21

DIANA

A s I dove for my fathers, I saw Michael’s body curled up on the ground. He wasn’t moving or responding to my mindlinks, but there was no blood around him. When I landed on the ground, I shifted to my real form immediately. Michael was breathing, but that did little to ease my mind.

MICHAEL! DAD! I shouted down our mindlink, beseeching the universe for him to answer me. My anxiety, fear, and rage magnified my magic, fueling it at an alarming rate.

Diana, don’t worry about me—find Red’s base. Track him, Michael whispered, his voice barely audible. Thank fuck he was well enough to give me that. But how did I use my magic to track him?

Judas, Michael is down. Please get him to a healer, stat. I trusted him enough to take care of my father in my absence.

Zaz, Michael told me to track Red to find his base, but I don’t know how. Help me! I was not letting Red hurt my fathers, and we weren’t going to miss this chance to find his army.

Red’s hand lit on fire, but I ripped his cloak off him as a distraction to buy myself some time. What I revealed was hideous to say the least. He looked even worse than the last time I saw him, as if he was being drained of life. His matching red uniform seemed a size too big, and I wondered how he could deteriorate so badly. Maybe he was dying…

Hopefully I'll get to finish the job today and end this shit show.

I felt Zaz land behind me through our soulbond before he mindlinked me.

Diana, take my hand and Red’s. You’re going to use my power to get a vision from him and find where his base is. Then you’re going to fade there.

That isn’t a huge ask, or anything. No pressure here.

I felt my magic teeming under my skin, trying to burst through to escape. Sometimes my magic acted on its own, and this seemed like one of those times to let it lose. I grabbed Red’s hand, then opened my mind and soul, unleashing the magical force inside me.

It hit like a tsunami, drowning everything in its path. Red light shot from where our skin touched, and a vision hit me instantly.

A sky with no sun, despite the light. There are no trees or grass, just dirt and wooden houses, with tents surrounding them. Soldiers train in camps to the right of the living quarters. Everything was plain and easily moveable. No icons or landscapes I could place.

I had never seen a place like that before. I tapped into my mindlinks with Ares and Zaz. Reach out and grab me. Touch me now, before I move!

I opted to leave Lucifer with Michael, not wanting them to be without each other. He had to protect Michael from Red—I’d be fine without him.

When I felt their hands on me, I kept the mental image of what I had seen, and let my body fade to the place in my vision. Fading had never been a great experience for me, even after my magic had improved. Sometimes it made me a little queasy, but this felt different. Like we were freefalling, moving through something more than just distance.

Are you time hopping? Zaz asked me, but it was garbled, as if he was talking under water.

I don’t think so. Time hopping felt as if the world around you was changing. This felt as if we were being pulled downward, then upward. Our bodies changed directions so many times, I couldn't keep track.

Just as I started to regret this decision, my body slammed onto the ground. I heard two thunks after me, and loud shouting. Zaz cast a shield around us, and I stood on shaky feet to see dozens of soldiers surrounding us.

But we were in the place from my vision, so that was a plus.

“That’s Diana Morningstar!” one of them shouted.

“Alert the camp!” another ordered.

Magic bombarded the shield from all sides, absorbing the hits. It held strong for now, but I didn’t want to test it. More soldiers joined in, running toward us from all directions. We didn’t seem to have much time to torch this place to the ground, and the longer we waited, the more company we had.

Expand your shield, and hop on, I linked both of them before morphing back into my dragon form. Thankfully the shield accommodated my larger size, and they acted quickly.

LG, torch them from the air with me. Feathers, gather as much intel with that big brain as you can to take home. Whatever you see, I can project and share, Ares said. His plan was solid, and went further than mine did. I never thought about gathering intel.

Taking off in one…two…three! I counted down. At three, I took flight. When the air was under my wings, I inhaled a deep breath and pushed out line after line of fire.

Nothing was safe from me. I burnt down buildings, tents, soldiers, and anything in my way. Ares’ signature boomerangs took out long distance targets.

This is fucking awesome! Ares screamed. This camp is falling like fucking dominos, LG.

I picked up speed, flying like a fucking bullet through the sky as I laid waste to everything and everyone. The screams and pleading of the soldiers on the ground meant nothing to me. The only thing I thought about was that vision. How I’d do anything to keep my men and family safe, even if it meant creating mass destruction.

A force slowed me down, until it stopped me completely. I was still in the air, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move forward. I didn’t see a wall or anything blocking me, but I did feel magic.

This is a ward. It’s keeping whatever is on the other side out. I say we turn around, get the stragglers, and head home, Ares suggested.

