“Abby!” I scream, dropping to the ground. “No, no, no.” I grab her shoulders and roll her over, putting my hands over the bullet wound on her stomach to try and stop the bleeding. “It’s gonna be okay! It’s gonna be okay!” I push harder on the wound, but it just seems to make more blood spill out. I don’t know what to do.
Abby is human. She got shot in the stomach. If the blood loss doesn’t kill her, having her internal organs torn will.
“Julian!” I call. “Julian! Help!”
“I…I…didn’t mean to,” Roger says and takes a step toward the door, intending to run. I jerk my head up, anger surging through me.
“You…you…” I start but can’t get the words out. The door slams shut behind him, and I thrown him back against it with magic. His head whacks with a sickening thud, and he slumps down, unmoving.
Abby’s body convulses, and I look back at her. Her eyes are wide with fear and pain, and her skin is paling. She opens her mouth to say something.
“Shhhh,” I say, tears filling my eyes. “It’s going to be okay. Julian! Please!”
“Tell Penny,” Abby grunts, “I love…” Her words die in her throat, and her eyes roll back.
“No, Abby!” I sob. “Julian! Dad! Please! Help me!” No one answers me. No one is coming to help. I need to call 911 and get Abby to the hospital. My brain isn’t working right now, and I can’t think what to do.
Phone.
I need to get my phone.
And it’s…it’s…in the kitchen.
But I can’t leave Abby.
“Julian, please!” I cry, and Abby’s head rolls to the side. “No, Abby! Hang on, just hang on!” I squeeze my eyes closed. “Heal,” I say through gritted teeth. “Heal, dammit!”
Nothing happens, and every second that passes is one more closer to losing my sister. “Dad!” I lower my head, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Need some help, my niece?”
I jerk my head up and see Lucifer standing in the foyer. He’s wearing a black suit again, with a blood red tie and matching pocket square. His eyes go from Abby to Roger.
“Racking up the body count, I see.”
“What…what are you doing here?” My breath leaves in a ragged huff.
“You asked for help and no one else came, did they?” He holds out his hands and looks around.
“But how?” My hands shake, and the blood leaving Abby’s body starts to slow. She’s bleeding out and is slipping away, right before me.
Lucifer winks. “I got skills, kid.” He steps over and crouches down, eyeing Abby. “Ohhh, she doesn’t look very good.”
“Can you heal her?” I ask before I even realize what I’m saying.
“It’s been a while since I’ve reversed pain, but maybe I can dust off the ‘ole wings and give it a try.” He puts his hands together and stretches out his arms. Then he closes his eyes and holds a hand over Abby.
The air vibrates around us, and the blood starts to get sucked back into Abby’s body. I rock back and look at Lucifer. His dark eyes are glowing a brilliant soft blue, and when I blink, I can see his wings.
They’re beautiful, with silver and blue feathers, looking nothing like the bat-like wings Lucifer is depicted with. Right now, he looks like the epitome of divinity, and Abby’s eyes flutter open.
The bullet rises from her body, and Lucifer grabs it. “You want to keep this as a souvenir?”
“I…uh…I…”
He sets it down and gives me a wink. “You might want it later.”
Abby gasps, eyes wide, and her hands fly to her stomach, feeling for the wound. Lucifer moves his hand up and touches her forehead. In an instant, Abby’s eyes close, and her head falls to the side.
“What did you—”
“Relax. She’s just sleeping.” He motions to Roger. “I figured you’d want some time to clean up. There’s no reason she has to remember this.”
My head bobs up and down on its own accord. Lucifer stands up and steps over to Roger. There’s a smear of blood on the front door where his head hit.
“It’s almost a pity,” Lucifer says. “I could have had fun with this one.” He waves his hand over Roger’s body, and hellfire rises from the floor and swallows him whole.
My heart is pounding, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. I press my lips together and breathe out of my nose. The smell of blood is getting to me. Come on, baby. Cut me a little break. I almost lost my sister.
“You okay, kid?”
I look up at Lucifer, not sure what to think. But I know how I feel, and I’m so fucking thankful he answered my prayer.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “You saved her.”
“I did, didn’t I?” He brings his hand to his chest. “I saved her. That almost feels…good.” His eyes meet mine, and he takes a step forward.