Chapter Nine

Aamon

From the throne, I see the torment marring Thorne's face. He hasn't looked away from me, but through our thrumming bond, I can sense his new fear. The pain in my chest intensifies, and my breath catches at the lengths of deception I've forced myself to go to. I know this farce is born of pure and unadulterated love for his humanity. As a Goetia, I shouldn't have such strong sentiments for a mortal man's soul. I can't seem to shake the repulsion I feel at tarnishing Thorne's in any way.

Slowly, I shake the magical remnants of my spell from my fingertips. The two mortal souls, imps that I disguised with a glamour spell, are still here, lying on the ground beneath my feet, waiting for the crowd to disperse. Once I'm settled in the cold seat of my throne, I continue playing the magnanimous tyrant for the audience. "Now, as my final order of business, I command my highest officials to go to the mortal realm to wreak havoc in King Lucifer's name!"

The crowd erupts in cheers, and for the briefest moment, I feel as though everything will work according to plan.

Suddenly, a hush envelops the room, and I quickly realize the cause. The crowd parts slowly like the Red Sea as two figures waltz effortlessly between them. My heart hammers in my throat as it dawns on me that more than just my closest subjects have gathered here.

"In my name, surely it's not my birthday today, is it?"

Standing there is no one other than the king and his closest most trusted lover, Lilith. Luce in his current form appears no more frightening than any mortal might. Thick blond curls hug the corners of his cheeks, and he's clothed in a white Grecian chiton with gold and turquoise accent jewelry. Luce in this form presents as the perfectly chaste angelic being.

Beside him, the queen of Hell, Lilith, stands over six feet tall even without her stiletto heels. She exudes a regal quality and an air of superiority she doesn't bother to hide. Lilith is dressed in a high-waisted black leather pants suit. Her blouse has a deep V-neck so her supple breasts are available to the eye. She has short-cropped hair today, pinned behind one ear, and those harsh, icy eyes peer down her slender nose at me with disdain.

"Everyone out," she orders, snapping her fingers. "You have two minutes, or I will paint this room with your fucking guts."

My eyes instantly dart to Thorne, concern bubbling in my stomach, and anxiety building beneath my strong fa?ade. Once the command is given, Berkley descends the stairs without hesitation, ushering Thorne with care through the mass of bodies out into the hall. The two fake mortals who were nothing but viscera scurry from their places on the dais down the stairs like roaches in the light.

"Why are you here?" I ask as my false bravado melts away.

Luce pouts his lips in a fake, exaggerated manner. "You don't want to see us?"

No, I really don't wish to see them. I've known since Thorne stepped into Hell that eventually this time would come. I step off the throne, wiping away the remnants of fake blood with a wave of magic, and stand before them, utterly unamused. "Just tell me what you want, so I can be done with seeing you for the next few thousand years."

Lilith looks down at her nails before meeting my gaze with icy eyes.

"Aamon dear, please stop being so sassy with us. We did just see you behave quite out of character for our sweet little boy. We may need a drink to deal with the shock of it all." Her tone suggests she's merely toying with me. She has no intention of sharing a drink at all with me, or anything else for that matter.

"Just come out with it, please. I have other more pressing things to deal with than the two of you showing up here to taunt me," I snarl, crossing my arms defiantly over my chest.

Luce's smile creeps over his face disturbingly, making my skin crawl. "Well, the use of a glamour and your behavior, as well as the many, many whispers of a mortal living in your home, tell us everything we need to know, sweetums." His tone is saccharine, and he grabs hold of Lilith's hand, chuckling. "So, tell us when were you planning to ask for permission to have someone here?"

I begin to answer, my mouth parting, but it's immediately silenced by Lilith replying in my stead, "I think Aamon was going to hide things from us. After all the years we welcomed you into our life, you intended to keep secrets." She pauses, though she doesn't intend to let me answer. I know her game quite well. "It's a great thing that, as far as warlocks go, he's fairly useless; however, I think it may be in everyone's best interest if you allow Luce and me to meet him."

A snarl rises in the back of my throat, but I swallow it down, schooling my features to appear entirely void of emotion. "My warlock may be useless, but that is quite the way I like him. There is no need for you to meet him. He's leaving tomorrow."

"Really, that's so quick," Luce says, laughing. "If that's the case, then I suppose we have nothing to worry about. If I recall, the last mortal you allowed to come here maimed Lilith's favorite pet, and we were forced to kill it."

Lilith scowls, dropping Luce's hand before stepping toward me, pinning me with a stare that speaks of the injustice she feels she suffered. "I think we were quite clear that the next time you decided to do anything without our permission, we would be less than kind. So get rid of the warlock, and if we have to come back to tell you again, you'll wish we hadn't."

I know she means it. I will never forget the sound of Sinead's screams as Lilith and Luce ripped her arms from her torso and fed her limbs to Cerberus. "He will be gone tomorrow, I assure you."

"Okay, sweetums." Luce pats the side of Lilith's arm, exuding calm out of every pore. "Let's go. Aamon will be a good boy."

As they turn to leave, I don't miss the way Lilith says under her breath how she regrets having me in their triad because I am a soft, imbecilic birdbrain.

I truly do not miss being part of their life in any way, though now I must keep Thorne safe.

"Sir!" I hear suddenly once I'm at the enormous double doors. "Thorne is missing!"