Devilish Mate: Claimed By Lucifer Book Two Read online

  Devilish Mate

  Claimed By Lucifer Book Two

  Elizabeth Briggs

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  www.elizabethbriggsbooks.com

  Contents

  1. Lucifer

  2. Hannah

  3. Hannah

  4. Hannah

  5. Lucifer

  6. Hannah

  7. Hannah

  8. Hannah

  9. Lucifer

  10. Hannah

  11. Hannah

  12. Hannah

  13. Lucifer

  14. Hannah

  15. Hannah

  16. Lucifer

  17. Hannah

  18. Hannah

  19. Lucifer

  20. Hannah

  21. Hannah

  22. Hannah

  23. Lucifer

  24. Hannah

  25. Lucifer

  26. Hannah

  27. Lucifer

  28. Hannah

  29. Hannah

  30. Lucifer

  31. Hannah

  32. Hannah

  33. Lucifer

  34. Hannah

  35. Hannah

  Excerpt from Seraphim Academy 1: Wicked Wings

  About the Author

  1

  Lucifer

  In all my thousands of years of existence, killing my mate was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

  The light faded from Hannah’s eyes, along with a look of betrayal I’d never be able to forget in all my days. As her life left her, anguish gathered in my chest, growing and pressing outward until I barely held myself together.

  She slumped in my arms.

  Dead.

  “I’m sorry.” I settled her back against the leather couch and swallowed against the emotion trying to claw its way from my heart. “It was the only way."

  My regretful apology wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. How could I apologize for this? For killing her? Even if I did it to break the curse, with every intention of bringing her back to life, I wasn’t sure my actions could ever be forgiven. Even if she forgave me, could I forgive myself?

  My Hannah lay on the couch, her chest still. So still. I grazed my knuckles across her soft, pale cheeks as I watched her face and waited. The more seconds passed, the more certain I became that I’d made the wrong decision. What was taking so long?

  Samael rushed in, visible in my peripheral vision. He stopped short and stilled completely as he took in the scene. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from my love, the other half of my soul. Come back to me, Hannah.

  “What have you done?” Samael asked, the horror evident in his tone.

  My voice came out tight. “I had to do it to break the curse. Don’t worry, her death won’t be permanent.” But her skin grew colder under my fingertips as I stroked her jawline, trying to wake her up with the strength of my will. “I hope.”

  My attention shifted from Hannah’s face when five winged people flew through the broken glass of the windows and landed in the penthouse, their feet touching the ground with barely a sound. As their wings folded shut with a snap, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Kassiel adjusted his tie and straightened his suit as he gazed at the destruction and death before him. At his side was his lover, Olivia, along with her three other mates, Bastien, Callan, and Marcus. As a half-succubus, she required four of them to keep her sated, just like her mother, Lilith. I’d called them earlier today in the hopes they could help me with this matter—and I’d only gone forward with breaking the curse once I’d seen them outside, fighting Mammon and his dragons beside my people.

  I rose to my feet and faced them. “Thank you for coming with all haste.”

  Kassiel strode forward with the others at his heels. “It’s fortunate we were already nearby when you called us.”

  “That was quite the skirmish.” Olivia nodded toward the broken window and the skies outside where we’d all fought the dragons and gargoyles. All our enemies had fled after I’d taken out their leader, but unfortunately Gadreel—now revealed as Adam—had fled too, and taken Samael’s ancient journals with him. Something I would worry about later. All that mattered now was bringing my mate back.

  Kassiel’s green eyes landed on Hannah’s prone body. “Although perhaps we were too late...”

  I focused on one of Olivia’s other mates, Marcus. As an angel of the Malakim choir, he had the ability to heal, and as the son of Archangel Raphael, he also had a unique and miraculous ability. One I needed right now.

  “Resurrect her,” I demanded. It wasn’t a request. It was a command, laced with power, and it resonated from the depths of my soul. Even if these angels hadn’t owed me a favor, they’d find it difficult to refuse me.

  “I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee it’ll work.” The dark-haired angel walked to Hannah and examined her quickly, before glancing at me with hesitation.

  “Just do it,” I barked. I had no patience for doubt today. The longer we waited, the harder it would be to bring her back. And we had to bring her back. I would accept no other possible outcome.

  Marcus rested his hands on Hannah’s chest, just under her collarbones, and a white glow surrounded her. I held my breath in anticipation. If she came back, I’d go to the ends of the Earth to keep her safe and make up for all the years of pain we’d been through. I’d do whatever it took to make her forgive me for what I’d done.

  Olivia held out one hand and Marcus took it, enveloping it in his larger one. Her other mates crowded around and put their hands on her back. They all closed their eyes, sending Marcus their combined strength and energy to help him save my Hannah. My Persephone. My Eve.

  My heart pounded in my ears, warring with the roaring of the wind outside the broken windows. Samael hovered nearby with a tense frown. No one moved as the white light suffused Hannah’s body, and I held my breath as I waited for the longest minute of my eternal life. Would this truly work? Or had I made the biggest mistake of all time?

