Chapter 9

**Allesandro**

When I found the witch, this wasn’t what I was expecting. I figured we’d find a blood thirsty beast. Not this whatever you want to call it. It was like every bit of his soul had been sucked right from his body. It’s been hours since we brought him to the dungeon and still, not a peep. Maybe a whimper or a cry to stop.

“Allesandro,” Dante sighed. “What the hell are we supposed to do with a comatose hybrid? That is nothing like…”

“I fucking know that!” I growled. “Don’t you think I don’t know…”

“Brother, am I gonna say it or are you?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Ok then, there’s only one way to bring the bloody man out of his shell.”

“No, absolutely fucking not. I won’t allow it.”

I knew what he was referring to. He wanted to bring Cilia down to see if she would wake Jeremy. I closed my eyes and blew out a frustrated breath. Deep down, I knew he was right. If anyone could wake the hybrid, it was the one person that knew him better than anyone else here. I didn’t like it, but dammit, my brother was right. He was always right.

“Let’s try one more time and if it doesn’t work, we’ll bring her down.”

I stepped back into the dungeon and paced in front of the cell. Jeremy laid on the dirty floor and whispered a few words. I could barely understand them. But still, I knew exactly what he was saying. My brother’s footsteps echoed through the room and he clamped down on my shoulder. “It’s Latin.”

“I know that, asshole. What I can’t understand is why he’s chanting a locator spell.”

“Jeremy, can you hear me? Nod if you can.” Dante told him.

Nothing.
He kept chanting.
And I felt it, the floor shook.
The faster the chant, the stronger the quake.

His eyes were closed and blood started to drip from his nose. If he didn’t stop, he was going to kill himself. I glanced behind me at my brother and sighed. “Bring her.”

I didn’t like it, but I knew it had to happen.

My brother sped away to retrieve Cilia. I knelt down and curled my fingers around the bars, pressing my forehead against them and murmured. “What happened to you, Jeremy?”

“Jeremy,” Cilia gasped. “What have you done to him?”

I let go of the bars and stood up, turning to face my mate. “That’s just the thing, we haven’t done anything. Whatever is happening to him, it was done before he left.”

“He… oh God, Allesandro. This isn’t… the man I remember. The man I knew was stronger than this.”

I reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her closer and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, my Queen.”

“Help him. Please, don’t let him die. Not like this.”

Cilia was hurting. I could feel her heart breaking into a million pieces. I think I was beginning to understand the bond between Jeremy and her. I wasn’t jealous. I should be, but I’m not. He was the only friend she had when she was enslaved. The only one who looked out for her before I knew her.

“Call Jaxson and his father. They need to know what’s happening.” I mouthed to my brother.

He nodded and rushed away.

Cilia buried her face into my chest and clenched my shirt. There was only one explanation for this. This was the witches doing. It had to be. In fact, there was only one witch I could think of that could do this much damage.

Fucking Lucinda!
Damn bitch.
She knew we were one step ahead of her. She knew we’d come for Jeremy. So, she took matters in her own hands. I hated this. Hated the witches. And one by one, I’d kill them. Tear their pretty little head off and put an end to this war. With or without Jeremy.
“Come on, let’s get a bite to eat. Dante has gone to retrieve my friend and his father to help Jeremy.”

“Can I talk to him?” Cilia asked.

“You can, but I doubt he’ll hear you. He’s… not well.”
“Please, I have to try. I have to help him the way he helped me.”

Helped her?

“You can, but only if you explain how he helped you.”

Cilia nodded and pulled away to step towards the cell. I stood behind her, still very protective of her. This could be a trap. Was he really sick or was this just a ploy to get a stab at me by the witches?

“Jeremy, it’s me. It’s Cilia, you remember me, right?” She whispered.

Jeremy thrashed, his head shaking from side to side. “No, no, no! You’re not real… Cilia died. I… saw… you be consumed by darkness.”

“I’m her and I’m real. What happened to you?” She pressed.

“They’re coming for us.” He cried out. “They’re coming for all of us.”

“Who is?” I asked.

This was the most I’d gotten out of him.

“La Loba, the Queen of the Damned. The one who started it all.”

“La Loba?” Cilia whispered.

“Devil in a sheep’s skin. Lilith will stop at nothing until every abomination is vanquished to the pits of hell. She…”

Jeremy screamed in pain and arched his back. Then… nothing. He was limp, but still, he wasn’t dead. Just out.

I wrapped my arm around Cilia’s shoulder and pulled her away. “Let’s go get something to eat. I don’t want you starving yourself.”


