Page 10

Audrey

I ’m not sure where I expected Wraith to lead us, but a pub wasn’t on the list of places I considered. He stands out in his sharp suit, but Donovan and I blend in with no problem.

It’s pretty busy considering it’s only lunchtime. The bar is completely full, as are most of the booths and tables.

“Wraith! Donovan!”

The three of us spin at the sound of their names to see a mammoth of a man waving at us. I thought Donovan was a big guy, but he’s got nothing on this other man. His dirty blond hair is long and pulled back in a bun. He’s taller than even Wraith, probably closer to seven feet than six, and built like a linebacker. On top of that, he’s hot as hell.

Then he smiles, and I almost melt into a puddle right then and there.

“Holy shit. That smile is dangerous.” Both of my men let out growls, and I bite back a smile. “Down, boys. I take it he’s a friend of yours?”

“That’s Gael,” Wraith tells me, leading us to the booth Gael just sat down in. “Also known as Conquest.”

My eyes widen. “Am I meeting the rest of the horsemen?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Donovan is practically pouting. “And if that was your reaction to Gael, I’m not going to like you meeting the other two.”

Before I can think of how to respond, we reach the large circular booth. Gael is grinning at me, his sky-blue eyes holding nothing but mischief. Beside him sits a man with skin so dark it rivals the obsidian tabletop. His hair is in box braids, a deep shade of blue that looks unnatural but matches his eyes. While not as big as Gael, he’s still bigger than my mates. On his other side is a man with red hair, a full beard, and gray eyes. He looks tall, built more like Wraith than the other two men. They’re all fucking gorgeous.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your new mate, Wraith?” Gael asks as he leans back in the booth.

I glance up at Wraith, finding him glaring at the three men, who all just grin back at him. “I hate all three of you,” he mutters with a shake of his head.

“No, you don’t,” the redhead says. “But you’re being rude.”

“Like any of you care about being rude.” Wraith scoffs. “Trouble, this is Gael, also known as Conquest. Beside him is Octavius, also known as War. That just leaves Riggs, also known as Famine. Horsemen, I’d like you to meet mine and Donovan’s mate, Audrey.”

“Ummm, hi,” I say with a wave, not sure which one of them to look at. They’re all just so damn attractive—although not nearly as hot as my mates.

Octavius chuckles. “It’s nice to meet you, little reaper. We’ve been begging Wraith to bring you around since he told us about you, but he’s been keeping you to himself.”

When I go to slide into the booth, Wraith stops me and slides in first, pulling me behind him with Donovan taking the outside seat. I glare at Wraith, knowing he purposefully put himself between me and Riggs.

What a jealous asshole. If he keeps this up, I’m going to give him something to be jealous of.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to watch the three of you hit on her,” Wraith snarks, and I snort.

Riggs lifts an eyebrow. “No one is hitting on your mate, man. If we were, you’d know it.”

Donovan snarls, and it sends the horsemen into a bout of laughter.

“Donovan, we’re not going to try to steal your mate.” Gael rolls his eyes. “We just want to get to know her, for Lucifer’s sake. You’re lucky he was busy. He wanted to join us, and he’s the one you need to worry about. He’d totally hit on her. You know he has a thing for redheads.”

“He even hits on me,” Riggs says with a wink in my direction. “Not that I mind. The man is amazing in bed.”

“Can we not?” Wraith asks, his exasperation clear.

I grin at the three horsemen before turning back to Wraith. “I wanna meet Lucifer.”

“You’re not meeting fucking Lucifer,” he snarls back before shaking his head. “Stop being a brat. They don’t need any encouragement. They’ll be on their worst behavior, regardless.”

A server appears and asks us what we want to drink as she hands out menus. By the time she returns with our drinks, we’re all ready to order, and I can focus back on the horsemen.

“So what’s it like to be a horseman?” I ask, and Gael grins.

They tell me about how it used to be earth-side but then explain that they’d rather prevent famine, war, and conquest rather than spread it. It’s actually kind of sweet. They’re all pretty awesome. It takes a while for my mates to loosen up, but after a few drinks, they were joking just as much as Octavius, Riggs, and Gael.

This isn’t what I expected from the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but Wraith has already explained to me they’re not actually going to bring forth the apocalypse. Yes, they have the powers to do so, but that’s not why they were created.

Lucifer will occasionally call upon them to use their powers to spread conquest, war, famine, or death—or at least he has in the past—when there’s no other option for a group of people. It’s meant to teach them a hard lesson, and if they don’t learn it, that’s when it falls to Wraith.

A lot of what I thought about the world—what we’re taught in school—is so very wrong. Being in the underworld is eye-opening, that’s for sure.

“Gentlemen,” a tall woman says, and all five men at the table stiffen as she and two men approach us. They’re all about the same height, maybe six feet or so. They’re each gorgeous, but that’s not all that shocking. I’m coming to learn that most people in the underworld are beautiful.

What is shocking is that they have wings. Not wings like Nex, but wings made of feathers. Almost like…

“Angels?” I ask hesitantly.

“Fallen angels,” the woman corrects, her eyes trailing over me. “Wraith, I wouldn’t expect you to be at a pub with one of your reapers.”

“Lovely to see you, as always, Ophelia. This is Audrey, mine and Donovan’s mate.”