Despite how curious I was about what existed on the other side of the ward, I heeded his advice. We flew in a circle, heading back to where we fell. Every soldier here was either a corpse, or they escaped. All the tents and buildings were torched. The training camps were nothing but ash.

I opened my mind and soul again, willing my magic to take us back to the battle in LA. Hopefully everyone was okay without us. Traveling home was the same as our trip here. Everything went black, then it felt as if we were being shot through a black void, twisted and turned until we arrived right back inside Ares’ ring of fire.

It was empty. I took to the air, flying over the battle in search of Lucifer. The fighting was dying down, and only a few skirmishes remained. I didn’t see my father or Judas, but I found Bash and a unit of our soldiers on the ground with a few prisoners.

I landed in a cleared area next to him, and waited for the guys to dismount before I shifted back.

Is Michael okay? I asked him. Even though the prisoners were tied up, I didn’t trust them to stay that way. They could always escape and pass the information on.

Judas took him back to Pit 13 for medical care. Lucifer fought Red, until Red called his forces and retreated. FYI, Lucifer wants to see you ASAP. He’s mad at you. So am I. Desmond and Mal are with Morrigan, but I assume they’ll be mad too.

Fair. I left without informing everyone of the plan. But I had Ares and Zaz with me, and can explain everything when we’re together again. We have good news, I explained.

“Diana, I’m getting an angry-link from Lucifer,” Zaz rubbed his temples, like he did when he had a headache. “He said, and I quote, ‘If you don’t get your ass back home right now, I’ll come get you myself.’ I’m fading us back.”

Zaz’s fade was much smoother than mine. We arrived upright, in a hallway of the medical center back in Pit 13. My father was back in his human form with steam billowing from his ears. His jaw was clenched, and the healers were skittish, darting around frantically and giving him a wide berth.

“You have five seconds to start explaining what the fuck you thought you were doing!” he shouted. Everyone fell silent, and the only thing I heard was the beeping of medical equipment.

“Michael linked me to find Red’s base with a tracking spell, but I didn’t know how to do that. So I used Azazel’s magic, had a vision, and found it. Ares and I burnt the whole place and every soldier in it to the ground. Azazel gathered a ton of good intel,” I calmly stated.

A few months ago, I would have popped off and argued with him. But after almost losing my Nonna, one of my dads, and Angela, I understood the panic and anger he experienced. I didn’t blame him for his feelings or for yelling. Instead, I hugged him, squeezing as tight as possible.

I could count the amount of times I hugged Lucifer. Certainly not as much as I hugged Michael. That would change—time may not be infinite anymore, and we had to appreciate each other while we could. He squeezed me harder, then patted me on the back.

“So proud of you,” he rasped after pulling away. He gave Ares and Azazel a tight glare. “You’re both so lucky this dangerous, irresponsible mission ended well. Because if it didn’t, I’d end your immortal lives and stuff your fucking corpses for entryway decor.”

There ya go, he’s back to normal.

“I think I’d add an air of elegance to any space, but the only entryway I wanna decorate is your daughter’s, with my self-made decor,” Ares commented. I hoped he meant the actual entryway of our apartment and the body part decorations he had made, and not something lewd.

“You wouldn’t risk upsetting your daughter by killing her favorite boyfriends, get real,” Zaz snarked. “Come on, honey. Let’s go see Michael.”

I wasn’t sticking around to see them argue, so I followed Zaz into Michael’s room. He was sleeping in a hospital bed under a few fluffy blankets. Zaz took the clipboard off his door and flipped through the pages. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, hovering his hands up and down Michael’s body.

“He passed out on the battlefield, but not from an injury. His heart is still breaking. The pain is only going to get worse unless they can find a way to fix it,” he explained.

“Why is his heart broken and not his soul? How will the healers fix it?”

“His soul was broken, but it healed with time because souls are resilient. Michael and Lucifer had a romantic soulbond, so their hearts bonded too. Unfortunately, the only way to fix it would be to reunite them.”

“But they are back together.” Mom told me the three of them were taking things slowly, but they were in a relationship.

Zaz took my hand, pulling me in for a side hug. “Your dads need to reunite their soulbond. They each have a piece, but Michael is the one experiencing the pain because Lucifer broke the bond.”

“I’ve been begging him to soulbond with me again, but he won’t do it until he knows this is going to last,” Lucifer said from the doorway before walking in. His face was etched with worry and exhaustion. “He said he can’t go through the pain of it breaking a second time.”

