Page 44

10 Years Later

A cool, crisp breeze danced across my skin, sending shivers down my spine. A warmth quickly calmed the gooseflesh that erupted from the winter breeze. A light tickling sensation trailed down the curve of my back, dipping underneath the covers as fingers splayed on the round rump of my ass. I groaned, nuzzling my nose into the soft silk pillowcase.

Deus held me in his embrace, trailing soft, tender kisses down my bare skin. I moaned with delight, kissing each of his fingers as I brushed my thumb over his wedding ring. Every morning, I woke in his arms, I had to remind myself this wasn’t just a dream, it was a reality … my reality.

“A reality we fought very hard for,” he whispered, nipping my earlobe.

I giggled at the sensation. “Snoop,” I replied.

“What can I say? I’m a control freak.” He flipped me over to my back, pressing kisses along my face, neck, and chest. I laughed as he tickled me in more sensitive areas. Every morning had started like this for the past ten years and I prayed for another thousand more. He was truly my sense of peace. My happiness. My home.

A knock came at the door, but Deus didn’t stop kissing me, nor I him. His fingers ran across my body greedily. God, the taste of this man. I would never get my fill.

The knock came again. He pulled away with a grunt while I giggled. “What?” he yelled. The door cracked open and in stepped Gallo.

“My lord, my lady,” the goldaburg greeted us. Deus turned towards the creature and began laughing uncontrollably. I popped my head up from the pillow. Gallo stood in our doorway covered from head to toe in paint splatters. His glasses were crooked, one lens cracked. His perfectly pressed suit was ruined. He attempted to clean himself with a handkerchief.

“I like the new look, Gallo,” said Deus.

“Yes, your majesty, I am sure you do,” he replied unhappily.

“I didn’t realize you were so interested in art,” I added. Deus laughed into my neck, pressing a kiss against my shoulder. “If I would have known, I would have bought you a different present for the Yule fest.”

“I can assure you, my lady,” replied Gallo, “art is not a strength of mine, nor an interest, regardless of what your spawn may believe.”

Deus pulled a black silk robe from the edge of the bed, wrapping himself in it before handing me a red one. I covered my body, sliding my feet into my slippers just as Gallo was almost knocked to the ground by three bursts of wind.

“Dad,” screamed Az, bursting into the room. “They’re picking on me again! I asked them to stop just like mom told me, but they won’t. I’m tired of being nice. I want to set them both on fire.” Az crossed his little arms, his lip pouting. “I hate girls.”

“Whining again, big brother,” Talia taunted Az.

“Always tattling, this one,” added Annalise. The twins looked at each other and snickered.

“I wish you were both boys,” grumbled Az.

“Alright, alright, you three,” Deus intervened. “Girls, what have we told you about teaming up on your brother?”

They rolled their eyes in unison, huffing together. “We are family,” they said together, “and family sticks together. We protect one another no matter what.”

“Exactly,” said Deus. “And Asmodeus, what have I told you about letting them get under your skin?”

“That I need to build a thicker hide,” little Az replied. The girls jumped into bed next to me, their long black ringlets bouncing.

“You two need to be nice to him,” I whispered. “We outnumber them, you know. Plus, us Salvo girls can be a handful.”

“Understatement of the millennia,” Deus added.

I sent my tendrils of darkness towards him, smacking him in the rear. He jumped in surprise. The girls laughed. He turned back to me with his devilish smile, and I returned the gesture.

“You were saying?” I asked. He approached the three of us, leaning down on the bed. “That you Salvo women are a gift from above and worth all the riches and lands in the world,” he said, kissing each of us on the head. The girls threw their arms around his neck as he picked them up, spinning them around in a circle.

Laughter erupted from all three. I couldn’t help but smile, taking joy in the sight of their bond. Deus had outdone any expectation I had of him as a father. He was kind, gentle, protective, and so incredibly loving. The children wanted for nothing. They had no knowledge of the demon their father had once been. All they knew was that he was the most loving and gentle man in their lives.

Asmodeus Jr. looked up to his father, idolizing every step he took and idolizing every word that came out of his mouth. The girls were confident and secure in who they were. They never once feared him or his power. He was the kind of man they would someday look for in their own spouses. Az jumped onto the bed next to me, leaning his head full of black hair on my shoulder. I kissed him and bopped his little nose, which was covered in freckles. His beautiful crystal blue eyes looked up at me.

“Don’t let them get to you,” I whispered, pulling my firstborn into me. “Remember, someday, this will all be yours.”

“And the first thing I will do is sell them both off to the highest bidder,” Az replied in a bitter tone. I had to force myself not to laugh, ruffling his thick hair.

