22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Iwalked over to the vault door and placed my hand on the stone. Magic hummed through it, vibrating against my fingertips. Lucifer and Iver were arguing behind me. They’d tried spells and incantations to try and open it, but nothing had worked. I closed my eyes and listened to the hum. I let myself feel the vibrations burst along my arms and then down my body to the tips of the toes. I pulled my own magic towards the surface and matched the hum of the door until I was totally in sync with it.

The sound of a lock clicking rang through the air and I opened my eyes to see the door start to swing open.

“You did it,” Lucifer whooped.

“That seemed easy,” I mused aloud.

Iver scoffed. “Have you ever thought that perhaps it’s the getting out that’s the hard part? You’re literally about to steal something.”

“Why do you always have to put a downer on things?” I asked as I crossed the threshold and into the vault.

He shrugged. “Just being realistic.”

Just being an asshat, my demon grumbled. I snorted and Iver narrowed his eyes at me. He really didn’t like that I could talk with my demon like this, which kind of made me curious. It would be interesting to spend some time with him to understand her a little better, but if I was so different to him, would he really be able to help.

Maybe you should give him a chance, she said.

“Pfft, you just want to closer to his demon.”

Maybe, she purred.

I rolled my eyes at her. That was never going to happen I thought as I strolled over to the information point. It was a little touch screen mounted on a stand in the middle of what seemed to be an entrance hall. The space was like a large dome with a high vaulted ceiling, and there were veins of gold running through the rock. It really was beautiful in here. I had never been in the vault before but then I’d never had a reason to enter it.

And now I was stealing something from it. Something that I knew nothing about, or what Mordecai wanted it for. Although, if I were to hazard a guess, I bet it was for something like killing Lucifer and ending the world.

I touched the information point and the screen burst to life showing a search function.

“Guess it’s like an archive,” I mused aloud before typing in the object I was looking for. The screen displayed a floor number, room and shelf location.

“Portal activated,” a voice boomed through the entrance hall. Runes appeared on the polished marble floor bathing the room in a soft glow.

“The lapis lunae?” Lucifer said from behind me. “That’s it?”

I went to answer him, but a sharp pain ripped through my insides causing my knees to buckle.

“That stupid fucking spell,” Lucifer grumbled as he caught my elbow and set me upright. “I know you can’t comment or anything, but the lapis lunae is just a small orb made entirely of moonstone. It’s used in lunar magic to enhance the power of the moon and it isn’t something I’d ever associate with Mordecai. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Iver asked, crossing the room to stand closer, his interest piqued.

Lucifer pulled his bottom lip in between is teeth in thought then grimaced. “When’s the next Blood Moon?”

“In five days,” I said quickly, wanting to know what was going through his mind.

“Shit. You can’t give it to him.”

“Why not?” I asked.

His hands gripped my shoulders and squeezed tightly. “Because if I’m right, he’s going to use you as a power source to fuel the rebirth of the Underworld during the next blood moon, thereby killing both you and me and destroying everything I’ve ever built.”

Iver scoffed. “Is that even possible?”

“It would take a lot of power. More than just Selene’s magic and the lapis lunae,” Lucifer said grimly. “But I don’t know where he would find that kind of power.”

“Oh, god,” I breathed. “The missing magic.”

“Of course,” Iver mused. “If he’s the one who’s been stealing the magic he could somehow be storing it in some kind artifact ready for when he needs it.”

“Missing magic?” Lucifer asked, a puzzled frown above his dark eyes.

“Rae managed to save a witch from being stolen by the mages and she said that witches and their magic were disappearing. Just vanishing into thin air.”

The frown above Lucifer’s eyes deepened. “And you think Mordecai is somehow behind this?”

“It would make sense,” I said, starting to pace the floor, adrenaline flooding my system as I worked out the rest of Mordecai’s plan. “Think about it. He’s the one that wants revenge on you, he needs a Hell of a lot of power to accomplish it. He has to be the one behind it all.”

“Except you’re forgetting one thing,” Lucifer said, his mouth turned down at the corners.

I came to a halt. “What?”

“That Mordecai doesn’t have the power to sever a person from their power.”

“Motherfucker,” Iver said as he shook his head in disbelief.

What was I missing here?

Lucifer’s face contorted with a rage I felt travel through our bond. It was visceral and burnt hot. “Only someone imbued with the power of righteousness can do that. And that means—”

I gasped, the penny finally dropping. “Someone Celestial.”