Page 58 of Inheritance
“What?” Drayven asked, his arm tightening around me.
“Yeah,” I nodded and then drew my hand over my face, “Man it has been a day—and that is not just blood. Oh man, that is really gross—” I stopped and shuddered.
Luce appeared and picked off the piece ofsomethingthat had been on my face, flicking it off. I offered him an appreciative smile.See?He was already on his best behavior, picking brains of the men he’d slaughtered off me. Oh man, I clearly needed some sleep or coffee.
When a weird surge of power pulsed through the space, I found myself immediately surrounded by all of my men. Luce stood in front of me, an almost annoyed sound coming from his throat that didn’t match the seriousness of the situation as the entire balcony shook and the wind picked up.
It howled loudly as I clutched onto his back, my other mates tightening around me. I could feel something changing, and it almost felt similar to when we went to Earth for souls—it was that same type of suctioning power, like a shifting of realms.
“What is going on?!” I called out.
“Unfortunately,” Luce bit out. “We seem to be having visitors.”
I moved up and to the side slightly, Luce tucking me against him when he noticed, as five beams of golden light shot down from the sky, the entire realm seeming to shake under the impact of it.
My eyes went wide as a massive form landed in a crouched position under the vibrancy of the first beam, followed by four other men, all of whom had massive wings…holy shit. It wasn’t just the wings, though. Each man was extraordinarily distinct, and it caused a churning feeling in my gut as I considered who exactly they might be.
The first was dressed in a simple linen shirt and pants, his golden skin and black hair seeming to radiate warmth and light. The staff he held seemed to vibrate the ground itself, and when his gaze met Luce’s, a smile that caused me to feel very protective filled his face. It wasn’t a nice smile.
The second winged man had a braid of white hair that was streaked with a faint, almost blue shade that matched his cloudy eyes and made me wonder if he could see or not. Yet, when he looked directly at us, a shiver ran over my skin, and it was all too clear that he could most definitely see us. A white smoke surrounded him and lent the entire space a dream-like quality.
The third man was dressed in completely black armor that matched his hair, which was cropped short. He carried no sword to match his armor, but I didn’t think he needed to—everything about his power radiated violence. I could practically sense the bloodlust under his skin, which had me pressing against Luce more. I didn’t like how they were all looking at him, and it had a growl bubbling up from my throat.
Which was something the fourth individual seemed to find hilarious. The man had an uncomfortable feeling to him. Wispy shadows seemed to surround him as he stood there in completely dark clothes, tattoos covering every visible inch of him. His red hair was pushed back from his face, and his black gaze was locked on me and Luce with animated expressions that contrasted his dark aura. I narrowed my eyes at the shadows, realizing they weren’t shadows…but souls.
Shit.That was not good, and I was a fucking Reaper, so if I was saying that…
“Lucifer.” The final voice drew all our attention, and my eyes widened. If I’d thought the other men were odd looking, it was nothing on this guy. It was almost as if he was refracting light, his icy skin and pale hair making him look like some sort of diamond as random colorful light patterns shimmered across his form, which was completely clothed in white. His eyes were filled with a changing spectrum of colors that made me almost feel sick to my stomach to look at.
I had no idea what it was about these guys, but they left me with a feeling of anger and sickness. It was possible it was because of what they were…something that was just becoming more apparent the longer I looked at that.
“Who the hell are they?” I demanded softly of Luce, wanting to confirm my suspicions.
“Seraphim” Adrien responded with a bite to his tone before Luce could add, “They are the other Seraphim I told you about. My brothers.”
Shit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Luce
If I hadn’t promised to already be on my best behavior…I probably would have torn Ama away from here—far away from any possible harm my brothers could cause. I felt rage boil under my skin as I tried to keep calm, not wanting to overreact and knowing there was a reason they were here—most likely an important one.
“I’m surprised you are all withholding yourheavenly light, brothers,” I drew out sarcastically, the disdain thick in my voice, especially since I knew they despised when I called them anything that reminded them of our common heritage. “I would have figured that you would enjoy flaunting your power and entitlement by blinding everyone here. You know, to remind them how lowly they are for being in my realm. To remind them how truly unfortunate they are.”
I wanted to hold my tongue against these bastards, but I couldn’t help myself. The anger and hurt I’d felt from their betrayal—when they’d chosen our creator against their own brother— still stung, even after this long. They had stood by and allowed me to be cast out of Heaven and never fucking blinked, as if they truly thought it was right and reasonable for me to be cast down beneath them. Fucking egotistical pricks. I hated them even breathing the same air as Ama, let alone looking at her.
It didn’t help that I had adrenaline pumping through every part of me, a remnant of the exhilaration from slaughtering so many who had wanted to hurt my mate, and then being reunited with my Little Temptress. The normal control of my emotions was absent, comparatively. Still, I would not hold back from letting them know exactly how I felt—they were inmyrealm, after all. I would not bow to them or cower.
“Now, now, Lucifer,” Raphael tutted, his tone as condescending as ever. When he pointed his staff towards me with a reprimanding look, I nearly surged forward and broke it. “It’s in your best interest to play nice right now.”Bastard.
Before I could open my mouth to let him know exactly where he could shove that damned staff, Ama tore free of my arms and marched right up to him, shoving her delicate fingers into his chest with absolutely no fear.
“No. You do not get to come intoourrealm and speak down toanyonehere, let alone him, and then to demand respect at the same time?! Fuck no. Just because you are from Heaven does not give you the right to act like anyone here is beneath you.”
Before her statement was finished, I had lifted my hands to create a dome around her other mates, who had surged forward to go to her, effectively trapping them from endangering themselves. They might have thought I was being a dick, but in reality, Ama wanted to keep them safe, and this was the only solution that allowed me to focus on my Little Temptress completely.
Although, I wouldn’t lie…it did give me a sick sense of satisfaction to hear them banging against the dome incessantly while cursing me. Perhaps Iwouldenjoy being around this group, considering the amusement they were already providing me. It was something I would think about after I decided if I wanted to turn Ama’s ass pink for putting herself in danger, or if I wanted to get on my knees and worship her for standing in the face of danger bravely. Probably the second, since it was absolutely intoxicating how my Little Temptress looked right now, angry and determined, her chin tipped up without any fear in her pink gaze.
