Genesis Queen (The Road to Hell Series) (47 page)

Micah kissed the top of her head, enjoying the satiny feel of her twined against him.

***

The Ark of Heaven pushed away from the wall and approached the bed. “Will she be okay?”

“Yeah. She’s stronger than I ever believed possible.” That or because the
casket
hadn’t been
her
will, but rather Elias’s wishes. Maybe a little of both because no one had ever drunk from the
casket
and continued to exist. Neither had anyone ever sipped from the goblet who hadn’t yearned for death. Until Madison. “She shouldn’t be alive.” Unconcerned with the whys of her survival, he was just thankful she respired. Mainlining his seraph the entire way through their lovemaking probably had helped to some degree and she’d chugged his magic like it was candy. “Do you want to pummel me for fucking her?”

“No.” An almost imperceptible headshake from the Ark of Heaven. “It seemed almost…right watching you with her. Definitely a turn-on.”

“Join us, Phoenix.”

“I….” The other man scrubbed his fingers through his hair, randomizing his spiky ‘do’. “I don’t want to interfere with your time with her.”

“Honorable, but unnecessary. You’re not interfering. Join us. She’ll find comfort in having you here when she awakes.” He skimmed his lips across her forehead, as Phoenix climbed onto the bed and aligned himself against Madison’s spine.

The Ark of Heaven rested his chin on the top of her head and palmed her hip. “We’re in a heap of trouble where she’s concerned.”

Micah met his gaze. “Things will work out as they’re fated.”

“And you’re her fate?” Did he hear a touch of regret in Phoenix’s voice?

“The destiny I laid for her has been fulfilled. She completed it when she claimed her seat as the Queen of Hell. Our marriage was not part of the grand design.” He’d never seen their future beyond the moment she claimed her destiny. That could only mean one thing…she wasn’t his to love. “When I know she’s safe, I’ll step aside for you to have her.”

“No you won’t!” Surprised by the vehemence in Phoenix’s voice, Micah’s gaze crashed with his.

“Be practical. It’s the right thing to do, Phoenix.”

“She’ll be given the choice.
That
is the right thing to do.” Phoenix breathed deeply. “Don’t persist in disrespecting her by making decisions for her.”

He pondered that statement a moment. “You’re right. She’s become a better woman for the choices
she
made, not the ones I made for her. I’ll respect her decision.”

“Why do I get the feeling you think it’ll be me?”

He touched the Ark of Heaven’s chin with a single glide of a fingertip. “Because she loved you—not me—enough to lose her humanity and accept her demon.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Feeling little of anything—not even satisfaction—Micah watched as
Ataxia
demons ripped at Celeste’s creamy-smooth flesh. The bitch screamed, begged for leniency, and pleaded with him to listen to her…
excuses
. That’s what her duplicity amounted to in his conjecture. What he heard amounted to
blah, blah, blah
.

The
Ataxia
released her and she slumped on the skin-stitched floor, a bloody corpse in the human realm. No skin or hair remained; she’d been stripped of all flesh. The whites of her eyes and blue irises were stark against her red, oozing body. Nothing more than a solid mass of muscles and nerve endings.

In Hell, death would’ve been a respite. Subjecting her to merciless suffering failed to appease him.

He flicked his finger and a sandy gust made up of pulverized bones swept around her like a tornado. Celeste shrieked and clawed at her body with nubs of flesh. Even her fingernails were gone.

He snapped his fingers and the twister evaporated. Angry strides ate up the distance between them. Clamping his hand on the back of her head, he slapped his other palm over her mouth and forced her to ingest his angel dust.

More shrieks commenced as her body healed without the release that would empower a succubus. The satisfaction he’d anticipated failed to ease his anger.

Goddamn it! More agitated now than when he’d entered the torture chamber, he paced. The only place that afforded any peace had been in Madison’s embrace. When she went on with her life with Phoenix, Micah would be a waste of Kingly flesh, pining after her with no hope of getting on with his future.

He felt the presence of one of his brothers. It wasn’t his twin. The signature differed from Elias’s and that particular brother wasn’t such a fool to believe he would’ve forgiven him so soon. Or so easily.

