I watch Remi closely as Lucifer begins to speak."You died at birth. Actually, you never took your first breath. For three days I listened to your mother's crying and pleading for someone to bring you back to her. I couldn't take the pain my only daughter was feeling away. I had to do something. I would do anything to ease my only daugther's pain. So, I did the only thing I knew. I called upon my brothers for their help. I was warned not to do what I was thinking about doing. That it would alter you in some way. But I didn't listen. On the third day I had my brothers help me give you a piece of my soul. I thought being as it was a selfless sacrifice; you'd get a part of the archangle side of my soul. However, you didn't. You got a part of my soul that created Hell. Your mother and father assured me they would do everything in their power to keep you from becoming a dark soul. Then Romeo was killed. No one knows how you did it, but you entered Hell. I had to go in and find you. You wer
I catch up to Remi in her office. She's sitting behind her desk drinking a bottle of tequila. "Wanna talk about it?" I sit in the leather chair across from her desk. She shakes her head."You know, both of you trying to take the blame for what happened to Romeo, to Yanessa, and to you; isn't going to help anybody. You're two sides of the same coin. There's no Payne without Remi and vise versa. I know life has knocked you down more than a few times. But you always manage to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and live to fight the bad guys another day. Payne, is magnificent. She's not a monster. She's not a demon. If she were either of those things she would've left Kallista and the others in that warehouse to die. And she wouldn't have given a damn about all the others she has helped to save."Remi snorts her disbelief in my words. "Answer a question for me. Has Payne ever hurt an innocent being?" Remi shakes her head with a sigh, and takes a swig from her bottle. "That just prove
I head straight to the bar so that I can wash away my shame with a shot of tequila. Summer the newest bartender passes me a shot as soon as I walk up to the bar. After knocking back my shot; I head back to the rear of the club. I make my way to the third door on the left guarded by Spence. Casino night at 318 is invitation only with a plus one. All guests have to be cleared by security before the event. "Good evening, Spence." I say as he opens the door to let me and my security detail through. Blaze leads the way and Kane follows behind me. "Good evening, Remi." He says as he closes the door behind us. We slowly climb down the black metal stairs. I look over the room as we descend. Shade is tending the bar in the back of the room. She hands are waving around as her mouth moved ninety to nothing. Two bartenders stand there looking thoroughly chastised. Eight waitresses move about the room. Four cashiers tend to the guests in a booth to the right of the bar. Ten security guards move
I head over to the bar to help Shade with the asshat that won't pay his tab at the bar. He's swearing his tab can't be that high. That we got his tab mixed up with someone else's. I call security over to help us with the issue. I'm handed a drink and I chug it back, as the guy finally hands over his credit card to pay the tab. I'm walking across the floor headed back to Aiden at the craps table. All of a sudden a sharp pain hits me in the back of the head. My head is pounding and it feels like someone has stabbed me with an ice pick. I feel around the back of my skull then pull my hands in front of me to make sure there is no blood. Then my breathing changes. It's as if the air can't make it into my lungs. I forget about walking over to Aiden. I need to get out of here. I need fresh air. Then I stumble. Aiden's eyes shoot up in my direction. I begin to sway, and he starts shoving and moving people out of his way. Blaze is running across the room. My knees buckle, but before they hi
I pace back and forth until I have myself under control. Blaze calls Kieran. Then he calls my father. I sit beside the bed holding onto Remi's cold clammy hand. Her skin now has a sickly green tinge to it. Kieran and Gunner come shouting down the corridor. "Where is she? Where's Remi?" The door to Remi's room opens with a loud bang. I can't even lift my head to acknowledge they've come into the room. Kieran runs to the opposite side of the bed. He kisses her forehead. Gunner's knees hit the floor as he cries. "She's gonna die thinking the worst of us. Thinking we didn't value her.""She's not gonna die! Fate couldn't be so cruel as to take another person I love." Kieran whispers against Remi's forehead. The only man I have ever looked up to besides my own father; stands there with tears rolling down his face. He runs his hand over her small delicate face. The machine Doc hooked her up to is monitoring her heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure. The machine is beeping too slo
I feel my father's heavy hand on my shoulder. "I'm headed back to the clubhouse. Gonna get some ears to the ground. See what we can find out about who did this. Maybe find the fucker and get them to reverse this. Son, if anything changes; call me. No matter how minor it may seem. Don't hesitate to call me. I'll come right back here." Axel squeezes my shoulder then starts to walk away."Thanks, father." I say listening to his heavy foot falls against the floor. They suddenly stop. "Aiden, how many people know you and Remi have sealed the bond? How many know Payne is Remi's dragon?""Only the people in this room know that we have sealed the bond. Oh, and Chance Masters. It wasn't a secret. Tonigth Remi wore her mating mark like a badge of honor. Only the people here know Payne is her dragon."Kieran clears his throat. "Actually, the members of the Council know that Remi and Payne are one and the same. Do you think someone on the Council could be behind this?" He runs his hand over her
I'm starting to doze off when Remi starts squirming. "Fucking A!" She groans. "Remi, baby." I try talking to her to get her to talk again. She yanks and pulls against the restraints at her wrists and ankles. Her groggy voice fills the room again. And I swear it's the most beautiful sound. "I'm gonna fucking puke." She says, and I'm clueless. "What's she talking about?" I yell asking no one in particular for clarification as to what the hell is going on. "Move!" Xavier shouts as he runs across the room with a trash can towards Kieran. Kieran and I look at him like he has lost his mind. But before Xavier can reach Kieran's side of the bed; the most god awful smell and horrific thick yellow substance spews out of Remi's mouth. The gruesomeness of it reminds me of a scene in a classic horror movie; Remi made me watch. The stuff just keeps coming out of her. Then all of a sudden she slumps back against the bed. "What the fuck was that?" I'm horrified. My stomach is turning. I feel lik
"We have to get her out as soon as possible. Purgatory is another route demons take to get from hell to earth. With the war to take over the throne; she's fair game in there. Waylong, does she have access to her dragon or any of her powers?" Lucifer is panicking, which is making all of us start to panic. "Not that I can tell. Part of the spell was to trap her dragon. The poison was meant to render her helpless. I feel her dragon, but she's not stirring or fighting this off. Meanwhile Remi's mind and body are fighting tooth and nail. If her dragon was available to her; I have no doubt they could fight this off.""I don't know about anyone else. But from where I'm sitting my sister isn't fighting shit. She came to hours ago, and nothing since Doc injected her with that shit." Gunner is restless and worried. Others may think it's just concern, but I feel the fear radiating off of him. The fear he will loose his sister. "Remi's body is fighting off the poison like a mortal would a sickn