Page 54 of Mage Massacres

“Right,” Arwen drawled, dragging his eyes away from the girls. “Like I was saying earlier…”

I held my hand up, stopping him as I confessed, “I get it, and I think you’re right. That doesn’t mean Lilith is ready for them all to know. Sloane does, but I think you should let her talk to Lil before you start running your mouth.”

“Know about what?” Zephyr asked.

I shook my head at him. “It doesn’t matter. It’s mostly speculation.”

“If it has to do with Miller, then we need to know,” Farris replied.

York grinned. “The Devil doesn’t want to share the Underworld’s business topside. He said it doesn’t matter, so it doesn’t fucking matter.”

Something told me the druid wasn’t a fan of Miller’s mates. He’d always been protective of Millie and Murphy, like they were his siblings too. I don’t know why I expected time to change that. He didn’t care that she wasn’t a teenager anymore.

“Stone isn’t the Devil,” Farris shot back, downing the rest of his whiskey. “And I’m not an idiot.”

“I’m the Devil’s Equal. The only difference in our roles is that I’m not tied to the throne by blood.”

Zephyr narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like the idea of Miller being–”

“Why don’t you walk over there and remove her from Sloane’s protection?” I dared, raising a brow when he glanced at the girls.

Arwen huffed. “I wouldn’t risk it. But I saw firsthand all the damage she did to get Hyland back after the gorgon took her a couple of months ago.”

I rolled my head to stare at the necromancer. Before I could ask him any questions, he nodded his head slowly.

“Yeah. I went with Dolyn to clean up some of the mess she’d made. She’d found the horde’s location, and a large chunk of Blue’s members were all waiting for him to show up.”

He spun his glass in his hand, his eyes losing focus before he glanced back at me.

“I never paid her any attention when I saw her with the Drake’s. I thought she was hanging around to—yeah, my mistake. She looks... sweet when you meet her under different circumstances, almost like she’s made of porcelain. But she’s not.”

York snorted, and Arwen shook his head.

“I know you’ve been around her for a while. What we found made even Dolyn sick. We had to burn the house down. There was no cleaning it.”

“Grim told us she painted the walls red,” I confessed.

“She did more than that,” he muttered. “I’ll never be able to wipe the images from my memory. That’s why I’m so careful with Hyland. I don’t want to lose her and face Sloane’s wrath.”

The druid frowned. “You misunderstand her. She would never hurt you. You mean something to one of the few people she cares about. She would destroy the world for Hyde. That has nothing to do with possession and everything to do with loyalty. She would only direct that wrath in your direction if you didn’t help her find Hyde.”

“He’s right,” I acknowledged. “Your worry is misplaced, Arwen. We’re all dangerous, Hyde included. But I’ve never heard of another person who can control Sloane’s demon. Doesn’t that make you wonder just how strong your mate truly is? The little succubus smiles, and Sloane’s rage melts away. She holds a piece of the Devil’s heart in her hands.”

And the Devil didn’t just collect souls. She collected broken people, pulling us all together until there were enough of us to feel like a regular, dysfunctional family.

I knew Arwen, knew how much he wanted to be a part of something he lacked as a child. I studied him as he watched the girls laughing. He would get along well with Sloane if he’d give her a chance.

We were all quiet for a moment, and then York broke the silence. His whisper was barely audible, as if he was telling us an unknown secret that would unlock the universe’s true potential.

“There’s more power in that statement than you realize.”

I nodded. He wasn’t simply talking about what I’d said to Arwen. He’d heard my thoughts too.

“Hyde’s not the only treasure sitting at that table tonight, is she?” I questioned, already knowing the answer.

“Nope. Not anymore.”

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