  Finally, Marcus removed his hands and the light faded. At first, nothing happened, and I fully expected him to tell me it was impossible.

  Then Hannah sucked in a desperate, ragged breath.

  Relief overwhelmed me, and I rushed forward without hesitation. I dropped to my knees beside her, ignoring the crunch of glass as it cut through my trousers. Her blue eyes fluttered open, and all the tension in my body faded away.

  “Hannah,” I whispered, my hands already on her cheeks because I couldn’t go another moment without touching her. I needed to feel the warmth in her cheeks and the breath escaping her lips to believe she was truly alive again.

  As her eyes focused on me, her beautiful mouth twisted, and her gaze registered confusion and horror. Fine, yes, I deserved that. We’d work on that problem later. All that mattered was that she was alive—and that the curse was broken. A sense of triumph filled my chest knowing I’d once again beaten my father at his own game.

  “Just breathe,” I said in a low voice as Hannah struggled to sit up. I held out my hand, which she took with some hesitation.

  But then Hannah shrunk back against the couch as if trying to get away from me. She stared at the other people in the room, her eyes wide, but her gaze kept returning to Kassiel. Understandable. I settled beside her, ready to say or do anything she needed as she came to grips with what had happened.

  “Our debt is repaid now.”

  Without even turning, I knew who’d spoken. The gravelly, flat voice could only belong to one person. Callan, Jophiel’s son, and Olivia’s most hard-headed mate. I turned his way with a sharp, withering look. If only he knew who Hannah truly was...

  “Thank you all for your a
ssistance,” I said, glancing between all of the people gathered around us.

  “Who is she?” Kassiel asked.

  Hannah jerked slightly when she heard his voice, and her hand moved to grip the arm of the couch, her knuckles whitening as she squeezed. She was freaking out and trying not to show it. Who could blame her? Being murdered by your mate and then brought back from the dead would be a lot for anyone to take in.

  I rose to my feet and adjusted my poor suit, which was covered in dragon blood and devil knew what else. “We’ll speak later. For now, I need to be alone with her. Samael, can you find rooms for our guests and arrange for cleanup to begin?”

  Samael nodded curtly, obviously displeased about the situation. I’m sure I’d hear about it later in great detail. “Follow me please,” he told the others, and his strides were sharp as he walked away. Kassiel gave Hannah one last curious glance before following Samael and the others out of the penthouse.

  As soon as they were gone, I turned back to Hannah to offer her comfort and perhaps a glass of water. Her eyes locked onto me and she suddenly burst into movement, jumping to her feet, her face twisting with rage, her blond hair flowing behind her.

  “You killed me.” Her chest heaved as her eyes blazed. “You killed me!”

  “Hannah…” I stepped forward to take her into my arms and reassure her, but she stumbled back and held up her hands to stop me.

  “Stay away! Don’t come any closer!” The color drained from her face, and she brought her hand to her throat. Clutching it gently, as if remembering.

  I sighed, wishing I could take that memory away, the memory of my squeezing her neck until life left her. “Hannah, let me explain. Killing you was the only way to break the curse, but I had a plan all along. I called in a favor with the angels and had Marcus resurrect you. He’s the son of Archangel Raphael and, like his father, he can bring people back from the dead.”

  Hannah reared backward, her eyes wide. “Were you certain it would work?”

  “No, but I had faith.”

  “You had faith?” She grabbed a vase, one of the few breakable things in the room that had survived the battle unscathed, and hurled it across the room. “I might have died!” she screamed. “Fuck you. I did die!”

  As the vase hit the ground and shattered, I stayed calm, trying not to do or say anything that would add to Hannah’s distress. “Yes.”

  She stopped and stared at me, more shock blooming across her face, if that was possible. “And this time I wouldn’t be reborn.”

  “Yes.”

  She picked up a wine glass and threw it toward me. “You could have told me that was your plan first!”

  I lifted my hand and caught the glass just in time. “I couldn’t warn you. Believe me, I wanted to tell you everything, but I couldn’t. It had to be an act of passion, done with my own hands, and you had to look at me and know I was killing you. My father made that very clear when he cursed us. If you’d known my full plan, it might not have worked. I couldn’t risk that. Even if we have to live with the memory for the rest of our days.”

  She held up a hand to her head, as if in pain. “Why now? If you knew how to break the curse all along, why wait til now?”

  “Because until recently I had no way to bring you back.” I set the wine glass down and braced for more flying objects. “About a year ago I helped some angels—the ones who just left—escape from prison, placing them in my debt. I couldn’t have brought you back and cheated Death without their help.”

  Hannah sucked in a shuddering breath before she spoke. “Is the curse broken then?”

  “I believe so, yes.” I’d felt it when she died. Like a rubber band snapping in half deep inside me.

  “So if I die, that’s really the end of me?” She looked lost as she said the words.

