Ask the Oracle (20 page)

When Opal stepped forward to meet them, Gray had to bite back a laugh at the irony. If

the room was a scene from heaven, Opal had successfully dressed the part of an angel. Her

long, dark hair had been brushed to a glossy sheen and hung down her back in fat curls.

From the ivory, silk suit and matching pumps, to the fine dusting of shimmer that coated her

skin, all Opal needed was a set of downy wings to complete the picture. Only the gleam of

madness in her eyes belayed her divine appearance. One look in her eyes and it was easy to

see that something evil lived within.

Opal’s lips twisted into a sneer as she approached, immediately putting Gray on edge.

There was something clearly not right about the woman and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t

recognised it before. His only defence was that he didn’t spend a lot of time with any of the

other Oracles. Between their initial lack of support when Stephen had gone to them for help

with his training and their generally superior attitude, Gray found he had little use for the lot

of them. Opal, in particular, had always been one of the most elitist, believing that by being

an Oracle she was somehow superior to everyone else. Gray had found her annoying on a

good day and did everything in his power to avoid her. As she walked to him with her arms

loose at her sides and her shark’s smile, he couldn’t help but feel like prey.

He saw the muscles of her arms flex, but it was too late to do anything about it when

she hauled off and coldcocked him right in the jaw. The force of the blow drove him back a

step, but he stayed on his feet. He wasn’t willing to let the bitch put him on the ground, at

least not without a good fight. When she lifted her hand again, Gray flinched, ready for

another blow to land, but it never happened. Instead, she placed her palm on Gray’s cheek,

giving it a few sharp slaps.

“Gray,” she hummed. “It’s so good to see you. It’s been too long.”

“Not long enough,” Gray muttered under his breath as she removed her hand from his

face.

An expression of mock hurt darkened her face. “Don’t be like that. I thought we were

friends?”

“Friends don’t lock away their other friends’ powers and kidnap each other. That type

of behaviour is usually frowned upon in most circles. As is murder and treason.”

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Opal took a step back, giving Gray a vicious smile. “Grayson Muir, always such a fine,

upstanding citizen. Never one to step out of line or push the limits of the law. I’ve always

respected that about you. It’s made you predictable and easy to avoid. If you had just

remained true to your convictions and stayed clear of the Demons, you could have avoided

this whole messy business.”

“You know me, Opal. I’ve always been a sucker for a good sob story. Dreo made a good

case for my help and I couldn’t resist. What I don’t get is why you would have done this?

I’ve never known you to be one to get your hands dirty. Why now?”

Opal smiled, but it was far from pleasant. “Long ago, Lucifer took something that

didn’t belong to him. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally time to take it back.”

“What could Lord Lucifer possibly have taken that would justify taking his life?”

“Rule of the Underworld, of course.” Opal gave Gray a look like she was questioning

his intelligence.

“I don’t understand.”

Opal huffed in irritation. “Before Lucifer’s reign, leadership of the Underworld had

been passed down in my family for generations. Because of my family’s reputation, they

were seldom challenged when it came time to reassign leadership. When my grandfather

died, my father had been prepared to take over the rule. However, before he could receive

the crown, Lucifer stepped in and challenged him.” Opal sneered contemptuously. “By some

twist of fate, Lucifer managed to defeat my father in combat and took the crown, and

leadership of the Underworld, as his own.”

“Okay,” Gray drawled, “I still don’t get what Lucifer took from you. It sounds like he

took over leadership of the Underworld through legitimate means—”

“No!” Opal’s shriek could have shattered glass. “He stole the crown. Somehow he

managed to rig the challenge between my father and himself. My family was always meant

to rule the Underworld.”

“But Dreo told me that rule of the Underworld was based on strength, not lineage. That

being the case, it sounds like your father wasn’t strong enough to rule.”

A loud crack sounded and then a blast of heat burned across Gray’s right cheek where

Opal’s hand had come in contact with his face. When the pain registered, it was clear that she

hadn’t held back, her Demon strength in full force. Combined with the deep ache from the

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previous hit, it was excruciating. It radiated out from his cheek bone in an endless, throbbing

wave of pain. Gray was worried that she may have fractured something in his face. Gritting

his teeth against the agony, he fought the urge to cradle his cheek, not wanting Opal to have

the satisfaction of knowing she had truly hurt him.

“My father was a great man,” she snarled. “He would have been ten times the leader

that Lucifer was. All he needed was the chance to prove it.”

“Wait a minute.”

The surprise of Balen’s voice had Gray nearly pissing himself. The blond Demon had

been quiet for so long, Gray had almost forgotten he was there.

“If you father had challenged Lucifer to be Lord of the Underworld, how did he become

the man’s personal advisor? That’s not a position someone would trust to an enemy.”

Opal’s answering smile was triumphant. “Demons live forever, dear Balen, or did you

forget? My father had nothing but time to work his way back into Lucifer’s good graces. It

took him almost one hundred years, but he finally managed to convince that counterfeit

king, Lucifer, that he had no further designs on the throne. He spent that time planning his

revenge. One hundred years spent working out every facet of a plan that would not only

allow our family to reclaim what was taken from us, but also destroy the usurper who’d

thought to reach above his station. Do you get it now, Balen,” she sneered, “or do you need

me to draw you pictures?”

