Page 37 of Malice: The Mate Games (Apocalypse #3)

“Wrath has been released. The consequences of his arrival are far-reaching and devastating. Heaven won’t be able to shelter the humans from the effects much longer.”

“What do you mean, shelter?” I asked.

“The angels have been doing all we can to keep the humans from understanding the gravity of what is happening. We always have. Humankind has survived by the skin of their teeth countless times, and they’ve never been the wiser. Though arguably, they’ve never come quite this close to extinction.”

Before any of us could give voice to the massive “what the fuck” that prompted, the angel kept going.

“The Princes are more than simply Lucifer’s generals.

They are seven of the fallen who rebelled alongside Lucifer.

Stripped of their titles, they were cast out, their names struck from the collective memory when they were renamed for the sin they embodied.

They’ve never been released from where they were imprisoned.

Until now. We have hoped to keep it that way, but sooner rather than later, there won’t be any way to shield the humans from the horrors the Princes are unleashing. ”

Alek shifted in his chair before raising his hand, eyes continually flicking toward Kiki in her portal as though afraid she was going to step through at any moment.

“Yes, Alek?” Lilith said, sounding increasingly impatient.

“How have you shielded them from anything? The sky is ablaze, and devastating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have wiped out huge swaths of the United States. Entire mountains have sunk into the ground.”

Evander lifted his chin, a defiant gesture I was very familiar with from living with Gavin.

“As I’ve said, we have done our best. They see them as tragic natural disasters.

Part of a life cycle. Some blame it on global warming.

They do not realize it’s the literal end of everything, and we want to keep it that way.

Traumatized humans don’t typically bounce back easily. ”

The rest of us exchanged uneasy glances.

As one of the only humans in the room, not that Pan really counted since he’d only been one for the better part of a year, I wasn’t sure heaven was as effective as they thought.

I mean, people weren’t stupid. Fire in the sky was a pretty big fucking indicator that shit had gone off the rails.

“So... you’re gaslighting them into thinking this is all their fault because of pollution?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“No. We’re helping them help themselves.”

“Whatever you say, buddy.”

“Hades,” Lilith said, changing the subject with a segue as subtle as a slap to the face, “are you still in contact with the horsemen?”

“I was, but since the grid went down, I have no way to contact them.”

“Hmm. My, my, we are in a pickle,” Lilith mused.

I snorted. “You think?”

Moira caught my eye and mouthed, “What else is new?”

“Care to share with the class, Miss Belladonna?” Caleb huffed.

“Nope,” she said with a smirk. “You’re not my Daddy, I don’t have to behave just because you glower at me. If you’re looking for someone to punish, take it up with Sunday.”

Kiki snickered from behind the portal, making Alek flinch.

Knowing that Moira was about as good as Remi at staying on topic, I interjected, “If we can’t contact the horsemen, how are we going to do anything to stop this?”

“I can run it up the flagpole here in the underworld. See if anyone has a connection to Death. Maybe someone here knows how to contact him via the afterlife?” Kiki offered.

“Would that work?” Alek asked Hades. I had to hand it to the guy, for as freaked out as he was by Kiki’s presence, he didn’t dismiss her or her ideas out of hand. If anything, he took them more seriously than the rest of us.

Hades shrugged, expression going distant as he clearly thought through her suggestion.

“It might. Never really needed to test it before, so I can’t say for sure.

The veil between realms is definitely thinner than usual, which would help matters.

But depending on where Death is shacked up, he might be impossible to locate. ”

“That grumpy bastard has always been hard to pin down,” Asshole added. “But hey, maybe if he’s getting laid on the regular, he’ll be more agreeable these days.”

“It’s not a bad plan. One that deserves looking into, but in the meantime, there is a surefire way to reach Merri.” Lilith had that mischievous smirk on her lips again, the one that said she was up to something.

“Oh really? And you’re only just sharing that now?” Pan spat.

“Yes, because it wasn’t pertinent until now.”

“Well, go on then, enlighten us,” Hades prompted.

Lilith’s smile stretched, making her appear like the cat who ate the canary. She held us in suspense for a few drawn-out seconds before finally revealing her plan. “Through dreams. Merri is a succubus. She can and does dreamwalk. All we need is a pathway in.”

Kai leaned forward in his chair and focused in on Lilith. “You’re a succubus too. By that reasoning, can’t you do it on your own?”

“Unfortunately, no. Lucifer is paying far too much attention to my comings and goings. The last thing I want to do is lead him directly to the person I’ve tried so hard to shield.” Her eyes flicked to Crombie’s as another bout of thunder rolled around the room.

Apparently the Prince of Darkness was a touchy subject between the two of them. Fair enough. If the devil was Rosie’s ex, I’d probably feel some kind of way about it too.

“So how do you propose we visit her dreams, and who exactly is our emissary?” Kai asked.

“Dahlia.”

Kai growled low in his throat, but Lilith cut him off with a raised hand and continued.

“She knows Merri. A stranger won’t do. Merri needs to hear from someone she trusts. Someone her subconscious will recognize immediately as a friend.”

“Enemies wear friendly masks all the time,” Thorne pointed out.

“True, but that’s why having Dahlia relay specific information will be crucial. It will serve a dual purpose. One, it will prove that Dahlia is who she appears to be, and two, that she can be trusted.”

“And how are we facilitating this, Lilypad?” Crombie asked.

“Moira will do it.”

“I’m sorry. What now?” Moira’s eyes were wide as saucers. “I will?”

“Yes, pet. Certainly you have a spell like this in your arsenal. The Belladonna coven is the most powerful witch coven in the world, isn’t it?”

Moira sat a little taller in her chair. “We are. I suppose it’s much like a basic traveling spell. We’ll just need to fine-tune it so it will take someone to the dream realm instead of the earthly plane.”

“Brilliant. Whilst Kiki attempts direct contact with Death, you take care of this spell. We’ll work double duty and get Dahlia connected with Merri so all of our—what is it you Americans like to say—bases are covered.”

As far as plans went, it wasn’t great. We were hiding in a secret fight club/bunker, hoping that the four horsemen would knock up a succubus, and relying on ghosts and dreams to help us make contact with them.

But what other options were there? It wasn’t like there was anything I could do. Best to let the experts take the reins.

As for the rest of us? I guess we’d just have to wait and see.

Not seeing what else we could accomplish until then, I looked around the room and slapped my hands on my knees. “So, same time next week?”