There was a long pause. Drew eventually cracked an eye open and found Lucifer looking offended. “What, pray tell, have I done so far to make you think you’re going to be tortured?”
“Um, besides throwing us in a cell?” Drew asked.
Lucifer dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “That’s hardly a severe punishment. The cell is one of our more comfortable ones.”
“Okay, well, how about the fact thatyou’re Lucifer,” Drew said. “You’re literally the Prince of Evil!”
“Nooo,” Lucifer said slowly. “I’m the Prince of Hell. Hell isn’t evil.”
Drew scoffed. “So why do evil people get sent here in the afterlife, then?”
“To be punished.”
“Everyone knows demons are evil.”
Lucifer sighed, then steepled his hands together and regarded Drew seriously. “I fear your concept of Hell is based on a misconception, perpetrated by religious fanatics on Earth who are more interested in being in a position of power whilst alive than the eternal souls of those who believe.”
“Are you saying only people who believe in Hell get sent to Hell?”
“Naturally. There are other realms for other beliefs. This one is simply one of the more well-known ones. If human magic users hadn’t stumbled upon a way to summon demons all those years ago, we’d probably be one of the lesser-known realms. But they did, and our exposure to magic and the need to blend in during summonings caused us to grow stronger. Weare intrinsically linked to Earth due to this. But punishing those who do evil does not make us evil in turn.”
Drew found this hard to swallow. There was no way Beelzebub or Asmodeusweren’tevil. “I’ve met a few demons now, and some of them seemed to take great joy in what they did.”
Lucifer huffed. “That’s because we’reindividuals. Not all humans are the same, and not all demons are the same. Some humans are evil, some demons are evil, just as some are good. We have a job to do, and we do it well, just as angels have a job to do. Trust me when I say some angels are absolute bastards. Being an angel doesn’t make you inherently good.” Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him. “Oberon, for example.”
It was a lot to take in. As Drew gave it the consideration it was due, there was a knock at the door. Orias came in and crossed to Lucifer, bending down to murmur in his ear. Lucifer listened intently, then turned his head to whisper something back to Orias. His lips were very close to the Shadow Blade’s ear, and a pink blushed spread over Orias’ cheeks. He maintained a professional composure as he continued the low conversation, and Drew tried not to stare at the hint of longing in his eyes.
Eventually, Lucifer nodded, and Orias stepped back. Turning to Drew, Lucifer said, “Some guests have arrived and requested an audience with me. I believe you may find it interesting.”
It may have been phrased like a suggestion, but Drew was under no illusion that it was a request. It was a command to go with him. He nodded. “Okay.”
Lucifer stood from his armchair and walked around the desk. As Drew also stood up, he was reminded again just how tiny Lucifer was. He barely came up to Orias’s shoulders, even with his heeled boots. It was a little jarring, as his authority was so absolute that Drew felt overshadowed by him. It was an odd juxtaposition to therefore have to look down at him when they were standing side by side.
Following Lucifer and Orias from the study, Drew spared a thought for Andras. He hoped he was doing okay, alone in their cell. At least Leila was with him. If he was away much longer, though, Drew was pretty sure Andras was going to start to worry. He’d deny it, of course, but that didn’t make it less true.
They left the hall and entered a small antechamber, and Drew could hear the murmur of voices from beyond the door. Orias opened a closet door and took out a blood-red cape and draped it over his master’s shoulders. Lucifer gave him a smile of thanks, and Drew grinned at the bashful nod Orias gave him in return. Then Orias turned and caught Drew’s grin, and a scowl replaced the expression.
“Could you please announce me, Orias?” Lucifer asked.
“Of course, My Lord,” Orias said, and he went through a small door into the chamber beyond. “Rise and attend to the Son of the Dawn, Ruler of the Kingdom of Air, Master of Serpents, and the Prince of Hell—Lucifer Morningstar.”
Lucifer grinned at Drew over his shoulder. “Showtime,” he said. “Give it a minute, then follow me in.” Then he walked through the door.
Drew hovered in the doorway, listening. He expected Lucifer to welcome his guests or just ask immediately what they wanted. Instead, he said, “Is that an urco?”
Drew’s heart began pounding, and he darted through the doorway and into the room. There were four people and an urco standing at the foot of a dais beyond the door, and Drew’s heart skipped a beat as he recognized the tall, dark-haired man on the end. “Zach!” he cried.
“Drew!” Zach echoed, and then they were running towards one another, arms outstretched.
Before they even got close to one another, Drew was tackled to the ground by the urco. He hit the floor painfully, then felt his breath whoosh from his lungs as the full weight of the hound settled on him. The urco waswriggling happily, licking each part of Drew he could reach, all the while squashing him flat.
“Orias, no,” he heard Lucifer say, and Drew managed to turn his head enough to see Orias with a sword drawn, pointing at the urco. “It’s no threat.”
A wet tongue slipped into his mouth, and Drew cried out in disgust, turning his head and trying to wipe his mouth. “Princess, that’s gross,” he chided.
The urco didn’t seem to care, too happy being reunited with Drew to be calm and sedate. Drew rubbed his sides and then tried to push him off, but Princess was too heavy.
“Little help,” he said, looking up to see Zach hovering over them, a grin on his face.