“Be careful how you speak to me, Opal,” Balen snarled. “I passed my first century of

life before you were even a twinkle in your parents’ eyes. If either of us needs a refresher on

what it means to be a Demon, let me assure you, it is not me.” The pointed glare he gave her

left little doubt of the contempt he felt for her.

“Poor, Balen,” Opal mocked. “So bitter. So angry, and all because dear old dad walked

out on your mother.” A slow smile formed on her face, but there was nothing pleasant about

it. It reminded Gray of the way a hyena would look right before it went for the throat of its

downed prey. He watched her cautiously out of the corner of his eye, his muscles bunched

and tight as he waited for her inevitable attack.

“Didn’t you even bother to question why he left?” she asked, a smirk twisting her lips

and malice darkening her features. “I mean, really. For you to have been conceived, Lucifer

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and your mother had to have been true mates. Have you ever heard of true mates leaving

each other by any means other than death? Could you actually be that stupid?”

With his brows drawn, a look of anger and confusion darkened Balen’s face. His jaw

clenched as he tried to come to terms with what she had said to him. Meanwhile, Opal was

watching him with a sickening expression of anticipation. While Gray didn’t know much

about Demons or their culture, even he could tell that there was an attack attached to the

information she had just given Balen. It was just a matter of when the first strike would make

contact.

Balen seemed lost. With his eyes narrowed and unfocused, it was clear his

concentration was directed inward. Then, everything changed. It happened so fast that if

Gray hadn’t been watching Balen, he would have missed it.

“You,” Balen growled. “You fucking bitch! You knew. All this time, you let me believe

my father was a bastard who abandoned his pregnant mate while he ran off to pursue his

desire to rule the Underworld. You let me believe the worst of him, knowing it wasn’t true.”

If a look could kill, Gray was sure Opal would have been incinerated on the spot. Balen

clenched his fists, taking a step towards the rogue Oracle. “You were right before. There truly

is no way a mated couple would voluntarily separate from each other. As they were indeed

separated for nearly fifty years before my mother finally succumbed to her sorrow, there has

to be an explanation and something tells me that your family was behind it. So the question

is—what the hell did your family do to my parents?”

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Opal threw her head back and laughed. The sound was deep and throaty, echoing

around the room. It would have been a nice sound if Gray didn’t already know what the

cause of her joy was. Instead, it grated in his ears like nails down a chalk board.

“Oh, Balen. I knew you weren’t just a pretty face. Not too quick on the uptake, but you

get there eventually. Not like your father at all.” Opal shook her head pityingly and clucked

her tongue. “Now that man was a perfect example of brawn over brains. Too dumb to see

what was right in front of his eyes.”

Balen snarled and advanced on Opal, rage and pain in equal parts flaring in his eyes.

Those pale orbs, no longer icy, were glinting with barely contained blue flame. It shouldn’t

have been possible. Apparently, the dampening collars they had been given weren’t quite as

potent as they advertised. Now that he was aware of it, Gray could also feel the renewal of

his own strength. It was by no means full power, but it was better than what he’d had an

hour ago. Hopefully Opal and Povell would be too busy gloating about their superiority to

notice that he and Balen weren’t quite as helpless as they thought. If Opal made it through

this alive, she should definitely consider contacting the manufacturer. While Gray had

previously seen the same fire burning in Dreo’s eyes and had found the effect beautiful,

Balen’s inner fire did not encourage the same response. As the pale-blue flame snapped and

sparked in Balen’s eyes, Gray felt a knot of fear unfurl in his stomach. The anger building in

Balen could be dangerous. When released, that kind of mindless rage didn’t differentiate

between friend and foe. Its sole purpose was destruction.

Gray had no intention of dying anytime soon, especially not when he was so close to

having his dream of a family of his own realised with Dreo. Gray knew he reasons might be

selfish, but he had never been one to lie or hide his true feelings to appease others. All he

wanted was some peace and quiet and his mate’s hot, naked body riding him hard. For

everything he had done to help those around him, he figured he had earned some time to

enjoy his mate and, damn it, he was going to get it even if he had to kill everyone else in this

godforsaken room to get it. He was at his wit’s end with all this Demon drama. At this point,

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he was willing to foot the bill to build them a giant cage and let them go all death match on

each other—winner takes all. It would certainly make things easier for him.

Balen’s brows furrowed and his teeth were clenched. The Demon looked like he was on

the verge of attack. Gray took a slow, cautious step back, not wanting to draw either

combatant’s attention. With as fast as the situation was escalating, he didn’t want to get

caught in the crossfire.

“This is the last time I ask you, Opal. I am not opposed to beating the answer out of you

if I have to. In fact, at this point, I would prefer it. Now, what the hell did your people do?”

His tone was hard, dripping with menace and brooking no argument.

Opal openly watched Balen, her brow arched and a considering expression on her face.

Lifting a hand, she gently tapped her chin. Gray might have believed she was considering

her options if he hadn’t caught the conniving glint in her eyes. He knew then, there was no

way the situation would end well. They would be lucky if any of them walked away alive.

A slight movement off to Gray’s right stole his attention away from the combatants and

had him looking around for its source. While Opal and Balen had been causing a scene, Gray

had nearly forgotten that it hadn’t been just the three of them in that room. He received a

harsh reminder when a quick look over his shoulder showed Povell standing directly behind

him, an ominous presence at his back. Gray had no idea how the man had crossed the room

unnoticed, but the fact that he had did nothing to calm Gray’s already frazzled nerves.