“The way I see it, you two have gotten yourselves into quite a pickle with the Wild Hunt.”
“Information we already know,” Crombie muttered.
“And while I can’t offer you a way out of that conundrum, I can present you with a loophole. You might remember, based on our own dealings, that I am quite adept at finding those.”
Lilith’s lips twitched with annoyance at the reminder before she gestured for me to continue. “Get to the point, Lucifer.”
“I’m proposing a trade.”
“A trade,” she repeated dryly.
“Yes. I’ll take overIniquity?—”
“You will do no such thing.”
“Hear me out before you get your knickers in a twist. I’ll take overIniquity,and you will take over hell.”
“Why would you do that?”
“It’s time to put down roots. Merri needs a place to live. Somewhere to call her own.Iniquitywas the first true home she had as a succubus. Sure, I could go back to ruling hell, but that’s no place to raise a child, and Merri won’t thrive there. She’s more human than her lineage would suggest.”
“How is any of this a loophole? You get your roots, and we get what, exactly?”
I glared at Crombie. “Do you have no sense of imagination? Here, allow me to do all the heavy lifting for you.” He opened his mouth, ready to lay into me, but I kept talking. “Any deal made with me would supersede the one made with the Hunt. By taking over a new realm, you will be safeguarded by certain protections.Namely, they shouldn’t be able to find you there. If nothing else, it buys you much-needed time to figure out your next steps.”
Crombie looked to Lilith, who was quiet. Processing, no doubt. I knew her well. She’d see it my way, but first she had to think it through.
A few moments later, Lilith held out one manicured hand. “We have a deal.”
I clasped her hand in mine. “Lovely doing business with you.”
Before I could release her, Lilith’s grip tightened, and she held me in place. “I see through you, you know. I always have. You claim that this deal is for my benefit, but we both know it’s for hers.”
“I didn’t hide that.”
“No, but you are trying to hide behind it. You make this all seem so neat and tidy when it might be the most romantic act you’ve ever performed. You’re giving up the only thing that ever truly belonged to you. And this is after you set aside the plot to overthrow your father—the one thing you always wanted. For the first time in your existence, someone else’s desires matter to you more than your own.” She tipped her head to the side as she regarded me. “You’ve changed. For the better.”
“Is that . . . approval I’m sensing?”
“Merri is like a daughter to me. My opinion matters to her.”
I hadn’t the foggiest where she was going with this.
“I wanted you to know you have my blessing.”
I was fresh out of snappy comebacks. Honestly, I was almost at a loss for words. “Thank you.”
“Take good care of my club, Luc. And my girl.”
I nodded. “You as well. But in hell.”
“Oh, I intend to.” She turned and began walking away from me, hips swaying in that enticing way she had. Then she tossed over her shoulder, “I was born to rule, after all.”
Epilogue
MERRI
Approximately Five Years Later
