support. I’d like help getting other demons on my side, and I don’t mean Ash and Dante. I’ll talk to them later.”
Would they stand with him? Would anyone but his brother?
Onyx raised a brow. “You realize what scrounging up support will look like, right? No one is going to trust you, Luc. They’ll assume you’re after power.”
“But no one believes witches deserve to be in the Realm of the Damned. Demons will support the cause. There’s no way for me to gain power from this. Demons will see that.”
“Perhaps.”
Luc clenched his fist. “I have to try. Even if no one trusts me now, in time, they’ll see that I’m not up to anything. Demons will come around.”
“You might need serious time for that. I guess you have the length of a mortal life to figure this out, but will that be enough?”
Luc’s chest seized. This couldn’t take Dex’s lifetime. That was cutting it too close. “What about support outside demonkind? Nico, would you, Ollie, and Harper agree? What about others? Even vampires want entrance to the Eternal Realm.”
Their souls went to the Realm of the Damned if their immortal life on Earth ended, regardless of whether they’d been a witch or human before turning.
“No living witch or vampire would argue against you,” Nico agreed. “But how does that help? Surely the Eternal Realm already knows that we want to be spared from the Realm of the Damned.”
“They know theoretically. We have to make them see the reality. It’ll be much harder to deny our claim, looking into the faces of the innocent beings they’re damning.”
Nico seemed even more wary than before. “Can anyone but demons get to the gateway?”
Onyx shot a worried look at Luc. “I don’t know.”