“What if your bond can’t be mended?” Zaz asked. “No one has ever broken a soulbond before, so the whole situation is unprecedented.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to fix it,” Lucifer swore. And I believed him. My father wasn’t known for taking the easy way out. He was evil incarnate. The Father of Lies. The Prince of Darkness. But I saw the way he looked at Michael and Mom. I felt the love he had for them, me, and Oisín, even if he didn’t say it with words.

If anyone could fix this, it would be him.

Desmond and Ares came into the room, a message bubble in the latter’s hand. Feta trailed him, but as soon as he saw me, he sat by my feet. “I think you need to listen to this message I just got from Apollo.”

After Ares waved his hand over the bubble, Apollo’s smooth voice rang through the room, as if he were here with us.

The humans are scared and angry. Their news outlets are covering the wreckage in NYC and LA as a direct attack on humans. They don’t understand this is a war, with two very different sides. Lucifer needs to get on top of this before we’re made into a target.

My father sighed, running his hands through his hair. He seemed exhausted, and this was another thing for him to deal with in the midst of everything going on.

“I have a way to fix this,” Desmond said. Lucifer nodded for him to continue. “Poseidon said that the Council members were either going to join us or flee after we killed Tabatha. I’ve already reached out to those I know and one responded, but I didn’t get a chance to tell you before the attacks. He has connections with the human military and media. Let’s use his expertise.”

“It’s worth a try. If it doesn’t pan out, I can always handle things my way.” My father’s eyes darkened.

I couldn’t help but ask, “Which is…”

“Making a deal, of course. I’ve met many people in power over the centuries, Diana. I’m sure I’ll meet many more.”

A good deal opens doors, dollface, Desmond, ever the businessman, commented.

Michael stirred, turning to his side. Lucifer sat in the chair by his bed, his eyes never leaving him as he said, “If you’ll all excuse us.”

The four of us left, making our way to the lobby in silence. The implications of what my father suggested didn’t surprise me. Greed was the backbone of history. Humans would do anything for money, power, and to possess their greatest desires. And if preying on that greed would help us win the war and keep my family and men safe….then it had to be done.

We ran into Mom and Nonna in the lobby. Both women had red, puffy eyes, as if they’d been crying. I gave them a hug, holding onto them for a little longer than normal. Ares joined in, squeezing the three of us so tightly I heard my back pop.

“How does he look?” Mom asked.

“He’s resting. The pain was worse this time—he passed out in the middle of the battlefield. He’s having pain again,” Zaz explained.

A few tears slid down my Nonna’s face. She and Michael were close, and seeing him in pain must have gutted her. “I understand why he’s holding off…but he can’t keep doing this to himself. The pain will only get worse.”

“When he’s feeling better, I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry, babe. We’ll find a way.” I had gone years imagining my mother said those exact words to me during my darkest times. Hearing her say them now was a balm to my soul, a peace I didn’t know I needed.

“Hey! Quelier!” Ares shouted from across the lobby. My PA walked over to us, a smirk on his face.

“Hey Greek Daddy.” He hugged Mom and Nonna, and my grandma blushed like a schoolgirl. She was probably having the time of her life hugging all these hot, hunky supernatural men on the daily.

“I saw you kick some serious ass today. Your carbon copy trick is lethal,” Ares said. My mouth almost dropped. After all the bullshit that’s gone down between them, I couldn’t believe Ares complimented him.

“It’s a Fae power we learn as children. Passed down from generation to generation,” Q said.

“I can respect someone who is a warrior on the battlefield. I’m willing to tolerate you,” Ares said.

“And ruin all this fun we have pranking each other? I’ll think about it,” Q offered. “Diana, do you mind coming with me?”

“Sure. I’ll catch you all later.” I said my goodbyes to everyone but Ares because he insisted on coming with me. Apparently tolerating Q didn’t mean I could be alone with him in the healer’s ward.

“Oooh, you brought thunder cheeks? Cool. Well I hope you can keep a secret, big guy.” Q winked at Ares, who promptly frowned at him.

“I don’t keep secrets from the Boyfriend Brigade, so anything you do or say will be shared. Most likely over morning coffee, while we judge you. And I’m not that big,” he groused.

“Your muscles literally have muscles, and you’re a good four to five inches taller than I am. Your denial is cute, but we have more important things to talk about. I’ve been keeping an eye on Angela, and she really wants to see you.”

I felt so much happiness and guilt. With everything going on the past few weeks and the restriction on seeing her, I felt guilty about not seeing her. I was still excited to see her, though.

“OH MY GODS!” Ares shouted, his voice booming like thunder. A poor healer passing by startled so suddenly she almost tripped.

“Can you scream that louder? I don’t think the reserve soldiers running laps outside heard you,” Q snarked. “For fuck’s sake, my eardrums almost divorced my body.”

