Page 96 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

Not trusting the god, I kept my gaze locked on him, waiting for whatever he planned next.

“She’s lying to you, Ivar,” Loki said with a raised, perfectly manicured eyebrow, before heading for the portal. “This is already progressing to a point of no return. My daughter is lucky I like chaos.”

“This was the work of a human she made a deal with and some demons who have mostly been eradicated,” I told him.

Though, I had no fucking clue why I was being so forthcoming with information. He must have sensed my unease because he chuckled.

“It’s one of my finer qualities, Ivar. You can’t lie to me,” he said with a shrug. That was news to me. Admittedly, I knew next to nothing about this god.

Heavy footfalls announced Kol’s arrival. I stepped back as he approached, allowing him into the conversation. I wasn’t usually so giving, but it was my own test of sorts, gauging the gargoyle’s loyalty.

If he didn’t put Harlow first, then he was no ally.

Loki looked him over with heat in his green eyes. He cocked one slender hip to the side and bit his knuckle as he watched.

“Oh, aren’t you a big thing.”

“Loki,” Kol said, bowing low enough his wings shattered a birdbath onto the sidewalk. He gave me a silent nod as he stood, acknowledging me with a calculated gaze.

I’d expected animosity, a war with the gargoyles like we’d had in the past, but this time they’d arisen among a war that already pegged us as allies.

Harlow united us, yes, but so did the rogue demons ready to throw caution to the wind. They were a risk to us all.

“Gargoyles, demons, and humans, oh my!” he teased before waving his hand in a sweeping motion over the courtyard and disappearing.

“What is he doing here?” Kol questioned, turning in a circle to see what was happening.

“Likely leaving us guessing and adding even more chaos to our lives,” I spit out before stalking forward, making sure the portal was still a small fissure. It looked the same, the fires of Hel still burning just under the surface.

“You can’t stop this, demon,” Kol warned.

Something he tried to remind me of every time we met. We were not friends, nor allies.

Not when he was trying to take what was mine.

He was also still somehow under the delusion that he was following Hel’s orders and he could trust her.

It would bite him in the ass soon enough.

“As far as ranks go, gargoyle, you don’t outrank me,” I reminded him. “Harlow decides for herself. If you think she wants a stone monstrosity, then you’re a fool.”

We both may work for Hel, following her orders, but Kol’s group had been added as a failsafe to Dark Haven while my demons had run these halls for years.

Hel had given Vane the power to upend everything we worked for, stood for, but I wouldn’t show a sliver of weakness to this gargoyle.

Despite their cockiness, the gargoyles were no better than we were. They were simply another of Hel’s little pets.

I hated that Dark Haven needed them. That I would need their help. However, that did not mean I’d bow to him. Kol could fuck off with that attitude, it would certainly not win any sympathy from Harlow.

He smirked before crouching down and launching himself into the air, heading for the roof where more of his gargoyles were standing vigil, a mixture of stone and creature, ensuring the demons didn’t overstep their bounds.

It served as a reminder that I’d lost control of my troops.

For now.

I’d get my demons back, even if it killed every other demon and gargoyle in the process.

Harlow

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