“I so wish I was there to see this,” Cayman’s voice came through the phone. “All of this sounds really hot, but it’s me time.”
“What in the Hell are you still doing on the phone?” I snapped.
“Living my life,” Cayman shot back. “Don’t judge me—”
Zayne disconnected the call, and I felt his wings lower behind me. “I wasn’t a part of this decision that brought you here. I’m sure we’re all going to regret it.”
“Probably.” Lucifer smirked.
“But Roth seems to think you can help us defeat Gabriel,” Zayne continued, his voice as thin as his patience. “If you’re here to do that, I don’t have a problem with you, but you come at her—”
“You’re going to hurt me?” Lucifer pouted. “Real bad? Make me go ouchie?”
“She’s going to hurt you real bad,” Zayne warned. “And I’m going to stand by and laugh as she does.”
“Just so you know, Zayne,” I said. “If we were alone and possibly not about to throw down with a naked Lucifer, I would so be all over you right now.”
“There’s always later,” Zayne told me. “And there will be a later.”
I smiled.
Lucifer eyed both of us for several moments, and then I swore he rolled his eyes. “Love,” he spat, the blue returning to his eyes. “How quaint. I hope you all are at least somewhat less sickening than these two.”
Sensing that the immediate threat of Lucifer stripping the skin from our bones had eased, I reined in my grace. Zayne’s wings were still out, though, spread wide behind me. “Did you send demons after me?”
“What?” Roth demanded.
“Ghouls and an Upper Level demon came for Trinity,” Zayne answered. “They’re dead now.”
“That’s a shame,” Lucifer murmured in possibly the most disingenuous tone imaginable. “I learned of what Gabriel planned before my latest and greatest disappointment showed up.”
“Wow,” Roth muttered.
“Bael was acting sketchy for a while now,” Lucifer explained, and my brows lifted. Sketchy? “So, I got curious and put some feelers out. Didn’t take long to learn what the whiniest of all my brothers planned. I knew I had to do something to stop him.”
Surprise flickered through me. “You already wanted to stop Gabriel?” I glanced at Roth and Layla. “Before they even spoke to you.”
“You’re surprised?” Lucifer glanced back at them. “She thinks I wanted to help mankind, doesn’t she?”
“She doesn’t know you like I do,” Roth replied.
“How cute.” Lucifer laughed as he refocused on me. “Make no mistake, I don’t give a flying shit about mankind or Heaven, but there are rules. Agreements. Ones that even I follow. What Gabriel plans to do upsets the balance, and that is one of two things I cannot allow.”
“What is the other thing?” I asked even though I knew I probably shouldn’t have.
“Bael or Gabriel upstaging him,” Layla supplied.
“True,” Lucifer confirmed, and my eyebrows rose. “I’m the biggest badass, something Gabriel needs to be reminded of apparently. He is not who others should fear and pray for protection against. That’s me. My job. And just like the greatest television show of all time, Highlander, there can only be one.”
I blinked once and then twice. “You know of the show Highlander?”
Lucifer looked at me like I was half-stupid as Roth said, “Every so often, a stray iPad makes it to Hell and has some movie or TV shows downloaded on it. One of them had Highlander.”
“Have you seen the movie?” I asked.
“There’s a movie?” Lucifer’s eyes widened with interest.
“A couple actually. Six or seven, I think?” I answered.
“I don’t think now is the time to talk about Highlander,” Zayne said, and the look Lucifer shot him would’ve sent most running. Zayne simply cocked an eyebrow. “Why did you send those demons after Trinity?”
“Because logic? Duh?”
The devil did not just say the word duh. I refused to accept that I had heard that.
“I figured that I’d be helpful and save Heaven from its own creations and ignorance by removing the key component of what Gabriel needs to complete his rather clever plan.”
“Unfortunately, I’m that key component,” I stated.
“Unfortunately for you, that is.” Lucifer tilted his head again. “Removing you from the equation seemed like the easiest and quickest method of solving this issue. You can’t disagree with that. Everyone should be thanking me.”
“I can one hundred percent disagree,” Zayne bit out.
Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. “With you out of the picture, problem solved. It’s nothing personal.”
“Sorry but it feels sort of personal.” I kept my gaze fixed on Lucifer.
“Wasn’t like I was going to kill you,” Lucifer said. “They were only going to bring you to me.”
“What he’s failing to mention is that without demonic blood, you wouldn’t have survived very long in Hell,” Roth clarified.
I crossed my arms as I stared at Lucifer.
Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Way to throw me under the bus and back up, son.”
“Wait. He’s your father?” I asked. Did that mean I was also related to Roth?
“Not in the sense you’re thinking,” Roth said. “He created me.”
“Does that not make me your father? As it makes God mine?” Lucifer challenged. “I’m just a more hands-on parent. Unlike You-Know-Who.”
Roth shook his head. “Not this conversation again. Please.”
“Now that you’re here, have your plans to remove Trinity from the equation changed?” Zayne pulled us all back on track. Again. And man, it was nice to have him around to do that. “Because the last thing we need to be worried about is demons trying to retrieve her for you.”
“I won’t send any more after her.” Lucifer turned to me. “Unless we somehow fail in stopping Gabriel. Then all bets are off.”
Zayne opened his mouth, but I held up my hand. “Agreed.”
His head shot toward me. “We do not agree with that.”
“I just did.” I spared him a brief glance. “Look, if all of us combined can’t stop Gabriel, then there is no other option. It’s as simple as that. We can’t allow him to open the portal. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”