Page 46 of To Crave Deeply
At least I wouldn’t die alone, was the last thought that fluttered through my mind as I finally sunk into the dark clutches of oblivion.
***
MICHAEL
I never thought I’d find my brother in this state. He was still alive, but barely. The healer had managed to save him, but she wasn’t sure for how long.
This was a mess. Without Lucifer, the Under Realm would fall apart and that would destroy the finely-maintained balance that kept chaos at bay. The Divine One needed to intervene because we were now rapidly approaching the point of no return and I was terrified that everything we had all worked so hard to build would be destroyed.
I looked down at my brother and my heart panged for him. He deserved love and happiness. Yes, he’d made mistakes, but the Divine One hated the sin, not the sinner. Forgiveness was a beautiful thing, and I truly believed that Lucifer had earned his.
“You’re thinking too hard. I can practically hear the cogs turning, brother.”
I smiled, thankful that he was awake. “How do you feel?”
His dark eyes pinned mine with a stare full of agony and despair. “Fine. Where’s Lori?”
Lucifer propped himself up on the numerous pillows behind him and it was painful to watch. I wanted to help him, but he was a proud man. He wouldn’t want my help because it was a display of weakness. And the Devil didn’t do weakness.
“I don’t know. Torsten abducted me and brought me here. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you consumed by Hellfire. What’s going on?”
“Not now,” he brushed me off. “I need to find Lori.”
“Why?”
Lucifer stood and almost collapsed again. I rushed to grab him before he fell to the floor, and I sat him back down on the edge of his decadent bed. The man was a fool. He was clearly in no state to go off looking for this girl. How she had wrapped him around her little finger, I will never know.
“You’re clearly not going to be able to do that for some time. Tell me what’s going on. Let me help.”
My brother scowled at me, and I couldn’t help the chuckle that broke free. He always looked like that when he knew I was right but wasn’t going to admit it.
“It’s a mess. It started when Camael stole Lori’s soul at the Yule Gathering. Which I haven’t spoken to the Divine One about yet. The old man keeps refusing to see me.”
“He’s as stubborn as you,” I remarked, which elicited a bark of laughter from Lucifer. They were more alike than they cared to admit.
“Well, Lori’s dying has triggered the soulbond to claim me. And I know that I don’t have another soul hiding in my proverbial closet, so coming back is impossible for me.”
I gave Lucifer a pointed look. “What do you mean?”
He flicked his gaze to me then looked away, almost as if he was ashamed of something. Perhaps I should sit down. I had a feeling this might get unpleasant.
Lucifer took a deep breath and told me the tale of his greatest shame.
LUCIFER – 1488
I looked down at the heap of limbs before me and felt nothing but disappointment. She was supposed to be a companion to Iver. Not a burden. I’d created her with the intention to provide comfort, support, maybe even love…
I scoffed. Are we dark creatures even worthy of love? A bitter thought but there it was. I’d been so determined to create something good but all I’d done was create a monster.
Perhaps that was all I was good at. Creating monsters.
I cast my eyes upon my original creations. Iver stood to one side, looking desolate and worried, but the other two stood together on my other side. Mordecai looked like he couldn’t care less, his red eyes displaying his boredom, but Selene looked like she was angry at the world. Her piercing blue eyes were throwing daggers in my direction; I could almost taste her hatred as she looked at me.
They had their flaws, too many flaws if I were being honest. And I was almost at the point of regretting creating them. It was only Iver who seemed to have any sort of balance. Selene and Mordecai were beyond wild. They were destructive, cold, and cruel. Eager to cause pain and never happier than when they were causing it.
But I still loved them. They were mine, and I hadn’t quite persuaded myself to deal with the problem they presented. But I should. People were starting to talk…
I crouched down by the quietly sobbing creature at my feet. She was supposed to be my greatest creation and she turned out to be the worst of the lot.