I will
never
forgive him
.

“Micah, my master, please show mercy.” Celeste crawled toward him. “If I had refused Elias, he’d have killed me. He forbade me to warn you.”

Celeste was Micah’s demon, one of the first pureblood succubi forged in the thirteenth rung of Hell eons ago. He owned her. They were connected on a cellular level. One thought from her, and he’d have known what his twin planned and could’ve executed a defense. She knew this and had done nothing to assist her daughter, nothing to aid him in protecting Madison.

An unforgivable sin
.

The traitorous bitch. She deserved torment without end. When she lost her sanity—and she would—he’d present her with the gift of her wisdom all over again. And watch while she lost her mind once more.

Mercy would not be granted to the mother. She’d been the recipient of the only form of mercy he would ever grant her, when he discovered the abuse Madison received at Celeste and Bruce’s hands fifteen years ago. What a mistake he’d made then, to Madison’s detriment. The first of many offenses he’d committed against his wife since.

If he were Madison, he would never forgive him for his atrocities.

Acknowledging Celeste’s plea granted her a status she didn’t deserve. In a cool tone he instructed the
Ataxia
, “Again.”

As the pleading and screaming began, Hielel—a.k.a Lucifer—the wisest among his siblings, squeezed his shoulder. “Brother, her misery fails to please you. Why do you prevail?”

“She deserves worse.”

“She’s a demon without the ability to alter the way the human soul can. The worst will come later when her sanity is stripped and you force it back inside her.” Hielel stepped toward Celeste and the
Ataxia
scurried several feet away. She wept in a huddled heap where the demons released her, a horror-movie inspired conglomeration of mismatched flesh and oozing muscles. “Look at me, succubus.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes when she lifted her head. “My lord, please—”

His brother lifted a halting hand. “Do not beseech clemency. It’s not mine to give.” Shifting through elusive personas, Hielel gazed upon her. “I pity you, creature. You had everything, including his respect, yet you purchased his hatred instead. For what reason?” He looked at Micah over his shoulder, the question to him and not Celeste.

As Lucifer stepped away from her, the
Ataxia
resumed their torture and Beliel revealed Elias’s betrayal and disclosed Celeste’s complicity in his twin’s treachery.

“Your anger is for Eliel, not your wife’s mother.”

Blood splattered across the floor and Celeste’s top two teeth went flying as an
Ataxia
yanked them out.

“No offense, Lucifer, but I’m presently not in the mood to be diagnosed.” Micah was pissed and hurt beyond anything his father could’ve done to him. “Elias is my twin. I cannot excuse his actions or fathom his hatred of Madison.”

“Eliel is jealous of your relationship with her. Has been since you became enamored of a fifteen-year-old human girl.”

He rubbed his temples. Lucifer’s logic traversed on the side of lunacy. “Why? It’s not like he competed for me with her.”

A small woeful smile. “Think about it. He’s had you for millennia, shared a magical womb with you. You’re like yin to his yang, but Madison is the third wheel, producing an alternate loyalty in you, coming between your bond with Eliel. When you released her from your claim”—Micah knew Elias would tell his brothers of that transgression—“his impatience cultivated an unreasonable conviction that all would be damned. Since the covenant you had binding your life with hers is null and void after her death, Eliel had the ability to kill her without harming you. In a sense.”

Jealous over Madison and impatient for an end to their common goal? He had trouble wrapping his brain around any of it. They’d been patient for so long, why ruin it all now with impulsiveness?

“Elias seemed committed to Madison before he tried to kill her.”

“He was.” His brother sounded so certain of that, while Micah doubted every action Eliel had ever made.

“Madison makes Hell stronger.” Killing her after she was anchored to Hell hurt all of them. Again, he had no explanation for his twin’s actions.

