Movement ceases.
And every eye is fixed in disbelief at who stands before us wearing a slash of a seductive smile. Dark suit sans tie. Buttons unfastened at his throat to reveal a flash of smooth, marble skin. His hair is sunlight and earth, and his eyes are glimmering galaxies churning with mirth and mystery.
I’ve never seen anything so devastating. So beautiful.
Lucifer casually leans against the doorjamb and lets out a low whistle. “Now surely you can’t have a party without me.”
If I were human, I wouldn’t have been able to trust my eyes. I would have chalked it up to delirium—a result of lack of sleep, lack of food, and too much alcohol. But I’m not human. Yet, what’s happening before me is still unexplainable. Because shit like this doesn’t happen. Shit like this doesn’t even exist.
In one blink, we’re all standing there, gaping at the Devil himself as he dons a lazy grin as the early afternoon sunshine brushes kisses along his proud forehead.
And in the next, all holy hell breaks loose.
Legion erupts into a plume of ink black feathers and glowing embers, completely disappearing from where he stood right in front of me. And within a fraction of a second, he rematerializes into flesh and bone out of thin air. Directly in front of Lucifer.
Legion roughly snatches him by the lapels of his dark suit jacket and literally lifts him two feet off the ground before slamming him into the marble floor with a sickening crack that makes my stomach lurch. It all happens so fast that I have to force myself to blink to ensure I’m not imagining things.
Lucifer is here. And currently pinned under Legion’s deadly hold.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he roars, just inches from Lucifer’s face.
Of course, Luc appears unfazed. Not a single hair out of place. Not even a wrinkle in his pristine suit.
“Nice to see you too, brother. You’re looking well. Almost like a new man. How are all those wayward souls treating you?”
He’s goading him. He knows that Legion has been remade into the beast he had fled Hell to escape. And now I finally realize what I should have seen the moment I laid eyes on that horrifying pendant: Lucifer wanted him to have it.
It was a setup. It had to have been. Lucifer probably divulged the whereabouts of Legion’s power to Nikolai during one of their raucous evenings, drinking and doing God only knows what, knowing that Niko was only playing a role. Lucifer knew that once he appeared to be too distracted, Niko would go for it.
Just like he knew Legion would come for me.
Just like he knew where to find us.
It’s all a game. All a fucking game. And I’m just a pawn.
“You have seconds,” Legion seethes. “What do you want? Speak or find yourself disemboweled.”
“This all sounds strangely familiar.” Lucifer feigns a yawn. Legion is ready to rip his throat out, and he actually has the balls to sound bored. “You really should brush up on the scary demon act. I know you’re out of practice and all, but you need some new material.”
“Death will be a kindness when I’m fucking done with you. Not even Father will be able to identify what’s left of your body.”
“Tough talk, little brother. Do you kiss Eden with that mouth? Or is it Adriel these days? Maybe both?” He attempts to sit up, but Legion slams him back into the ground even harder, the sound of his skull against the marble echoing throughout the foyer. I brace for blood, but surprisingly none appears.
“Legion…” Phenex’s gaze is frantic as he approaches cautiously. “Please.”
Cain follows. “Come on, L. Not here. You can’t…”
Then Toyol. Then Andras and Lilith. Even Jinn moves forward, silent yet pleading. They’re afraid. Afraid that he will do the unspeakable on sacred ground. But Legion is too far gone to hear them, consumed with fury so great that its stifling heat clings to my skin like a wet blanket. Even with all of them coaxing him, even physically pulling him, Legion doesn’t budge. It’s like he doesn’t even feel them.
“You better listen to your underlings, brother,” Lucifer wheedles. “Would hate for them to have to scrape up what’s left of their fearless leader from off the floor. How embarrassing.”
An animalistic growl rumbles in Legion’s chest as he bares his teeth, revealing razor sharp fangs that weren’t there seconds ago. His fingers morph into claws at Lucifer’s neck, piercing straight through the fabric of his jacket.
He’s going to kill him. And in return, he will be killed.
