Page 113 of Reluctant Rebel

“You’re going to torture him, right? Like, a lot?” she pressed.

“I promise he’ll have the Hell tortured out of him,” Luca vowed.

Something in his words, a double meaning perhaps, made Sabre’s wings twitch. But she let it go. “What will I tell Brax?” she murmured, looking into the distance where her mate and family were hazy as if behind a curtain. The veil between worlds did nothing to obscure the look of grief and hope on their faces, though.

“I’ll take good care of him,” Lucifer promised in response.

Sabre nodded. “I know you will.” She looked at her fellow angel with a small smile. “He’s a hero, you know. He fought so hard. I was really looking forward to seeing him as a father.”

“A father?” Lucifer tilted his head curiously. “Styx made puppies?”

“Yep. Found himself a hell-bitch in the Forbidden Forest. She’s about to pop,” Sabre confided.

Lucifer looked shocked. “Is she tame? What does she look like?” he asked quickly.

Sabre frowned, not understanding what he was talking about. “Who?”

“The female hellhound that Styx mounted,” Lucifer said, sounding exasperated.

“Why? How is that relevant? I’m in mourning here, Luca,” Sabre reminded him testily. “I don’t want to be discussing the mounting of hellhounds.”

Lucifer paced in a small circle, tugging on his hair agitatedly. “There aren’t many hellhounds around these days, even in Hell. And the ones that are can’t be domesticated. They’re wild, as they should be. It’s their nature. But sometimes, a specialhellhound comes along with another purpose. Like Styx. He’s about as close to a pet as they come.”

“Okay. And?” she questioned. “Reminding me Styx is one of a kind, and a loving, loyal pet isn’t helping.” She sniffed, blinking furiously.

“Years ago, I found a hellhound pup in one of the lower levels. A female. She followed me around everywhere. Wouldn’t leave my side. She used to love playing with my minions,” he explained. “She went missing eons ago.”

“And you think, what?” Sabre scoffed. “That it’s the same hellhound? After years?”

“Years in Hell time. Not Purgatory time. Time moves differently between the dimensions,” Lucifer reminded her.

“Right,” Sabre muttered, rubbing her forehead. She was beginning to get a headache. “I hate the time warp between realms. It gives me whiplash.”

Lucifer shrugged broad shoulders. “When you straddle both worlds, you get used to it. Especially when you know there is no such thing as time. Not really.”

Sabre groaned. “Please. No existential crap.” She paused, her brain working overtime. “You really think it could be the same hound?” When Luca merely shrugged, she sighed and described Styx’s lady friend.

Lucifer’s whole face lit up, and his body began to glow again. “That’s Leila.” He laughed, spinning in a circle. “I can’t believe it. That’s Leila. The universe really is full of whacky coincidences, isn’t it?”

Sabre kept her face carefully blank in the face of her friend’s obvious joy. She also restrained herself from throat-punching him for the universe remark. She’d had enough of destiny to last a lifetime. She wasn’t proud of where her mind immediately went, but she still let the idea percolate for a moment without giving anything away.

But Lucifer was the King of Hell for a reason, and he paused, shooting her a disgusted look. “Really? You’re going to blackmail me?”

She didn’t pretend ignorance. “You bet your feathered arse, I am. If you want your hell-bitch, you give me Styx.”

Lucifer threw his hands in the air. “Damn it, Sabre! I’m not allowed to place souls back into their bodies all willy-nilly. I already told you that.”

“But youcan,” Sabre pushed. “You’re capable of it.”

“Of course, I can,” Lucifer muttered, scowl still firmly in place. “Pretty much the same way you can. I deal in souls the same as you.”

“Then do it,” she ordered. Her eyes narrowed on him as she considered something. “What kind of angel are you, anyway?” It was a valid question. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked before.

“None of your business,” he replied stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sabre dropped it for now but made a mental note to beat it out of him in the future.Maybe when he’s drunk,she said silently. For now, she had a soul to barter. “I’mallowed to bring people back to life all willy-nilly,” she pointed out. “Why can’t you?”

“Because you’re a resurrection angel who is a guardian to a direct descendant of Cerberus, the very first demon to leave Hell. You’re allowed to do whatever aligns with that purpose.” Lucifer paused thoughtfully for a moment before adding, “Although, it’s important to note that you reallyshouldn’tresurrect people for shits and giggles.”

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