"I have another mate and he is in your hidden kingdom."
Lothaire had to take a moment to understand what she said. Another mate? That was impossible? He had never heard or seen someone having two mates at the same time.
"That is not possible." He spoke with clenched teeth.
She didn't respond to that, since it wasn't a question.
"What else did he tell you?" He asked.
"He said to find my mate. He would help me get back home."
Lothaire threw his head back and laughed hysterically. She had another mate, and she expected him to save her. How naive. This whole thing was ridiculous. None of it was true.
"Did you find him?"
"No."
"Are you looking for him?" He asked.
"Yes."
He became furious. So she believed whatever Zamiel told her. And how would Zamiel know such a thing? It was probably a lie to anger him.
But… what if it was the truth? After all, he was the devil, and this could be yet another punishment for him. He wouldn't be surprised.
He released her from his spell, and when she woke up from her trance, she slapped him across the face. She didn't look angry. It was almost as if she had already decided that if he compelled her, she would slap him.
Lothaire had expected a slap or some harsh words. But he had preferred the slap until now. Strangely, the slap and the disgusted look on her face made him feel a sting in his heart.
Why was he hurt when he already expected it to happen? She had slapped him before, and it had never bothered him. In fact, he found joy in it. There was something about aggressiveness in people that he liked. Normally he would have given her a polite smile to ensure her that her slap didn't hurt him in any way.
Irene pushed past him and left him standing in the hall alone. What was this feeling? In a short moment, he went through so many emotions that it left him feeling overwhelmed.
His heart felt heavy while his mind got imploded with so many questions. Another mate? In his own kingdom? If it was true, then that would be a good way to mock him and he wouldn't let that happen. He had to treat this as if it was true, even though he believed it was a lie. If she had another mate, then that demon would be dead soon.
His hands fisted at the sides of his body and his face grew hot just thinking of the possibility of Irene having another mate. He imagined killing her mate in front of her eyes so she would wish she never found him. But then her disgusted face appeared in his mind, and his heart felt strange again.
What was this? He didn't like it at all.
How could he get rid of the effects of the possession because this was bothering him more than he expected.
If only Heaven would get his personality traits, but she was the victim. He was the one who took away someone's free will and now he was paying for it. He knew he would have to face consequences, but he wasn't ready for this.
He went to the throne hall. The anger was probably still visible on his face because Hezz frowned upon his arrival.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
He was about to tell her to keep an eye on Irene all the time, but that would make her suspicious. "How is the progress with Heaven going?" He asked, trying his best to keep his voice calm.
"Tezz is taking care of her." She told him.
"And what are you doing?!" He snapped.
Hezz blinked a few times, her eyes widening. Lothaire took a deep breath. This wasn't going well.
"I want you to leave all of your other duties and take care of Heaven together with your sister." He told her.
Hezz nodded, but now she was truly concerned. "Did something else happen? I found that another ancient demon joined Zamiel."
"Yes. That is why I need you to focus on Heaven. We don't know what they are planning."
His children had other reasons to worry. They weren't immortal like him, so he could understand their worry and fear.
"It will take time with Heaven. You know that." She reminded.
Lothaire pressed his lips together, feeling impatient. "I know. But you are the master of manipulation. You have taken care of the most righteous people. I believe in you." He told her.
**************
Visiting Irene's dreams wasn't easy. There was some kind of seal between Lucifer's world and the real one, and getting through it was difficult. Tonight, after many tries, Zamiel finally managed to get into Irene's head and wake her up.
"Zamiel." She had been waiting for him.
He had set up a plan where he had involved her in a way he wasn't proud of. "Are you alright?" He asked her. Her dreams were always in dark places. It reflected the state of her mind.
She shook her head. "I ruined your plan. Lucifer compelled me, and I told him everything. I tried to make him feel bad so he wouldn't do it but he did it, anyway."
She felt terrible. "Don't worry. You ruined nothing. I lied to you." He told her, feeling bad. He knew Lucifer would compel her. "I am sorry."
She blinked a few times, looking confused, and then she put the pieced together. Her lips slowly curved into a smile. It wasn't the reaction he expected.
He expected her to be angry because he had lied to her. "Oh, I am glad. You are clever." She said, feeling relieved that everything was still going as planned.
"Was all of it a lie?" She then asked.
He nodded. She wasn't disappointed because she hadn't believed him to begin with. Having a second mate was something unheard of.
Irene frowned. She wondered what the purpose, or the plan was, if it was all a lie? That Zamiel couldn't tell her, because if his suspicion about her being the devil's weakness was true, he was afraid she would do something reckless.
"What exactly is your plan?" She asked him, but then changed her mind quickly. She threw her hands out in a stop gesture. "Or don't tell me. He might compel me again." She said.
Not knowing caused her to remain confused.
"I am trying to see if the possession is affecting him. He might start to care and that is why I sent you to be with other men." He explained.
It wasn't a complete lie. He did send her to find out Lucifer's reaction and right now, his reaction was what he had anticipated.
"I will visit you again soon. I want to know if you see any changes in his behavior." He told her.
She nodded.
"Do you think he might let us go?" She asked.
Zamiel wasn't sure. But no matter what, he would get them out of this place.
Their surroundings started to fade, and they were pulled apart by an invisible force. She was probably waking up, and he found himself back in his body.
Euphorion was looming over him where he lay. "Where were you?" He asked.
Zamiel sighed as he sat up. It was both annoying and entertaining to have Euphorion in his home. The demon was giving him no space.
Standing up, he walked away without replying. Usually he was polite to everyone, but having Euphorion around all the time made him lose his patience. He couldn't be polite every hour of the day. And even the night sometimes.
"Did you go to Heaven?" He called behind him.
Zamiel could tell that he found the whole name thing amusing. He went to the table where his Helen had served him tea. He sat down and put some honey in his tea to sweeten it. Zamiel wasn't a food person, but he liked to have his tea every day.
Euphorion couldn't understand how someone could drink something so hot, so he looked at him appalled every time he drank his tea. And now he was looking at him the same way.
Sitting on the couch, he stared with a serious expression. "Will you tell me anything about what you are planning?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Now that things were coming together slowly, Zamiel told him the whole plan. He needed to know Euphorions' thoughts and wanted him to be ready.
Euphorion was surprised by the plan, and the evil smile that crept to his face told him he liked it very much. "it is truly worth the wait." He smirked.
Zamiel spent the rest of his day as usual. He went to do his business and then he went to see Heaven's parents. Heaven didn't ask him to do it, but he knew she worried for them.
Hazel had come to see him the day after her daughter left. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help save Heaven. She somehow made him feel guilty for not telling her anything. She told him she believed he could save his mate.
Now every time he went to the castle he would go to see her, just to assure her he hadn't forgotten Heaven and that he was thinking of a plan. She would always ask him to stay for a while and they would talk about anything. Zamiel realized why Heaven was so protective of her mother. There was something very delicate about her.
And then at night he would go home. He hated that part. Being alone reminded him that Heaven was gone.
It was raining heavily tonight. When he came home, Euphorion asked him if he was in a bad mood.
"I am not the one causing the rain." He told him.
"Can you stop it? I need to sleep." He said.
Zamiel caused a loud thunder to rumble outside. "It could always get worse." He told him, giving him a deadly stare. "Have a good night."
He teleported to his room, getting out of his clothes, he went straight to bed. He needed some darkness, but as he was about to fall asleep, he felt someone wandering outside his home.
Because it was raining and storming, it was difficult to detect the scent. Zamiel got out of his bed and went to the window. He found Zarin standing in the rain. What was he doing here?