Page 87 of Burn of Obsidian
“The theory works,” Jax added, releasing the armrests long enough to grab the bullet. It looked identical to the picture drawn up by himself and Kace, the tip obsidian that had been carved into a spiral, with the rest of the body made from silver. It was a softer metal than steel, so should split on impact, and if coated in the same residue he’d added to Thea’s bands, it shouldn’t react with Kace’s compound.
The thought of Thea in his bands drew his attention to where she sat with Roach, both of them slouched over notes and blueprints scattered messily over the table. They spoke quietly, Thea’s brow low as they discussed the details on the upcoming raid. He’d been frustrated she’d invited someone he hadn’t had time to vet.
She was right; they needed the best, and she was mature enough to admit that wasn’t her.
Thea looked up, as if sensing his gaze. Warmth spread beneath his ribs, but it was weakening the longer she denied it. Thunder had shared the memory of the mating, and the exact moment her wild magic reared up to block.
“Hello?”
Fingers clicked in his face, and Jax pinned Lucy with a glare. “What?”
“I was asking about timelines in testing.” Lucifer looked over his shoulder, probably eyeing up the fucking pixie. “But clearly you have more interesting things on your mind. Like a certain faerie with the most amazing pink hair. Is it natural?”
“Luce…”
“Suppose we won't be going out and sharing a woman anymore.” Lucifer twisted back in his chair. “Unless...” Amusement danced in his eyes.
“Touch her, and I'll rip off your wings and shove them down your throat.”
Lucifer snorted out a laugh. “Kinky, there's a reason we're friends.”
“We're not friends.”
“Said just like a best friend.” Lucifer grinned. “Can I at least watch?”
Reaching for the handgun, Jax placed the bullet inside the magazine. “You know a Daemon called Leo?” he asked, changing the subject.
Lucy pursed his lips at the deflection, but didn’t push. Probably because Jax held the gun with a bullet designed to fucking hurt.
“No, but it’s likely he chose the name Leo once he came to the surface.” He shrugged. “He wouldn’t risk using his summoning name, or even a shortened version. Other than those we’ve put six feet under, I’ve not run into anyone, and it’s not like I have cute tea parties with the bastards I was forced to share Hell with.”
“He said he and some others wanted to live peacefully, free and without the threat of war.”
Lucifer drummed his fingers on his knee. “Gideon ruled by force. You went against him, and he’d have you flailed in the square as punishment. Peace isn’t a concept he understands.” A darkness flashed across his features, but Jax knew better than to ask Lucifer about his time down in the Nether. “The only person who kept him in check was Hadriel, and that’s only because his power was connected to the fucking realm we were all chained to.”
“Do you think there are more that would go against him?”
Lucy huffed out a chuckle. “Many of my kind thrive in the madness of war, while there are others, like Leo, who were forced into it. They would be hiding, and considering summoning names are bound to our tongues, it’s not like I could summon any of them to be of aid.”
Which meant Lucifer couldn’t summon anyone, because magic prevented him from revealing the names. Which was fucking useless, and would have resolved the majority of the issues if they could simply summon Gideon, and then destroy him while he was bound to a circle.
“He was already ruthless while chained to the Nether, and now freed from those restrictions, he’ll be even more relentless,” Lucy said. “He’s the most powerful out of the Originals because he was one of the first, and that power increased over time.”
“What about the others?”
“Alrameth, Murath and Dargran were all killed in territorial wars when we were still chained below.” Lucifer frowned. “Fuck, saying their names out loud makes me realise how stupid they all sound. Mine’s just as bad.”
Not that Jax knew it. Lucy’s summoning name wasn’t something he shared easily, not when it gave someone power over him. Jax was sure the only person who knew it was Alice, and that was because Lucy had killed everyone else.
“Then there’s Dirk and Bishop, the fuckers. Honestly, who chooses the name Dirk? He could have been anyone. Steve. John, fucking Baron of Titsville the third. Yet he decided on Dirk?” Lucy picked at his painted nails. “Obviously, he deserved to die because he hurt Kyra, and tried to create more Daemons for Gideon, but that shit name is a close third.”
Jax nodded, although he found himself drifting back to Thea, watching how she checked her phone religiously for an update on her father. He’d already made a discreet call to Molly, knowing there had been no change. He was being made as comfortable as can be, but they all knew he didn’t have long left.
“You’d think druids wouldn’t continue to choose the rite,” Lucifer continued. “Maybe I should go give a talk about how accepting dark magic isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and in reality, it can fuck you up the arse without lube. Maybe that will give the young lads some hesitation.”
Thea looked up, and that warmth in his chest, despite being suppressed, spread like wildfire. “The weak crave power.” Jax said, having to force his eyes away from his mate. “Which is why Gideon will never be satisfied until there’s nothing left.”
“Then let us hope your girl knows what the fuck she’s doing.”