I winced. Of course, she’d told her mom. “Lucifer is fine. I actually came here for you, to bring you something that might help against what’s coming.”
“And what is coming?”
“A storm I’m going to try to prevent,” I said. “This is in case I fail, or I’m too late, and things spill out more than they already have.”
I held out the ancient grimoire and she took it with both hands. Heidi meowed and sniffed at it, giving it a couple gentle pats before resettling herself so Miranda could open the book. Her fingers traced delicately across the pages, eyes wide with wonder.
“Where did you find this?”
“It came into my possession a long time ago. It belonged to an ancient Greek goddess who hasn’t been seen or heard from in centuries.”
“It’s very old, very powerful. And it feels… familiar, somehow.” She looked up at me, her eyes just a fraction softer than they were moments ago. “I appreciate the gesture, Lucifer. Now, would you like to tell me why you’re really here?”
She could see through me, which must’ve been why Lexi’s immunity to me was so strong—she got it from both sides. My eyes moved to the fireplace, crackling happily as it warmed the room. The image of Lexi, her arms alight with fire as she faced both me and Loki down, came to mind.
Nine Hells, was she fierce.
“Whatever else she may have told you, loving her was not a lie.”
“Love?”
The words fell out of my mouth without going through my filter first. Fucking Suttons and their weird power to make me speak without thinking. I tensed and fought my instinct to play it off.
Miranda chuckled, setting the book aside and petting the content cat in her lap. “That’s a very strong word.”
The urge to deny it was strong, too. I folded my fingers together. “Could you just tell her I’m sorry, at least? Loki was right, I do still have a lot to learn about humans.”
“Not so much anymore, dear.” She smiled, and for the first time, it seemed genuine. “You’re well on your way.”
When I popped back into my house, I started walking through, methodically conjuring sheets to throw over everything. The shield that Loki had put in place was still there, only now that I was paying attention, I noticed protection spells woven in as well. He knew, somehow, that I’d end up giving it all to her and started preparing it.
That done, I sat on the couch, wondering why I felt like I was missing something. With my perfect recall, I shouldn’t have been, but the feeling persisted. Once I left here, I would start gathering the few allies I had with the forces Loki could get, and then I’d be going for my throne. The time was nearly on me, whether I was ready for it or not. I couldn’t afford to overlook anything.
I stood suddenly and walked into the kitchen, pulling down ingredients I knew by heart. I’d debated using magic, but it would probably be the last time for a while I would get to enjoy the mundane act of baking. Too bad I didn’t get quite that far. As I was mixing the batter, movement on the other side of the island caught my eye.
Lexi sat a large box on the counter, Loki at her side. I stared at them a moment in stunned silence, then asked, “What are you doing here?”
“You’re not going anywhere.” She lifted the lid on the box and the smell of chocolate overwhelmed my cookie dough. She’d made her devil’s food cupcakes and my mouth watered, not from the dessert, but from the reminder of our first night together. I swallowed hard.
“This needs to be done, Lexi,” I said, my voice bordering on a growl. “I won’t just sit by while he just—”
“I’m not asking you to.” She stomped around the island, coming face-to-face with me. “But whatever you’ve got planned needs to include me. You’re not going on a suicide mission without someone you trust watching your back.”
My eyebrows lowered and I glanced at Loki, who shrugged and smiled. I wanted to demand she stay behind, to stay out of harm’s way, but she was a fighter. If she wanted to fight and I said no, she would find her own way.
“You’re serious?”
“I’m only going to say this once, Lucifer, so listen up.” My nerves lit up when she pulled me down and kissed me. Hellfire surged through me, meeting hers head-on as the taste of her filled my senses. I almost followed her as she pulled back. “You try to take too much on yourself and refuse to ask for help, but you’re not a bad guy. If you need to fight, I’m not leaving your side.”
“Are you sure about this?” I asked, not sure myself which part I was asking about.
Lexi nodded. “I love you, devil, and this is where I’m supposed to be.”
By my side. My temptress, my demigoddess, my Lexi. I’d never wanted anything so much in my entire fucking existence. Our lips collided again, hungry for each other after our time apart.
Loki cleared his throat. “I’ll just… see myself out.”
We ignored him.
