His eyes narrowed into crinkled slits. “He allowed you to die.”
Rage swept over me. “He did not allow it. It was my fault! Gabriel wanted to meet after we formally renounced the betrothal. I thought nothing of it when he wanted to meet in the fucking Gardens.”
Surprise rippled through his expression. “Heluredyou in the Gardens?”
“I was unprepared for a battle. He ambushed us with a mini-army of archangels. We didn’t stand a chance.” My chin quivered as I blinked back hot tears. “The words he said to me, and the pain he inflicted…”
“Aziel should’ve been able—”
“Aziel did everything he could. You weren’t there! It was fucking impossible. I was dead the moment I trusted Gabriel.”
Dad’s lips pressed into a line as he nodded. “Titan has been overseeing the demons in his spare time, but they need structure again.”
My lip curled into a snarl.He hasn’t seen me in half of a millennium and that’s all he has to say?“I’ll see to it.”
“I know you will, but focus your energy on Viktor right now. He needs to be taken down.”
Tension hung thick between us.
I wasn’t sure how to act around him anymore. He was my father, and as a human, I thought of him fondly, craving the father-daughter connection humans put on a pedestal. But as a demon, we worked together as partners. I had a lot of respect for him, and he taught me a lot. But sometimes, he acted like he could control me, which was far from the truth. I had my job to do in Hell, and I did it better than he ever could.
“Viktor will be obliterated,” I said. “How did you reincarnate me?”
“The seers directed me.”
“Vague answer like always.” I stretched my legs out and hopped down from my throne, making my way toward the portal.
“Lilith?”
I paused as my palm rested on the crystal. “What?”
“It’s good to have you back.”
I huffed out a laugh, turning around to meet his calculated gaze. “It’s good to be back.”
FOUR
“Exactly what kind ofrelationshipdid you have with the sodding angel?” Blaise backed me into the clay wall of my bedroom, caging me in with his hands. The hot pulse of the blood within the walls thumped fast against my back.
I swallowed hard as I stared into his steel eyes. I forgot what he said because my thoughts wouldn’t line up. Every time I tried to align one, it tumbled down with the rest. Blaise fizzled my brain when he was this fucking close, and he damn well knew it.
“Answer me, Poppy.” His warm breath fanned over my face.
Heat trickled low in my abdomen, and my back arched into him. Our chests met. “Blaise, come on,” I whined. “Don’t tease.”
He shook his head, his face screwed up in a tortuous expression. “Tell me what happened between the two of you.”
My breath snagged hold on something in my chest, and the heat from Blaise’s touch iced over. Thinking about Gabriel really seemed to fuck with me.
Aziel placed a hand on Blaise’s shoulder. “Give her some space, and she’ll tell you. It’s a hell of a lot more complicated than you think.”
Blaise clenched his jaw but dropped his hands and backed up a couple of feet. “Lilith, I heard your thoughts in there.” He pointed toward the portal. “I know something fucking happened between you two that gutted you.Weneed to know so we can bloody well protect you!”
Anger sliced through the fog in my brain. “Gabriel fucking killed me! Itrustedthat bastard, and he took advantage of that to kill me!”
Thaddeus stiffened. Kai’s mouth slacked. Blaise gritted his teeth together. Aziel dropped to the bed, head in his hands.
Stupid fucking tears sprung to my eyes, and my nostrils burned as I blinked them away. My feet moved, and I paced back and forth in front of the portal. Anger faded, betrayal taking root in the depths of my soul.
