I pulled her into my arms. “Honey, he loves you. He can’t wait to marry you. Whatever’s going on, it’s not that he wants to back out of the marriage.”
She cried for a few minutes, and I smiled as she calmed. Maybe my dear friend was having a case of nerves herself?
Amelie backed away and grabbed a tissue from the ever-present box on my desk, dabbing her eyes. I hated to see her cry. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes. Just see if you can help him, and you don’t have to tell me what’s going on unless you feel like I should know.”
That was Amelie-speak for “tell me what’s going on.” I laughed. “Yes, ma’am. Have you heard from Lake?”
“No, but I’m sure she’ll reach out if there’s any reason to worry.”
I kissed her cheek and headed out the front door to the garage. I hopped into my SUV and drove to Sacramento to The Mystical Palm, hoping I could help my friend figure out his visions.
When did life get so complicated?
Chapter Two
Dash
Simp stood next to me, wearing tinted safety glasses. “What the fuck are you trying to do, brother?”
I tilted the welding hood back to stare at him. I had a few yards of pipe I was using in a feeble attempt at creating handlebars like I’d seen on the hellhound’s bike the last time I was in Hades. Even though I’d made no progress at all, I couldn’t let the idea go.
“I’m trying to make a set of custom handlebars for my Knucklehead. I saw some recently that I liked, and I’m trying to see if I can recreate them. You know anything about cutting pipe to form a skull?”
“I do.” Simp and I glanced over our shoulders to see Brokorol followed by Er’on.
“Hey, Brok.” I stepped over to the president of the Hellhounds MC and bumped fists, bowing my head to Er’on, knowing they didn’t seem comfortable being touched.
“What are you trying to do, sir?” Er’on was about four feet tall with short brown hair and large blue eyes. I couldn’t begin to guess if there was anything between Brok and them other than their shared loyalty to Beelzebub.
Simp walked away and went back to work as I glanced at Er’on. “I’m trying to copy something like Brok has for his handlebars and front fork. It’s damn cool and I want something with a similar vibe."
Brokorol laughed. “If you’ll allow me to sketch it out, maybe we can find something to suit you better than a dog’s skull.”
Er’on pulled a sketchbook from the backpack they were wearing and handed it to Brok, along with a Kohl pencil. Brok knelt, glancing at me for a moment before dragging the pencil over the paper.
Quinn walked over to where we were standing and stared at me. “What’s going on?”
“Quinn, let me introduce you to some incredible friends. Quinn, this is Brokorol and his friend Er’on. Friends, this is Quinn Cruz, Lily’s fiancé.”
“It’s exciting to meet you, sir. We have much respect for Mistress Lilith. We’re happy to offer our assistance in any way we can.”
Quinn stared at me. “Who are they?”
“Friends. Be nice.” Quinn nodded and stepped away.
Brok stepped closer and showed me the sketch. “We were told to be here to support you. Prince Beelzebub wants you to persevere, so we are here to look after you and alert him whenthe fight begins. It’s believed it will be soon, and he doesn’t want to miss it.”
I exhaled a heavy breath. “Thank you. I guess all the princes are adhering to Lucifer’s mandate that they’re forbidden to fight with us.”
Brok chuckled. “Yes, I’ve been told they are, but you’ve met Prince Beelzebub, sir. He’s not one to be told what to do, even by his father. I won’t speculate on his thoughts, but I won’t be surprised to see him on the battlefield with us.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. So, any news from down under?”
Er’on stared at Brok, who nodded. “Yes. Things are advancing. You should check in with your husband.”
“Okay. Why?”
