Suddenly my necklace heats, and I stick up a middle finger I know Lucifer can’t see.
I portal right to him, back to his room, where I see Dax, Blair, and another woman who looks a lot like Lucifer—Mara, I assume. I give her a soft smile even though she looks slightly confused. There’s no Milcom in sight, and Blair looks completely healed, though Dax hovers over her in an extremely protective way.
I missed all the fun stuff. I glare at Lucifer as he speaks to me.
“Love, can you show the girls their rooms?”
“Now that I’m allowed to be a part of the conversation, I would love to. Please follow me.” I glare at Lucifer before I turn my back to him and walk out with Dax, Blair, and Mara following me.
When we come up to the first room on the left, I speak to Mara. She is beautiful, but clearly, not all there when I speak to her.
“Mara, this is your room. If you need anything, please just let me know.”
“You’re really pretty and nice. Are you my… um... stepmother?” Mara is in her early twenties, but I suspect her maturity might be stilted due to her losing her mind and possessing people for so long. Time will only tell.
“Heavens no, but we can talk more later,” I offer, holding back a gag at the term stepmother. I mean, Lucifer has called me his love, his soulmate, but he hasn’t given me an actual title. That title surely isn’t going to be stepmother.
I guide Blair and Dax to their suite, and I know it’s petty and unreasonable, but there’s a part of me that wishes she remembered me. Even if I am the one who took her memories every time we saw each other. I wonder if there’s a way to reinstate them or if it would do more harm than good. We can always start over; Blair and I have always been similar. At the very least, now I don’t have to lie to her all the time.
“Thank you,” Blair says, and I touch her arm, giving her a light squeeze when I see the pain in her eyes. I feel it too, sometimes. For her, she wants to understand why Lucifer didn’t give her more, and sometimes, I wonder the same thing. He cares deeply, but his protectiveness always outweighs his heart.
“Give him time. If anyone can confirm he cares, it’s me,” I say, giving Blair a small smile before turning on my heel and leaving the room.
I march down the hall back to Lucifer’s room. He’s on the edge of his bed, his elbows on his knees as his palms rub his eye sockets.
“And what in the fuck was that?”
“What?”
“You’re dismissed?” I say, imitating his voice, and he shakes his head.
“Lilith,” he groans.
“No, don’t you ‘Lilith me’. You’re allstay in Hell, love, my darkness calls to yours, you’re so important to me. But the minute the shit hits the fan, you send me away?”
“I’m sorry,” he says, and I have to blink a few times.
“What?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
I put my hands on my hips. I was ready for a fight, for him to tell me that he’s the king of Hell and he can do whatever the fuck he wants.
“So next time?”
“Next time, you’re involved. You’re part of this family.”
“Like your girlfriend?” He scoffs, shaking his head.
“Come here.” I step in between his legs, and he holds me by my hips. “No words suffice for what you are to me, Lilith, but I’m far too fucking old to be someone’s boyfriend.”
I cup his jaw and pinch his cheek. “You’re right. You are old. How will you ever keep up with your much younger lover?” I tease.
He smacks my ass and grips the flesh roughly. “I don’t think stamina is a problem.”
“I don’t think so.”
He kisses the side of my face and sighs.
