Chapter Eighteen
I found Lucifer in the living room, sitting in the chair facing the fireplace, contemplating the flames with a distant and thoughtful expression. He didn’t acknowledge my presence until I stood right in front of him, blocking his view of the flickering, crackling fire.
He looked up at me then, looking irritated.
“Today, Remus is going to kill the demon you summoned. Today, Lucifer! Do you even know where that Demon is?”
Lucifer snorted, as if I were ridiculous.
“Of course that I know where it is, little human,” he said lazily, and his gaze met mine. Suddenly, I felt the weird need to move away from the fireplace. I walked away a few steps, slightly dazed. As soon as Lucifer’s eyes left mine, though, the weird haze clouding my mind disappeared.
I whirled to face him.
“Don’t ever use your mind control, or whatever, on me again, Lucifer!” I hissed, furious.
His smile faded, anger flashed across his features, and then his expression was smooth again, blank.
Demons and their impossible mood swings…
His gaze levelled mine, and he raised an eyebrow.
“I assume you had a vision,” he said flatly.
“Yes. And today is when all of this finally ends,” I breathed, sinking into a chair that was farther away from his.
I’ve never been more wrong in my entire life.
***************
As twilight settled over the city, Lucifer vanished.
Anxious, I sat with the others, though Remus was still missing. I knew where he was. He was massacring a demon, the last he’d ever kill before he was dragged to Hell, to a fate way worse than death.
Ethan could sense my worriedness, but he didn’t comment on it. He just sat next to me, looking more sad and old than ever, until he finally said quietly, so softly that no one else but me could hear, “This is all coming to an end, Amelie.”
I glanced at him quickly.
“What?”
“After the killer is captured, I have received orders to go back to Heaven. They decided you were not mine to protect, anymore. Heaven considers that you’ve already chosen what side you’re on. And well… let’s just say it’s not the good side. I’ll be given another human to protect.”
I felt as though someone has just punched all the air from my lungs.
“Why?” I asked in a breathless voice.
“My superiors think that all of this,” he gestured softly to the people around us, “will corrupt me if I stay any longer. They want me to stay away from you, because I’m not all that experienced with that sort of stuff, you know, Fallen Angels and Demons. Besides, they think that it was a mistake to let me get involved in all of this. I should’ve stayed invisible, as all Guardian Angels are.”
“But…” I breathed softly…
“Listen to me carefully, Amelie. I won’t be here much longer. It could be tomorrow, or today, God only knows, and then, you’ll be all alone, relying only on Lucifer,” he winced, “I did one last thing that could help you. Gabrielle will visit you if you call for her. I know you want Lucifer to be redeemed, and if I think he needs to hear Gabrielle’s version of the story of his… birth. We all know that his father’s version was altered… So, yes, Gabrielle will come to you,” he took something from the pocket of his pants and pressed it into my hand. When I glanced at it, I saw it was a necklace. The pendant was a beautiful, minuscule silver wing, and the chain was a thin strip of emerald silk. I tied it around my neck and it settled underneath my shirt, pressing against my collarbone. “I also wanted to warn you about something. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I will. There aren’t only humans, Demons, Angels and Fallen Angels walking this earth. There are so many other things… There aren’t a lot of them yet, but soon… soon there will be more.”
I wanted to ask him to tell me more about it- What exactly did he mean? –but he changed the subject quickly.
“To call Gabrielle, just hold the little wing in your hand and say her name three times. She’ll come then.” He looked relieved. “I told you everything I could, Amelie. Our time together has come to an end.”
I didn’t say anything. I just took his hand and intended to hold it for as long as we had left.
*************
Lucifer came back looking smug and so self-assured, I just knew that everything was over.
The surge of relief I was expecting wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be. I was overwhelmed by sadness at the idea that Ethan will soon be gone.
Lucifer glanced my way, and his eyes lingered a bit on Ethan’s fingers, entwined with mine. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was jealous.
Then, he glanced around the room, looking as though he was a little boy on Christmas Eve.
Everyone’s eyes were on him, waiting.
He finally spoke.
“The killer has been captured,” he announced grandly, “and rightfully dragged into Hell.”
A collective gasp welcomed his words.
I looked at Romulus. He looked smug, a small smile on his lips. He was just as glad as we all were that the killer was captured… How would he take the news that his own brother was responsible for all of this?
As if on cue with my thoughts, Lucifer turned to Romulus.
“Those were the good news. The bad news are… Romulus, your brother was the killer.”
For a moment, Romulus’s face is totally blank. Then, disbelief replaces the blankness.
“No… it’s impossible. He wouldn’t… I would’ve known,” he stammers, shaking his head.
“Remus, I caught him killing the Demon. He admitted that he was the one who killed them. What other proof do you want?”
Romulus stood up, still shaking his head.
“I don’t believe it,” he said in a broken voice. Then he walked out of the suite, slamming the door behind him.
Everyone looked shocked, even Allegra. I’ve always seen her coolly composed, but now, she looked downright dumbfounded.
Adam’s face was blank and he was looking straight in front of him, his eyes glassy.
I wanted to go to him and hug him. He must be almost as hurt as Romulus. After all, Remus had been his friend.
After another moment of stunned silence, Allegra stood up.
“I’m going to sleep,” she announced.
“Me too,” said Adam, his voice hollow.
They both exited the room.
Ethan soon followed suit, even though I refused to let go of his hand. He looked at me insistently then he pointed discretely at Lucifer.
“I think he needs you,” he mouthed soundlessly.
Lucifer had collapsed in the chair that faced the fireplace, which seemed to be his favourite. His back was to me, but there was something wrong with the way his shoulders seemed hunched, and in the bow of his head.
Ethan patted my hair softly, and kissed my forehead. My hand lingered in his for another moment, and then he walked away, closing the door softly behind him.
I sat for another while. Silence enveloped us, thick and heavy.
Then I stood up and circled Lucifer’s chair, then crouched in front of him. His eyes were closed, his hair shadowing his forehead. I slipped my hand through his silky hair, and cupped his cheek with the other.
His eyes opened and he stared at me.
My heart was fluttering wildly in my chest, and I knew he could hear it.
He pulled me into his lap and rested his head on my shoulder.
“I can’t let you die, Amelie,” he said finally.
“I’m not in any imminent danger of death now, Lucifer,” I said with a soft smile. I smoothed his hair away from his face as he spoke.
“I know that,” he voiced, and his breath tickled my neck.
“Why are you thinking about that now, anyway?” I asked. His grip around my waist tightened and he sighed.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It just feels like with every second that passes, I lose you a bit more.”
“And you lose me to what or whom exactly?” I teased.
“To death, Amelie.”
I didn’t say anything to that.
He lifted his head a bit, just enough so his lips were brushing against my ear.
“But I can make you immortal, Amelie. And I will. Whether you like it or not,” he murmured softly.
I turned around so I could face him.
“Then we could be together forever?” I asked softly.
“Forever… and more,” he confirmed.
I should’ve been asking myself whether it was a good thing. I would be leaving my family behind. I would watch my parents die. But I told myself that this would’ve been inevitable, even if I’d decided to stay mortal. If Jason was still alive… when his name crossed my mind, I felt sad. Sad, but no longer guilty. If he’d been alive, then I might’ve said no, just because of him. Because I wouldn’t be able to let him go. But I didn’t have any human friends. My only real friends, Adam, Ethan, Lucifer… they were all immortal.
I should’ve been weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Asking myself if I really did want to live for an eternity. Instead, I leaned in and kissed him.