“You came into the emergency meeting with a wrinkled suit, and disheveled hair. Your lips were swollen! Judas got all growly at you! Because you’re fucking Angela!” he whisper-screamed.

“What?” I asked, unsure if I followed.

“No, I’d never take advantage of Angela in that state. I visit her daily because I’m courting her, which Diana was well aware of. Her connection to Judas changes nothing for me, whether she forgives him or not.” Q rolled his eyes at Ares. “She refuses to see or talk to him, even though I’ve been trying to get her to make up with him.”

“Yeah, he told me she shuts him out of her mind, and sends all his gifts back. My brother is after her too, you know?” Ares gives him a challenging tilt of his brow. “And Apollo never gives up.”

Quelier stands tall, smiling at Ares like a complete lunatic. “Neither do I. The more the merrier.”

“So when can I see her?” I ask him in an effort to stop this passive aggressive pissing match.

“I’m on my way to see her now. If it doesn’t work for you, we can schedule a time to go together. I rather you not be alone with her until she’s discharged. She still has some bloodlust, but it’s gotten better over the past week.”

“If we go now, I think Bash should come. He’s worried about your safety,” Ares suggested.

He was also mad at me, so maybe this would smooth things over.

Bash, please meet me in the healing ward. I’m going to see Angela, I linked him. If he didn’t show up in a few minutes, I could go without–

Bash faded into the hallway with a crack, still in his bloodied, ripped uniform. He snapped his fingers, cleaning himself off and changing into black jeans and a long sleeve gray henley.

“Why is he here?” Bash glared at Q, who antagonistically smiled at him.

“Because he’s trying to fuck Diana’s aunt. He’s been visiting her every day,” Ares chimed in.

“Please don’t talk about Angela like she’s a conquest. If you do that again, I’m dismissing you,” I promised him. I didn’t care if he had this compulsive urge to protect me. It didn’t give him the right to talk about her that way, even if it was a joke.

Ares looked like a kicked puppy. His shoulders hunched over, and he grasped my hand. “I’m sorry LG.”

I took my hand back and ignored him, tired of waiting to see her. “Lead the way, Q.”

We went up the elevator, back to the third floor. We took a right turn instead of going toward Michael’s unit, stopping when we reached a sealed door. Q put his hand on it, opening it for us.

“Your hand can open it too,” he explained. “Perks of being a Morningstar and her Fae PA,” he quipped.

There were two guards standing outside her door, both of them part of Judas’ inner circle. I had met them both a couple of times briefly, but forgot their names.

“Hello Quel,” the one guard said, beaming at my personal assistant. “Heard the battle in LA was a right bloodbath.

“It was crazy. I’ll tell you all about it on the way out. I have a surprise for Angela,” he said, gesturing at me.

“Miss Morningstar!” the other guard exclaimed. “It’s good to see you. The hivemind told us all about your dragon flying, and how you took out that giant lizard shifter with your bare hands!”

I mowed through so many enemy soldiers earlier, I didn’t really remember what he was talking about. But I smiled, and thanked him. It was awkward when someone complimented me like that, because I never knew what to say.

The other one picked up a cell phone, and after a few rings, I heard Angie’s voice on the line.

“Your favorite visitor brought you a surprise,” he said.

Favorite visitor? Maybe he has a better chance with her than I originally thought…

She squealed in delight, and we were admitted to a small chamber with a door on the other side. The door locked behind us.

“Let me go in first. Sometimes she gets a little…overexcited,” Q tried to explain.

I nodded, and felt Bash’s hard chest press behind me, with Ares bringing up the rear. My nerves ate away at me, and I wondered what she’d be like. Bash had warned me she wouldn’t be the same, but I hoped she was still my Ang. The woman who had been more of a sister than an aunt to me for my entire life.

Quelier opened the door, and stepped in. “Hey little?—”

A blur came rushing toward him, knocking him down before I could even open my mouth to warn him. Angela was on top of him, pinning him to the ground as she sank her teeth into his neck.

“Angela! You’re going to kill him!” I shrieked, struggling to get out of Bash’s grasp. Ares erected a shield around us, and I felt it pressing me back.

“No she won’t. Fae can replenish blood, so she can never drain me. She can have a drink whenever she wants,” Q explained as he rubbed the back of her head. “Angela, I brought visitors for you.”

She licked over his wounds, closing them instantly. When she saw me, she rushed at me, but bounced off Ares’ shield.

“Quel, oh my gods! You brought her! Diana! I missed you so much,” she cried, swiping some of Q’s blood off her face and popping her red finger into her mouth.

