“The Lords don’t see us as a threat, because unless they directly threaten us, we stay out of their way,” Riley said.
“So it’s a coincidence that there was a Daemon?” Sythe said. “Un-fucking likely.”
“Unless you know where to look, we don’t exist,” Jax said. “So it’s a possibility they weren’t aware that the leader of The Guardians owned the place.”
“Which brings us back to Sam,” Axel said, body rigid with anger. “These Undead specifically targeted him, the question is why?”
“What do we know about his father?” Riley said.
“That he was supposed to be dead,” Lucifer said, leaning against the wall. “He was an Alpha over in Ireland, and from what I can remember his pack was made up of various predatory animals rather than just leopards.”
Jax grunted. “How do you know so much?”
“Because we’re friends you dickhead.” Lucifer’s voice was so cold it turned the room to ice. “I know that concept is strange to you.”
“Mixed packs are unusual, but not unheard of,” Titus said, trying to break the rising tension. “They’re usually more volatile.”
“Who gives a shit about his old pack,” Lucifer growled. “Where the fuck’s Alice? She should be here, she’ll be able to help.”
“Alice’s busy right now,” Riley said, the warning clear that it was the end of that conversation. “I’ll be the one to deal with her.”
Lucifer swore low beneath his breath. “She doesn’t know, does she?” His laugh echoed around them, a gloomy cackle. “She’s going to fucking explode.”
Riley clenched his jaw. “I thought it was best if she found out from me.”
“You’re a dead man,” Lucifer growled. “Did you really think keeping this information from her would help?”
“She’s my mate!” Riley barked, crashing his fist hard enough onto the table the wood cracked. “She’s out on a dangerous case. If I call her and tell her Sam’s been taken, what do you think she’ll do? Drop everything to rush back here and we have nothing to give her. Fucking nothing. Now, we need to figure out the connection between Sam’s father and the Undead, that’s what’s important right now.”
Axel ignored the migraine growing behind his eyes at an alarming speed. “Lucy, do you recognise the Daemon?”
Lucifer clenched his jaw, red eyes glowing when they met Axel’s, only to shift over to the screen. “The CCTV’s shit.”
“You recognise him?” Riley said, standing from his chair.
Lucifer subtly stiffened. “Maybe. I can’t be sure.”
“You need to decide whether you’re one of us or not,” Xander said, crossing his arms as he remained in his seat. “You’ve made your point, not all Daemons are cruel, vindictive bastards. But he took one of ours.”
“Do you recognise him?” Axel asked once more, stepping into his view as he glared at Xander. “What about a summon?”
Lucifer gently shook his head. “We don’t share our true names, and it wasn’t like I was part of the inner circle when I lived down there. I was an outcast, just trying to survive.”
“Who. Is. He?” Axel prompted.
A heartbeat skipped before he answered. “He goes by Bishop, and he’s one of the Originals.”
“Originals?”
Lucifer laughed once more, the sound empty and hollow. “Surely you know the story? Of the first druids to accept the dark magic offered from the Fates? The nine that ascended called themselves the Originals. They’re the most powerful, having had a millennia, if not longer to learn the magic.”
“Nine?”
“Where do you think the nine circles of hell came from?” Lucifer said with a scowl. “Keep up, you should know this, it’s our history.”
Riley’s features hardened to granite. “What happened to the nine?”
“What do you think? They were bound to The Nether, just like every fucking Daemon. There’s always a cost for power. Three died at war with one another while four split into their own territories. Not sure what happened to them, and I don’t care. Two stayed with that fucking fallen angel, learning from him.”
