Page 18 of King of Night

“Why are we here?”I ask as my feet hit the floor without making a sound.I’m in that weird astral projection, dream state that was always a little confusing.I thought Lucifer was summoning me to him, but it turned out to be the other way around, yet I hadn’t realized it at the time.

“The others have noticed Uriel’s gone missing,” Lucifer explains.“Now everyone is on the lookout for each other and want to activate what’s basically angelFind My Friends.”

“Will they find you?”I rush out, knowing what will happen to Lucifer if the others find him.It won’t end well.

“No.I’m cloaked.But my brother has to play the role of His Royal Holiness and act concerned.”

“Right,” I say.“So you’re saying I won’t be able to talk to him for a while.”

“Yep.”He makes a face.“Best not reach out at all.”

“Alona?”

“She’d be a safer bet, but you might want to avoid any of our kind.Two archangels have gone missing from this spot, Callista.”

I swallow hard, feeling my heart beat in my throat.My uncle hardly ever calls me my nickname, let alone my real name.Shit is all too real right now.

“What the hell happened out there?”I ask.“Someone sent you away on purpose.”

Lucifer chuckles.“What the hell,” he repeats.“Funny how that caught on.You know, I never did find out who coined that phrase.When hell freezes over…now that one I get.Because of hellfire and fire is hot and ice is cold.”He laughs again and I just stare, thinking he’s just as close to losing it as I am.He continues, “Right before the spell was cast, I was able to sense a demon.”

“We kind of maybe found it,” I start, slowly shaking my head.“Or at least the body it was possessing.Do you think—”

“A demon cast the spell to get rid of us?Yes.What I sensed was powerful.Old.One of the originals.”

A shiver goes down my spine.“Original like Paimon-original?”

“Not quite as powerful, though it did lead me to question something.Something I needed to warn you about.”

“That’s why you’re here.”

“Yup.”He takes another step forward, crossing through a beam of light shining through the window.For a split second, I can see the shadow of great wings behind him.“Paimon isn’t the only demon one could consider Hell’s royalty.”

“Right.”

“We closed the Gates when we trapped Paimon.Yet...”He holds out his hand and summons hellfire, just the way I did not that long ago.

“They’ve been opened, haven’t they?”

“Not quite.Though instead of something getting out, I think something else went in.”

“Why would a demon go to Hell like that?”

Lucifer closes his fist, putting out the fire.“To challenge Paimon.”

“Challenge?”

“Yes.You and I know there is no way for Paimon to sit on the throne without archangel blood.But if other demons think he’s found a way…”

“Then they’ll want to try to claim the throne as well.”

“Correct.Which means you need to be careful, dear niece.There are no rules when it comes to demonic warfare.Though I do know it can be a bit of a game of numbers, and the more demons one has beneath them, the better their chances of winning.And what better way to gain followers than to kill the almighty nephilim?”

* * *

Gasping, I sit up.My heart is racing and Lucifer’s words echo around me.

“Callie?”Lucas’s cold hand lands on my arm.“Are you all right?”

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