Lucifer, to his credit, didn’t flinch.
“Your words confuse me, little rose. Humans have lived on Earth, in one form or another, for millions of years. And God? There is no such thing. There are powers, many beings. No one rules alone.”
Lucifer cocked his head and reached for the woman’s hand. She quickly stepped back, fear briefly flashing in her beautiful sage-green eyes.
The Brenin knew instantly that someone—or something—had repeatedly taken advantage of this innocent woman, then sent her here to cover up their disgusting actions.
She should not be here. The algorithm never fails … unless someone tampers with it.
And this failure? It stank of angel.
“Your Majesty, I do not know of what you speak. Adam is the first man created by God, the benevolent entity who protects us and oversees the Earth. I only wanted to be left in peace, not bound to the violent man who carved pieces out of me.”
Sinking to her knees, the little female quietly sobbed, her tiny body shaking so hard, the dark angel feared for her safety.
Lucifer crouched in front of her, his heart breaking for the sweet soul who suffered such severe physical and mental abuse.
When her tormentor had finally broken her, he discarded her without a second thought.
And still, she endured.
He tried reaching for her hand once more, and when they touched, the woman burst into flames, beautifully curved goat horns appeared on her head, and sweetbriar twisted through the fine strands of her deep chestnut-colored hair.
She rose from the flames, dripping in fire and wreathed in thorns—an altar of flesh and fury, built to be worshipped, not possessed.
Lucifer never stood a chance. He fell madly in love with Lilith.
Within months, Lilith became the Brehines of Hell with the full support of the realm. She spent most of her time with the souls, listened to the stories of their lives on Earth, and attended every celebration and ceremony. Even the demons didn’t seem to mind her.
Lucifer adored Lilith so much that he created the underborne for her. Some were beautiful. Some could shift. Some could level cities with a whisper. But most simply wanted to live in peace.
Ugly or beautiful, it didn’t matter to the tiny Brehines. Lilith loved them all and spent hours naming each one.
And although it delighted Lilith, many of the creatures looked miserable as they roamed the desolate plains of Hell. She begged Lucifer to send them to Earth, where they might find peace—maybe even happiness.
And even though it broke the pact Lucifer had signed, he snuck as many of his beautiful new creatures to Earth as he could, secretly hoping they would bring joy to the humans, too.
But the angels noticed. And they whispered.
Not commands, not prophecies, just quiet, insidious ideas. That the underborne were unnatural. That monsters could never be loved. That erasing them was a divine act of compassion.
The underborne, after all, were not part of the angels’ heavenly plan.
And try as they might, they couldn’t prove Lucifer had broken his pact.
As the years wore on, humans became more powerful and began hunting the creatures Lucifer sent to Earth. It broke Lilith’s heart to see the underborne maimed and murdered, but being a human once herself, she believed that the good dwelling deep within most people would eventually overpower the strange rage aimed at her magical children.
She hoped the underborne and humans would unite and find a way to live peacefully, together, on Earth.
Deep down, though, Lilith knew hope was a brilliant, seductive liar.
But this is where the story veers from non-fiction into fiction—or so I thought.
Lucifer and Lilith had a daughter who was strong, kind, and brave, just like the two beings who forged her from love and fire.
When she came of age, they gave her a choice: rule in Hell, or walk the Earth as a legacy, passing down her power in case the underborne ever needed a champion.
She chose Earth.
