Page 106 of Alastair

“Ray…” Castor walked over and put a hand on top of Raiden’s head.

The connection the eight of them shared allowed them to feel each other’s strong emotions. Though, in that moment, I was certain every person in that room felt the weight of desperation and fear clinging to the avatar of Gluttony.

Mephistopheles sat back down and combed his fingers through his long hair. His gaze fell to the half-eaten cake. “You have been kind to me without expecting anything in return. Very well. I’ll tell you.”

Alastair grabbed my bicep, his pale eyes glued to the fallen angel. Being so close to the answer to winning the war had his breath catching.

“However—” Mephistopheles lifted a finger. “—my help comes at a price.”

“Name it,” Michael said.

“My freedom.”

“That, I cannot give you.” Michael shook his head.

“Surely, his exile can be reassessed after so many years,” I said. The decision for me to seal the fated bond hadn’t yet been overturned, but the matter would be brought before the council for reconsideration. The same rule should apply to him.

“Yeah.” Gray sat up, slowly blinking. “Pen rebelled with Lucifer and did some not-so-nice things, and he wasn’t killed or locked up in a scary place.”

“Penemuel aided Lucifer, yes, but his crimes are minor in comparison,” Michael said. “He’s also aided us since then. However, as the saying goes, drastic times call for drastic measures. Defeating Lucifer is all that matters right now. So I’ll take your request before the council and vote in your favor. You have my word.”

“Your word means little to me.” Mephistopheles tapped a finger on the arm of his chair.

“My word iseverything. If I say I’ll do something, I will.” Michael lifted his closed fist to his chest. “I alone cannot grant your freedom, but I will do everything in my power to free you from this place, should your information help us win this war. I swear this to you.”

“I suppose that will have to do. For now. But if you go back on your word, let me swear something toyou, archangel. I will use every resource I have to destroy you.”

Michael smirked. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“Well, as long as we have that settled…” Mephistopheles grabbed the cake from the side table and took another bite. “Mm. This peanut butter filling is orgasmic. The food of the gods.”

Titan had helped Raiden back to his feet and held him close, jaw tight as he looked at the fallen angel. “To better show your gratitude, you can stop upsetting my husband and tell us what we need to know.”

“Of course.” A flicker of guilt shone in Mephistopheles’ eyes before quickly fading. Like many who met Raiden, he seemed to have developed a soft spot for him too. “When Lucifer saw the vision of his death, I touched his arm and saw it too.”

“What did you see?” Michael asked.

“Eight Nephilim, each with a different color in their black wings, surrounding Lucifer. Beneath a dark sky in the dead of winter, they stabbed him with celestial blades. Someone chanted in the distance. And then, a black sword was plunged into his heart.”

“A black sword?” Bellamy rubbed at his slightly stubbled jaw. The avatar of Lust was normally clean-shaven, but his demon mate liked the scruff.

“Made of pure obsidian and cloaked in darkness,” Mephistopheles responded. “But it’s not an ordinary sword that can be forged by any of us. It’s a soul weapon.”

“Whose?” I asked.

“Patience, Lazarus. I’m getting there.”

“Get there faster.”

Alastair gently bumped me. I bumped him right back.

“As sunlight broke across the cosmos for the first time, Lucifer took his first breath, and Light Bringer came into being along with him.” Mephistopheles looked at Michael. “Much like you with your sword of fire. Soul weapons only come to those of great power. Or those who have been chosen by fate, like the water dragon.” He nodded to Kyo.

Kyo seemed uncomfortable by the sudden attention on him. His katana was a soul weapon that had chosen him when he was a baby. One of the factors that showed me he was a worthy mate for Castor long before they bound their life forces.

“If that’s true, why weren’t we born with one?” Alastair asked. “The eight of us are more powerful than a majority of the angels who have soul weapons.”

“I’ve pondered this,” Mephistopheles responded. “And I’ve come to the conclusion that, in a sense, each of youwereborn with one. Your sins. They grant you special abilities without the use of a physical weapon. Mind control. The strength of a hundred men. The power to feed off, and manipulate, people’s emotions. Anger, sadness, hunger, sex.”