Her disgruntled expression melted into delight, and she laughed. “Oh, absolutely.”
“I knew it.” His grin widened. “I’m never wrong, you know.”
She snorted and pantomimed opening an envelope. “The lie detector determined that was utter bullshit.”
He gripped his chest in mock horror. “Madam, you wound me.”
“I would never,” she sang sweetly.
“HowdoesChristos put up with you?”
“Hehas the good sense to treat me like the goddess I clearly am,” Mags sniffed haughtily. “Showers me with gifts and undying affection.”
“A very wise man.” Luce nodded sagely and made a show of offering her his arm, which she accepted. He walked with Mags along her preferred route to her chambers—directly through the Evergarden in the courtyard of his estate.
It was one of Luce’s favorite places as well. The sprawling garden was lovingly curated and tended with as much care and attention to detail as he’d used the first time around. Towering fruit trees ringed the perimeter, casting delicious pools of shade over the nocturnal blooms. Flowers that craved light were arranged in careful spirals toward the center, where a fountainboasted a statue of a terrifying and glorious angel that poured water from its crying eyes.
It was a tender and emotional rendering of the Archangel Michael, who had once been very dear to Lucifer’s heart. Normally it brought him peace; some small comfort that he at least had good memories of what he had lost. He averted his gaze tonight, as if the anxiety building within him might spill over if he looked too closely at the long-lost face.
Mags paused, considering the statue. “You’ve made him truly larger than life.”
Luce smiled fondly. “Because he is. Few people have seen him this way—resplendent with fury and Divine purpose. I could hardly put him inthisof all places and not accurately represent the scene.”
She blinked slowly. “It always amazes me how you can speak so gently of one of the worst moments of your life.”
“Who says it was the worst?” He mused with a smirk. “I still say he did me a favor.”
They continued through the Evergarden, both so lost in thought that all the beauty and serenity they normally enjoyed went unappreciated. Luce plucked an apple off a tree as they passed, handing it absently to Mags and taking another for himself. She looked at it briefly, then arched a dark brow wordlessly, her expression clearly saying ‘Really?’
“Oh, come on,” he protested.
“Can you blame me? The devil just offered some fruit to a naïve maiden inthisof all gardens.”
He huffed. “Firstly, this garden is aloose replica,and barely half the size. Secondly, you are neither naïvenora maiden, Mary Magdalene.”
“And isn’t that the honest truth.” She laughed, a touch bitterly perhaps, and bit into her apple with a decisivecrunch. Luce grimaced at her intentionally exaggerated chewing.
“Yet still so classy,” he teased. “Besides, the Tree of Knowledge was a fig tree.”
“Wasn’t it an apple?”
“Oh,I’msorry, were you there? Now, enough stalling,” Luce declared. “I’m practically dying of anticipation.”
“Well, you’re certainly in the right place to do so.” After a moment, she tentatively began, “Though, the rumors?—”
“No.” Luce cut her off sharply. “I’ve been tired of those stupid rumors since I first heard them. Whoever started them is supremely uncreative; you of all people should know that’s not my style.” At her meek protest, he held up a firm hand. “Enough, Mary. What is so urgently weighing on you? You only get pushy about my past when you’re deflecting.”
Mags gripped his sleeve with gentle fingers before slipping down to take his hand. “It really is better to show you.”
Mags had been gifted since her Rising with the abilities of a lesser Divine, akin to a demigod’s, but she also had a uniquely powerful gift of foresight. It typically manifested at random, but she had taught herself to pull energy from within herself as well as from other sources to share her visions with others. It was a skill that had proven invaluable to Luce on more than one occasion. Luce could feel the slight tremor in her grip, and concern overtook the brief flare of annoyance.
He had gifted Mags an unused cottage on the border of his estate long ago, and she had managed to make her secluded corner of the land just a touch cozier than the rest of his realm.
The cobbled walk led to a cushioned swing on her veranda, bedecked in colorful throw pillows, overlooking a small vegetable garden. A thriving fishpond bubbled happily beneath awillow tree and fairy lights twined through the branches above. Colors seemed more vibrant here. Her space felt warmer and more alive than the subdued vibe of Hell as a whole.
But this small shift in atmosphere could never prepare one for what they would find beyond her door. Luce saw Mags as a little sister and treated her like one, so any delusions of her as mature and mysterious had long since washed away. She was eclectic, to put it kindly, and had the unfortunate habit of renovating and redecorating her space on a whim. Every time he entered, he found something more outlandish and alarming.
On this occasion, Luce felt as if he had stepped into a sixteen-year-old girl’s fever dream of a princess’s bedroom. An opulent queen-sized bed topped with a mountain of pillows and throws stood hidden behind a canopy of pink gossamer and silk. Plush footstools and rugs cluttered the lounge space, arranged around a massive chocolate fountain that was situated on the glass coffee table.
