Infernal God (Claimed By Lucifer Book 3) by Elizabeth Briggs (good books for 7th graders .txt) 📗

I touched the sliver of light and pushed my power into it, drawing on the considerable reserves available to me as War. Old magic formed a barrier between the worlds, and I sliced through it, tearing the hole wider. Light burst through as I ripped the jagged portal open, until it was big enough to walk through.

Strife charged forward without hesitation and we passed through the portal. His hoofs splashed against the water as we emerged on Earth in the middle of the ocean, the island reclaimed by the dark depths of the sea long ago. I drew in a deep breath of crisp salty air, as the sun sank below the horizon and the sky darkened. Finally, the glorious night.

The stars and moon appeared overhead as Strife galloped forward across the dark blue waters. Toward my kingdom in Las Vegas. Toward the woman.

It was time to get my revenge and retake my throne. Then my apocalypse could begin.

2

Hannah

Las Vegas heat was intense in May, but as an angel, I reveled in it. The warmth from the bright sun overhead was one of my few comforts these days. If I was being honest, life had been a bitch since I'd trapped Lucifer in Heaven. With War possessing him, he was safest there. I knew that, but I hated every second he was gone, and until I could find a way to save him from himself, I didn't see that changing anytime soon.

Six fucking months and still no sign of a solution. It didn't help that for the first three of those I’d done little more than sleep and puke my guts up. Morning sickness, afternoon sickness, evening sickness, all the damn time sickness, and my body didn't care that Lucifer was gone and someone had to step up to rule.

That person was me, of course. Pregnant, exhausted, heartbroken me. I'd barely managed to keep things together, but somehow I did it.

I became the Demon Queen.

With a lot of help from my friends. All of them pitched in during my time of need, going above and beyond in their efforts, and I couldn't have done it without them. Azazel protected me and kept me from losing my sanity. Samael and his assistant Einial ran the business side of things and kept the other Archdemons happy. Olivia and her angelic mates became my intermediaries with the angels, while my youngest son Kassiel helped me research everything I could about the Four Horsemen. They were all family—but they couldn't fill the void that Lucifer had left.

I took a deep breath and inhaled the floral scent around me from the other project that had kept me busy over the last few months—Persephone's Garden. The Celestial Resort and Casino's newest relaxation zone was almost ready to be revealed to the public in all its glory. There was nothing else like it on the Vegas Strip, a lush expanse of green with bursts of color forming a tranquil oasis in the middle of the desert city. Nature doing her thing with a little help from me. I'd included all my favorite plants, from olive trees and weeping figs, to lilies, violets, and irises. My favorite spot was a stone bench surrounded by Persephone's signature flower, the narcissus, better known as the daffodil.

There was only one last thing to complete—the magnificent waterfall. I moved along the path toward it, letting the fine spray soothe my heated skin. Once it was finished, the waterfall would become a gateway, allowing guests to walk underneath it to access other parts of the garden. The only thing unfinished was the secret cave behind it, which would not be for hotel guests, but possibly the most important thing I'd ever built.

Pride filled my chest. Lucifer had given me this space and I’d found my happy place in creating this garden over the past few months. I’d filled it with life and beauty, and although I could only just now bear the scent of some of the flowers, it was my place. Somewhere I could be fully me, with no demands on my time or my energy, where I could be alone with my tumultuous thoughts.

Or nearly alone. Even now, my ever-present gargoyle guard had fanned out into whatever pattern they’d determined would best protect me in this space. They weren’t intrusive, but they were always nearby, usually in their human forms so as not to scare the hotel guests. Should any threat arise, they'd instantly sprout wings and talons, their skin turning to stone as they protected my life, and that of the precious cargo I carried.

The irony of it all didn't escape me. It wasn't all that long ago that I’d killed gargoyle after gargoyle in the penthouse when they'd attacked me, and now they were my biggest line of defense. How things had changed.

“Hannah," Azazel's voice called out from across the garden. She was near the lilies, and she carried their scent as she approached.

I stroked my hand idly over my bump and turned to face my best friend. As I did, my daughter kicked against me, and I smiled at the reminder of her presence. But then my smile faded as I wished Lucifer could be here for this, to experience her first movements and the joy she brought. I was nearly at the end of the second trimester. He’d already missed so much. I'd never even had a chance to tell him I was pregnant, let alone with a daughter.

“The Archdemons have gathered for the meeting,” Azazel said. Her thick hair was braided down her back and her dark skin gleamed under the setting sun, though she squinted against it even in her sunglasses. The hour was later than I'd realized, and soon it would be dark. That was when the demons came out in Las Vegas. My demons.

I nodded but winced a little as my baby kicked again, this time right in the ribs. She was a