Old Demon and the Sea Witch (Welcome to Hell #9) - Eve Langlais Page 0,3

waiting for me.

What would I do without him? “You’re a mouthy brat.”

“Learned from the best.”

I hid a smile.

Ian tucked his hands into his pockets and slouched against the elevator wall. “So, I saw you eyeing those witches. You going to try and hook up with someone?”

“I am not here to get laid.”

“Why not? I’m thinking I should have a last hurrah.” He winked at me, and my heart turned sadder. I saw right through the attempt but played along.

“We should find sisters.”

“Don’t you mean a mother and daughter pair?” Age-wise, I was much older than my nephew, but in appearance, not quite old enough to be his dad.

The elevator spilled us out onto a floor well above water. Our lavish suites were side by side. A good thing because I wanted to be close to my nephew in his final hours.

We chose to split up and unpack. We’d meet again for dinner. I’d no sooner closed my door than a certain goddess decided to visit me.

Springtime flowers filled the room a moment before she swirled into view.

“Gaia, I thought we discussed knocking.”

The pretty goddess of nature, wearing a light green summer frock, a crown of woven daisies, and a chocolate handprint over her boob, inclined her head. “If I appeared in the hallway to knock, then people might remark on the fact that I was visiting you. Not a good idea since we don’t want Lucifer finding out I’m sneaking off to see another man and lying to him.”

She put it in terms of the worst-case scenario possible. The reminder brought a groan. “I really wish you’d tell your husband what we’re doing.” Because I didn’t need the hassle of dealing with an angry Lord of Hell. He tended to be quite jealous where his wife was concerned.

“You know we can’t tell! He would lose his ever suspicious and possessive mind.” She stamped her foot, and I was sure they felt the ground quake somewhere in the world.

“We’re not doing anything wrong.”

“Other than going behind his back.”

“Then tell him,” I begged.

“Tell him I’m researching a prophecy predicting his demise at the hands of his own child? Are you crazy? We’d be better off telling him we’re having an affair.”

True. I might survive, especially if I agreed to a threesome. “I am impressed you managed to convince the king of Atlantis to let the cruise visit his city island.”

Gaia smirked. “I said ‘Tsunami,’ and Rexxie said, ‘Anything you’d like, Goddess.’ It took them centuries to recover from the last time I wiped them out for being disrespectful.”

“Here’s to hoping we find a copy of the prophecy.” Because it was missing from Hell’s library. Every mention of it had been wiped out. Yet I knew it existed because I’d seen it once, a long, long time ago. The day a certain witch had come to see me as a matter of fact.

That meeting didn’t end well, and the book had gone off for restoration. It never returned. Disappeared, all trace of it gone. I’d been searching for it ever since. Never found the original, but I did run into a rumor. An ancient Mesopotamian god who never left his cave told me to check the library in Atlantis.

Problem was getting there. For centuries, the city had been hidden under the ocean.

“That old story probably has nothing to do with my precious baby,” Gaia said, wringing her hands. “But I have to be sure. Have you seen the petition circulating about Damian’s title?”

I had. Someone had started a campaign to have Lucifer’s son declared a simple dark prince. They claimed he couldn’t be the Antichrist since he had been born in wedlock, a product of loving and willing parents. The followers of the End of Times, who expected one day to be led by the Antichrist, demanded a true Son of Perdition. One achieved during a proper ravishment of a mortal woman during a dark rite involving blood sacrifice.

Lucifer might have agreed if Mother Nature hadn’t promised castration if she caught him screwing around on her.

Needless to say, the devil chose to ignore the petition and obey his wife.

“Not all prophecies come to pass,” I reminded Gaia.

After all, the one about her daughter predicted she’d also bring about the apocalypse. Instead, Muriel had settled down with a few men—four at last count, although there were wagers a fifth would be coming. Lucifer’s daughter even had a kid and was disgustingly suburban—Lucifer’s words, not mine. He’d said the fact that she had orgies with