Page 26 of Reluctant Rebel

“I have no idea where he is. I have no idea what his ultimate plan is. And I don’t know when I’m going to reclaim the throne,” Mikhail replied, ticking each point off his fingers one at a time. Saying it out loud made him feel sick to his stomach. Was the past year and change truly for nothing?

“Start with what wedoknow. Not what wedon’t,” Jinx said, sitting forward. She winked at him. “It’s less depressing that way.”

Mikhail chuckled, appreciating her very much. “Okay. We know Zagan has been killing direct descendants of the Forefathers.”

“Right. And that’s significant. It would be useful to get a list of the descendants. That way, we could get ahead of Z instead of chasing his tail,” Jinx pointed out. “At the moment, you’re being informed after a death or mass murder occurs.”

“A list would definitely be helpful,” Brax agreed. He looked at Sabre. “Would Lucifer have those records?”

“Lucifer?” Mikhail questioned. “As in the King of Hell?”

“Oh, haven’t you met Sabre’s best friend?” Brax snarked.

“He’s not my best friend. I’m a killing machine. Killing machines don’thaveBFFs,” Sabre said, chin raised. Then she grinned and patted Brax on the cheek. “But I do love it when you get jealous.”

“I’m not jealous. I know who you belong to. I’m also not that insecure,” Brax vowed. “What I am is territorial,” he corrected, his lower canines showing.

Sabre rolled her eyes, but there was a twinkle in them. “Whatever you say.”

Brax grunted, muttering, “Well, I say Hell’s angel is too charming for his own good.”

Sabre smirked. “You think he’s charming?”

Mikhail cleared his throat, interrupting their banter. “As fascinating as this is, can we get back to the issue at hand? Do you think he can help?” He knew his father had been on good terms with Lucifer, but he was yet to have an opportunity to work with the Devil himself.

“He’s certainly helped in the past. And he did say he was around when the seven species were founded,” Sabre offered.“I’ll ask him. But he’s kind of in the midst of his own problems right now.”

This was the first time Mikhail was hearing about any issues in Hell. “What’s going on?"

“There's been an unprecedented influx of human souls entering Hell. Far more than usual," Draven revealed.

“How many more are we talking about?” Mikhail asked.

“According to Lucifer, the numbers have tripled in the last month alone,” Sabre replied, her brow furrowing. “He's having trouble processing them all. The infrastructure of Hell wasn't designed to handle such a sudden increase.”

Mikhail's eyes widened. “Tripled? That's concerning, to say the least. Any idea what's causing it? Major Earth events like natural disasters or wars, perhaps?”

Sabre shook her head. “No. That's the problem. Lucifer's at a loss. There’s also the matter of souls that are going to the wrong place—down instead of up.”

“So, souls that are supposed to go to Heaven are going to Hell instead?” Gage asked, his voice tinged with concern.

“Yep,” Sabre confirmed. “Lucifer suspects that someone or something is disrupting the natural balance and diverting souls to Hell.”

The sudden increase in souls entering Hell was certainly concerning. Someone was playing with the natural order of life and death. Mikhail would bet his left nut that his baby brother was behind it. He just wished he knew why.

“Could Z be killing all these humans?” Jinx asked into the silence. “What if they’re all descended from the very first human?”

Mikhail straightened, staring at Jinx. “You’re very smart.”

Jinx’s mouth quirked. “Surprised?”

“Grateful,” Mikhail corrected. He shared a look with Sabre and his brother. “Humans are the wheelhouse of Heaven andHell. Can you get Lucifer onto the human angle while you’re at it?”

“On it,” Sabre said, her thumbs moving at lightspeed as she texted. “Gage, how would you like a trip to Hell?”

Gage shrugged easily. “Sure. Why not? Luca’s a good guy.”

“Thanks. I’ll get Phaedra and Mercy to accompany you.” Sabre didn’t look up as she spoke, sending off message after message. “Mikhail, can you open a portal for them? No sense wasting time heading to one of the veils that open up near Luca’s house.”

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