Page 40

Story: Kiss of Death

“This isn’t the time.” My voice is quiet as Wren buries her head in my back. “We’re planning a war, for fuck’s sake. Plus, you’re overwhelming her. Can’t you see that?”

All three of their faces fall as they take a step backward, then another and another.

“We’re sorry, Wren.” Gael ducks his head. “We didn’t mean to overwhelm you.”

Wren moves to stand beside me, grabbing my hand. “I know you didn’t, but I’m just not…I’m not ready for this.”

Riggs grunts but nods his head. “We understand.”

“Will you still sit with us?” Octavius asks, hope filling his voice.

Wren stiffens beside me before giving them a nod. “Yes, but I don’t want to hear any more talk about mates.”

The three of them agree before turning away and joining my men. I lift my brows as I turn to my sister.

“Do you have something you want to share with me?”

“No.” She ducks her head, her cheeks burning brighter. “At least not yet. We have more important things to focus on.”

I hum. “I’m not sure I agree that they’re more important, but I get your point. I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”

She nods, looking uncomfortable as I lead her toward my friends. I come to a stop when I realize they’re not alone.

Celeste is speaking with Charon, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder as her green eyes sparkle. She’s nearly as tall as him. He’s only about two inches taller than her six-foot figure, and if I’m not mistaken, she’s flirting with him.

Celeste is flirting with the ferryman? How? Why?

I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around that, so I’m not going to try. At least not right now.

As if my mind wasn’t just blown by the fact that the three horsemen think they’re mysister’s mate. I don’t have the spoons to deal with any of this, considering what we’re meeting about.

My eyes find Diana’s blonde head, and I’m not surprised to see her with Melody and Warren. While I haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with the couple currently dating one of my besties, I really like them so far. They both look at Diana with hearts in their eyes, and there’s nothing more I could want for her.

They’re also gorgeous.

Melody with her beautiful terra-cotta skin, light brown braids cascading down her back, long legs, and soft curves. Warren’s bronzed skin shows off his Hispanic ancestry, along with his black hair and pale blue eyes. The three of them together are striking.

Except it’s not just the three of them. They’re speaking with Nyx and Erebus, both of whom keep reaching out to touch the trio.

Seriously? What the hell is going on around here?

I’m all for my friends and family finding love, but I wasn’t prepared for any of this. I know I’ve been dealing with my own shit, but shouldn’t I have seen this coming? There’s no way any of them are this comfortable if this was brand new.

“Sorry, I’m late again.” Lucifer’s voice pulls my gaze off my friends. He and my mom are standing at the head of the table. “Why don’t we have a seat and get this meeting started?”

I’ve never been more grateful for Lucifer popping in out of nowhere before.

I hurriedly take a seat, dragging Wren to sit beside me, but she pulls away with a shake of her head. “I promised Octavius I would sit with them.”

Before I can argue, she’s already darting around the table to take the seat Riggs is holding for her. I kind of thought she was just saying that so they’d leave her alone. Then again, Wren’s never been like that.

Brenden and Wraith sit on either side of me, my other mates filling in the seats around them as everyone sits. When Celeste and Diana wave at me, I quickly return them. I think we’re going to need to have a girl’s day soon so they can fill me in on what’s going on with their lives. I’ll bring Wren along, as the three of them get along well. Maybe Melody can join us as well.

“So why are you arriving so late, Lucifer?” Cerberus asks, leaning back in his chair.

“Ana and I were getting a forge set up for her. She believes she can provide weapons for theupcoming battle. In fact, I’ll let her talk about that now.”

Lucifer sits down, leaving my mom standing beside him. She looks around the table awkwardly before filling us in on her plans. Like my grandfather—it’s so weird to say that after growing up thinking Mom and Wren were the only family I have—Mom has the ability to create magical weapons. She believes with Hecate’s help, she can make the weapons strong enough to kill angels.