Chapter 27: When it rains, it pours

Zoe:

Can things get any worse? I think in my head as I watch my best friend fall apart in front of me. Gazing at Azazel, I can see that he has a similar thought. Bree leans her head on my shoulder for comfort as she processes her new reality. There are so many obstacles in our way, and everything looks bleak.

Azazel takes a seat in front of me and takes my hand in his. “We’ll get through this, luv. Nothing will get in our way now that I’ve found you.” He growls huskily.

I’m about to respond when a cocky male voice echoes across the room. “What the bloody hell just happened? And why was I lying unconscious next to a Seraphim?”

Everyone turns to face Lucifer, who is leaning a shoulder on a nearby wall. He looks fresh as a daisy with his hair tousled and his mouth tight as he gazes at us curiously.

Fallon rises to stand before his father. “Don’t you remember, father?”

Lucifer quirks a brow as he thinks through the night’s events. “All I recall is taking you to hell, kissing the Seraphim, and transporting us back here. Everything else is hazy. What else happened?” Fallon turns and warily looks at Azazel.

I can tell by his expression that he doesn’t want to mention who Bree is, but he will explain who Lana is. Bree and I keep a blank expression and wait for Azazel to respond. As if understanding my silent entreaty, Azazel tightens his hand around mine and gives Fallon an imperceptible nod.

Fallon clears his throat and faces Lucifer. “Well, father, it looks like Lana, the Seraphim, is your mate.”

Lucifer loses all expression, his face hardening into rigid lines as he walks up to Fallon, takes him by the neck, and lifts him up to his toes. Bree and I gasp in alarm at the sight of such a formidable creature like Fallon being lifted as if he weighed less than a baby. “I don’t appreciate your jest, Fallon. Now, why don’t you tell me what actually happened before I rip your bloody head from your body.” Lucifer grits out through clenched teeth.

Fallon grabs ahold of Lucifer’s wrist, his face paling as he tries to release his father’s grip.

Azazel must see that the situation is about to escalate because he rises from his perch and approaches Lucifer. “He’s not lying, Lucifer! As soon as you transported us here, you and Lana both fell to the floor in excruciating pain. And when we tried to help her, you turned into your devil form and protected her. In turn, her Seraphim form was revealed, and her mating light covered you. She’s your mate!”

Lucifer’s face pales as he releases Fallon and stumbles back. It would almost be comical if it weren't for the fact that this is the devil. Who knows how he’ll react next?

A derisive chuckle escapes his lips as he looks back and forth between Azazel and Fallon. “You fools! This is a trick! I have no mate. Father informed me so when he ripped the wings from my back and cast me out of heaven!”

Fallon and Azazel shrug.

“We were just as bewildered by this as you are. Lucifer. However, you cannot deny the glow or your protective reaction to her pain. You cannot deny that everything was well after you returned her soul to her. Whether you agree to it or not, the girl is your mate. It all adds up!”

Lucifer snorts in disbelief as he looks up the stairs and looks back at all of us. “How is this possible?” He asks.

He reminds me of a little boy who just found out that Santa Claus is real. He looks almost—hopeful. Could it be that the devil desires love?

It makes sense. I mean, Azazel was ecstatic over finding me after so long. Wouldn’t it make sense that Lucifer, who has lived longer with the knowledge that he was alone, would rejoice at the fact that he does indeed have a soul mate?”

“You told me that the Creator said he wouldn’t gift you with a soul mate after your treachery.” Fallon gazes at Azazel for support, then looks back at Lucifer. “Lana is obviously a Seraphim, which means she is probably as ancient as you are. If that’s the case, it’s possible that she was created before your fall and was just not gifted to you.”

Lucifer looks down at his feet in consternation, then shakes his head. “It would be like my father to do something like that.”

Bree's brow knits, and her mouth turns down into a frown. “And why she’s here to protect me.”

Azazel nods. “Yes, she is. We all have to protect you.”

Lucifer stands before us with a quizzical frown. “What I don't understand is why Sahara and Marael want you. You have no visible power than I can see. Yet, she left you as her last sacrifice, and you're living with an angel. This is no coincidence.”

Fallon and Azazel stiffen in alarm at his comment. “It doesn’t matter, father? What does matter is that if we don't stop Marael and Sahara, there will be no hell for you to rule.”

Lucifer’s nostrils flare with anger, but he settles down. “Very well, then answer me this. Why would my father send her now? Why am I being united with my mate after so many millennia?”

Fallon’s jaw ticks as he considers a response that will not implicate Bree. “I don’t know, father. With everything that is happening, it might be possible that you and the girl simply met by chance.”

Bree and I both gaze at each other warily as we consider the implications of Lana and Lucifer’s union. “That would explain why Lana didn’t know she was an angel,” I say cautiously. The men quirk a brow as they turn to me.

Azazel walks back to me and pulls me into his chest. “That would also explain why she was born human. The only way to make an angel a human is to take their soul and place it in the body of a vessel. Once that is done, they no longer remember who they were. The creator must have made it so that she could keep her angelic abilities after she was born. Having her soul taken must have awakened her dormant powers.”

The men look solemn as they consider Lana’s origins. Bree rises to stand beside me and takes my hand in support. “So, what are we going to do then?”

Everyone looks at Lucifer, who simply shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. Even if she were my mate, I wouldn’t take her with me. I like my life as it is now, and she’d never be happy in hell. It’s best if we don’t tell her any of this and just pretend that it didn’t happen. For now, my main concern is my kingdom. I need these two witches vanquished. Anyone have any ideas on how to go about this?”

I think about everything I saw in the hellish world. So much horror and death. I hope I never have to go back.