  “As it is for all living things.” I spread my hands and cocked my head, unsure of how to respond. She’d wanted to break the curse as much as I had, if not even more. I’d done it for her, after all. For us. “We must all face our demise at some point. At least now we can face it together.”

  “No, no, no…” she muttered to herself, as she backed away from me, shaking her head. She grabbed her head with her hands as agony claimed her face. “It’s too much… I can’t…”

  I rushed forward as she bent over and cried out, but then she held up one hand while her other arm clutched her waist.

  “Stay away from me!” she screamed.

  Golden light shot out of her skin, illuminating the room and knocking me back. As I stumbled and threw up a hand to shield my eyes from the light, Hannah ran toward the broken windows. She charged right through the jagged holes before leaping off the balcony into the night without a backward glance.

  I hurried toward the railing and gripped it tightly, watching as Hannah flew away on silver wings.

  2

  Hannah

  I was flying. On my own wings. How was that possible?

  I’d been overwhelmed by the knowledge of my own death at Lucifer’s hands, the thousands of snippets of memories crowding my brain, and this rush of power inside me that I couldn’t control. In my panic to escape it all, I’d run toward the penthouse balcony. Some instinct had made me jump off, but I didn’t fall. No—I’d done the opposite of falling. Flying. And only when I was soaring through the night sky did I realize I was gliding on silver wings.

  My wings.

  The wind ruffled through my feathers as I swooped on air currents without any thought, and I marveled at the feeling of freedom and power. It was enough to calm me for a few seconds, and I allowed myself to exist in that brief moment. It felt...right. Familiar. Natural.

  But then the memories flooded back and filled me with anguish and pain. I’d died. At Lucifer’s hand. My own mate had killed me! Sure, he had a reason for it, but he should have told me about his plans first. Or given me some kind of warning. Something. Even if I could forgive him, which I wasn’t sure was possible, I’d never be able to forget the feel of his own hands suffocating me to death.

  Anger and agony filled me at the thought, and golden light shot out of my skin again, lighting up the night sky as if I’d turned into a star. Power pounded through me, and then a rush of memories that were not my own overloaded my brain. Flying through the darkness of Hell on black wings. Running barefoot through a vibrant garden and laughing. Looking up at Gadreel as he yanked out the spear from my chest. Holding a small naked baby boy in my arms.

  I shook my head as I tried to bury the memories deep inside me and find my way back to the present. Lucifer’s horrible act had unlocked something within me, and now I didn’t know who I was anymore. If Hannah had died, then was I Eve? Lenore? Someone else with wings—an angel?

  Flying was the only thing that made sense to me, that my body somehow knew how to do instinctively, so I kept moving, pumping my wings to rise higher and go farther. Every time a new question or memory popped into my head, I flew harder and faster, outrunning my panic, unable to stop and succumb to my thoughts.

  A figure made of darkness itself suddenly flew in front of me and then coalesced into the form of my mate. Lucifer’s shadowy black wings spread out behind him as he blocked my path, looking devilishly handsome with his dark hair blowing in the wind and his green eyes bright with worry. My heart panged at the sight of him, both with love and with pain.

  “Hannah, stop!” He took my hand in his, but I yanked it away.

  “I can’t!” I cried out, as I swooped away from him. “What the hell is happening to me? Who am I?”

  “I can explain everything if you come back to the penthouse with me.” He sounded so calm and reasonable, and that only made me more angry. How could he be calm when everything inside me had imploded?

  “I’m not going anywhere with you!” I said with an angry flap of my wings, sending silvery streaks of light through the night air. “If you have an explanation, tell it to me right here, right now.”

  Lucifer let out a long sigh before he spoke, his wo
rds slow and deliberate. “You’re an angel named Haniel. Your powers and memories were taken from you by your sister, Jophiel, for your protection. My memories of you were taken too, and I only got them back on Halloween.”

  Haniel. An angel. Yes, that made sense. But the rest… The pain in my chest flared. “Jophiel did this to me? How?”

  Darkness trailed off his wings, making him blend into the night. “She had your best interests at heart, I believe, but that doesn’t excuse what she did—to either of us. I’m still processing all of the returned memories myself. I hoped your resurrection would restore you to your full self, but it seems it only restored your powers.”

  My full self? An hour ago I’d been human—or so I’d thought. Now I’d died and been reborn, and discovered I was actually a freaking angel. Except I was also all of these other people from my past lives also. It was enough to make me want to scream.

  “How do I get the memories back?” I asked, my voice shaking.

  “You’ll have to make Jophiel return them, as I did.” A villainous smile teased his lips. “She didn’t want to do it, but I can be quite persuasive.”

  I pressed my palms against my face, filled with so many emotions, powers, and memories I felt like I might explode. Now I’d learned my own sister had betrayed me too? And taken not only my memories but my powers? No. It was too much. I already had hundreds of past lives vying for attention inside of me, and I didn’t know who I was anymore. Was Hannah even real? Who was Haniel?