“Right.” Lucifer picks up another drink and gulps it down. I’ve had exactly one Old-Fashioned before and can still remember how nasty it was. “Straight to business. All work and no play is very like your father.”
“Is that supposed to be an insult?” I ask, then shake my head. It doesn’t matter. “How do I turn it off?”
“You can’t,” Lucifer says, and his whole demeanor changes. “You let off energy that only an angel can let off, though the catch here is it doesn’t necessarily define you as offspring of a Nephilim.”
“How did you sense it?” Lucas asks. “And how did you get to the house so fast?”
“I might have been keeping an eye out for my favorite niece.” Lucifer looks at me.
“I’m your only niece, and I’m so fucking tired of my so-called family spying on me.” I run my hands over my face, not caring at this point if I smear my mascara over my cheeks. “So, you were what, in the area?”
“I was, but it was more than just spying. As you know, I was unable to control my demons while I was in Hell. The rumors about you have not gone ignored, and I was following a lead involving several demons who escaped my grasp in Hell. I was on their trail, which not surprisingly led me to Thorne Hill when I felt the energy shift,” Lucifer tells me, and for some reason, I believe him.
“If you felt it, the other angels did too,” I say slowly, needing to repeat everything out loud to make sure I’m understanding it correctly. “And they’ll come looking.”
“Yes,” Lucifer says.
Lucas scoots his chair a little closer to mine and puts his arm around me. “They’ll trace the origin to the house,” he starts. “Will they assume it’s Callie?”
“It would depend on the angel,” Lucifer starts. “And, no surprise to anyone, I’m no longer privy to my siblings’ thoughts and feelings. As with the demons, some angels refuse to believe someone as impossible as Callie still exists while others are ready to worship the ground she walks on.”
Because they want me to rule and take over Hell…and the king of Hell is sitting right in front of me. How does he feel about his very own demons turning against him? He’s probably pissed, and that terrifies me.
“When can I go home?” I ask, longing for my bed. I want so badly to close my eyes and not have to think about anything while I’m asleep.
“Give me the night,” Lucifer says. “I’ll throw them off your trail.”
“The night?” I echo. “What are we supposed to do for a whole night? And where are we supposed to go? It’s not like we grabbed our wallets before you flew us out of the yard.”
“Like it’s my fault,” Lucifer huffs. “Well, I suppose it is. Next time, I’ll remind you,” he says, and I really don’t get him.
He’s the devil. The motherfucking devil. Yet here we are, sitting around a table together, carrying on like he’s just one of my friends. I want so badly to believe that he actually could be just one of my friends. That I can rely on him. Trust him. Care for him like he says he cares for me.
It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the fondness I feel for him, though it doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s because we’re related? I feel the same sense of comfort being around Julian, and I’m not sure how the bloodlines are tied between us. Lucifer is my uncle. Are family bonds stronger between archangels?
“Surely between the two of you, you’ll be able to figure something out,” Lucifer goes on, and I remember his words from before, telling me how we can get anything we want if we use our powers. And it’s true…while I can’t hold anyone spellbound as easily as Lucas can, I have my ways of getting what I want.
“Fine,” I agree, not wanting to argue. What I want is to sleep…or maybe order some French fries because I just caught a whiff of them. “When can we go home?”
“Tomorrow,” Lucifer promises. “I’ll leave an angel trail, and my asshole brothers and sisters will be too busy following it to stop in your little town. They all know it’s a town full of witches anyway. That sort of magical blast isn’t entirely unheard of. Granted, it would take an entire coven to put out the kind of mojo you did, but don’t worry,” he assures me. “I’ll make sure no one suspects you.”
“Thank you,” Lucas says before I have the chance to say anything. He tightens his hold on me. “Callie means more to me than anything in this world.”
“I know.” Lucifer’s tone softens even more, and he takes the drink that’s in front of Lucas and quickly downs it. He blinks a few times and regains his cocky composure.