“Why would that offer me protection from Lysa?”
“By the laws of the universe you would be my mate,” Archan says. “It would give most people pause before they tried to use you.”
“That’s it?”
He smirks. “Not quite. The bond would offer a level of protection against being controlled by magic. I can’t account for everything, but most spells would bounce off you like a shield.”
“Huh, so being bonded to you is like being a mafia boss’s wife and immune to the shit people try to pull.”
“More or less,” he comments.
Zee drums his fingers against the table as I enter a stare off with Archan. “What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
Zee pauses and stares at Archan. I glance between them. What do they know that I don’t? Emi laughs. “Archan, either lay it all out now, or put a pin in it. Natia isn’t stupid enough to not ask for the fine print before entering a marriage that would last an eternity.”
I swing my head towards her. “You know?”
She nods. “Yes, but it isn’t for me to say.”
I blow the hair out of my face before studying Archan. “I love you. I want to share my life with you. But for this to work, you have to be honest with me. All in or all out.”
“How did honesty work out for us last time?” he asks.
“I’m not discussing this any further. I’ve apologized. I have given you my reasons. I’ve bared my soul to you. Until you can be completely honest, I will have to decline your offer of marriage.”
His nostrils flare. “Fine.”
I glare at him. Seriously? He was going to let me go to save his secrets. Glad I know where I stand. He reaches across the table and encompasses his hand in mine. “We will discuss this in private, where I will tell you everything. Until the stars fall down, I’m all in, Natia. Always all in for you.”
My heart swells and rolls like thunder in my chest. “Okay.”
Zac clears his throat. “Hate to break up this Hallmark movie moment, but we still need a plan to hunt Lawrence through the bowels of Hell, stop him from opening Tartarus, and stop Lysa from using Natia’s blood.”
I scratch my eyebrow as Lucifer pipes up. “My people are holding steadfast against Lawrence in the ninth level right now, but they are only defending. They don’t have the manpower to defeat him. We have the team right here needed to battle Lawrence.”
“He’s made it all that way already?” I ask.
Lucifer cuts a glance at Archan. “Lawrence has had months to go unchallenged.”
“Natia’s blood might not even be an issue,” Jed adds.
“If it becomes an issue, we can revisit your solution,” I say to Archan.
“And if he breaches Tartarus in the meantime?” Duncan asks.
All the gods grimace. “Then we’ll be needing a different plan,” Jed states.
I lean over the map and tap the first circle. “Okay, so how do we enter the first level?” I twist my head to the side to read the label. “Limbo?”
Lucifer grins. “You’ve already been there.”
My brow crinkles. “When?”
“Hell’s Hole is the first level of Hell. You walked the length of the tunnel needed to enter the second level.”
I shudder. “Fucking spiders and zombies.”
12
