Aeron sighed, the weary sound a mimic of Baden’s. “All these years I’ve feared death, but there at the end, you’re right. I, too, welcomed it. Not because I was tired but because I wanted to save my woman.”
“Ah, a woman. The downfall of us all. Tell me about her. I have yet to be given a glimpse.” Baden rubbed his hands together, ripe with anticipation. “I want to know what kind of creature captivated so leery a man.”
“Yes, Aeron, I want to hear this, too.”
Aeron stilled. “Did you hear that?” He spun, gaze searching wildly for the woman he craved more than life. He found no sign of her.
“I heard,” Baden said, frowning now. “A female voice, right?”
He wasn’t insane, then. “Olivia?” he shouted. He would have sworn his heart began pounding in his chest. “Olivia!”
Several yards away, the air began to shimmer, dappled glitter in a canvas of pearl, and a shape took form. Dark curls. Bright blue eyes. Flawless skin. Heart-shaped lips. Circles of rose painted her cheeks, and glorious white wings were stretched behind her.
Wings. Angel. She’d gone home.
“Can you see me?” Desperate, he kicked into motion. “Can you see the dead?”
“Oh, yes. I can see you.”
When he reached her, his arms banded around her and lifted her up. He held on to her as he’d never held on to another, spinning her. Here, she was here. With him. Never would he let her go.
Her head fell back and she laughed with carefree abandon. That laughter…how it soothed his soul.
“Olivia.” Desperate to taste her, he meshed their lips together. She opened willingly, eagerly, and he fed her kiss after kiss, savoring everything about her. The warmth of her body, the sweetness of her curves. His. And his alone.
“Aeron. There’s so much I have to tell you.”
Trembling, he set her down and cupped her face, never losing contact. “Sweetheart, what are you doing here? How are you here? And I see you’re an angel once again.” My angel.
“Yes. A joy-bringer, no longer a warrior.”
“You were always my joy-bringer, but how… I don’t understand.”
She beamed up at him and traced her fingers all over his face, as if she, too, couldn’t bear to let go. “My Deity is the creator of life, and He has offered you a new one. Just as the Heavenly High Council offered me my old job back—even though they say I’m now better suited for the warrior class. From now on, I will be your personal joy-bringer. They realized you couldn’t be happy without me, and I would have no joy without you.”
He still couldn’t wrap his head around the details. “Why would they care? They were the ones who wanted me dead in the first place.”
“You sacrificed everything. For me. My Deity acknowledged your sacrifice and sought to reward you. He will return you to your body, heal that body, and you may return to the fortress. We can be together.”
“Together.” He wanted to fall to his knees in thanks. He wanted to shout and to dance. He could only marvel. Olivia was his.
Her gaze became questioning, unsure. “Are you happy about this?”
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been, sweetheart. You are all I want, all I need.”
Another smile bloomed. “I feel the same.” That smile dimmed somewhat. “Wrath…your demon cannot be returned to you, I’m afraid. I tried. But he’s been given to another already.”
“Who?”
“A woman named Sienna Blackstone. Once a mortal, killed by gunshot. But Cronus saved her soul and has kept her with him.”
Paris’s Sienna. Of all the outcomes… What did that mean for poor Paris? He could have his female back, after all, it seemed, but she would be crazed by Wrath for many years to come. She would exist only to exact vengeance upon those who sinned.
Aeron would do everything he could to ease her transition. And hopefully, the demon would recognize him. They still had a job to do, after all. Stefano’s punishment. The demons who hurt her, too.
“Will I be mortal?” he asked. Not that he cared. He would be with Olivia. What did an aging body matter?
“No. You’ll be immortal, just as before. In fact, your body will be restored to what it was at its creation. You will be without your tattoos, without your butterflies. Without your wings.” Again she appeared unsure. “Is that okay?”
“Okay? That is magnificent.” Laughing now, he spun her a second time. Could life get any better? Maybe not. She didn’t look as happy as she should have. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he stilled.
“Legion. She’s back in hell, bound once more to its flames because her bond to you was destroyed.”
Ice crystallized in his veins—right along with realization. That’s what Lysander had meant by the words “she will return home.” He should have known, suspected at the very least.
“Lucifer is so angry with her, he’s left her in her human body and the demons are tormenting her ceaselessly. Galen’s looking for her, and I think…I think he’ll even venture into hell for her. He wants to kill her because apparently she tried to kill him.”
“I know. Which is why I’ve spoken to the Council about my new duties. As your joy-bringer, I explained that you need the demon in your life or that life will not be complete. They have agreed that if you decide to go get her, they will let her stay with you, because what she is enduring now is a hell that will last her a thousand lifetimes. Upon her rescue, though, she will be assigned a guardian angel to ensure she harms no humans.”
“Yes, yes, I accept for her.” Legion hated angels, but she could deal. She’d have to get used to his Olivia, anyway. “Yes,” he said again. He didn’t even have to think about it. “You, Olivia, are even more amazing than I realized. You did this, and I can never thank you enough.” He rained little kisses all over her face. “You have given me everything.”
“Just as you have given me everything.”
“I will spend the rest of my days ensuring you have your fun.”
“All I need is your love.”
