Three Trials (The Dark Side Book 2)(51)

The four men in the image are harder, but just as attractive in different ways. Standing up, I go to kneel in front of the painting, my fingers tracing over each one of them.

The outfit I’m wearing in the painting matches the exact outfit I’m wearing now.

“They were your harem when you were Cleopatra,” Lamar finally says. “It was one of your favorite lives. You all loved that life, except for War. He didn’t get to be the favorite as often in that life.”

Two strong arms come around me, drawing me to a hard body, and I know without looking it’s Ezekiel.

I stare at the picture for a minute longer.

“Why is it here instead of in that hall?” I ask him.

Lamar sighs heavily. “The only ones who know you ever really existed are the ones who were alive five hundred years ago when you were killed. The Apocalypse stopped being considered a person by anyone younger than your death.”

Five hundred years ago.

Five. Hundred. Years. Ago.

And we were already planning for the freaking nineties?

“Because,” Lamar goes on, “for the past five hundred years, no one has been able to utter your name. Lucifer made it a law when he started going crazy from suffering the loss of his favorite child. Even Manella didn’t dare utter your name, and he’s your favorite brother. It hurt him the hardest.”

I’m not even asking. I just can’t right now. Round and round the conspiracy theories go every time he drops a new bomb that changes the suspect pool.

Ezekiel pulls me closer, forcing me to turn around in his arms and let him hug me.

“Manella will be coming down any minute now. They’ve been in a meeting. You should go before he comes, or face your father if you’re ready,” Lamar says a little too hopefully, like he expects me to move back in today and pick up where I left off, when I can’t even remember where that is.

“I died a month ago,” I say to him. “I just got back today and found out I’m the Devil’s daughter, the end of the world, and apparently died five hundred years ago from a mysterious cause that is no doubt linked to hell. I think I’m going home to process for a while. It’s sort of been a shitastic month.”

He clears his throat, blinking as though he just realized exactly the load he’s dumped on me.

“Of course,” he tells me, smiling tightly. He grabs something from a bag and hands it to the guys. Jude accepts it as Lamar explains, “That’s enough power to cloak the entire home, should you choose to move its location. It’ll do that. It’s from Paca’s own stash.”

“Don’t ask that question, or we’ll never get out of here,” I tell Kai as he opens his mouth to ask a question, having already gravitated to my side. He looks at me, his mouth closing as he swallows the curiosity, and I add, “And I’m not ready to meet my family.”

“I can’t give you access to the underworld. Only Lucifer can do that.” Lamar stares at me with a smirk. “But she has access already. She’s still the same, unlike you four.”

Pushing away from Ezekiel, I start backing out. Ezekiel grabs another stack of the books that Lamar didn’t even offer, following behind me. Lamar just grins like he expected that.

“See you soon, Paca,” Lamar tells me.

In the next instant, we’re standing in the middle of the living room.

Jude opens his mouth to speak, but I hold a hand up. “Not now. Not today. Today, I need a drink, a lot of food, and other things that don’t have to do with hell.”

“I was just going to ask you if we’re calling you Keyla, Apocalypse, or Paca?” he asks, sounding way too damn amused. Why is he amused?

“Paca. It feels familiar, and it’s not quite as horrifying as the longer version,” I decide. “Besides, it’s growing on me.”

A heavy silence falls over us, none of us really saying anything after that, as we just stand in a semi-circular formation. No one is really looking at anyone.

Ezekiel leaves the room abruptly, and when he returns, a smile spreads over my face. He smirks as he hands me the jar he’s holding, and I take it, sniffing it first.

It smells like citrus, and tastes just as good. I file away one of his preferred tastes.

I turn it up and drain the entire jar. Before I can put it down, Jude is pushing another one into my hand.

It tastes like a Bloody Mary. Figures.

I wish I knew how I know what a Bloody Mary tastes like.

“Well,” Kai says as he tugs the drink from my hand. “We all wanted to know who we were.”

He takes a long drink then hands it off to Ezekiel.

“Yeah, but we didn’t expect it to be an ages-old, apocalyptic romance story,” I state dryly, stealing the jar from Ezekiel before he can get a sip.

My four psychos burst out laughing, and I turn to walk away, taking the alcohol with me.

“You four have a terrible sense of humor,” I call over my shoulder as I move to drop down in front of the TV. “Come show me how to livestream movies because I can only work the DVD player. I’ve apparently been studying Patrick Swayze when I should have been paying more attention to Keanu Reeves.”

Kai settles down right beside me, taking the remote. “I’m going to need more to go on than just Keanu Reeves, since I have no idea what that has to do with anything.”