This war was more than just the witches.
This was an attempt to lock every supernatural creature up like animals.
The witches didn’t do this to Jeremy.
This was Lilith.

Devil in sheep’s skin.
I know one thing; Lilith is walking the Earth in someone’s body.
I just need to figure out who it is.
It could be anyone.
Jaxson.
Dante.
Cilia.
Or… it could be someone I least suspect.
It could be Lana.
“You’re going to help him, right?” Cilia asked, her voice low.

“I won’t promise he’ll be okay, but I will promise you that I’ll do anything I can in my power to try.”

“Really?”

I tucked one strand of her hair behind her ear and promised. “I swear on my life, my love. Now, let’s go get something to eat, shall we?”

I recalled the first time I met Lilith. After my family and people had been slaughtered by the witches, I called upon her on my twentieth birthday. She appeared almost immediately. Just the sight of her was enough to give me chills. I asked for her help to take revenge on the witches. She accepted but with conditions. I had to marry her daughter. I didn’t realize it but at the time, I just signed over my life. There could only be one thing she was trying to do by torturing Jeremy. She had to know that we had come for him. That we were looking for him. That’s why she put a curse on the hybrid. To get my attention.

Well, you have it, Lilith.
So, what are you waiting for?
Show yourself and be done with it.

“Go on up to our room, my love. I’ll have your slave come up and serve you.” I told Cilia.

“You’re not coming with me?” She whispered.

“I won’t be long. I have something I have to do.”

I pulled Cilia by the waist and kissed her lips before I watched her leave me. I stepped into the office and just as I suspected, Lilith was already here. She smelled like death. She was death. And now, she’s here to either try to kill me or ready for me to marry her little spawn.

“King Allesandro,” Lilith drawled out. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I’m not marrying your daughter.” I put my foot down.

“I don’t want you to marry her anymore. The circumstances have changed.”

“Changed? I don’t understand.”

“It wasn’t me that cursed that hybrid.”

“Don’t. Fucking. Lie.” I hissed. “You’re the only one who could pull this off and you damn well know it.”

Lilith took a step forward and looked me deeply in the eyes. “I. Didn’t. Do. It. Look me in the eyes and really look. Have I ever lied to you?”

“Well… no.”

“Then, believe me when I tell you something big is coming. Bigger than all of this.” She told me gesturing around the room. “Look, I don’t like it any more than you, but we have to stick together.”

“Like the last time?” I scoffed. “You used me to do your bidding and it cost my family their lives. I was just a boy… a teenager.”

“What if I told you I could bring them back?”

“Don’t. I’m not falling for it again, Lilith.” I growled.

“Everyone you ever loved, your people… everyone you knew in this palace. I can bring them back.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then, we all are going to die. They’ve already… things are bad in hell, old friend.”

“Don’t call me that. I haven’t been a friend in a long time. In fact, I’m not sure I ever was. There’s only one thing you care about and it damn sure isn’t me. So, you can take your manipulative ass back to hell where you belong.”

“It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did. I tried to stop him, but he had other plans.”

Him.
Fuck!

“Lucifer died. We all saw it.”

Lilith sighed. “He’s not dead. He never was.”

“What?”

“Lucifer has been inside your friend’s brother. He…”

I shoved her against the wall and narrowed my eyes. She clawed at me and fought against me. “I-I can help you. I can heal the hybrid and help you take Lucifer down. If I die, you all die.”

“Don’t threaten me, Lilith. The outcome wouldn’t be advisable.”

“Hell is falling apart. Lucifer… he’s gone off the deep end.”

“You can stay here and help, but you won’t be staying as royalty. You will sleep in the dungeon with all the other prisoners. Fuck me over and I’ll keep you for all eternity.”

“You have my word, my King. I’m not the same woman you knew before.”

“Let’s hope this isn’t a promise you break again. Because, I swear on my life, you cross me and I’ll make sure you suffer every day.”

I released her and stepped back, motioning for five of my guards to come forward. “Take her to the cells and make sure she’s locked up nice and tight.”

“Alles… andro, please.” Lilith begged. “I gave you my word.”

“And this is me giving you mine. Don’t betray me or you’ll have to deal with Dante. He’s still very angry with you.”

“Don’t… please.” She tried to beg once again.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to grab a bite to eat.”

I started to walk away when I heard her make one more attempt. “My daughter is gone. I have nothing else to fight for. This is me trying, Allesandro.”

I turned and bared my teeth. “I guess you got what was coming for you. You deserve to suffer.”

This time, I walked out of the office and left her to be taken away. But not before I heard her break down and offered herself to be a prisoner.

Just when I think things can’t get any worse, it did.