Page 38 of Sin

Taking a page from Chaos’s book, I let out a soft, fervent, “Fuck.”

Chapter

Eleven

LUCIFER

“Bloody light pollution. That’s the first thing I’ll get rid of,” I grumbled as the sky darkened and the cityscape beyond began to blaze to life.

I sighed and gathered my shoulder-length locks into a knot at the base of my skull, fighting the wind coming from the south. The bustle of Los Angeles had gotten even worse since my imprisonment in hell. This used to be one of my favorite views on Earth. Now it was nothing but smog and neon. Oh well, more souls for me to corrupt, I supposed.

That was the point of all this, wasn’t it?

Arms crossed over my chest, I stared down at my future kingdom. “And the wicked shall inherit the Earth,” I mused, a small, vindictive smile curling my lips.

Oh, how my siblings will hang their heads in sorrow when they finally come to understand that they should’ve fallen right along with me so long ago. Michael, so virtuous, so self-righteous, would be the first to surrender his wings before I took his grace. And then Gabriel. My plans for him were too great to name. But all of them involved eternal suffering. No one locks me up and gets away with it. A gilded cage is still a cage.

“My, what a frightful scowl you have, grandmother,” a sultry feminine voice crooned from my left.

I turned slowly to face Famine, taking in her disguised appearance as she did the same with mine. “The better to show off my teeth, little horsewoman,” I replied, flashing her a grin.

She closed the distance between us with a slow, sensual walk, her curves on full display in the ensemble she’d chosen. The black cocktail dress she wore stood out and made her pale skin nearly glow in the light of the rising moon. The last time I’d seen her, she hadn’t boasted dark, penetrating irises framed by thick black lashes. She’d been all demon, with milky eyes and a tail.

“Look at you all dressed up. I hadn’t realized this was a formal occasion.”

She did a small twirl. “What else is your return topside if not a reason to celebrate?”

If only that were true. There were still far too many obstacles in my path to celebration. Not the least of which was the reason I’d summoned her tonight.

“You disappoint me, Sabine. As usual, you are the failure of your sisters.”

Her face fell. “What do you mean by that?”

“Death released me. War broke all the seals. Pestilence delivered me so many souls. You arrive empty-handed.”

“How can you say that? I’m the one who ensured you’d have a vessel.” Her scowl tightened, rage burning in the depth of her gaze. “The second I saw that Death would have her turn before me, I knew I needed to take the steps to ensure my place in your regime. All of this is for nothing if you don’t have the appropriate womb to bear your child.”

I held out my hands, gesturing at the open space around us. “And where is my vessel, Sabine?”

Her teeth clenched together hard enough that I could hear them grinding.

“Exactly my point. If she’s not in my fucking bed, she may as well not exist. Where. Is. She?”

“I . . . I don’t know, my lord.”

“Your lord? Try again, Famine.”

“My king,” she bit out as she choked back her fury.

Sabine and her sisters weren’t weak or subservient to anyone, usually. But this bargain, made so long ago, had been one of pure desperation. She knew down to her core she didn’t stand a chance to win against Death. A wise assumption. And like a scrambling cockroach, she found a way to keep herself relevant. Make me a vessel—one from Eve’s bloodline, the only bloodline capable of creating an antichrist. Maintain her status and power.

I had children scattered across the world. Generations of them. Honestly, how do you think politicians got so charismatic? Luck? Nope. Deals? Too easy. They’ve all got a little of the devil in them. But none of them were firstborns from Eve’s line.

My gut twisted with disdain at the ridiculous stipulation set forth by my father. Eve was a sore subject. Literally.

“So quiet, little horsewoman. Where’s all that bravado and swagger you had when you showed up and vowed to help me bring about the end of times?”

Her expression tightened, but she didn’t offer an explanation. Which proved that she wasn’t as stupid as she looked.

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