Semua Bab Mother, May I: Bab 91 - Bab 100

The large ditch in front of us drops off sharply, leading down to a floor of jagged, brutal rocks about fifteen feet below. It rises again on the other side with a steep, craggy incline. There’s no way across without injury, and we’re wide open to a barrage of arrows. We’ve got to move—fast. Especially if Rowen, Alex, and I are going to reach Hades’s palace, which glitters like black gold in the distance.I’m trying to piece together a plan when Zoe and Kaia move like they’ve choreographed it—both kneeling, both pressing their hands to the earth.Zoe’s eyes close first, and a pulse of power rolls out from her. An earthquake tears through the enemy’s side, collapsing catapults, splitting open the ground, and swallowing fifty soldiers whole. Chaos erupts. Weapons impale allies, structures crash down, and no one is left standing.Kaia doesn’t give them time to breathe. As Zoe’s eyes open, Kaia screams—a raw, unholy sound. Her hair whips back as power explodes out of her. The land convulse

The contractions had been coming off and on for the past two days.“Braxton-Hicks,” Persephone had assured me. “It’s just your body’s way of getting ready. They can happen for a long time before real labor starts. I really wouldn’t worry if I were you.”But I knew better.I could feel it. The thing inside me—this abomination—was thrilled. I could feel its anticipation. Its hunger. It had been shifting in my belly, squirming into position.So when I woke in the early hours of the morning, clutching my stomach through a tight band of pain, I knew this was it. I let out a wheezy, breathless scream as the wave of pressure ripped through me.I’d been lying on my left side, head resting on Lucifer’s arm, his other arm curled around my waist. My scream startled him awake.“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” he asked, eyes wide and wild. His voice was all sharp edges—panic and protectiveness wrapped in a growl. He moved to hover over me, caging me in like a shield.“It’s a contraction,” I said t

The second we make our way through the gate into the Underworld, we’re all braced to start fighting. That’s the logical thing to do, right?Except—nothing.Apparently, we picked the forgotten gate. There are two guards—and they were both taken out by the initial blast.Either we got really fucking lucky… or we’ve just walked into a trap.Angels pour through the gate behind us, immediately forming a perimeter.No, they can’t stop Lucifer—but they will slow him down.Yeah, I know that sounds brutal. But they knew the score when they signed up. It is what it is.From where we are—five miles south and three miles above—I can see Hades’s palace, where Lucifer’s been playing house with his new queen. We’re coming in from the air, which is probably why they had us enter through this gate.“They know we’re here,” Michael says beside me, his voice grim. “That was not a subtle entrance.”“Solid assumption,” I mutter.“We’re about to be overrun,” Maeve says flatly. “Demons. Gods. All manner of ni

I know the exact moment Lucifer dies. We all do.The power in the air vanishes—one moment it’s overwhelming, and the next it’s gone.And just like that, the enemy begins to scatter. Some drop their weapons and run. Others fall to their knees and surrender. There are a few die-hard loyalists to Lucifer’s cause, but they don’t last long. Fae, witches, wolves, shifters, supernaturals, and angels take care of them quickly.Within an hour, the battlefield is quiet.The medics flood the field.Gods and goddesses begin healing in place or teleport the critically injured to surgical tents. Arya and I immediately turn to help the Elite, the pups’ mates, and our closest friends.“Summer! Jared!” Arya calls as she finishes healing a nasty bite on Tomas’s leg. It’s already showing signs of infection.“Here!” Summer shouts, her voice strained.I turn and see Jared carrying her. Her leg is twisted at a sickening angle.“Set her down, Jared,” I say quickly.He follows directions without hesitation, g

It’s hard to believe the war is over. All that buildup, all that fear... and it was just one, admittedly epic, fight?I guess I didn’t realize how much of war is waiting. Hermes says it’s always like that—but it still feels surreal.The angels are in a tizzy about not finding Lucifer’s body. We haven’t heard anything from their God, so I’m assuming He’s not worried.I mean, it’s been two weeks. Nothing.Gabriel even came to Jacob and told him he could start the process of detaching from the Christian God and giving up his powers.Halfway through the instructions, though, Michael showed up and begged Jacob to remain a Throne for six more months. Just in case.After meeting with Maeve, Dougal, and Win, the responses were mixed. Maeve hated being a Throne—too serious, too stiff, just not her. Dougal? Loved it. He didn’t have a family anymore; his mate died at the start of the war before they had a chance to have kids. He said the emotionless existence was easier than grief.Win was in the