“His control?”
“There is power inside you, Eve.” Lucifer leaned in, voice dropping so low that Jophiel and Michael had to lean in as well. “It is called magic. When Jehovah created you, he left part of his power behind.”
“Magic?” Her emerald eyes widened, shining with wonder.
“Mortals were never meant to hold magic, Eve. It was intended to be kept selfishly by the seraphim. When Jehovah realized what he had done, he bound the power within you. But the fruits of this tree have the power to loosen your bonds.”
“Really?” Her voice was full of cautious curiosity.
“One taste, and you would have power beyond your wildest dreams. The power to create worlds, Eve, to reshape things in whatever grand and glorious fashion we choose.”
“We?”
“You and I, my darling sweet.” He kissed her temple again.
“But what of Adam?”
“What of him? A blind sheep, devoted to my brother.” He paused. “But perhaps we could help free his mind, once he sees the power you will possess.”
“The power…” She raised a small hand, reaching out with delicate fingers to take the fig Lucifer proffered. “I could possess?”
“Enough,” Michael gripped Jophiel by the bicep. “We have our proof, we must intervene.”
“Lus’ior Morningstar,” Jophiel called out, tone laced with authority.
But they could see his knees wobbling from where they stood watching.
“You stand accused of treason and will resign yourself to our custody.”
“Will I?” Lucifer laughed darkly. “You seem awfully sure of your ability, Jophiel.”
“And you seem awfully calm for someone caught plotting treason, Lus’ior.”
The vehicle of that treason was ignorant of their interaction, fixated instead on the small fruit in her fingers, lifting it to her nose to sniff it. She looked up briefly, glancing between them briefly before returning to her inspection of the fig.
Lucifer turned his golden gaze on Michael, a kind of heat simmering in the gaze. “Is it the treason that upsets you, Mikha’el? Or is it jealousy that drives your anger?”
“My duties are to uphold the law, regardless of who defies it.”
But of course, Lucifer had been right. He was always able to see right through Michael’s flimsy walls. The betrayal of witnessing Lucifer wound so intimately with Eve had burned Michael in such a way that the law was merely a convenient scapegoat. The phantom pain licked his soul even now, andhe absently pressed a palm to his sternum as if to soothe the wound.
Luce eyed him warily. “Michael, that…isn’t me.”
Michael snorted. “It sure looks like you.”
“But it isn’t!” He groaned. “I had no idea this even happened, though it sure makes a lot of things make more sense.”
“Always so morally…rigid,” Lucifer clicked his tongue, grinning in a way that showed off slightly pointed incisors. “I think that’s why I’ve been growing tired of you, dear Mikha’el.”
“How charming,” Michael ground out sharply, his hand going to the pommel of his sword and gripping it hard. Jophiel cast a wary look at his captain, before shifting his focus to Lucifer. Michael tried to ignore that his subordinate was witnessing his humiliation.“This is how you end relationships?”
“Relationships?” Lucifer trailed a long finger down the side of Eve’s face. “Is that what you thought we had? A relationship?”
Jophiel’s wince added to Michael’s embarrassment.
“Forgive my assumption,” Michael hissed. “I thought that was the term when you share the romantic and personal company of another.”
Lucifer smirked. “When it’s more than just a passing amusement, of course. But I’ve found a much more intriguing pet now, and I’m done with you.”