“No son of mine would do such a thing,” I said while we both giggled. I looked back at the three of them. Deus now had the girls on the floor, tickling them so intensely they were turning shades of blue, fighting to breath. “Alright, alright, time to get ready to go to Castle Salvo.”

“Thank Grandfather,” Az said, sliding from the bed, storming out the room. The girls jumped up from the floor, running for the exit while Deus chased them. Their screams echoed through the halls.

Deus reentered the room, beaming from ear to ear while he began to dress.

“The girls are going to be the death of him,” I said.

Deus laughed. “He’ll learn to appreciate women soon enough.”

I looked at him with an expression he knew to fear. “He’s eight, Asmodeus. I don’t even want to think—”

He pulled me into him. “I’m kidding, my love … just kidding. Who knows what power they’ll possess, or what it will take to fuel that power? We have plenty of time until we have to start worrying about all of that.”

“The girls are already six. Six more years and it will start. I’m not ready for that.”

He brushed my hair back, kissing me on the head. “And we will both be here to guide them down the right path. We have no clue what to expect. A demon prince has never borne offspring, nor has a vessel. Regardless of whatever may come, they will be supported, protected, and they will be loved. And to top it off … extremely powerful.”

We got ready, taking each other in the shower before making sure the children were dressed and ready to go. The halls of Castle Resnov had changed. The sounds of sex and fornication that once filled the corridors were replaced with toys, bicycles, and the laughter and pitter patter of our children chasing one another down the echoing halls of our home.

Our family gathered together before shifting to Castle Salvo. We made our way to Nonna’s room, now Aunt Thora’s. The children burst through the doors, greeted by our family. A large festive tree stood on the right side of the fireplace. It was snowing outside, dusting the balcony with a layer of white powder.

“Nonna!” the girls screamed, racing towards Aunt Thora.

“Oh, my bambinas,” she replied, kneeling to their level just before they barreled into her.

“Brother,” Mammon said, greeting us at the door. Deus smiled, embracing him joyfully. “Ah, and your better half,” Gluttony added, moving towards me.

“That she is,” Deus added.

“Yuletide greetings,” I said to Mammon as he pulled me into a hug.

“Merry Christmas,” he replied.

“Finally,” Giana said, bouncing towards me. “There are so many wedding plans I need your advice on.” She embraced me firmly.

“Thank Father you’re here,” Gor approached, rolling his eyes. “ I don’t know how many times I have to tell her, I don’t care about floral arrangements or color swatches.”

“And apparently my opinion doesn’t matter, even though I’ve planned three weddings at this point,” Frankie’s voice came from the side.

I looked over at my beautiful cousin with my niece on her hip. My smile beamed from ear to ear at the sight. I reached for little Lucia instantly. She laughed, bouncing out of her mother’s grip, lunging towards me.

“How adorable are you,” I said, kissing her little chunky cheeks profusely. Frankie hugged me tightly.

“I’ve missed you,” she said softly.

“I’ve missed you,” I replied. “I think we need a girl’s weekend soon.”

She exhaled. “Aradia, please,” she groaned. We both chuckled, pressing our foreheads together. Levi appeared, looking half dead. Little Rosetta cried, pulling at his long hair as her face turned bright red.

Deus reached for her. “Oh, my poor niece,” he said, shushing while gently swaying her from side to side. “What has my horrible brother done to you?”

“Done to her?” Levi gasped, the skin under his eyes bruised. “More like what she’s done to me. I’m delusional. I can’t eat, can’t sleep. I can’t remember the last time I showered or ate anything other than a microwavable meal, and I’m the bad guy here?”

We all laughed. Rosetta calmed in Deus’s arms, resting her chubby face against his chest while he rubbed her back in circles, tilting his head against her brown hair. Each and every day I found a new reason to love this man.

“Does that mean you want another?” he said in my mind, watching me while he smiled.

“Absolutely,” I replied. He pulled his head slowly from Rosetta’s, like he was seeing me for the first time. He pressed a firm kiss to my lips.

“Tonight,” he promised. I smiled as the butterflies took flight inside of my stomach.

“For heaven’s sake, you two,” I heard Belz say. “Can you at least try going more than two hours without banging each other?”

“Jealous, brother?” Deus replied.

Belz looked at my aunt, who watched the girls opening the presents by the tree and smiled. She caught his eye and blushed. “Not in the slightest,” Belz answered, not taking his eyes off Thora.

Gor popped his collar with pride. “Called it,” he said.

Mammon rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, go figure, the Prince of Sloth would win by picking the longest timeline possible for those two to finally shag.”

Gor shrugged. “What can I say, I got time to spare.”

We all laughed.

