21. Rylan

Iwatched as Evangeline stretched and rolled over on her lounge chair. We had planned to check out Zabiza’s base, but Lucifer texted me and asked us to meet him at hEll in a couple of hours, so instead, we were taking advantage of our deck for some sunbathing. Well, Evangeline was sunbathing. We sat in the shade watching her, hoping the strings keeping her bikini on might come undone.

It felt nice to spend time together without an agenda. I woke up this morning tangled in bed with my pack, and for the first time in my life, I felt completely content and at ease. Sure, we had a fight ahead of us, but everything was perfect for just a little pocket of time. I wasn’t sure when I had the guys follow me into Evangeline’s bedroom last night that she would accept us in her bed. We were mated, but she was still entitled to her privacy, and if she had pushed the issue, we would have returned to our rooms. Thankfully, she didn’t.

Finding out Jett had been a virgin was an interesting development. I’d had my suspicions, but I honestly hadn’t paid much attention to what he got up to while I was bedding another woman. I’m a little envious that he can say the only woman he’s ever slept with is his mate, but the past doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters now is our mate and our future with her.

“As much as I hate to disrupt this lovely afternoon, you should probably start getting ready, Evangeline,” Kase said. “We’ll have to leave soon.”

Evangeline groaned but didn’t move. I loved everything about this woman, but her constant defiance might be one of my favorite things. It called to my dominant soul and made me want to put her in her place in the most pleasurable way possible. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to play right now.

“Come on, angel. Up,” I said. I walked over to her and swatted her delectable ass to get her moving.

Evangeline grumbled under her breath as she stood and stuck her tongue out at me. Such a brat. She went inside, and when Kase and Jett stood to follow her, I whistled to stop them. “She can get ready alone. If you two go up there, we won’t leave for hours. Sit.” I heard Evangeline giggle from inside when they returned to their seats with a huff.

“So what do you think Lucifer needs?” Jett asked.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “He may have learned something that might help us with Zabiza. It’s unusual for him to be quite so involved in a case, but given the circumstances, I understand.”

“Maybe he just wants an update on our progress face-to-face,” Kase suggested.

Perhaps, but there was a prick on the back of my neck that told me something else was going on. Something was coming, and even though I knew it had to do with Zabiza, I didn’t know what it was. For now, I was keeping my worries to myself.

Ten minutes later, Evangeline came back outside dressed in black leather pants and a purple and black corset. She pulled her lavender hair into a ponytail, proudly displaying her wings. “Alright, let’s go see Lucifer,” Evangeline sighed. She gave me a questioning look, sensing my worry. I winked at her, and she gave me a look to say that I wasn’t fooling her. We clasped hands and teleported to hEll.

Considering it was the middle of the afternoon, the club was busier than I expected. Lucifer saw us when we arrived and waved us to join him and Lilith in his VIP area. Instead of eyeing us hungrily, Lilith looked worried. She masked it well. Those who didn’t spend time with her wouldn’t pick up on it, but as Lucifer’s top pack, we saw her more than most. Kase shot me a worried look and moved closer to Evangeline as we pushed through the crowd. I nodded at him to confirm I felt the same way.

That was another reason I didn’t share my worries with my pack. If I always tell them how to feel, they will never develop their instincts and learn how to read a situation. It made me proud that Kase could quickly pick up on something wrong. Jett was still mostly oblivious, but he glanced at Kase and me, reading our body language, and moved closer to Evangeline as well. That was how he would learn, by picking up cues from us and acting accordingly.

“There’s my favorite pack and fallen angel,” Lucifer greeted when we reached him. “Thank you for coming. I’m afraid we don’t have long.”

“What’s going on, Luce?” I asked.

“He’s a big fucking idiot, is what’s going on,” Lilith huffed quietly.

“Darling, if I knew this was how I’d get you to show you cared, I might have offered myself up like this sooner,” Lucifer purred, prying Lilith’s hand from the arm of the chair she was gripping and kissing it. “I told you, everything is going to be fine. This is the best course for the least amount of casualties.”

“I don’t understand why you won’t just fight. You have an entire army in Hell ready to give their lives to protect you,” Lilith lamented. “Countless hounds are duty-bound to do the same. Instead, you’re putting all your faith into this child!” She gestured at Evangeline with the hand he wasn’t holding.