Ophelia nods, pushing back her long black hair. “Ahhh, that makes more sense. It’s lovely to meet you, Audrey. Boys, you can relax. I promise neither Sol nor Cassian are here to start any trouble. We just saw you over here and thought we’d say hello. It’s not often we see the four horsemen together.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I tell her, unable to tear my eyes away from her wings. They’re completely white, making her hair appear even darker than it is. Her skin is bronzed, a few shades lighter than Wraith’s. Her eyes are such a light blue, they almost seem white. It’s kind of freaky.

Behind her stand two men—Cassian and Sol, I assume. The one on the left has golden skin and short blond hair. I’d describe him as beautiful—especially with those cheekbones that I’m definitely envious of. His eyes are a pale green as they meet mine. He gives me a nod before they return to the men surrounding me. His wings are a mixture of white, gray, and black as he flexes them.

The other man is otherworldly and beautiful. His cheekbones are almost as sharp as the other man’s, but his skin is a cool taupe color—a light brown with a hint of gray. His head is shaved and his light yellow-brown eyes are locked on me. His wings are a dove gray, and they look so soft. I wonder if he would let me pet them.

Mate.

I jolt at the word bouncing around in my head. Mainly because it’s not my voice.

My eyes are still locked on the angels—sorry, fallen angels—and I see the second man’s lips turn up at one corner.

Clearly, no one warned you about angels. Many of us are telepathic, mate of mine.

My eyes widen as I realize the angel is talking inside my head.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

“Umm…Wraith?” I tap his hand, unable to tear my gaze away from the angel.

“Yes, trouble?” he asks, voice taut with worry as he follows my line of sight. His next word is practically a hiss. “Cassian. What are you doing to my mate?”

Cassian’s lips curl up, and it’s not a friendly smile. “She is your mate? That’s…interesting.”

“What did he do, Audrey?” Wraith asks while Donovan blocks my view of the angels with his body.

I glance between the two of them with wide eyes. “He spoke inside my head, and he called me his mate.”

Silence falls around us, and I swear I’d be able to hear a pin drop. We’re not the only ones in the room, but everyone has fallen quiet. It’s as if they’re waiting to see what the fallout will be.

Hell, maybe they are. It’s clear Wraith doesn’t much care for the angels before us.

“Over my dead fucking body,” Donovan snarls as he spins toward the angels.

I get another glance at Cassian’s smirking face before Donovan shoves him, and he stumbles back.

“Donovan!” I screech, jumping to my feet even as Wraith grabs me.

“Do not get between them, trouble. Cassian and I have a long history—none of it good. He and Donovan usually get along, but I think it’s been a lot on his hellhound today, having you around so many people he doesn’t know.” Wraith sighs. “Just let me handle it. Stay here.”

Wraith disappears into his shadows as Riggs pulls me toward him, only to reappear just behind Donovan and Cassian. The angel takes a swing at my hellhound, and I have to fight back a snarl of my own.

Ophelia slides into the booth beside me. “It looks like you’re going to shake things up in the underworld, Audrey, and I’m here for it.”

She laughs while I blink at her. I have no idea what the hell is going on right now, but I don’t like it one bit. Part of me wants to kick the angel out of the booth to get her away from me. She’s the one who led them over here. She’s the reason this is happening.

We were sitting here having a great time—until the three of them walked up.

I wince as Donovan lands a blow to Cassian’s jaw.

“I’m Sol,” the last angel says from where he’s leaning against the booth next to Ophelia. “Sorry about the fistfight. That was rather unexpected. Especially since we all had drinks with Donovan last weekend. I’m assuming it’s a mate thing.”

I shrug, still completely lost. “I’ve only been in the underworld for six months, and it turns out that most of what I thought I knew was wrong.”

“So you just graduated. Congratulations.” Ophelia offers me a smile. “I’ll get you a drink.”

“They’re over there fighting, and you’re offering to buy me a drink?” I grimace as Wraith steps between Cassian and Donovan, catching a glancing blow from each of them, but he doesn’t even flinch.

“Enough,” he says it quietly, but there’s enough power behind it that it feels like he yelled. “Donovan, this isn’t like you. Go sit with our mate. It seems we need to have a conversation with Cassian.”

Donovan doesn’t look happy—especially not when he sees me flush against Rigg’s side with Ophelia sitting beside me. Ophelia quickly exits the booth while Riggs releases his hold on me. That doesn’t appear to be enough for Donovan, though, as he reaches out to snag my leg, dragging me to the edge of the booth.

“Mine,” he snarls before his lips descend on mine. He claims me with his kiss for everyone in the pub to see.

I should be angry with him for his possessive attitude, but it really just turns me on.

We break apart when someone clears their throat, finding Wraith standing there with a raised eyebrow. “Are you done pissing on our mate?”

“I wasn’t pissing on her,” Donovan grumbles as he stands up, offering me his hand.

Gael throws his head back as he laughs. “Maybe not literally, but you were definitely pissing on her.”

“Shut up, Gael. You’re not helping anything. I’m sorry to cut this short, but apparently, we need to speak with Cassian.” He shakes his head as he turns back to the fallen angel. “Meet us at the penthouse?”

Cassian nods sharply, already heading for the door. He throws it open, and I catch a glimpse of his powerful wings flapping before he’s gone.

“Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?” I ask, glancing between my mates.

Wraith sighs, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll explain at the penthouse. It’s in the same complex as your friends’ new apartments. As soon as we’re done, I’ll take you to see them.”

His shadows wrap around us before I can say anything, and then we’re traveling through them once more.