Page 294 of The Spider Queen
His mouth twitched, and then he threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter that shook the leaves on the Tree of Life. Green leaves glinted silver as they danced in the moonlight, and the air shimmered at the sound.
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t supposed to revel in his happiness. I wasn’t supposed to feel obligated to ease his burdens. This was Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, and the fallen angel that wreaked havoc and caused a division between good and evil. He had no humanity in him, no sense of right or wrong.
And yet…I felt the essence of him. He was made of darkness—of want, of greed. But there was a seed of hope in his chest.
Lucifer had a soul.
And there was a sliver of light in it. He was not all evil. Maybe evil wasn’t even the right word.
Perhaps he could be redeemed.
He whistled and Cerberus loped through the night, his tail wagging, three tongues lolling. He collapsed at Lucifer’s feet and rolled over onto his back.
The Prince of Darkness crouched down to rub his dog’s belly.
Love, fondness, affection, I felt it all.
“You’re lonely,” I said, startling the quiet. The flames of lust were banked, though the coals would only need a good stoke before lighting again.
Lucifer didn’t look up. He moved his hand from the dog’s belly to one of its heads, stroking a satiny ear.
“Why would you think that?” he asked.
“You’ll show me your desire, but none of your vulnerability,” I spat, turning away.
“Why would I show you my true self? You’re a debt repayment. Nothing more.”
“Lie,” I stated. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at the sky. Moonlight and starlight. Eden was beautiful.
“I thought you only sensed emotions. I didn’t know you were a walking lie detector.”
I finally looked at him. His indigo eyes were bright, like two stars that had been brought down from the heavens. They revealed nothing. Not mercy, not acceptance, not even joy.
My mouth quirked up into a half smile. “Maybe the issue is that you’re not so different than the rest of us.”
He frowned.
“You have emotions, don’t you? Dreams? Just because you’re a fallen angel doesn’t negate all of that. You’re not a mindless beast. I think”—I paused—“you want what you’ve never had. I think that’s why you choose to invoke misery.”
“Misery,” he murmured. “I call it balance. Good cannot exist without evil. Light cannot exist without dark.”
“Right, right.” I waved my hand. “And no one is all or nothing. In the words of my favorite Broadway musical of all time: ‘Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?’”
Lucifer chuckled and it rushed over my skin in a way desire never could. To make him laugh…felt like a great triumph.
“Sympathy for the Devil?”
My eyes widened. “Are you—are youjokingaroundwith me?”
“That depends. Are you showing compassion for the enemy?”
“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”
“We could do this all night,” he said in amusement.
“Probably,” I agreed. I cocked my head to the side. “You won’t let me in. Are you afraid of what I might find?”
“I’m not the one afraid of desire.”
