Chapter 14 Lucifer #2
They were quiet for a long time. Dex seemed to be trying not to move. In fact, he hardly shifted a muscle. It wasn’t natural for humans to be so still. Luc was desperate to know what was going through his mind, but was too much of a coward to ask.
He rubbed Dex’s back until he relaxed. The playfulness had left the bed a while ago, so Luc drew the covers over his mate, hoping he felt safe rather than exposed.
Dex’s finger traced a circular pattern along Luc’s arm. “What’s so bad about not reincarnating?”
Luc’s brows rose. Dex’s thoughts hadn’t gone in the direction he’d anticipated. “It’s a disruption to the natural cycle of human life.”
“Sure, but so what? Why can’t witches hang out in the same afterlife as my parents? Eternals live in the Eternal Realm forever, so not reincarnating can’t be bad.”
“True. There’s nothing wrong with having one life. I don’t know if there’s a reason for banning witches beyond punishing them for being something that shouldn’t exist.”
“Existing isn’t a crime,” Dex said in disgust.
“You’re right. Witches didn’t ask for magic.
They’re being punished for demons’ crimes, which is wrong any way you look at it.
I suspect that we, as the Fallen, are supposed to feel guilty for witches’ plight, and thus be punished further by our own regrets.
There wasn’t any other way for the council to punish us once they’d already banished us from the Eternal Realm. So they got creative.”
“But witches are still innocent.”
“I know. The council created the Realm of the Damned, not me, even if I trapped my kind there. If I could abolish the Realm of the Damned, I would. But granting witches access to the Eternal Realm isn’t within my power.”
“Ash and Dante said you’ll never be allowed to return to the Eternal Realm. So you can’t even go there to try and work something out?” Dex’s voice was so quiet, Luc almost missed the hint of hope hiding within.
Hope. Was it for witches, or was Dex thinking about something else?
Luc couldn’t keep the heaviness from his words.
“No demon or demon’s mate can enter the Eternal Realm.
We’ve been banished, and anyone tied to us is tied to this realm with us.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think a demon’s mate could enter Hell either, or if they did, they might not return to Earth. ”
Dex’s hand came to rest on Luc’s arm and squeezed. “Ollie and Harper wouldn’t want to go to Hell. I guess they wouldn’t have any reason to go to the Eternal Realm either.”
Not in the way Dex did.
Had he guessed that he was Luc’s mate? If so, he didn’t say, and Luc couldn’t force the words out. It felt painfully obvious—why else would Luc want to keep Dex and give him everything—but admitting it outright would hurt Dex.
Luc didn’t want the truth to pressure Dex or weigh him down with guilt. He should be free to complete his human life as the universe intended.
“Did you have witch children?” Dex sounded more curious than judgmental, and Luc was glad the subject had changed.
“No, I never had a child. But I brought demons to Earth. If I hadn’t, this never would have happened.”
“Leading demons here doesn’t make witches or them being damned your fault. Besides, if it never happened, what would that mean for Harper? Would he never have been born?”
Luc had never considered. “He’s Ash’s mate, so he’d have to have been born.”
Dex finally pulled from Luc’s hold and met his gaze. “Would Harper be Harper if he’d had a different life? Would Ash still love him if he’d been a completely different person?”
Luc was about to say of course, but paused.
If Harper hadn’t been a witch living the exact life that led him to Ash, Ollie, Nico, and Dex, would any of them have found their mates?
Yes, surely they would have. In an alternate timeline, everything would look different, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen in its own way. It was hard to fathom, that was all.
“The bond between Eternal beings and their mates happens between souls—the part of you that doesn’t change with reincarnation—so I’m sure a different, less magical Harper would still have found Ash.”
“Hmm.” Dex’s furrowed brow said he wasn’t sold.
At least the rise of witches hadn’t destroyed magical souls’ ability to mate. “If only there was a way to release the witch souls from Hell. There has to be something within my power that I can do to fix what I’ve ruined.”
“I don’t think you ruined anything.”
“Thank you.” Luc squeezed Dex, his loyalty warming Luc’s soul.
“Do you have any ideas on how to help them?”
“No. I doubt I’d even be allowed to argue a case in their favor. The Eternal Realm will likely ignore my request to speak to the council.”
Dex’s eyes widened. “You can contact the Eternal Realm?”
Luc shifted his weight, jostling Dex but not letting go. He knew where this was headed.
“There’s a gateway, like an in-between realm that facilitates human souls on their journeys. Whoever is guarding it these days might hear my request and pass my message on to the council, or they might attack me on sight.”
Even if his message got through, Luc doubted it would be answered.
“You can only talk to the gatekeeper?” Dex looked at his hands, twisting them on his lap.
Luc covered them with his. “Only the gatekeeper. I can’t contact your parents or any other inhabitants directly. If your parents were witches, a séance to the Realm of the Damned might reach them, but no communication like that exists with the true afterlife.”
“Right. Makes sense.” Dex made a strange sound halfway between clearing his throat and a hiccup. “I wouldn’t know what to say anyway.”
Shit, he sounded dejected. Hurt despite Luc’s efforts to prevent it.
He hugged Dex closer. “It’s not about saying anything in particular. You want to connect with them. I get that.”
“Yeah.” Dex buried his face against Luc’s neck, and Luc’s heart lurched. “I’ll have to wait a while before that happens.”
He would, even if a human lifetime seemed like the blink of an eye to Luc.
One way or another, Dex would see the realm that Luc was forbidden to enter. That would never change.