14. Diana

Sometimes I wondered about the merit of past Diana's decisions. It had been days since I returned home, and in the midst of training, multiple meetings with Lucifer, and keeping up with my family and friends at the compound, the guys have been going above and beyond to prove to me that they've changed–except Desmond.

Ares followed me everywhere, sticking to me like crazy glue as my personal security guard. He shadowed me at training, meals, meetings, and every moment in between. I drew the line at the bathroom when I caught him sitting on the counter while I was showering. Bash visited my dreams almost every night. Some nights he'd weave me a dreamscape of places I visited on my travels, and other nights he'd just be there in my consciousness, like a brain cuddle. Mal had nothing to apologize for, but he made sure to catch up with me every day, usually over dinner.

Azazel and Michael served as liaisons with heaven and many of our allies. Between keeping the lines of communication open with upstairs, searching for a way to revive my mom, and the special assignments I knew Lucifer gave him because of his Sight, I was surprised Zaz didn't drop from exhaustion. He constantly had something to do, often ending his days long after dinner was over. Despite how busy he was, he made a point to carve out time for me in his day somehow. He'd attend my training sessions or had breakfast with me. I slept alone more often than I used to for some personal space, but I knew he'd often check in on me when he came in because Bash always told me about it during our dream-dates.

Desmond acted like nothing happened, barely paying me the time of day. I got a hello here and a nod there, but he kept his distance. Sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, I thought he was staring at me. But when I'd check, he had his nose buried in his tablet. Maybe his words in my hospital suite were bullshit and after some time had passed, he realized that he didn't want to be with me anymore.

Maybe I was too much work, too much attitude. Desmond would probably appreciate a fresh start with someone new who he didn't have a history of ups and down with. Danny had always said I wasn't worth the trouble–and to a piece of shit like him, I wasn't. If Desmond felt the same way, I couldn't force him to care about me, nor did I want to. Chasing a man for affection wasn't dignified, and as a Morningstar, I had to have some kind of self-respect.

Shaking thoughts of the red headed demon out of my head, I focused instead on what I wanted to wear to my training session today. I picked thick black leggings, black combat boots with gold details, and a sheer black, off the shoulder band tee with a leopard print sports bra. Mal and Ares' rings were my accessories for the day, along with my mother's necklace. I knew I was dressing for comfort and range of motion, but I had to admit…knowing I'd drive the guys nuts with a peak of cat print was fun. They were easy as fuck to rile up.

I faded to the training room, right into the middle of a circus. Judas and Oisín were prowling around a wrestling ring that wasn't there yesterday evening, and Ares and Desmond were on the outer ring, on the other side of the ropes. It almost looked like a wrestling match straight out of a televised event, until Oisín levitated Judas and threw him across the room, right into the wall. The magically reinforced buffer cast around the perimeter sent him to the ground, flat on his face.

When he got up a wild cackle broke free from his smashed-in, bloody face.

"Good on you, you ginger goof. That was fun," he laughed as his face healed before my eyes. "Do it again?"

"No, I want to pick on Desmond now. Unless you're scared I'll choke you again?"

A look of pure rage flashed across Desmond"s face before he locked it back into its usual unaffected expression. He didn't acknowledge me when I sat in a chair by the side of the ring.

"Let's go, Cat-Boy," he quipped as Ares patted him on the back.

Des made the first move when he shot a ball of blue flames at my brother's head. Oisín blocked it, then to add insult to injury, he morphed into the ginger cat he had posed as for years and charged Desmond. He flung himself into Desmond's hair, catching the demon off guard as he scratched at his face.

"Come on, Desmond! Shake him off!" Ares shouted from the apron of the ring.

Sometimes you need to catch your opponent off guard,Bash mindlinked me from across the room. He faded into the seat next to me. Desmond was expecting Oisín to use his magic against him, not go for a physical attack. Just because immortals heal, doesn't mean we don't feel pain.

