My attention narrowed in on that word: Sanctum. “Astaroth also mentioned Abaddon was in my Sanctum. He desecrated it when he came for me the first time. What’s become of it since? What has Abaddon done?”
Lilith bit down on her bottom lip. “I hate to tell you, the place has been razed to the brimstone. There’s nothing left. He takes his audience there to boast about how he destroyed the one thing more precious to you than the Fallen.”
Though she’d never understood my infatuation with the place, she never begrudged it either. It was the closest thing I had to a piece of home after my fall, a garden unlike anything found among the known worlds. Hades had created it as a wedding gift to Persephone, preserving the most beautiful flowers that bloomed in those dark depths. The vast majority of them no longer existed in today’s Elysium Fields.
And now they didn’t exist at all.
But it was stupid to get worked up over fucking flowers. No matter how long the place had been my personal sanctuary. I rolled my hand at Lilith, urging her to continue.
“He told me you were bound in chains where you couldn’t interfere with his war anymore,” she said, wincing. “Then he gave me a choice: to serve at his side and help pull Heaven down, or be bound with you and serveunwillingly.”
My teeth ground together at the implication. Hell was home to many of the Fallen—with the exception of the Grigori, the watcher angels—and innumerous souls, but the demons that inhabited the place were Lilith’s creations. Her children, so to speak, though they weren’t birthed in the mortal sense. It sounded as if Abaddon had chained her and used her body to stock Hell’s army. Keeping her bound would ensure they remained in his control, as long as she was kept secluded far away from them.
“I’d rather not detail what he did.” She shuddered and curled her hands into fists. “The strongest demons, the ones he couldn’t control, were thrown into the pits with any Fallen who refused him.”
“The demon kings?” I asked. “Has he locked up more than just Asmodeus?”
She nodded, shifting uncomfortably. “Any who would’ve threatened his rule. Even the two who tried to stand by him. Abaddon, like you, was one of the original seven Archangels, so he knew the other Fallen couldn’t best him, but Beelzebub and Mammon… if the other demon kings had united under the flag Asmodeus had waved, perhaps none of them would be chained down there now.” She laid her hand on mine and I fought the urge to cringe away. “Your war would’ve ended already, and with me by your side, they would have stepped back into their roles for you.”
Her words felt like truth, but something inside screamed at me not to trust her. Maybe Loki’s parting words had stuck somewhere, maybe it was my own paranoia after Abaddon’s betrayal, but there were things I didn’t want her to know about. Certain plans. People.
Namely, Lexi.
I wasn’t sure why, but my gut told me to keep her existence out of it. I squeezed her hand gently, then released it back to her. She sighed heavily, turning frustrated eyes on me.
“Why do you reject me?”
Echoing her sigh, I stood and ran my hands through my hair. How could I explain without revealing Lexi? Without admitting I, the king of Hell, had fallen in love?
Love.
Had I really?
“There’s too much going on right now to allow such primitive desires to distract me.” That was the best I could do? “I’m just trying to take back my position. After that, I’ll do as I please, but not before.”
“Then let me help,” Lilith said, sliding to the edge of the bed. She didn’t approach, but I got the sense she wanted to. “Once I’m healed, let me go back in and be everything he thinks he wants from me. Let me help you from the inside.”
I turned toward her and leaned against the wall. “A double agent?” If what she said was true, Abaddon needed her. But he’d also be too suspicious to allow her enough freedom to be of use. “No, it’s too risky. Abaddon won’t take the bait, not if he’s locking people up left and right because he thinks theymightturn a blade on him.”
“Abaddon is stupid,” she spat, the venom in her voice unmistakable. “He’s too busy trying to keep the hellions in line. Besides, he needs me. He needs what I can give him if he plans to hold onto his power.”
Silence fell over us as I considered my options. After a few long seconds, I nodded. “I’ll think about it some more. But first, you need to heal, so focus on that before trying to jump into this war. We’ll discuss it again after that.”
She grinned, exposing canines that were slightly too long to be human. The look had my instincts yelling at me to put her down, but nothing she said had triggered my internal lie detector. There was something more going on, and I had no clue what it was. That didn’t sit well with me. Just as she started to cross the room toward me, I turned and left, folding space around me.
“Dammit!”
I wiggled my fingers in my ears as my living room materialized. I’d pretty much gotten used to the side effect over the years, but spending more time with Loki recently and seeing how effortlessly he could teleport made it more frustrating. There was, however, the small possibility that he would be able to teach Lexi, and then she’d be unstoppable. Demigods were lucky to inherit one of their parents’ gifts, if any, but Lexi was all power and I had yet to see her limits.
A minor surge in power announced Michael’s arrival. My brother appeared in the kitchen in cargo pants and a plain white t-shirt, and he gave me a tense smile. I was instantly on edge. That look never came with good news.
He nodded to me once. “Samael.”
Yeah, definitely not good.
“Something’s happened,” I guessed.
He stepped into the living room and collapsed on the couch looking more tired than I’d ever seen him. His arms rested on his knees, his hands hanging loosely. I sank down beside him, unsure about how to proceed.
