Nolia picked up the phone by the first ring, a good indication that things weren't right.

"My lord." she whispered into the phone.

"Is that arrogant prat there?"

"I am certain that you will find the soul you are looking for Delkis."

My mind groaned, Nolia was using the code system that I had hoped we would never need. He was there and sitting in the reception area. Waiting for me to turn up. Michael entering hell was a new one and odd that I had not felt it. We must have missed each other by seconds, I'd only just left the underworld.

"Has he made any threats?"

"Try again and look harder."

"He's just waiting for me?"

Igor appeared at the entry to the storeroom, looking at me with a lot of worry.

"No Delkis, I cannot have someone else take over your search."

The words burned at me, no he was not waiting for me. Takeover said so much more than I wanted. Michael could never be successful, hell was always going to be mine and could never be removed from me but that didn't mean that he wouldn't make me suffer.

"I cannot help you, get on with your duties."

Then the phone cut off as another word rung in my ears. Help.

I stared at my phone for a few seconds as the thing went to sleep, the black screen offering nothing to me. No help, no advice.

"My lord, is trouble in our world?"

I looked up at Igor, Sarah standing beside him. They both had worried faces and I didn't know what to say to them.

"Anton," Sarah said quietly as she moved to me.

Her touch was warming even though there was layers of material between our skin, her eyes filled with hope for a maddening situation.

"What is going on?"

"Michael is in the underworld. He's trying to take over."

"Is not possible. Angels cannot rule hell, no one can take master's place."

Sarah looked at me warily as she stood more upright, moving a fraction away from me.

"But he can lock you in hell, can't he?"

I nodded.

"And all of the demons as well, right?"

She paused for a moment as she thought about it.

"I'm not a demon, he would lock me out, wouldn't he?"

"Is wrong." Igor protested. "You have right to walk this earth, we fight the battle and won. Cannot be taken away. I love the red sun but I like yellow sun more. They will not lock Igor into the underworld, master fight for our rights."

"He's right Anton, you said that you didn't do anything wrong. You said it was within your rights to take over earth if you wanted to. That's still correct, isn't it?"

"Of course it is."

She clutched at my jacket, her blue eyes so expressive as she looked up at me.

"Then why are you freaking out? You are the devil, this is your world that is on the line and you should stand up and fight for it."

"Is loophole perhaps?"

I turned back to Igor, his frame almost filled the doorway.

"You rule the underworld, Michael never threaten to take over before now, yes?"

Warily I nodded.

"What has changed to master's world now?"

"Well, the only thing that's changed is." I stopped talking as I looked at Sarah.

This had something to do with her, or what she was. My partner or more importantly, she will become my wife really soon.

"Maybe rules of the council were always for you, maybe they say five months apart and in that time they break your world with you two disobeying rules. Broken rules mean no marriage and what then?"

"No queen of hell," I whispered, cautious of my thoughts.

No queen of hell meant something, I knew it did. But what? I had read something a long time ago, an ancient text that meant little to me because I thought that there would never be a day when I would settle with one woman.

"Sarah, wait staff cannot find order books," Igor said as he turned his large frame side on.

"Oh, I put them under the counter. They must be blind," she muttered as she walked out of the storeroom.

"My lord," Igor whispered as he leaned in. "You know I am devoted always and I not speak ill of you but I know things of the past, things I should not but I do. Demons whisper scandals, I say not good form but they do not listen."

I nodded, knowing I wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

"Whispers of concubines with purple eyes, what if they keep you single man for a reason? Angels step into the underworld with blessing from the devil, for a good time yes but what if they keep eye on place. A new form of spy for him and now you have love, you not want for concubines."

"He has no view into my world, he doesn't know what I'm up to. Igor, you are a genius."

"I think outside box, my lord."

But I had to figure out why he was trying to remove Sarah from me.

"There is a room in the palace, we must get to it."

"What palace?"

Igor and I turned to Sarah who had been standing behind him, for how long I do not know. She didn't seem upset, I could only hope she didn't hear what had just been said. For all that I had a past, I didn't want it to be dragged up for Sarah to see constantly.

"Well, the thing is, I should actually reside in the underworld. There is a house or a... uh, palace that I suppose that I should live in. It's rather pretty if you like doom and gloom and uh, very large."

"Anton." she said dangerously.

"Lots of rooms, staff to clean and uh, a great view of the underworld."

Her hands went to her hips as she frowned at me.

"So the thing about it is, it is a palace and what do palaces have in them?"

"Royalty."

I nodded feeling under a lot of pressure from her intense stare. Not sure who this Sarah was and I was wondering where my delicate little flower had gone.

"I opted not to live in it until I had just cause for such a large place. Then when I had a reason it turned out that it wasn't suitable. It would have been fine except with this nonsense with Michael it may not be so fine anymore. We may have to split our time between the two places I'm afraid."

Sarah stepped back sadly and turned out of the room, leaving me to feel like the biggest jerk on the planet. I'd done what I had to ensure that we weren't subjected to the departure phase but in doing so I'd managed to set off a wave of events that meant she would have to leave her beloved restaurant and apartment from time to time. Maybe even forever.