“Can someone explain what’s happening?” I growled, glancing at the clubbers below us.

“I’ve already explained why I’m doing this,” Lucifer replied, ignoring my question. “My armies won’t stop him. The only one who can is the death angel. I’d rather not lose unnecessary lives if possible. Besides, she will need that army to hold Zabiza’s at bay while she deals with him.” Lucifer directed his attention back to us. “I received word that Zabiza was coming for me. Likely, everyone in this club, besides those of us up here, is working with him. So, I decided to make it easy on him and turn myself over without a fight.”

“We can’t let you do that, Luce,” Kase argued.

“Good luck convincing him of that,” Lilith snorted.

“You can and you will. That’s an order,” Lucifer replied. “Evangeline, remember where I brought you. He’ll bring me there. Rylan, once I’m taken, rally the hounds. You’ll need their help. Evangeline can call on my army when it’s time.”

“But I still don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Evangeline said.

“You’ll figure it out,” Lucifer assured her. “Trust your instincts. Trust yourself. This is your destiny. You’re the most important being in the world right now. We’re all counting on you.”

“No pressure,” Evangeline muttered. I heard the familiar ding of her phone in her pocket and stiffened. I didn’t need to read the alert to know it would show Zabiza’s location as hEll; the entire club had gone silent moments before it went off.

“LUCIFER!” Zabiza shouted from below. “Your time as the ruler of Hell has ended.”

“Do not interfere,” Lucifer reminded us. He met Lilith’s eyes, and she nodded curtly.

“You better be right about this. If you die, I won’t be happy,” Lilith said.

Lucifer smiled broadly as he stood and bent down to kiss her. “Then I better not die. I couldn’t live with myself if I caused your unhappiness.”

We turned to watch Lucifer descend to the main floor, where Zabiza and his followers waited. The crowd jeered at him as he passed, but he ignored them, his eyes never leaving Zabiza’s. “Oh, Zabiza. Where did I go wrong with you? Did I not show you enough love and attention as a young demon?”

“As if I need anything from you,” Zabiza scoffed. “I’ve simply outgrown you, and this archaic world you and your counterpart have made. It’s time for a change—for our kind to stop living in the shadows with all of these rules.” He produced a pair of magicked handcuffs. “While I appreciate you coming without a fight, you’ll understand why I’m not taking any chances.”

“Of course,” Lucifer responded, holding out his hands. “We wouldn’t want anyone to see me overpower you when you’re staging such an ambitious coup.”

I chuckled at Lucifer’s jab. Zabiza wouldn’t risk retaliation and proving Lucifer right, so he had no choice but to ignore it. Zabiza’s eyes rose to where we were watching. “If it isn’t my little death squad. I have to say, I’m particularly thrilled that you are witnessing this. Perhaps now you’ll realize that your efforts to capture and kill me are futile. Have fun at laser tag?”

“Actually, it was quite an enjoyable impromptu date night,” Jett replied. “So, thanks for that.”

Zabiza’s eyes narrowed, his frustration bubbling just below the surface. “Good,” he replied curtly. “Everyone deserves a last hurrah. I suggest you run along and make as many memories as you can before you can’t.” He jerked on Lucifer’s cuffs and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, his followers leaving quickly. Within seconds, we were the only ones left in the club.

“He better be right about you,” Lilith said ominously before taking her leave as well.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Evangeline said, pinching her brow.

“Hey,” I said, pulling her into my arms. “You can do this. Lucifer wouldn’t have put all of his trust in you if you couldn’t.”

“What’s our first move, boss?” Jett asked.

I looked down at Evangeline, waiting for her first order.

“Fuck, that’s me, isn’t it,” she said.

“I’m afraid so, angel,” Kase replied.

“Ok, Rylan, gather the hounds. Lucifer said I could summon his army when it was time, so I won’t overthink that too much. I know where we need to go. I’m just not sure what will be waiting for us when we get there.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll conquer it together,” I assured her.

“Kase, you’re with me. We need to go to Hell. Jett, take Evangeline home, and don’t let anything happen to her. We’ll meet you there when we have the hounds mobilized,” I ordered. Kase and I kissed Evangeline one last time and waited until he had left with her before going to Hell. We had a world to save.