Chapter 11 Lucifer #2
Luc remained standing at the edge of the sitting area, his hands in his pockets, appearing human in the hopes he’d seem more approachable. His brothers had their wings away, though Ash and Dante sported their horns.
Luc’s attention landed on Ollie.
The young man sat with his back ramrod-straight, his gaze fixed on Luc’s shoes and hands clutching Dante’s. Luc didn’t need to look too closely to know Dante was glaring. His stare was like fire on Luc’s skin. Ash’s too.
Onyx had told Luc that Ash and Dante had filled their mates in on everything, except for Dex being Luc’s fated mate. Luc doubted revealing that truth would do anything except anger Ollie. Still, it was best to tell him. Dante would eventually, Luc was sure.
He cleared his dry throat. “Thank you for letting me come over. I have something I’d like to tell you, Ollie.”
His hazel eyes snapped to Luc’s face. “I don’t care if hearing about mates after a thousand years made you lose your mind. You didn’t have to take it out on me or Harper.”
Fuck. Luc fought not to look away. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s not enough, but I’m sorry. I regret hurting you more than anything I’ve ever done. If I could take it back, I would, and I swear, I’ll never hurt you or anyone like that again.”
Ollie sniffed, lifting his chin. “Is that all?”
Luc let Ollie’s cold dismissal burn through him. He deserved it. “No, that’s not all I came to say.”
Ollie seemed to grip Dante tighter. “Then spit it out. This is a waste of my day off.”
The more Luc learned about Ollie, the more he respected him, and regret sank deeper into his bones.
“I swear, I wasn’t with Dex to hurt you, and I never considered hurting him.
I don’t have ill will toward any of you.
All I want is a truce and to make amends.
Onyx believes me. Dante does too. I think… ” Luc’s gaze landed on Dante.
He grunted.
Luc’s muscles seized, his fire cold. “I’d like to tell you why they believe I wasn’t hurting Dex or any of you through him that day.”
Ollie shivered, and he swallowed audibly before saying, “Fine,” his voice tight.
Cool water seemed to slither down Luc’s spine. “Dex is my mate. I was drawn to him at the coffee shop where he works. I swear, I had no idea you two were connected. I stayed in Shearwater Landing once I sensed our bond forming. Otherwise, I would have left.”
Ollie remained still for a long moment, then shook his head like he was trying to dislodge the knowledge from his brain. “No. That can’t be true. Dante, you actually believe this?” He looked at his mate, betrayal in his eyes.
Dante ran a hand through Ollie’s hair. “I believe him. Dex and Luc are mates.”
A strange, high-pitched sound emanated from Ollie, and he whipped around to face Luc. “So what? You want my permission to mate with Dex? That’s not up to me.”
Luc’s heart clenched, his pulse slowing until he was lightheaded.
“No, it’s not. It would be Dex’s decision.
But I’m not here to smooth things over so I can mate with him.
I’m not asking you to tell Dex to call me or agree to meet with me.
I’m here to tell you that I’m not mating with Dex.
I never planned to, even before you saw us that day. He told me about his parents.”
Ollie seemed to deflate, his posture sagging, emotion ripping across his face too fast to read. Dante pulled him close, and Ollie seemed to melt into his comforting touch.
“You’re going to let Dex die?” Harper asked, his tone harsh against Luc’s oversensitive nerves.
“Don’t say it like I’m dooming him.” Luc gritted his teeth, forcing his temper to remain in check.
“If this weren’t a colossal mess, I’d have eventually told Dex the truth about magic and the afterlife, and let him decide.
But I know what he’d choose. He wouldn’t pick eternal life over the alternative, even if he didn’t hate me. ”
“Th-then why are you here?” Ollie’s voice wobbled. “Why tell me Dex is your mate if it doesn’t matter. This isn’t fair. I wanted Dex to have a mate, but I didn’t want you to be the one for him.”
Ash leaned forward, catching Ollie’s attention. “It makes more sense for Dex to be Luc’s mate than any other demon. Harper brought all four of you together to match the four of us. But, you’re right. It doesn’t seem fair. I can’t believe a mate wouldn’t choose to form the bond.”
“Maybe he will,” Ollie said desperately. “Maybe he’ll want to stay with us.”
Luc dropped onto the ottoman beside Ollie. “Do you really think that?” he asked gently.
Ollie closed his eyes. “No. I told Dex about magic so he’d know his parents were out there. He’s not giving up the chance to see them. He needs it.” Ollie’s eyes popped open. “There has to be another way.”
Luc pulled back, not realizing how close he’d leaned. “Another way for what?”
“To keep Dex with us. He’s supposed to be, isn’t he? That’s how all this fate stuff works.”