Niko spoke of a weapon that was strong enough to slay Lucifer. Legion is, and always has been, that weapon. He’s the only thing strong enough to end him.
I cold dread races in my veins.
“Legion,” I call out, racing forward. Crysis steps into my path before I can even clear five feet. I nearly collide with his chest.
“Don’t, Eden.”
“Get out of my way, Crysis.”
He shakes his head. “Seriously, please listen to me. You don’t want to get in the middle of this.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because this has nothing to do with you.”
“What?” I scoff. “This has everything to do with me.”
He shakes his head once more. “This feud has raged on for centuries, long before you were even a glimmer in Uriel’s eye. You were just one of several catalysts. Trust me…your presence will just add fuel to the fire.”
He’s right. Their problems go far beyond petty jealousy over me. If anything, they began with the red-haired, angelic beauty dressed in white, silently looking on with an expression I can’t quite decipher. It all starts and ends with Adriel.
“Enough!” Irin calls out, the single word echoing through the space. She marches forward, a hand on her shapely hip. “Get up. Now.”
Her words are laced with compulsion, and somehow, someway, the Se7en are able to peel Legion off Lucifer. But just barely.
“Is this what you wanted?” he roars. It takes all six demon assassins to hold him back. “Is this what gets you off? Innocents dying in the streets? When will it be enough for you?”
Lucifer stands to his feet and casually brushes off his suit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You knew!” Legion rages. He pants like the very weight of the words are a burden. “You knew what Uriel was doing. You knew what Eden was, and you did nothing to stop him! You just saw another way to feed your treachery.”
Lucifer simply rights his cufflinks, not even looking in Legion’s direction. However, the corner of his mouth twitches a fraction. “I did what had to be done.”
“Had to be done? You doomed an innocent girl to sate your own sick desires, you twisted fuck. You tortured her, left her to a life of pain and poverty. For what? To wield her as you saw fit? To keep her as your prized pet? Or maybe you’re on Uriel’s dick in an attempt to get into Father’s good graces…”
“No.”
Legion begins to break away from the Se7en’s hold. They each grimace as they struggle to regain control of his massive frame. “Then what? To torture me? To take from me once again, just like you take everything else?”
“No.”
Legion sneers, his eyes glowing brighter than I’ve seen. “You just have to make everything about you. You’re so fucking miserable with your own existence that you couldn’t stand it. Just admit it…admit why you Called her. To get back at me for leaving? To prove once and for all that you’re nothing but a cold, selfish prick that will always be beyond redemption? Thinking we wouldn’t see past your lies and deception, and notice you for the pathetic, lonely son of a bitch you are?”
His words seem to slice right through Lucifer’s calm exterior, and his hard glare snaps to Legion. Lips tight, knuckles white, he hisses, “You know nothing.”
“Then why? Tell me you coward!”
“You wanna know why—”
“I swear to fucking—”
“So you would kill her!”
Lucifer??
?s answer is like a bucket of ice water and Legion stumbles back, yet his fists remain tight at his sides. “What did you say?”
An electric storm brews within Lucifer’s eyes. He rakes a hand through his hair and spits a curse. “I Called Eden…so you would kill her. Just like I manipulated you into falling from grace before our brothers killed you. To protect you. To save you. Everything I’ve done is for you. Eden was created to be a weapon, but not in the way you think. She was made to make you weak—to distract you. And that’s exactly what she’s done. I hoped that if you had scented my influence on her, you would hunt her down before she could fulfill her purpose, but that never happened. You fell right into Uriel’s trap, so I tried—again—to save your ass when I took her. But you knew that, didn’t you? You just didn’t want to believe it—that you could fall victim to a seemingly helpless girl. So I did what needed to be done.”
Lucifer’s gaze falls to the ground, to the fresh crack in the marble, the only evidence of centuries of wrath. When he looks back up, his expression is dark, smoldering. “Surprised? Is that so hard for you to believe, dear brother?” He spits the last word as if it’s tainted with poison. “That even though you betrayed me—abandoned me—I could still find the capacity to give a damn about you?”
