Page 11 of Sin: The Mate Games (Apocalypse #1)

Chapter

Eleven

LUCIFER

“ B loody light pollution. That’s the first thing I’ll get rid of,” I grumbled as the sky darkened and the cityscape beyond began to blaze to life.

I sighed and gathered my shoulder-length locks into a knot at the base of my skull, fighting the wind coming from the south. The bustle of Los Angeles had gotten even worse since my imprisonment in hell. This used to be one of my favorite views on Earth. Now it was nothing but smog and neon. Oh well, more souls for me to corrupt, I supposed.

That was the point of all this, wasn’t it?

Arms crossed over my chest, I stared down at my future kingdom. “And the wicked shall inherit the Earth,” I mused, a small, vindictive smile curling my lips.

Oh, how my siblings will hang their heads in sorrow when they finally come to understand that they should’ve fallen right along with me so long ago. Michael, so virtuous, so self-righteous, would be the first to surrender his wings before I took his grace. And then Gabriel. My plans for him were too great to name. But all of them involved eternal suffering. No one locks me up and gets away with it. A gilded cage is still a cage.

“My, what a frightful scowl you have, grandmother,” a sultry feminine voice crooned from my left.

I turned slowly to face Famine, taking in her disguised appearance as she did the same with mine. “The better to show off my teeth, little horsewoman,” I replied, flashing her a grin.

She closed the distance between us with a slow, sensual walk, her curves on full display in the ensemble she’d chosen. The black cocktail dress she wore stood out and made her pale skin nearly glow in the light of the rising moon. The last time I’d seen her, she hadn’t boasted dark, penetrating irises framed by thick black lashes. She’d been all demon, with milky eyes and a tail.

“Look at you all dressed up. I hadn’t realized this was a formal occasion.”

She did a small twirl. “What else is your return topside if not a reason to celebrate?”

If only that were true. There were still far too many obstacles in my path to celebration. Not the least of which was the reason I’d summoned her tonight.

“You disappoint me, Sabine. As usual, you are the failure of your sisters.”

Her face fell. “What do you mean by that?”

“Death released me. War broke all the seals. Pestilence delivered me so many souls. You arrive empty-handed.”

“How can you say that? I’m the one who ensured you’d have a vessel.” Her scowl tightened, rage burning in the depth of her gaze. “The second I saw that Death would have her turn before me, I knew I needed to take the steps to ensure my place in your regime. All of this is for nothing if you don’t have the appropriate womb to bear your child.”

I held out my hands, gesturing at the open space around us. “And where is my vessel, Sabine?”

Her teeth clenched together hard enough that I could hear them grinding.

“Exactly my point. If she’s not in my fucking bed, she may as well not exist. Where. Is. She?”

“I . . . I don’t know, my lord.”

“Your lord? Try again, Famine.”

“My king,” she bit out as she choked back her fury.

Sabine and her sisters weren’t weak or subservient to anyone, usually. But this bargain, made so long ago, had been one of pure desperation. She knew down to her core she didn’t stand a chance to win against Death. A wise assumption. And like a scrambling cockroach, she found a way to keep herself relevant. Make me a vessel—one from Eve’s bloodline, the only bloodline capable of creating an antichrist. Maintain her status and power.

I had children scattered across the world. Generations of them. Honestly, how do you think politicians got so charismatic? Luck? Nope. Deals? Too easy. They’ve all got a little of the devil in them. But none of them were firstborns from Eve’s line.

My gut twisted with disdain at the ridiculous stipulation set forth by my father. Eve was a sore subject. Literally.

“So quiet, little horsewoman. Where’s all that bravado and swagger you had when you showed up and vowed to help me bring about the end of times?”

Her expression tightened, but she didn’t offer an explanation. Which proved that she wasn’t as stupid as she looked.

“I may not know where she is, but I know how you can find her.”

I raised a brow, silently demanding she get to the point.

“Her name is Meredith, Merri. She’s a succubus?—”

“You’d better be on the verge of some new groundbreaking revelation, Sabine, because that’s all information I already know.” Nothing angered me more than people wasting my time.

My hands balled into fists, wings sprouting from my back and spreading in irritation. I was certain my eyes were glowing with the promise of violence if she disappointed me.

“She’s a succubus , my lo—my king. That means she can dreamwalk.”

“And?” I drawled, impatience dripping from the word.

“ And that means you can call her to your dreams. Once she’s in your clutches, you’ll be able to draw out any information you need. Like, say, her current location.”

Taking in a long breath, I turned away from her and stared out at my dominion once more, the wind caressing my wings, begging me to fly. A dreamwalker. Of course. Honestly, I was a teensy bit ashamed I hadn’t thought of that, but I’d been busy plotting the rest of my coup. There was just one glaring issue.

“How am I meant to call her to me when I have nothing to connect us?”

“You’re irresistible, my king. Now that you’ve been released, your power is unmatched. I’m sure she won’t be able to help herself. Moths and flames and all that.”

“I’d rather not leave it to chance,” I murmured, eyeing her like she was some rare specimen beneath my microscope. “Let’s at least bait the trap.”

She blinked, likely following my train of thought.

“For something like this, blood magic is the only surefire way to connect the two of us.”

“You require her blood.”

I smirked, lengthening one of my nails into a sharp claw. “Or yours.”

With a precise slashing motion, I opened her throat, dark red blood pouring down her front like a macabre waterfall. She gaped, wet gurgles all she could manage as I summoned a chalice and held it beneath her flowing life force.

“What was that? I can’t quite hear you.”

Ah, it was good to be me.

Once my cup was full, I let her fall. She continued to gasp and flop around like a dying fish beside me. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You’ll live.”

With a final appreciative glance at the world I’d claimed, I grinned and brought the cup to my lips. “To us, my sweet vessel. May our union be fruitful.”