The bastard wouldn’t even look at her and was speaking as if she wasn’t in the room. She tried to quelch the hurt to her pride by reminding herself he had just been delivered a great shock.
“Yes.” Zeus nodded. “Anything to help the angels. You only need ask and it shall be given.” His eyes flashed to her, a hidden message she could not decipher.
But the sparkle in Olivier’s eyes... that made all the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck stand up. In contrast, Lucifer’s face had shut down; no emotion could be seen or felt. Even his aura had completely vanished.
Standing before her, not seeing her, the most beautiful man—angel—she’d ever laid eyes on had morphed into a creature she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
Chapter 9
The Long Farewell
Mist danced over the damp earth, curling around the ostentatious fountain and around Diana’s feet. The darkness of night had ebbed into the dull gray of dawn. Her bags were packed. Not that she needed much for the journey, but her faithful servant, Puck, had insisted on a few vital items... and that he join her. Even now, he stood a few paces behind her. He was the sole being allowed to contradict her orders, and only if he had just cause. Not consenting to his presence would’ve been problematic for he would’ve followed regardless. Better to have him ensconced in her service than rambling around on his own, stirring up trouble.
Sleep had evaded Diana. The archangels and her father had discussed strategy while she had fretted in her rooms. She’d had no voice in the very mission for which she’d been personally requested. It was just as well, she supposed.
Puck had taken the news well. He had danced gleefully around the room. “Adventure! Adventure! Who wouldn’t I kill for an adventure?”
Perhaps if she lived a more interesting life, like her brothers always going off to battles or to brothels, the poor pooka’s life wouldn’t be so bland. Diana had tried releasing him from her service on a number of occasions, but the pesky creature refused. She’d even abandoned him in a fae realm so he could enjoy some personal time. Either he’d hit on every fairy in that land and been shot down, or he’d been smashingly quick about having his own needs fulfilled. By dawn, he'd sauntered into her room via the balcony with a wicked smile on his face. At least he’d morphed back into a humanoid-looking lifeform instead of trampling all her fine things in his preferred state as a majestic black stallion—the form he’d held when she’d left him in the fae world.
“Now, darling. I know your wardrobe has much to be desired.” He tossed several outfits that had been laid out on the bed over the open balcony. “Nope. No. Oh, honey! What were you thinking with this one?”
“Hey! That’s my...”
“Don’t care. It’s gone. Never to be seen again, I dare hope.” His red eyes lit up like the fireworks over the River Styx whenever Persephone returned to Hades.
The long-sleeved, full-length gown of emerald velvet went up in a poof of smoke. After enduring such humiliation in that scrap of cloth Athena called a dress earlier, Diana really only wanted to cover every inch of her body from now on.
Puck waved his hands over the remaining garments laid out on the bed and they vanished. “Sweet Diana, why, oh why, do you distress me so with your fashion sense... or lack thereof? You have a smoking hot body! Show it off! If not for yourself, think of that poor archangel who has never experienced a boner in his life until you.”
Shock stopped Diana in her tracks on her march back to her oversized closet to scrounge for more clothes. “What nonsense are you peddling, Puck? That’s ridiculous and you know it.”
Or, was it?
Of course, it was crazy! As soon as she’d kissed him, he couldn’t toss her away fast enough. Obviously, he wasn’t interested. As an angel, he just didn’t have those sorts of feelings which made some sense. But...what a shame!
“You, my dear, could make the Creator himself fall. Angel or not, I wouldn’t put it past him to take the plunge with you dangled in front of him like a chalice of holy wine in the middle of a desert planet.”
The pooka morphed from his lankly boy form into a mocked-up version of an angel with inky black wings before vanishing, only to reappear at the closet door, already holding up two gossamer gowns—one of pale lilac and the other a shimmering burnt amber that Aphrodite had gifted her to “bring out the honey of her eyes.”
Diana threw her hands up in the air and stormed back to her bed to ponder his words. “Pack whatever you want, then! But I think you should remember this is a hunting expedition, not a garden party or extravagant ball so at least pack a couple of pairs of my leathers, a few tunics—preferably with pockets—and some sensible boots. I doubt very much there’s even a need for a dress, much less something so... see-through.”
Her thoughts went over the night’s events. A few hours earlier, Apollo had burst into her rooms, spewing all sorts of curses against the angels and demanding she refuse to go with them. She’d known he was only trying to play the part of protective brother, and she loved him for it. But under all that brotherly love, his hurt and betrayal for not being chosen had tainted his concern. In his mind, as well as most of the gods upon Olympus, it was not proper for a mere female—goddess or not—to do men’s work. Ares had roared his disapproval loud enough to shake the entire castle. The god of war’s fragile ego had not taken kindly to being left out.
“Serves him right for being such a jackass!” Puck had hollered from the closet.
Apollo had turned to Diana. Taking her hands, he’d pulled her in for an embrace. “I promise, sister, I will not allow Father to use you like this, as a pawn in whatever twisted game he’s planning. You have no business going anywhere with the angels, much less unchaperoned. I don’t trust them at all.”
“I’m going with her, so she has a chaperone! Sort of. Stop your blustering!” Puck had poked his head out of the closet, an even skimpier dress than the one she wore earlier held out for approval.
Apollo had glared at him, before abruptly turning to slam back out the door, vowing to do something to put a stop to the madness—as he’d called it.
It had been the only thing during the course of the night that had made Diana smile.
Now, in the wee morning hours with chills raging her body, Diana waited for Zeus to finally shut up with the platitudes and well wishes so they could leave already.
RAGE WARMED LUCIFER in the cold of early morning. Rage at what had been done to his legions. Rage at Olivier for being such an ass.
He should’ve come to him with the news first. They didn’t need the gods’ help. But he was stuck with Zeus meddling in the affairs of angels. The king of the gods had been relentless in his tirade to force more of his own troops to be included in the hunt. He and Ares had nearly come to blows over the issue. And if he had to listen to Apollo’s pestering about his sister one more time...
