"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked as Azrael filled a glass of beer and then slid it to me from across the bar. He continued to pass out beers until we each had one, then leaned against the bar while taking a sip from his glass with a wink.
My face heated as I squirmed on the stool. I was nervous as the four Horsemen brothers stared at me like ravenous wolves.
"What we are about to tell you will sound outrageous, but try to understand that it is all the truth," says Michael as he reaches out to take my empty hand.
I gulped down half of the beer, then said, "Bring it on," with a nod.
The four of them smiled as Michael began explaining why I was there.
"Every one hundred years, there is a woman who bares the mark of Lillith when she comes of age. For the last twenty-three years, this mark has been a symbol that my brothers and I have been searching for. When you walked into Apocalypse, I knew who you were as soon as you walked through that door."
Beel nodded and then added, "I felt it too. It was like a magnetic pull that led me right to you."
"Where you watching me when that drunkard appeared?" I asked.
Beel nodded, "I had been watching from the security cameras. When I noticed what was happening, I rushed to help."
"Thank you, Beel, for saving me that day; I don't want to think what that man would have done to me once he got me outside."
"The pleasure is all mine," He said with a wink, "It earned me a taste of those luscious lips, and please call me Beelzebub when we are alone. I would love to hear you say my proper name."
"Beelzebub? Like "Lord of the Flies?" I asked.
Beelzebub rolled his eyes and then said, "Yes, just like that."
"Can we get back to telling her why she is here?" asked Michael.
Beel nodded, then scooted his stool closer so that he could hold my other hand.
"So, as I was saying before, we have been waiting for you for the last twenty-three years because the mark of Lillith is the symbol that tells us that you are fated to become our lover and bare our children who will in the future, become the next Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
"Ummm… What!?" I yelled as I pulled away, "You are telling me that you four are the Four Horsemen on the Apocalypse, and I have been chosen to birth the next generation of Horsemen?"
I slid from the stool and then started pacing the room as I became overwhelmed.
"Angelique, please calm down," says Azrael as he approaches me, but I flinch away from his touch.
"I want to go home!" I yelled as I beelined for the door.
"This is your home now," says Michael, "You belong here with us."
"This is NOT my home! And I refuse to be some baby-making machine for the Four Horsemen!" I yelled as tears streamed down my face, "Please let me go to MY home."
Abaddon was the one who stood and said, "I will take you home."
"But," Michael starts to say, but Beel blocks him off to say, "You came on way too strong, man. Now we have to give her time."
I followed Adaddon through the house and out the front door. The driver rushed out and slid into the driver's seat as I slid into the back and stayed as far away from Abaddon as possible.
My head was a mess of thoughts as we drove in silence. I didn't know what to do or what to think; I just hoped it wouldn't ruin my chance to work at Apocalypse.
When we pulled up in front of my building, I shoved the door opened but turned to tell Abaddon, "I don't really understand what happened today, but please check out my application to Apocalypse."
Abaddon nodded, "I will head to the club now and check it out myself."
"Thank you," I gave him a tight smile, then slid from the SUV to make my way to the apartment. When I stepped through the door, I found Jess and Nate watching a movie on Netflix in the living room.
"Where have you been?" asked Jess as I plopped down on the sectional beside Nate.
I explained to them about what happened at Starbucks with Hayden and how Michael Horsemen had been there to help me. I didn't mention anything about the Four Horsemen I just told them that they took me back to his apartment for a drink and that his brother Abaddon was the one who brought me home.
"So why was Michael Horsemen at Starbucks?" asked Jess.
"His brother Beel saved me from a bad situation at the club," I explained, "Some drunkard tried to drag me into the alley, but thankfully Beelzebub had been close by and saved me. They wanted to ask me if I wanted to press charges, but I told them no."
Well, there went me trying not to lie too much, but there was no way to tell them the truth… they wouldn't believe me anyway…
"Why didn't you say anything to us at the club?" Nate asked.
"I didn't want to worry you, so I decided to keep it to myself."
Nate pulled me in for a one-armed hug, then pressed a kiss to my temple, "All that matters is that you are okay."
"I did tell them about the application I sent; Abaddon says that he was going to check it out," I said with a smile, "I really hope I get the job."
I snuggled up to Nate to join them in watching Lucifer on Netflix. It was a pretty good show, but my mind kept wandering about what Michael had told me.
What he told me sounded pretty farfetched, but I knew that I had Lillith's mark on my thigh and that no one else could see it. I remembered freaking out when it appeared, but my dad said it was a birthmark I had since I was born that was shaped like a crescent moon.
How did Michael know about the mark? And I had to admit that I felt a pull towards the guys, but I just thought it was my hormones… I mean, all three of them are panty-dripping hot…
I wasn't really sure, what to think, but I did know that I was ready for bed.
"Im going to bed," I said as I rose from the couch, "I hope you have a good night."
As soon as my head hit the pillow, I felt a tingling sensation; when I opened my eyes, I groaned when I found myself back in Azrael's bed.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" I asked as I sat up and wrapped my arms around my knees.
"I would," Azrael says, "But I would also miss you too much. I have been waiting for you for a very long time."
"So, if you four are the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, then which one are you?" I asked.
Azrael leaned back on the bed, his long, slender fingers folding behind his head. His black hair was slicked back, and his eyes were piercing as he looked at me. "I am the Fourth Horseman," he said, his voice low and smooth like dark chocolate. "The harbinger of death."
I shuddered at the intensity of his words, realizing that I was in the presence of one of the most feared beings in all of existence. But even as fear gripped me, I felt a strange pull towards him, an attraction that I couldn't explain.
Azrael seemed to sense my thoughts as he leaned in closer, his lips hovering just inches away from mine. "Do not fear me, my sweet," he whispered, his breath hot on my skin. "In my embrace, you will find release from all pain and suffering."
I shivered at his words and swallowed hard, trying to push down the fear that was rising in my chest. "But...why me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Because you are our Destined One, Azrael said as he sat up and reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face. His touch was cold, but it sent a thrill of electricity through my body. Azrael smirked, then slid onto the bed beside me with his head propped up in his hand, revealing his yummy body and the massive bulge in his boxers.
I slid my leg down to expose my inner left thigh, "What do you see on my thigh?" I asked as I looked from the mark to Azrael.
Azrael's eyes burned into mine as he crawled in between my legs, then ran his hand up my leg making me shiver as he traced a circle around the mark of Lilith.
"I see the mark I have been looking for, for a very long time," he says as he leans in to press his lips to the mark, making me gasp, "It's the mark of Lilith that proves that you are mine."
"We never said that you had to start popping out babies now, we have time before that happens, and Beel should be calling you into the club tomorrow for an interview."
"What? Really?" I asked as he crawled over me, making me shiver as his skin rubbed against the exposed skin of my stomach.
Azrael nodded and then leaned down to press his lips to mine, "Yes, I promise that you will have your dream of becoming a Burlesque dancer. My brothers and I would conquer the world if you wished it so."