Aeron dove in for another deep, penetrating kiss, and soon they were lost in it, their hands all over each other, eager, ready for more, determined—
“Uh, guys.” Baden’s voice pushed through the illusion of privacy and both of them turned toward him. He waved at Olivia. “Hi. I hate to break this up, because wow, but what about me? I want in on this action. I want to go back to my body.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You have made no sacrifice. I’m afraid you have to remain here.”
Regret and sorrow instantly tainted Aeron’s newfound peace. He’d only just found Baden, and now he was supposed to abandon him?
Baden’s shoulders sagged. “Is there anything—”
“No,” Olivia interjected softly. “I’m sorry. You are already dead. There’s no sacrifice you can make.”
“I’ll find a way to get you out,” Aeron vowed. “Pandora mentioned the box. I’ll never stop searching for it, I swear on my life.”
His friend nodded, but there was sadness in his voice as he said, “I will miss you.”
“And I you.” Tears now burned his eyes.
Baden smiled, though even that was sad. “Tell Torin he owes me a sword. Tell Sabin I haven’t forgotten how he cheated at chess. And tell Gideon I want a rematch. He’ll know what you mean.” He rattled off a message for every warrior, and damn if they didn’t break Aeron’s heart. By the end, his tears were flowing freely. “Until we meet again, Aeron.”
“We will. Meet again.”
“I will never lose hope.” Without another word, Baden walked backward, step by agonizing step. So badly Aeron wanted to shout for him to stop, but just as he opened his mouth to do so, unable to take the grief, the warrior disappeared in the mist.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia
said, petting his chest.
Aeron jerked her back into his arms, grip tightening. “This is not the end. I swear it.” He buried his face in the hollow of her neck. He could never repay her for all that she’d done for him. “I love you. So much.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’m going to make you happy. Of all the things I’ve sworn, that is the most important to me.”
She pushed to her tiptoes and kissed him. “You already have made me happy. Now let’s go home. There are lots of people eager to see you.”
“First, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but fly us to my bedroom. We need a proper reuniting. Then we’ll meet with the others.”
That earned him another laugh. “That’s right. I have wings now and you do not. Guess that means I’m in charge of our more…illicit activities, too. So you can consider it done. Seeing to your happiness is my job, after all.”
“For which I will be eternally grateful.”
They kissed again before heading home.
Lords of the Underworld
Glossary of Characters and Terms
Aeron—Keeper of Wrath
All-Seeing Eye—Godly artifact with the power to see into heaven and hell
Amun—Keeper of Secrets
Anya—(Minor) Goddess of Anarchy
Ashlyn Darrow—Human female with supernatural ability
Baden—Keeper of Distrust (deceased)
Bait—Human females, Hunters’ accomplices
Bianka Skyhawk—Harpy; sister of Gwen
Cage of Compulsion—Godly artifact with the power to enslave anyone trapped inside
Cameo—Keeper of Misery
Cloak of Invisibility—Godly artifact with the power to shield its wearer from prying eyes
Cronus—King of the Titans
Danika Ford—Human female, target of the Titans
Darla Stefano—wife of Dean Stefano; Sabin’s lover (deceased)
Dean Stefano—Hunter; Right-hand man of Galen dimOuniak—Pandora’s box
Dominic—A young Hunter
Elite Seven—The most prestigious faction of angels
Galen—Keeper of Hope
Gideon—Keeper of Lies
Gilly—Human female, friend of Danika
Greeks—Former rulers of Olympus, now imprisoned in Tartarus
Gwen Skyhawk—Half-Harpy, half-angel
Heavenly High Council—Angelic governing body
Hera—Queen of the Greeks
Hunters—Mortal enemies of the Lords of the Underworld
Joy-bringers—Angels tasked with watching over mortals
Kaia Skyhawk—Harpy; sister of Gwen
Kane—Keeper of Disaster
Legion—Demon minion, friend of Aeron
Lords of the Underworld—Exiled warriors to the Greek gods who now house demons inside them
Lucien—Keeper of Death; Leader of the Budapest warriors
Lucifer—Prince of darkness; ruler of hell
Lysander—Elite warrior angel and consort of Bianka Skyhawk
Maddox—Keeper of Violence
Olivia—Fallen warrior angel
One True Deity—Ruler of the angels and head of the Heavenly High Council
Pandora—Immortal warrior, once guardian of dimOuniak (deceased)
Paring Rod—Godly artifact, power unknown
Paris—Keeper of Promiscuity
Reyes—Keeper of Pain
Rhea—Queen of the Titans; estranged wife of Cronus
Sabin—Keeper of Doubt; Leader of the Greece warriors
Scarlet—Keeper of Nightmares
Sienna Blackstone—Female Hunter
Strider—Keeper of Defeat
Taliyah Skyhawk—Harpy; sister of Gwen
Tartarus—Greek, god of Confinement; also the immortal prison on Mount Olympus
Titans—Current rulers of Olympus
Torin—Keeper of Disease
Unspoken Ones—Reviled gods; prisoners of Cronus
Warrior Angels—Heavenly demon assassins
William—Immortal warrior, friend of Anya
Zeus—King of the Greeks
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