“I missed you too. You’re so fast! I barely saw you coming before you knocked Q over.”

“Let’s sit on the couch and catch up,” she said, leading me through her open concept space. She seemed like herself, if not a hungrier, faster version.

Her space wasn’t huge, but it was exactly what someone needed to recover. She had a bed, armoire, small sitting area with a television, and the door on the other side of the room must have been her bathroom. We both sat on the same couch, and Bash immediately put a shield between us.

“Stop it. We don’t need a shield,” I insisted.

“Yes you do. Some days are great, and others are…” she trailed off, gazing up at Q. “Bad. I’ve been having more good than bad days recently, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you. That’s why I asked Q to bring you. He can handle me when I’m feral.”

He smiled at her, and I saw the hearts in his eyes. He really adored her, and wasn’t put off by her struggles.

We caught up on everything. She described how her recovery was going so far, and I told her an abridged version of what our family was up to, the war efforts, and Michael’s medical condition. Ares told her about my training, and Bash had to ruin it all by bringing up the one person she didn’t want to talk about.

“I heard you’re not talking to Judas,” he commented.

“No, and I don’t see what that’s your business,” she flatly stated.

“Because he’s your sire. He’s supposed to be guiding you through your transition and helping you learn how to control yourself. Eventually, you’ll have to deal with him if you ever want to be able to function in the outside world,” he said, his tone harsh.

“Hey, you’re being a bit too rough right now, Bash. Talk about something else,” I firmly suggested. I knew exactly how Angie felt. When the guys captured me and faked my death, I felt trapped. If I could have avoided them, I would have.

“It’s the truth! It’s not safe to be around a newly created vampire if they aren’t getting guidance and training from their sire. I’m thinking of your safety, Birdie,” he pressed on, ignoring my suggestion.

I wasn’t dealing with him right now, I hadn’t seen my aunt in weeks, and I wanted to enjoy the little time I’d have with her. I tapped into my frustration, removing him from the room and imagining my magic dropping him off on the other side of Pit 13.

Ares cocked his head, as if he was listening to something. “You dropped him into the lake on the other side of the Pit. Nice,” he smirked, putting a new shield between us. “I’m sorry he’s such an asshole, Angela.”

“If it would make you feel more comfortable, I can be here while he visits,” Q offered.

“I don’t know, maybe…” she said.

I knew she and Judas had some issues before he turned her, but she never talked about them in depth. She just told me he was a good fuck buddy, and that it was fun, nothing serious. Now I wondered if she really felt that way, or if there was more to it.

“If you need me, you know what to do,” he reminded her.

We stayed long past dinner, talking and watching television. The only reason Ares and I left was because Lucifer mindlinked me.

“Can I hug you?” I asked her. I missed her hugs, but understood if she couldn’t.

“Hold on,” Ares said, closing his eyes and concentrating. “Now the shield is more malleable. You two should be able to hug, it’ll just feel like there’s a blanket between you.”

I wrapped my arms around her, melting into the embrace. We squeezed each other, and I silently made a promise to myself. I would make more time to visit her, and try to mend whatever was going on with her and Judas. Bash was rude, but unfortunately, he was right. Quelier could provide emotional support, but he wasn’t a vampire. She needed someone to guide her so she wasn’t a liability.

She inhaled deeply, scenting me. “I’m not going to bite you, but you smell really tasty.”

I laughed, because as creepy as it sounded, it was something ridiculous Angie would say. She always found humor in dark situations.

“Okay, time to go,” Ares said, taking my hand and leading me toward the door.

Quelier stayed behind. He said they were having a movie night, but judging by the way she eyes his neck, I assumed she’d be having dinner, too.

Bash was leaning against the far end of the hallway, waiting for us. I sighed, because I had such a great time reconnecting with Angela, and didn’t want to deal with him right now. Instead of starting an argument, he gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek, and asked me to tell him what he missed.

To say I was shocked was an understatement.

Ares and Bash walked me to Lucifer’s conference room. I didn’t hear anyone talking through the door, most likely because they used a silencing spell, but I did feel a presence . Someone was in there with him.

We opened the door to find Lucifer and Desmond talking to a man. He seemed to be middle aged, with short black hair, brown eyes, and a long face. I had never met him before, but something told me he wasn’t a threat, despite his impressive power signature. Very few people were for me, nowadays. He wore a navy suit, but it wasn’t as nice as my father’s.

“Diana, meet Vaulo Roma, former Princeps Council member now defecting to the Morningstars,” he said, gesturing between us. “Vaulo, meet Diana Morningstar, my daughter, and two of her boyfriends. Ares, God of War, and Sebastian Black.”