That was all too true, and I learned that the hard way from my dragon escapade on Mount Olympus. The more pain I felt, the more disoriented and chaotic my magic became.

Desmond flung Oisín off, sending him flying across the ring. In midair, he morphed into a crow, flying to a safe landing. He went back to his regular form before writhing on the ground. His screams echoed through the entire training facility, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. They gathered around the ring to watch.

I'm assuming Desmond used his emotional manipulation?I asked Bash. Ares was cheering, jumping up and down like a lunatic.

Yeah, probably. This isn't an evenly matched fight. Desmond is powerful, but your brother's magic is ancient and refined over thousands of years. Des has to hit him where it hurts and this kind of magic is Oisín's weakness.

O looked awful, and I hated seeing him in pain. The unspoken rule during a spar was to not interfere unless it was warranted. My brother wasn't tapping out, so I kept my distance on the sidelines and focused on what I could learn instead of his pain. After breaking free from Desmond's magic, he threw a fireball that encapsulated his opponent. He levitated him high off the ground, so everyone in the room had a front row seat to watch him struggle to find a way out.

Have your brother teach you that trick. The fire is burning the oxygen inside the bubble, and Desmond only has so much time until he runs out of air.

Hells bells, my brother was ruthless. Desmond somehow busted out, falling to the floor with a thud. He glanced at me, and I schooled my expression to look bored. It probably wasn't as good as when he did it, but I didn't want him thinking I was worried. He obviously didn't care anyway.

Oisín ended the fight when he somehow set Desmond on fire from the inside out. I had never seen Desmond tap out from a spar before this. He moved to the seat on my other side.

"Still the most powerful ginger on the compound, baby!" Oisín sang as he victory-danced across the ring, shimming his shoulder as he walked backward. "Who's next?!"

"Me!" I volunteered, not wanting to sit next to Desmond anymore.

"Sibling rivalry! Nice." Judas sat in my vacant seat. "This is going to be a show."

"Okay, baby sis, what are the rules? I'm not going to take it easy on you."

Little G, I'll be here if you need backup, even though you probably won't. Ares grinned at me as he flexed his biceps, and I giggled.

"Stop letting these second rate wannabes distract you."

"Tap out to stop." It was the only rule we had.

"Alright, give me your worst," he crouched, circling me in the ring. His green, feline eyes had an unhinged gleam that unnerved me, but I focused. Brother or not, he wouldn't hesitate to whoop my ass.

My red wings sprung from my back, carrying me into the air until I was close to the domed ceiling. Catch your opponent off guard… Oisín would expect me to use my fire–it was becoming a Morningstar signature between Lucifer, O, and me. Instead, I conjured ice cold water, flooding him in a torrential downpour. Swooping through the air, I morphed into a giant black bird and picked him up, dropping him into a bubble of water I conjured. I caught him so off guard that he couldn't free himself before I froze him.

That lasted for about ten seconds before the ice shattered around us, shards flying all over the training arena.

"You're getting better every day, but not quite good enough," he groused.

A burning, neon magical light slithered up my legs, binding me from head to toe and rendering me immobile. O levitated me into the air, feet up. The blood rushed to my head, making me feel queasy. Fuck, I think he found a weakness.

"Sis, you don't look good." His gruff voice rang out through the training arena, no doubt from a magical enhancement. I'd have to ask him how to do that eventually.

Think, Diana…

You need to bust through the bindings somehow. Change your size! Bash's distressed voice bounced through my mind.

I inhaled, praying that I didn't vomit, and morphed into a mouse, the smallest animal I could recall. The binding broke and had a moment of relief…until I saw a ginger cat with bright green eyes chasing after me. I scurried through the arena, diving under Bash's chair and casting a barrier spell to regroup.

A mouse? He mused. You set yourself up for this cat and mouse game, Birdie.

Ha, ha, ha,I snarked back.