A heavy silence falls over the space, as if everything has been muted. Sound, color, even my emotions are stifled. I…I don’t know what to feel, or even how to feel. Lucifer didn’t want to use me. He didn’t even want to seduce me.
He wanted to kill me.
He wanted to save the one he loved above all else—his brother.
And that’s the most human thing I’ve ever heard.
Even as I stand here now, he doesn’t acknowledge my presence, as if my life has always meant nothing to him. Maybe I’m not worthy of his attention. Or maybe I’m just a reminder of his failure.
Silence stretches like an endless sea of turmoil. Without a word, Legion turns around and stalks out of the room. The Se7en follow, staying close behind.
There’s nothing left for me here.
“Let’s all take a breather and reconvene…”
I’m already headed for the opposite hallway before Irin can finish her sentence. I feel Nikolai and Crysis at my heels, but I don’t slow. I can’t. If I see the sympathy on their faces, I won’t be able to hold it together any longer. I’ll shatter into a million, jagged pieces and reveal just how irrevocably broken I truly am. How damaged I’ve been since the day I was carved from my mother’s womb. Because the cracked ones, the spoiled ones, you throw away. No matter how much you try to patch them up, they’ll always be wrong underneath. They can never be repaired.
When I get to my bedroom door, I slip in, close, and lock it before either one can make it past the threshold.
And then, I fall apart, letting my marled, misshapen pieces tumble to the floor.
I was so sure…so sure he wasn’t the monster the world thought he was.
And I was right.
Irin gives us a couple hours to cool off and regroup before demanding our presence in her quarters. I’m tempted to tell her and everyone else to fuck off, but the truth of the matter is, I’m a little more than curious to know why Lucifer has dared to show his face here, of all places. And if he knew about me—if Legion knew about me—then why keep me here? Why not just hand me over to Uriel and save themselves? If I was made to merely be a distraction, so why not eliminate the problem?
None of this makes sense. It’s like they’re biding their time when they know it won’t end well as long as I’m a liability. But what other option do I have other than sitting and waiting? My sister is here getting medical treatment that she needs. I can’t leave her. And if I did, what would that mean for her survival?
Too many questions, and not enough answers, so I begrudgingly drag myself out of my room and head down the long hallway, past the enormous space where Irin likes to entertain, and hit the opposite wing where we’ve held all our meetings since we arrived. I swear, between Irin’s lounge and the gym, I don’t have much of a life.
I’m not surprised to find Lucifer lazing beside her and casually chatting, but the sight of him still gives me pause. Refusing to make eye contact, I take up residence in my usual corner of the oversized, plush sectional, which seems much smaller than it did hours before. Only Niko has arrived so far, and I note that he barely looks my way when I sit down beside him. Looks like the cold playboy act is back on, which I can’t blame him for. Lucifer is his boss for all intents and purposes. Showing any sign of vulnerability or fondness for me could inevitably be used against him. And now I understand why Niko wanted to keep his family out of this.
To say the atmosphere is uncomfortable is an understatement, and it feels like I’m sitting on hot coals as we wait for the others to arrive. When Adriel flits in and settles on Irin’s other side, I want to hurl. But whatever I expected to feel when Legion and the Se7en arrive pales in comparison to the sorrow and dread that coils in my gut when they step into the room.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Legion spits, stopping at the entrance. The others follow suit.
“Lucifer is a guest,” Irin answers, not at all perturbed by Legion’s reaction. “I asked him to be here.”
“This has nothing to do with him.”
“Actually,” Luc chimes in. “You may want to hear me out, brother. It certainly can’t hurt, considering the sorry state of your cause.”
“And as this is my home, you will abide by my rules,” Irin adds. “Sit. There is much to discuss.”
Legion glares at Lucifer for a long, furious beat before reluctantly going to the other side of the sectional. However, he doesn’t sit. One small act of rebellion.
Irin begins, although there’s no sign of Crysis. “The masquerade party will proceed as planned. Legion, you and your people have full use of surveillance and security services.”
It’s Phenex who answers. “Thank you, Irin. We appreciate your hospitality.”
