Page 49 of Lucifer's Redemption

"Just one step at a time, Lucifer." His jaw ticked, cracking his neck. "The bond Selene created will pull you both together, but you still have the choice. You are compelled to unite by a strong, unbreakable force unless one of you rejects the bond." He eyed me warily. "Try to repress the urge and take it slow. It's new to both of you, but you understand more of it than her. I think it is time to enlighten her, especially with this new onset of feelings that have surfaced." I hummed in agreement.

She needed to know. She deserved to know.

"Ares, that damn idiot!" Father growled out, balling his fists and hitting the couch.

Snarls from down the hall had me gawking at the opened door that Ares had just left. Father stood, straightened out his suit jacket, and stormed out the door, away from me.

"Come. It involves your mate."

Shadowing him out the door and down the hall to the Smoking Room, I noticed Mother's wolf had surfaced.

There were only a handful of times had I seen her release her wolf unintentionally. Once was when a maid got too close to Father after ordering him to let females back into the palace to work. I didn't know Mother had it in her to kill a demon, but with one fatal swipe, that demon was reduced to dust in seconds. The second time was when a nanny tried to walk into my bathroom half-ass naked. She killed that one too. It was years before I was told what happened. Mother was half-werewolf, so her parental instincts were strong, and she was just as possessive of Father as he is of her. However, she maintained her stance of allowing females in the castle, saying, ‘not all females are like the whores that tried to get the men in her life.’

Rushing through the door, the growls and snarls intensified. Uriel was retreating with her hands over her mouth and tears brimming in her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. My wings automatically ripped my shirt from my body as they flew out in a gust of wind. The bond pulled me to her as I draped my wings around her waist. "I've got you," I muttered.

Her head buried into my chest, and I felt the brush of heat from her cheek. As much as it should excite me, my body was in overdrive to protect her, to stop her from being upset.

"What the hell is going on in here?" my father roared. A yell that was commonly used when dealing with unruly demons.

Ares stepped back, pushing Mariah to the other side of the room, motioning for her to leave. He stood tall, clearing his throat, and waving his hands in submission. "Hey now, buddy, we were just having some fun—a lesson, just a lesson." He chuckled, trying to force a more authentic laugh through his mouth.

"A lesson?" Father growled. "Are you serious? What the hell is that on my wall?"

A picture of avery realfeminine body part sat in all its glory. I suppressed a budding growl in protest. I wanted to fucking kick Ares' ass for being in the same room as a damn sex-ed. lesson with my mate. Lucky for him, Uriel's trembling prompted my wings to grasp her tighter.

"Just showing her how things work." Ares lowered his hands. Uriel cleared her throat, her big golden eyes glancing up at me.

"He was telling me what goes in there." She pointed meekly.

My body shook with irritation, my hands smoldering. Soon fire would ooze through my fingertips, but Uriel, to my surprise, grabbed my hand. Worried I would burn her, I pulled away, only for her to scramble and renew her hold on them.

"Wait!"

But it was too late. Her hand touched mine. The blackened hands that could burn even the God of the Underworld, didn't even eke out a flinch from Uriel. Instead, the blackness faded from my hands turning back into my tanned, calloused fingers. Uriel's fingers rubbed over them with her thumb, staring at our hands caressing beneath my wings.

"Does it hurt when it does that?"

Every single time it hurts. It’s like my skin coming ablaze, the effects singe my nerves until I feel no pain.

"No, it doesn't." I tried to soothe her.

Her hand went to her chest, scratching it. "Don't lie, Luci," she whispered.

Father was laying into Ares, his smoke oozing all over the floor which would infuriate Mother later. Gritting my teeth, I decided not to beat the hell out of Ares, and instead, I would take my mate elsewhere—out of here, far from the chaos. As much as my mother tried to help, this whole situation had derailed.

If Uriel and I were to be mates, I had to be honest and tell her things independently, without the interference of others. It was my job to protect her and keep her safe. All this shit was making compounding the issue by encouraging my crazy family’s intervention. It was all blowing up in my face.

"Let's get out of here," I whispered. Retracting my wings from around her body, my hand grabbed hers instinctively, and I dragged her down the hall. Halfway out the door, I remembered that our touch had bothered her earlier—the 'tingles' were too much.

"Are you alright with this?" I muttered, holding up our hands.

She beamed. "Yes, I am."

Nodding, I smashed my hand to the wall near my father's office. Pounding on it once, it cracked just enough for me to slip my fingers through and push the wall inwards.

"Oh! A secret passage, how neat!" Uriel whispered in excitement. My smirk widened, pulling her in behind me. "I can't see." Pulling my hand from the hallway, I hauled her closer to me and shut the wall. "I'm scared of the dark." Uriel's hand moved, latching onto my arm as if afraid that I would let her go.

"I've lived my life in the darkness. I'll show you the way." Her heartbeat raced, hugging my arm tighter. Taking the short walk down the hallway, I found the door I was looking for; it led right outside to the garden.

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