“And the wait was completely worth it,” Belz said, kneeling next to my aunt and kissing her on the head. She blushed again and smiled up at him. The two of them had finally stopped fighting their affection for one another about six years after the war. Aunt Thora, being Aunt Thora, wanted to take things slow, not trusting him completely because of what he was. But, yet again, a Prince of Hell had proven us all wrong. Belz had fallen completely in love with her before she had even agreed to have coffee with him. She fell shortly after. It was the most normal relationship any of us had been in.

Az strolled over to the window where Satan and Lilith sat at the large, rectangular table. To my surprise, Satan had become Az’s favorite uncle. Satan had begun to teach him the art of the sword, while Lilith was training him in hand-to-hand combat. Az looked up to the Prince of Wrath and idolized him almost as much as his father.

I strolled over to them, embracing Lilith. She stood awkwardly, still uncomfortable from the affection.

“Merry Christmas,” I said to both of them. Satan nodded, going back to showing Az a new knife he had acquired.

“Merry Christmas,” Lilith replied, holding Lucia’s little hand. “Though, I still can’t understand why the Christians celebrate the messiah’s birth in December, even though he was born in the blistering heat of July.”

I laughed. “Always the critic.”

She shrugged, looking at Deus. “Critics get a bad reputation. We’re right and others can’t handle it.”

After the war, Deus had refused to speak with Lilith, even after I explained that she was only following my orders. She was bound to me by oath and had no choice. Yet, he still blamed her for the shield and locking him out. He had only begun to acknowledge her presence in the past two years.

It had killed her. Deus had become family to her, a best friend even while she served his court as Malphasia. I felt awful about the distance between the two. I had apologized to her, but she never admitted to being anger or cross with me. I had to believe that time would heal all wounds. Time … something we now had so much of.

“So, when are you going to start trying for another?” Deus asked, bouncing Rosetta on his hip, causing her to giggle. “The twins are almost one.”

Levi gawked. “When I get a solid month of sleep,” he answered.

“Demon baby,” Frankie said, smacking him in the shoulder.

Even after their wedding, the mating bond never snapped into place, but the two of them couldn’t have been happier together. About five years ago, Frankie had undergone the same process Lilith had, becoming part demon to make her immortal. She had willingly gifted her soul to the prince of envy. I was happy about the decision, knowing I would never have to live without my soulmate.

My aunt had not yet made that decision, but I hoped someday she would. We had lost too much … losses that still haunted me. Nonna and Mamma. Their lives in exchange for mine.

When we all returned after the war, Frankie, Thora, and I found letters from both of them addressed to each of us. I don’t know if those letters made things worse in the end or better. All I knew was that I missed them each and every day.

I wished they could have been there the day Frankie got married. The day Deus and I found out about Az. The day the twins were born. They had missed so much. I had hoped I’d be able to see them when I crossed souls over to the other side, but they never came. I was thankful each time I got to see Orion who was now reunited with Delphine, but my heart longed for my family … my bloodline.

I looked around the room as our family members laughed and teased one another. Antonio and his parents greeted everyone as they entered. Tony had started dating a young witch from Eau Coven. It was new, but I was happy to see him finally moving on. He seemed joyous and fulfilled.

I placed Lucia on the floor next to the girls. They doted over their cousin, tickling her playfully. They would be wonderful big sisters. Something inside of me couldn’t wait to get home.

“We can go now,” I heard Deus say in my mind. I caught his eyes from across the room, shaking my head while I chuckled to myself.

Lucifer remained in the cage his mate had built for him. Deus and I had gone there once to make sure the magic had held him. He was unresponsive. He didn’t eat or sleep. He just lay on the stone floor, his eyes peeled open while he rambled to himself. The brothers had concluded that he had finally gone mad. No one could make out what he mumbled, but there was a moment that I swore the name Talia left his lips.

I stood against the fireplace wall, looking out at the beautiful picture of our family. Aunt Thora and Frankie joined me, taking in the sight.

“How beautiful is this?” I whispered.

“It’s something I never thought I’d see,” answered Frankie.

“You and me both,” I replied, taking her hand in mine. Aunt Thora smiled at us and then at our children spread throughout the room.

“The Salvo women survive,” she whispered, a tear escaping her eyes. She looked back at us. “The two of you have strengthened our name … our line. I am so damn proud of you both.” She embraced us, kissing our cheeks, then pulled away, wiping the tears from her face. “I just wish they were here to see this. To see what they sacrificed their lives for.”

“They are,” Frankie said, taking her mother’s hand.

“I feel them each and every day,” I added.

Aunt Thora fought back more tears. “So do I, sweetheart,” she whispered. “So do I.”

We all turned to the picture frame on the fireplace. The last picture the five of us took together, at my wedding. All of us smiling from the joy of that day, from the love we had for one another. That bond, nothing would ever be able to break. Not even death.