“Yes, very hospitable, as always, Irin,” Lucifer pipes with a mocking grin. Asshole. I guess whatever sincerity he displayed upon his arrival is long forgotten. “But one has to wonder—with the fate of the human realm hanging in the balance, why on earth would a gaudy party seem appropriate?”
The Se7en don’t answer. And I damn sure don’t plan on lending any information to that manipulating prick.
“They’ve decided that with the Redeemer still in the hands of the Seraph,” Irin offers, “that a party would potentially draw them here, revealing their numbers. It was young Eden’s plan.”
I know he turns in my direction, because I can feel the very moment his eyes fall on me, roaming my entire frame. I keep looking straight ahead at nothing at all.
“Interesting. Noble,” he notes. “But what would be the point?”
“Well, considering the Seraph want to use the Redeemer to kill us to fulfill some petty revenge fantasy,” Lilith snaps at her former co-conspirator, “it’s probably a good idea to know what we’re up against.”
“Wants to kill you?” Lucifer guffaws unceremoniously, causing every one of the Se7en to glare at him with contempt. “Oh dear, thank the Almighty I arrived when I did.”
“And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Cain questions, his expression dark and his fists clenched at his sides.
“It means that you all are completely clueless, although I’m not surprised. The Seraph want you dead, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Honestly, exacting revenge is merely a bonus.”
“So what do they want?” Phenex asks.
Lucifer leans forward, elbows on his knees, his violet eyes swirling with obsidian. “To kill everyone. Chicago is just the beginning, and killing you,” He waves a graceful hand towards the Se7en, “is merely eliminating a speed bump. And once you’re no longer an obstacle, they’ll move on to every major city in the world. New York. Los Angeles. Miami. London. Hong Kong. Paris. Debase and destroy—that’s what they want.”
“
Why?” The entire room turns to me at my uttered outburst. So much for acting indifferent.
Lucifer’s gaze softens a fraction. Even his tone isn’t as sharp and taunting. “So they can justify the end of humanity.”
“Bullshit,” Legion barks. I’m grateful when Lucifer turns to face him, releasing me from his uncomfortable stare. “They don’t have the power.”
“But they’re betting on Father seeing reason. If humanity is doomed, why not wipe the slate clean and try again? He’s done it once before, in a failed attempt to undo what we achieved when we fell. Who’s to say he won’t try again?”
Legion’s clenched jaw quivers with an unleashed curse. I can see it written all over his hardened features—what Lucifer says holds some merit. And it makes sense. Violence, prostitution, drugs, corruption, pedophilia. The poor get poorer, the sick get sicker, and the rich get richer. And that’s just in Chicago. Even when there’s a beacon of hope and light, things don’t seem to ever get better. Of course, there’d be cause to want to give humanity a fresh start. But that doesn’t mean I want everyone I’ve ever known and loved to die. Even the people who have wronged me in my lifetime. I would never wish for them to be wiped from existence.
“But you could stop it,” Phenex tries to reason with Lucifer. “The lesser demons are destroying the city. People are dying; children are starving. What are you doing to alleviate the carnage and suffering?”
The accusation hangs heavy right before him, but Lucifer pretends not to notice. “I could seal Hell to keep any more from escaping, but it would have to be with me in it.”
“And that’s a problem because…?” Cain challenges.
“Because you need me.” Before I can brace myself, Lucifer turns to look right at me, his stare terrifying in its ability to cause my insides to liquefy. “You all do.”
“I’m certain many of us would be willing to argue that assessment,” Phenex comments.
“Then you’re all fools,” Lucifer snaps, turning to him. “You think the Seraph will make this easy for you? You have one greater demon, a gaggle of heavily armed minions, a mute angel, and two Nephilim, one of which wouldn’t be breathing had it not been for me sending the warlock. So yes, you do need me. You’d still be chasing your tails, trying to find out the Seraph’s plan—the plan I just laid out for you. So let’s see…I’ve been here a matter of hours, yet I’ve accomplished more than any of you have in a week. Pathetic.”