Free Only You (The Mephisto Covenant Series) by Stephanie Feagan Page B

soul and thought taking over Hell and abolishing free will would solve everything.
    “God and Lucifer didn’t know about M’s sons. He’d hidden his Anabo behind a mist of secrecy on a tiny island in the north Atlantic he called Kyanos. When they turned eighteen, they became immortal, and Eryx, as the oldest, was first. When he died, he lost all the light he had from his mother, so when he came back, he had a soul darker even than Lucifer’s. Before he died, he knew what would happen to him, and to save his younger brothers from the same thing, he killed their mother. That was the only way he knew to make God aware of their existence. Every brother after Eryx was blessed by God before he became immortal, so they kept their mother’s light.”
    I struggled to remain focused. Her words flowed over me, settling into my mind like falling snow, delicately clinging to conscious thought. She continued explaining how Eryx sacrificed his mother and himself for his brothers, then became the only soul in existence that wasn’t wanted by anyone – neither God, nor Lucifer. He spent his days convincing gullible, desperate people to pledge their faith in him, and once they said yes, there was no going back. The Mephisto captured them and put them in a place where they could never escape, killing them in the process, but ensuring Eryx would never have their soul, which he needed to increase his power. When he had enough of humanity to tip the scales, he’d declare war on Lucifer and the real fight for Hell would begin.
    T he Mephisto worked constantly to keep him from acquiring enough, and very soon, my sister would join their ranks. “How will you feel about killing someone, Viorica?”
    “They’ re lost. It’s for the good of humanity.”
    “Yeah, that’s what Hitler said.”
    “It’s not the same at all.”
    Maybe not. My head was about to explode and I wasn’t up for arguing. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. Viorica would stay here, no matter what I said.
    It was fantastical, all of it, and I began to wonder if this was actually happening, or if I’d taken a walk off the edge of sanity and was only imagining it. I’d read about people who lost sight of reality and lived in their own world, talking to people who weren’t there, thinking they went somewhere when really, they were sitting on a chair all the time. I was something of an expert on traveling somewhere in my mind, but I did it on purpose. Maybe my mind had decided to take a trip all on its own.
    Looking at Viorica, I knew this was real. She was real. She’d grown into an amazing young woman. I didn’t know if what had happened to her was good or bad, but I was absolutely certain she’d be the best at whatever she did, and everyone in this house would benefit from her being here. I loved her so much. If I never saw her again after this week, I’d make it be okay by reminding myself that she was happy. And she was. Her lovely eyes lit up when she talked of Kyros. She didn’t know it yet, but she was mad about him. And I already knew he was in love with her.
    Viorica finished telling me about the Mephisto, and Eryx and the lost souls and Sasha and Jax and her relationship with Kyros, then said, “Okay, you know everything about me. It’s your turn.”
    I’d seen the way she and Kyros looked at each other before she came in the room. They were very close. I had no doubt he’d told her everything I’d said to him, which meant she knew why I took her to the orphanage, and what happened after. I saw no reason at all to talk about it anymore, and especially with Viorica. I’d saved her from Emilian – why give her the details of what I’d made certain she would miss? Better to skip over it and move on. “I’m happy to talk about our parents, what I can remember of them, or my life now, but everything in between is best left unsaid, Viorica. I hope you understand.”
    She didn’t. But after considering me for a while, she must have decided not to