Tigress (Night Hawk Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hate each other.”
    He had my curiosity on hyper-drive and I slid into the chair across from him. “Love triangle?” I asked.
    “No. More like a case of jealousy. Lucifer had taken an interest in Lilith around the same time Michael started courting Athena’s mother.” He shifted, stretching his legs out on the couch and leaned back with his head on the arm rest. “Lucifer never fully understood why he got hurled from heaven and Michael didn’t. What started as bitterness turned into all out hatred. Lilith was obsessed with finding immortality and his brother was busy popping out kids with a mere mortal. Lilith and Lucifer had a sort of falling out around the time Athena was born, so not only was he locked out of heaven, the woman for whom he had been exiled decided she didn’t want to be subservient to the likes of Lucifer.” He glanced over at me and sent a twist of a smile. “Michael had everything and Lucifer had nothing but a pit full of blood thirsty fiends from all of Lilith’s experiments.”
    He stopped talking , staring at the ceiling with a far away expression and what he said next sent a chill all the way to my bones. “Eve was Athena’s mother.”
    Silence settled over the room and I waited with my heart in my throat.
    “Lilith had just created a new batch of elixir when Lucifer decided he had had enough. By this time, he was bitter and alone and the jealousy of his brother and of Lilith carving a life for herself just exploded. In his rage, he grabbed both Eve and Lilith and forced them to be the guinea pigs. This batch had a little extra something.” Damian’s chuckle made the temperature in the room plunge and I shivered. “Not only did it contain Lilith’s brew, it also had a dose of demon blood and a curse straight from Lucifer’s lips.” He glanced my way. “But that wasn’t the end of his tirade. He wasn’t done doling out justice and what he did next, broke whatever alliance he had with Lilith, turning her into a bitter adversary.”
    His gaze moved back to the ceiling and his jaw tightened at his thoughts and instead of prying, I waited, knowing he would eventually spill the information. Finally, when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I asked, “What did he do?”
    “ Lucifer took Michael’s firstborn. Watching him devour that little boy drove Lilith right into Eve’s arms.”
    I was not prepared for the answer and my arms broke out in a hot rash of goose flesh. I swallowed the disgust blooming in my stomach along with the endless questions but the main question that swirled came blurting out anyway. “Lucifer killed his nephew?”
    Damian sent a nod in my direction. “Sick bastard,” he muttered and shifted. “Anyway, Michael fled with Athena bringing her to Greece, to my neck of the woods. He found an honorable family to watch over her and you pretty much know the rest.”
    “How did you meet her?”
    Damian sighed. “Her husband was my best friend until he was killed in battle with Carthage.” He met my gaze. “Before he took his last breath, I promised him I’d look after Athena and Zoe. It didn’t hurt that I was smitten with her already and had been since we met, but Icarus laid claim to her first.” He shrugged.
    “So when did you meet Michael?”
    “When I got back from the war. And let me tell you, that was an interesting meeting,” he started and shifted on the couch, rolling so he faced me.
    “I’ll bet.”
    “I nearly shit my pants,” he admitted, his cheeks turning the rose color of embarrassment.
    I grinned, imagining his reaction. “Did you cower?” I prodded, my tone teasing enough to draw a smile.
    “No. I didn’t.” The spark of humor glinted in his eyes. “I held my ground and promised to watch after his daughter and granddaughter. I didn’t realize what I was promising, or the consequences of failure but I was sincere. I would have gladly laid down my life to protect them if it came to that and he knew it, so I received his blessing.”