Courting Death | Book 3

T W E N T Y - O N E

T W E N T Y - O N E
Bottoms Up

"ABOUT TIME THE three of you returned."

Due to the momentum of the abrupt teleportation, I was thrown off my balance and onto the ground, sprawling across the grassy lawns and right in front of someone's feet. With my palms pressed hard against the dewy fields and my knees aching from the impact, it was only after I had looked up had I realized that it was Dimitri that had spoken.

Once he noticed that I was, in fact, staring right up at him, the corners of his lips tilted up ever the slightest, displaying a playful grin before he bent down to help me back up on my feet. With his fingers wrapped tightly around my upper arm, Dimitri barely even spared an effort before I was standing upright again, his arm still protectively wrapped around my waist nevertheless. Though I could not feel the standard sense of touch, the gesture was still enough to cause blood to go roaring through my veins and coloring my cheeks a bright ruby red.

I took a good look at my surroundings, just noticing that we were not at the front doors of the castle unlike each time we had left. Surprisingly, we were in the middle of the castle's gardens. Lush green flora surrounded us, flowers in full bloom with their colors melting with the gloriousness of nature. The scent of chrysanthemums was also overpowering, wafting through the air like an overspill of perfume.

"What took you guys so long?" He asked, brilliant metallic silver eyes eyeing me for a split second before diverting to his two brothers.

"We got the goblet, no worries. Frowning so much will end up only serve to give you wrinkles." With a playful roll of his eyes, Calvin handed the chalice over to Dimitri. As the latter examined the glorified cup, it caught the rays of the sun, dazzling brightly under its glow. However, the golden brilliance only reminded me that there was a more powerful enemy out there against us.

"And we also had the misfortune to bump into a few old faces." Fabian immediately voiced out my thoughts ever so perfectly, taking a step forward with his arms folded across his chest; his usual stance. "Lucius made an appearance."

"That bastard is still alive?" Came an incredulous voice from behind us, and soon, a bounding Wilhelm came, followed by Minnie who was close behind. The spirit of war had a bounce in his steps, a sort of hidden glee slotted in his features which darkened significantly - but not completely - at the mention of the old enemy. "I did pray that he had crawled back into whatever hole he had come from and died there. Oh well, I guess not every single wish and prayer will come true."

"That's not all. We found Lucifer's new hiding spot as well." Calvin sighed, shaking his head as his eyebrows furrowed.

"And where is that?" Dimitri questioned, tilting his head slightly. There was a frown on his face that matched that of his brothers. In Calvin's hesitance to answer, I turned to face Minnie, pursing my lips with a shake of my head.

Unlike most of her usual days, Minnie did not have that bright smile carved into her expression. Rather, she seemed to be overly worried and exhausted, her bright red lips tipped down into a sullen expression completed with knitted brows. When she raised a single eyebrow in questioning, I could only nod once with a heavy heart.

"In Lucius, apparently. The devil had decided to possess the angel of light, his ex-prodigy back when we were still flitting about Heaven like a bunch of fairies." Fabian spat the words out in an acidic tone, his voice filled with venom and heart undoubtedly filled with hatred. "We saw Lucius with eyes of aquamarine. The same shade of Lucifer's."

At Fabian's revelation, the hand that Dimitri kept by my waist dropped down immediately. There was a flash of calculation flying through his eyes, his mind far away from our current predicament before he snapped back to reality. Clenching his jaw tightly, Dimitri breathed out heavily before waving a hand towards the castle, not a single word leaving his lips. He then turned just as wordlessly, disappearing through the castle doors and curving down corridor after corridor.