Page 167 of Wrath

She was staring at her as if her heart had just been shredded and she had no idea how to continue on.

Lilith turned towards me, her frown sharpening, and said, “I think I need to start at the beginning. But let me tell you one thing—I never meant for this to happen. I’m so, so sorry.”

SIXTY-THREE

Z

“Explain,” Dair snarled, his tone severe.

Lilith gave him a passing look, her expression unreadable, before refocusing on me.

“I know Aaliyah shared with you the truth of your first life.” She stepped forward, her black hair swishing behind her like a midnight-colored cloak.

It was strange to see her dressed as Davia—in fighting leathers and armor. The clothing looked slightly too small, as if it hadn’t changed to fit her new body.

“That we were the product of a deal made with the angels,” I recited mechanically. “I stayed with my…with Gabriel in heaven. Aaliyah remained with you in hell. I fell in love with your top warriors, and my father had me killed. Aaliyah went insane, murdered her own mates, and then was locked away.”

Lilith’s hands curled into white-knuckled fists. “I didn’t know what your father planned to do. I never would’ve…” She swallowed and lowered her gaze to the ground. “I might not have been the best mother, but I would’ve stopped it if I had known. I swear to you. By the time I figured out what had happened, itwas too late. You and your mates were dead, the humans had transformed into nightmares, and Aaliyah was to stand trial for her crimes.” The muscles along her jaw rippled. “I tried to make Aaliyah see reason, but she was inconsolable. I knew then that she was a danger to not only herself, but to everyone on earth. I had no choice but to lock her away.”

“You had a choice,” I whispered, my gaze unwittingly dropping to Aaliyah’s dead body. A fire lit in my sternum, and tears pricked the backs of my eyes. “You made the wrong one.”

“If I hadn’t locked her away, the world as we know it would’ve ceased to exist. You don’t understand how angry she was. She wanted someone to blame for what happened to you, and since she was no longer able to access heaven, she blamed everyone else instead.”

Lilith’s words made sense, yet I couldn’t help but wonder how different Aaliyah would’ve been if she’d received the one thing she craved above all else—love. That was all she wanted. Then again, she murdered her mates, the seven men fated to love her unconditionally and irrevocably.

Maybe there was no saving someone so corrupted by darkness and sin.

“You have to understand that I’ve never hated you, Z. Never. We chose to have you live with your father in heaven because of the traits you possessed. It took me way too long to realize there was immense strength in softness. I should’ve fought harder to have you stay with me and your sister, but I was afraid the darkness of hell would ruin you, the way it did her.

“I eventually made a deal with the powers that be. The king of hell, so to speak,” Lilith continued, and my heart pounded erratically in my chest.

“The king of hell?” I breathed.

“Yes.” A soft smile danced across Lilith’s face briefly before fading. “Otherwise known as your grandfather.”

I sucked in a sharp gasp, and I wasn’t the only one. All of my mates had gone rigid around me, processing this information.

“My father knew that I mourned you, so he offered me a deal.” A wry, self-deprecating laugh escaped her. “He always wanted me to rule at his side, but I refused. That wasn’t the life I wanted. But then he promised me the one thing I desired more than my freedom—you.”

Her eyes turned tender when they landed on me. “He would reincarnate you and your mates if I agreed to rule beside him. However, the bastard didn’t bother to tell mewhenhe would reincarnate you. I suppose I have myself to blame for not clarifying.”

Lilith swallowed yet again and lowered her gaze to Aaliyah. “He waited until Aaliyah had freed herself from the pit I imprisoned her in. I think he knew that you were the only one capable of stopping her. Believe it or not, my father cares about this world and the nightmares in it. The Seven Deadly Sins may have created them, but my father could have wiped them out in seconds if he desired to. I think a part of him liked having sin run rampant.”

Her lips twitched microscopically before smoothing out. “When you were born, I begged my father to let me look after you, at least for a little bit. Surprisingly, he agreed.

“You were a young orphan when I first saw you, but I recognized your face instantly. You may not have been born from me in this life, but you were my child. You had just lost your parents, but I knew I couldn’t interfere in your life. That was another deal I made with my father.” She scowled briefly before refocusing on me, her eyes softening. “You couldn’t know who or what I was, so I had to get creative.”

Then, to my utter surprise, her features morphed once more. Gray, wispy hair rose on the top of her head, and a beard dustedher jawline. Her limbs became craggy, though her eyes looked sharp and intelligent.

“A?” I asked in disbelief, staring at the father figure who’d adopted me as a child. Who’d trained me. Who’d taught me everything I knew.

This couldn’t be possible.

This couldn’t be fucking possible.

I blinked, and Lilith replaced the man I’d considered a father for years.

“The real A died a week before I found you,” Lilith confessed. “So I took his form. You see, demons can morph into any living being, but only for a short period of time. Angels, on the other hand, can possess creatures. It’s one of the many things that sets us apart from each other.”

---