“How long does a magical boobytrap take?” Sydney asked. “Because whoever did this had Lucifer in a dormant volcano. They moved him because they somehow found out about Kujo’s vision, but that wasn’t long ago at all. My wings decided to start coming out at the volcano. Kujo’s family showed up trying to take what was mine and I exploded. You showed up right after that and helped Kujo with his visions. The Princes crashed Lucifer’s house and Satan’s, so they were having to keep up appearances in Hell. Would they have time for that?”
I wasn’t technically hers yet when she defended me against my family. Fuck me. Who was I kidding? I was hers the minute she saw three demons in her bathroom and squirted shampoo in my eyes for staring at her tits.
And she was right. Some magical traps could be set in a day, but those were easy to diffuse. The more complicated ones needed hours to weave. It couldn’t be Satan. He was never gone that long, and he didn’t look exhausted like he was sneaking off in the dead of night. When they were gathering their bitch pigeon circus to squawk at Sydney, they were all accounted for andtheydidn’t look like they’d lost any sleep either.
“In theory, no, but I also would have said kidnapping Lucifer and keeping him gone this long was impossible. Your father isn’t just a warrior. He’s cunning, and we explored all kinds of magic together. If he couldn’t magically free himself, he would have just manipulated his freedom.”
“Which was why whoever took him left him in the care of imps,” Nero said. “They don’t have the mental capacity to think about the future. Lucifer could have promised them anything, but all they cared about was what was currently being provided.”
“Well, there’s no property damage in the area, so there are no imps watching him now. Anyone who’s met Lucifer wouldn’t leave him with anyone who isn’t used to him. Whoever stole him will be caring for him themselves. Sydney showing up wouldhave thrown them off kilter, but having to deal with Lucifer personally would have thrown them off their game further. If there are traps, they will be sloppy.”
I still couldn’t say who was doing all of this. Some of themactedlike their evil plot was coming unraveled, but according to people who knew them, that was just an average Tuesday. We’d just have to go in, get Lucifer, and ask him.
“What’s the plan,” Celix asked.
“So, I’ve realized a lot of my spells were hidden from my creations when I left. I came up with ten trap spells. Lucifer was working on an additional two of them when Kir was murdered. I don’t know if he ever got back into the right mental space to finish them. Any of the other Fallen could have come up with one. How many are still taught?”
“Eleven,” Nero said. “Your original trap spells are still taught. One of Abaddon’s lovers came up with a new one and from what I was told, was working on all kinds of new spells. He was murdered before I was born, but they still teach his trap spell.”
Lilith frowned.
“Abaddon would have raged out and destroyed Hell if someone he loved died. I know that just as much as I know Lucifer would self-destruct” if anything happened to Sydney.”
“I mean, does he love us or are we just sentient antipsychotics for him?” Nero asked.
“Abaddon is capable of love, just like Lucifer and Satan are. I’m not sure what happened when his lover died. But we don’t have time for theories. If you’re familiar withmytraps, then you should be okay with unraveling most of them except the one in my bedroom. A girl has to keep a few secrets and mystery about her. Move through and disable any traps and let me handle the one in my bedroom.”
I wanted Sydney with me, but Lilith claimed her so she could teach her that big secret spell. I suppose that was a good placefor her. Lilith let us through the front door and I let my magic out. I couldn’t feel any angels or demons here, but I also knew Enochian magic could be hiding Lucifer.
I also didn’t feel any traps. I didn’t like it.
“Do you feel that?” I asked.
“Someassholedisabled my security system except the one in my bedroom,” Lilith growled.
“Is there a basement?” Sydney asked. “I’m feeling a pull to go down.”
“Yes, there’s a cellar. I’m also feeling something familiar and powerful down there. It feels like Lucifer, but muffled with Enochian magic.”
“Fuck,” Sydney whispered.
She wasn’t afraid of three demons who showed up after the roof blew off her bathroom. Sydney wasn’t scared of my family when they showed up. She also regularly mouthed off to Fallen angels who survived a war in Hell.
Sydney was actuallyterrifiedabout meeting her father and it had nothing to do with him being Lucifer Morningstar. Nero, Celix, and I surrounded her because we knew.
“You can do this. We’ll be here.”
“I’ve been around angels the most out of everyone here. I can’tdoEnochian magic, but I understand it. There’s a good bit of it coming from the cellar. I get why you didn’t bring one of the Fallen with us, but I can’t unravel Enochian magic because I’m not an angel. I’ll have to walk Sydney through it. I know you’re worried you’re going to blow something up, but I’m an excellent teacher. You can do this.”
“Iknowshe can do this, butthisis way too easy,” I pointed out. “There are no booby traps or guards. What, the person who managed to kidnap Lucifer and not get caught this long just left him in your cellar?”
“Nothing easy about it. Youshouldn’thave even been able to see the street sign with my warding. This place is impossible to find magically. A lot of angels don’tlikeme, but they can at least respect my magical skills, even if they’d never say that to my face. If a new seer has rising who canseethrough Enochian magic, hiding behind Enochian spells and mine shouldn’t need traps because no one should be able to find you.”
Interesting. I was more grateful than ever Sydney took out my family because they would have kept me in a cage and only fed me if I gave them a vision they could use to their benefit. I didn’t exactly know why I’d been given such a powerful gift. I couldn’t change it, so I’d just have to deal with it.
Still, it would be nice to get another vision to tell me what was waiting for us in the cellar. We moved through the foyer and I took in Lilith’s chateau. Weird. She said she hadn’t been back since the French Revolution. She would have had a lawyer paying staff to keep the place up for her guests and if she ever decided to come back.
I hadn’t been toallof her houses, but I’d been to the one she kept in Hell. Lilith oozed power and sexuality. Her house in Hell seemed homey and designed for comfort. The inside of this chateau looked like the inside of a nightclub where women had to worry about what was in the drinks that wealthy guy just bought them.