Oisín pawed at the barrier, trying to rip it to shreds. My magic would only hold so long. If a cat chased a mouse, what chased a cat? Before I could second guess myself, I faded to the other side of the wrestling ring and morphed into a small dragon, about the size of an SUV. This time, I was slick black, with shiny scales. He morphed back to his human form, then faded after me, until we were feet apart. Before he made his next move, I unleashed a blaze of violet fire. It bent around him, leaving him completely unaffected.

I growled in frustration, switching tactics. If I could invade someone's mind using Bash's powers…couldn't I trick him into giving up using Desmond's? I swiped a taloned paw at Desmond, teleporting him over and sitting him on my back. His shock rendered him speechless, working in my favor. I dug deep in an effort to connect to his magic. He let me in, but tapping into his powers was insanely hard. My expertise wasn't in emotional manipulation, and by the time I finally had some semblance of control over Desmond's power, Oisín leveled me with a magical paralytic spell. My body immediately morphed back to its regular form, unable to hold the morph while magically impotent. Talking was difficult too, and I felt like a lead weight weighed my body down.

Desmond slid off my back, crouching next to me to check my pulse. You'll get better with more practice, dollface. Keep trying. He stroked my cheek with his thumb, giving me an oddly uncomfortable look. I'm going to head out. He left me there on the floor to go to a meeting.

Ares lifted me in his arms and sat me on his lap. His giant hand rubbed my back. "You held your own, LG. You're getting better every day and I know one day you'll have him cornered."

"You're powerful and cunning, you just need more experience. Once you're seasoned, I won't stand a chance," Oisín said as he took the seat next to us.

Eventually, the spell wore off, and I was able to train again. Each of the guys took some time with me to help me with a different area of magic. Zaz stopped by for a half hour and we flew through the compound. The soldiers I passed seemed happy, albeit surprised, to see me. I understood why Lucifer thought we needed a ball tomorrow. Morale wasn't a constant–it was hard won, and seeing me alive and well in action would put their worries to rest.

Aside from ourpost breakfast inner circle meeting, Lucifer gave me the day off to prepare for the ball. So generous, my father. I spent most of the day in bed with Ares and Mal, buddy reading Twisted In Obsession, a new book by our favorite author Aly Beck. Ares started reading later than Mal and I, so we heard all of his dramatic gasps and comments. By the time my alarm went off, we were deep into the plot, getting lost in the pages.

"I love mafia romance, do we have to stop?" Ares whined.

"Yes, we do." I sighed, trying to wriggle out from his bear cuddle. I have to get my hair and makeup done.

Despite how tender our situation was, I couldn't help but forgive Ares, little by little. He wore me down with his constant presence and support. He wrapped his arms and legs around me, and Mal scooched in on my other side, trapping me in the bed.

"But you could magic it on…" Mal suggested.

"Oh! You'd save so much time doing that," Ares agreed. "Then you can use some of the time to cuddle with us more!

"As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you both and keep reading, I promised Angie and Charlie I'd get ready with them. Family bonding is important," I explained. They both pouted, but Ares let me get out of bed.

"Is Charlie still ignoring Oisín?" Mal asked as he took my place in Ares' arms. He tucked the blanket over them all the way up to his chin.

"I don't talk to him about it. Oisín is my brother by blood, and Charlie has been there for me since we've been in diapers. He's beyond my best friend, as far as I'm concerned. I'm staying out of it."

They knew when to let things go, and after I packed a tote with all the essentials, I was ready to fade to Angie's barrack.

"I'll see you two later," I said, expecting a kiss. Instead, I found the two of them snuggling, reading without me.

"You're only getting goodbye kisses if you come back into bed to get them," Mal sing-songed.

"It's a trap…you're going to fall into our trap," Ares said in a hypnotically smooth, deep voice.

"In that case, I'll get them later at the ball. Bye gentlemen."

As I closed my bedroom door, I heard Ares tell Mal, "I'm about to do some ungentlemanly things to you, Maleficent. Put the book down."

Ugh, why did I make plans again?