“Indeed, but only through the power she harnesses.” Lucifer’s shifting guises settled into one countenance, which seldom ever happened and was done only in the presence of those he trusted. “Beliel, allow me to divulge information.” With Celeste’s noisy misery as a background symphony, Micah crossed his arms over his chest, and peered at his brother. Lucifer did not make him wait long. “I’ve always known Madison would eventually claim her seat in Hell. Not as the active Queen you wanted or as part of a new trinity to a religion of your making. If the plan had of only succeeded in creating a new religion and breaching Heaven’s doors, I would’ve voted against it. You were losing yourself, growing volatile in your hatred against Father. After you presented your Genesis Children concept, I rolled my Azura stones. An image of Madison emerged, and I knew she’d be your salvation.” Lucifer expelled a heavy sigh. “I also knew this project would result in a division between you and Eliel. I rolled the stones again. If we rejected the Madison path, then we lost both you and Eliel to your hatred. This way we lost only one.”

Fuck me
. Hielel had always known? The outcome had never been as Micah originally planned, and Lucifer kept this knowledge to himself. “Why would you withhold this information?”

“Some destinies are meant to be discovered in time or they’ll go awry. You’ll have your day of comeuppance with Eliel.”

“I will
never
forgive him.”

“The former
you
would have forgiven Eliel.” Former him? As if Lucifer understood his confusion, he explained, “Half a year ago, you’d have praised Eliel for conceiving this method to draw a conclusion to the end. You were impatient for your woman, as well. How are your actions any better than what he’s done?”

“You’re coming dangerously close to getting your teeth knocked out.” His hands curled into fists in preparation to clock his brother.

An iniquitous smile reminded Micah that Lucifer saw everything and never judged. “Ever the hothead. Glad some things never change. But…back on point. You’ve committed acts of violence against her, would’ve forced her to claim her destiny with your blood and seraph if possible. You killed two of her friends, while forcing her lover to covenant with you. All devised to maintain
your
end.”

“I’m
no
saint.” Thank-fucking-Hell he wasn’t one of the prim and proper angels.

“Thankfully those pious bastards remained with Father.”

Lucifer could say that again. “You have a point?”

“Of course, I do.” Hielel preened. “If you allow your brother to explain himself, you may discover his actions are as pure as yours are toward Madison. Even if you disagree with the way he went about it, the ultimate aim was to seal her fate to Hell.”

“I failed to mention Elias tricked Madison into drinking from the
casket
.”

Lucifer’s solid countenance slipped and channel-flipped through a dozen different appearances. Proof of his troubled thoughts.

“For that alone, I will never forgive him.”

His brother lifted his arm. In his open palm lay his Azura stones. One peek at them and Hielel said, “No, you won’t.” He quirked his lips and shook his head, eyes glazed as if he’d been unable to predict this disturbing turn of events.

“That what the stones say?”

“Yes. Eliel has committed an unpardonable act. Yet his power is tied to Hell and we cannot strip him of his status.” Lucifer stuffed his stones in the pocket of his slacks. “It grieves me to say this, but if Eliel will betray his twin, will Raguel or I be next? It is unfortunate Eliel can no longer be trusted. We should block him from tapping into and utilizing Hell’s influence.”

Good idea. Otherwise, Elias would be able to exploit Madison’s battery power. Obstructing him from using Hell’s mojo wouldn’t diminish his natural God-given magic, but would just eliminate his ability to amp them up. All of them were capable of increasing the wattage of their magic by tapping into Hell’s core.

“I’m weary, brother.” He felt like one of those decrepit humans in the final months of their lives. Fighting back tears, he pinched the bridge of his nose until the sissy emotion abated. Even though he missed the connection with his brother, he would
not
cry for the loss.

As if sensing his emotions were at the surface, Lucifer changed the subject. “Our new kingdom
is
rising, Beliel. How different do you imagine we will be when Amos join us?”

Unstoppable. Harnessing both his and Madison’s powers to Hell’s realm would be a coup. But defeating Father was no longer his aim.

“We continue to serve His purpose, don’t we?” The idea of aiding his father cramped his gut.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why he allowed us to exit Heaven unscathed? Or why you were allowed to retain the
Scepter
? He’s omniscient, brother, sees all, knows all, and He knew exactly how we’d all react to His command. Our trials make humans stronger for His kingdom. Never doubt His hand in everything.”

“I really fucking hate that idea. Next time, just lie to me. Hurts less.”

Hielel grinned. “I’ve a question.” He waited until Micah faced him. “Why do you leave Madison in the arms of another man?”