Page 21 of Lucifer's Redemption

However, I didn’t feel the intense anger building inside me, the fire flowing to my fingers, urging me to break every bone in the body of whoever dared call me, ‘Luci.’ My body relaxed slightly as I exhaled a heavy sigh, twirling Uriel back up to a standing position.

The demons carrying Hera on the cot looked at each other, muttering quietly. Their tails making signals so I wouldn’t understand their entire conversation, but I knew what they were thinking.

‘Why wasn’t I blowing up and killing the innocent woman in front of me?’

My heart was beating quickly in my chest, clanging against my rib cage until I finally dropped her hand. Clearing my throat, I nodded my head in her direction and left the area before I could inflict any harm.

I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t have a delayed reaction where I blew up suddenly, and I didn’t want to harm her. She was the first woman, excluding my mother, that didn’t deserve it.

“Meet us in the Smoke Room once you’ve dealt with your anger.” Father put his hand on the small of Mother’s back.

I could feel her stare upon me as I walked away, but I needed this. I needed to think through my concerns.

Just tomorrow, my life was set to end. I would spend my days locked deep within a dark abyss and would never see my family again. That was the plan until she showed up. Now, I am not so sure. The deep pit of black sludge that held onto my soul didn’t surface. The voices in my head didn’t whisper to me to destroy the innocent angel in front of me.

“She isn’t an angel; she’s a goddess,” I muttered to myself, slamming the door to my chambers. Falling back against the door, I slid down, my dress pants now covered in dust from the top of the gazebo.

She’s just too innocent, too innocent of the evil that flows through me.

My worn hands rubbed down my neatly shaven face.

What would she do if she knew what I did every night? If she saw what I could do to the dark souls that were once alive?

Gritting my teeth, I stood up, rubbing my face again with my beaten, bloodstained hands. I could almost smell the blood lingering on them from the night before.

Throwing on a black sweater, I left my room. I walked down the halls to the Smoking Room—otherwise known as a meeting or conference room. Father spent most of his time in there with black smoke pouring off him because he was pissed off about something during a meeting.

Father did not dare to spill his smoke in his office. Mother turned it into a relaxing space for both of their use. She filled it with small little fountains of water, lavender smells, and so much more. She even included a little corner that she would occupy while he worked. Mother would stay up well into the night with him if Father was working out a problem, and the last thing that she wanted was to smell his smoke stinking up the room.

As I entered the Smoking Room, it was no surprise that Father was radiating his power. Uriel and Loki, however, were nowhere to be found. My heart immediately pounded in my chest.

“Luci,” Mother grabbed my hand, leading me to a seat beside her. She had me sit down, rubbing my hand with her palm.

Mother had small ways to help soothe me, but it was not enough when I was at my worst.

“Uriel is with Loki,” she whispered. “We need to talk to Michael while Hera is still unconscious, and I needed Loki occupied. Besides, Michael doesn’t want Uriel to know what we are about to hear.”

“Seems like they don’t want her to know anything,” I muttered, shooting a menacing glance at Michael. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, not daring to look me in the eye. I didn’t care that he was my mate’s father; he was part of whatever Hera had done to keep Uriel away from me.

We could have known each other much sooner, grown up together even. Who knows, maybe our souls would have recognized each other, and my anger would have never gotten as strong as it had.

“Michael, I think we need some answers here.” Father pulled his chair back, sitting across from Michael.

Athena sat beside him, writing notes down in some notebook—like she needed it. She was the damn Goddess of Knowledge.Her gaze landed on me, a smirk playing on her lips.

“I know you can hear me, why play that?” I scoffed.

“Because it humanizes me, and I find humans fascinating. Have you ever wanted to be normal? To be plain?”

I hummed, leaning back in the chair.

I liked my power, just not when the power snuffed me out.

“It all started the day Uriel was born.” Michael rubbed his forehead, a few feathers falling from his back.

Fuck, is he going to start molting?

“Her birth was flawless. Hera and I opted to have a home birth after spending the entire pregnancy on Earth. We didn’t want a fuss; we wanted our family to start with just us. We lived in a cottage on a Caribbean Island. She drank nothing but virgin strawberry daiquiris the entire time we spent lying about on the beach, enjoying our ‘honeymoon,’ as the humans called it.”

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