Luc shook his head. “No, fate wouldn’t force Dex into something that’s not best for him, and I won’t allow it to.”
Ollie blinked in shock. Letting go of Dante’s hands, he leaned forward. Closer to Luc. “You want everyone to forgive you, don’t you?”
It was Luc’s turn to be surprised. “Of course, but I don’t expect you to.”
“Yeah, well, you’re supposed to be part of the group. Even after all the shit that’s happened, that’s what this means.”
“I don’t know if we want him,” Dante grumbled.
“No, but that could change. We’re all going to live forever. Who knows what the next century will bring?” Ollie’s gaze sharpened. “If I forgave you and told Dex it was okay, he’d give you a chance.”
“I appreciate that, but how could you ever forgive me? Dex won’t believe you’re suddenly okay with him dating someone who attacked you. And you can’t tell him we’re mates. That’s for me and him to discuss.”
Ollie frowned. “I want to argue, but fine, I won’t tell him. You still need my support if you ever want to see him again.”
His support? Ollie would give it?
Luc braced himself. None of this changed the fact that he couldn’t bond with Dex, but maybe he could still be in Dex’s life. “How would I get your support?”
“Fix it. Fix everything and make it so Dex can mate with you and still go into the Eternal Realm to see his parents. That way, he can stay with me, with our group like he’s fated to, and he can heal from his trauma.”
“Fix everything?” Luc laughed, sounding more like a bark. His insides seized painfully as bitterness burst forth, sarcasm lacing his tone. “Why didn’t I think of fixing my mistakes? I should have realized the Fallen and their mates deserve to return to the Eternal Realm. It’s so simple.”
Rage burned through Luc. What Ollie proposed was preposterous. Of course, he’d spare everyone damnation if he could.
“It won’t work.” Ash shook his head, the motion as heavy as the stone forming in Luc’s gut. “Ollie, that’s not within Luc’s power. None of us will ever return home, and any mate that binds themselves to a demon will be trapped on Earth forever.”
“If we’d never fallen, Dex would have found Luc in the afterlife. He’d have healed and had it all,” Dante whispered.
If Luc hadn’t already believed he’d been wrong to fall, nothing could have made it clearer than that simple truth. He should have waited.
Ollie’s back straightened once again, his glare more determined than ever.
“I don’t care. Make it happen. I want Dex to have a mate—someone better than the Devil—but if you two are fated, you must deserve Dex.
It must be there deep down. Fix things so you can mate because Dex deserves everything regardless of your mistakes.
He deserves a love he’ll never lose, and he deserves to reconnect with his parents.
You have to figure it out. You will. It’s fate.
That’s what this means, right? You will figure it out. ”
Ollie’s tone turned fevered, the sound resonating deep within Luc’s broken soul.
Dex deserved all that and more. He deserved the universe on a silver platter. But what someone deserved wasn’t often what they got. It didn’t make returning to the Eternal Realm any more possible.
“I want this as much as you do, Ollie. But how? The council won’t change its mind.”
“You don’t know that. You have to try. Please.”
Luc’s heart clenched. “I’ll try. But I need you to understand how impossible this is. Don’t hope too hard.”
“Too late,” Ollie snapped like he didn’t care if hope ripped him apart.
Luc ran a hand through his hair. Hope had done nothing but destroy him, and he’d sworn to never let it in again. But if this hurt, so be it. He’d take it. “Fuck, it is too late. I don’t think I’ve ever hoped for anything more.”
Letting Dex go when there was no other option was heartbreaking, but easy. It allowed Luc to feel sorry for himself, to be hard done by, and rage at the world.
Luc was done with easy. Self-pity served no one.
Onyx challenged him to act, and Ollie presented his greatest challenge of all. Luc wouldn’t shy away, not if there was a sliver of a chance that it could work out.
Hope cut through Luc more sharply than it ever had.
Was there a way to bring the Fallen home?
What about the witch souls damned unfairly to Hell?
They deserved to enter the Eternal Realm even if the rest of them didn’t.
Luc had to try for Dex. And for himself.
Perhaps he could counteract some of the harm he’d caused in his long life.
If he could fix any part of this, then maybe he deserved Dex after all.
Just because mating Dex would have worked out if he’d stayed in the Eternal Realm, it didn’t mean Luc couldn’t make it work in this changed world. Fate didn’t dictate one predetermined future. He may have missed one chance to connect with Dex. That didn’t mean it was the only chance.
Maybe Luc didn’t have to be alone and hated. He could change. If he’d decided to be the villain, then he could decide to do good.
He’d changed the shape of the universe when he fell, regardless of who fathered the first witch. And he could change it again, for the better this time. With intention, not blind mistakes.
“I’ll try my best,” he promised Ollie. And meant it.