“I didn’t see anything relating to the horsewomen, not that I know of. He kept saying I was made for him, but that’s not news. Auntie Lilith, you knew that from the start.”
I had a momentary freak-out at just how intimately my aunt had known the newest of my mates and then immediately shoved the realization away. Whatever happened well over a millennium ago was none of my business. And I certainly wasn’t ready to address the Lucifer-shaped matebond in my chest.
Lilith waved a dismissive hand. “That was entire lifetimes ago. Whatever I once knew is hardly relevant now.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, racking my brain for something useful. Eventually I shook my head and shrugged. “I’m sorry, Iwish I had a smoking gun, but all he wanted to talk about was how misunderstood he was. He was too focused on trying to get me to fall for him so that I’d help him make his antichrist.”
“Since when does babymaking require love? It’s biology.”
Moira wasn’t wrong.
“It was important to him that I wanted him as much as he wanted me. He... it sounds naive, but I think hewantsto be loved.”
Chaos stepped into my line of sight, possessive anger flashing in his eyes. “He can’t have you, Red.”
Fuck this was going to get messy when he found out just how wrong he was. Nothing in me was looking forward to that conversation. I’d only just gotten them back, the last thing I wanted was a new reason for them to throw me away. Especially when it was entirely out of my control.
Stupid Pandora.
“So where does this leave us? She doesn’t have any information. We can’t find my mate or his son. What are we supposed to do?” Kingston asked.
“It’s not just Sunday and Pan they wanted,” Caleb said. “They’re collecting their children.”
“That means Dahlia,” Hades murmured, mostly to himself.
“And you, Asher,” Kai added.
Gabriel made a soft sound in his throat. “They may not be after him since they already have Pan. But they certainly need Dahlia and Merri if they want a full set.”
“Over my dead body,” Chaos snarled, going full War and making the entire room tremble as his power arced through it.
“Easy tiger,” Hades murmured. “My pregnant mate is just as much of a target as yours, but bringing this realm down on our heads isn’t going to keep either of them safe.”
Grim’s hold on my neck tightened and I caught his shocked inhale. Something about Hades’s words had set him off, but I wasn’t certain what exactly had done it.
“What do we do about Lucifer?” Thorne asked.
“There is nothing we can do. Not until he shows his face. He’ll be down for a while yet, hopefully. Merri drained him in order to escape.” Grim’s words were tight, preoccupied. Never a good sign when it came to him.
“So we protect the two remaining children. Keep them out of the hands of their mothers,” Alek said, tension lacing each and every syllable. His energy was so erratic it made me think of bombs with their countdowns nearing the end.
“It’s not enough,” Hades said.
“It’s all we can do at the moment. Until something changes, we are hamstrung. Protecting them has to remain our number one priority. If the horsewomen want them, then we have to ensure they do not get them. It may be our last chance of surviving this war.” Evander got to his feet and adjusted his cufflinks.
“And what about Sunday and Pan?” Caleb asked.
“We hope Pan realizes he has power enough to help keep Sunday and the baby safe.”
Gabriel huffed in something like amusement. “Pan has more power than his captors realize. If he taps into it, he might do the hard work for us.”
Asher gave him a droll look. “When do things ever go our way? We might as well start wishing on falling stars and throwing pennies in wells.”
“I have an idea, or at least the makings of one,” Moira said, her focus turned inward. “The locator spells haven’t worked, but what if we try to get ahold of Pan a different way?”
“Get ahold of him for what?” Malice asked.
“To let him know what he really is so he can tap into his power. Kingston pointed out that he’s limited by his beliefs and there’s nothing in his current situation that is likely to change that other than the truth. If we had a way to contact him, we could fill him in and see if he can’t make a jailbreak on his own.”
