Chapter 16 Lucifer
LUCIFER
Luc waited for Onyx in the main showroom of Gallery Four, feeling antsy.
He should have said something about seeing each other again before Dex left the loft, but Luc hadn’t wanted to push. Now that it had been a few days, Luc worried he’d misread Dex’s departing mood. He’d been quiet, and Luc had told himself to give him time to think.
What if he had been waiting for Luc to initiate more?
Luc was obsessing like only an unmated demon could.
Every one of his senses urged him to seek out Dex. When you’d lived countless lifetimes and disregarded one of the ultimate rules to fall to Earth and find your mate, it wasn’t unbalanced to make your mate the center of your world. But Luc was committed to acting at least a little bit human.
He unlocked his phone, opened his message thread with Dex, and sent a text.
Luc:
Hi. How’s work this week? I’ve been thinking about you.
Hopefully, that was close enough to a normal message a young man might receive.
Even though Luc had modernized Hell in an effort to reacclimate demons to human life before freeing them, a disconnect remained.
Should he ask Dex out on another date? Courtship seemed inadequate in a way it hadn’t before. Dex was aware of mates and was probably already questioning Luc’s interest. Dating didn’t seem to fit. They had to broach the topic of what they were to each other. But when?
No immediate response from Dex popped up.
He better not be cooped up in his depressing condo, or out drinking himself under the table again. Maybe Luc would have to check in—in a more stalkery sense—if he didn’t hear back, though, in all likelihood, Dex was probably working or busy with some other non-destructive activity.
At least he would know Luc was thinking about him.
He pocketed his phone and turned his attention to the painting in front of him. Onyx had excellent taste, and Luc enjoyed knowing he wouldn’t be thrown out for visiting the gallery this time.
The front door opened, and Nico walked in, his steps faltering as he noticed Luc. “I see we’re both early.” His tone didn’t waver. Impressive. Such a steadfast witch would be good for Onyx.
“Your mate is meeting with his employee.” Luc waved a hand toward the stairs. “Once the human leaves, we can get started.”
Nico nodded and crossed his arms, his expression hard.
Luc cast about for something to say to break the tension. What kind of small talk did you make with your brother’s mate when he made no secret of distrusting you? Perhaps he should ask Nico’s star sign or mention the weather.
Before the awkwardness became unbearable, the human who worked in the gallery breezed down the stairs. “You two can go on up. I’ll lock the door on my way out.”
Nico directed a friendly nod at the man. “Thanks, Scott. Have a good night.”
“You too, Nico. And you, Onyx’s mysterious brother. More and more of you keep popping up.” Scott’s eyes lingered on Luc. “Not that I’m complaining.”
He turned to go, and Luc trudged up the stairs with Nico in tow. The sound of the front door closing and locking with a beep echoed off the cavernous space, and the gallery lights faded to a low glow.
Onyx waited for them in his office at the end of the hall, lounging back in his desk chair, a crystal glass of blood in his hand. “Can I get anyone a refreshment?”
Nico strode forward and planted a kiss on his mate’s lips. “Not my cup of tea, little butterfly.”
Onyx ran a hand down Nico’s chest. “I have bourbon for you.”
“In that case, I’d love a glass, but don’t get up.” With a parting kiss, Nico went to the shelving built into the side of the room and opened a cupboard, revealing a glass decanter full of amber liquid.
“Luc?” Onyx shook his glass, eyebrows raised.
“No, thank you. I don’t need anything right now.” He sat in one of the sleek chairs positioned in front of Onyx’s desk.
“Really? Not even with your mate around? You don’t want to get too hungry like Ash and demon-out on him.”
A laugh bubbled out of Luc, seeming to surprise Onyx as much as himself. “Dare I ask?”
Onyx leaned forward. “Ash almost bit Harper while they were having sex, and had to run off before his wings popped out.”
Poor Ash. “That won’t be a problem. It’s not like I have to pretend to be human around Dex.”
Nico returned, a drink in his hand. “Knowing who you are isn’t a guarantee that Dex won’t freak out if you change forms unexpectedly.”
Luc gritted his teeth. “It won’t be a problem.”
Onyx and Nico shared a look.
Luc wasn’t telling them he’d fed on Dex. That Dex liked fear and forceful play, and ‘demoning out’ was so far from a problem that it was almost funny. It was none of their business.
Would Dex allow Luc to drink from him again? They might never share blood as mates, but they could have this small intimacy.
Blood exchange was once a sacred connection between bonded mates and no one else, until demons discovered that keeping their immortality on Earth came with a price.
Onyx sipped his drink. “Fine. If you say it’s not an issue, then it’s not. What did you want to talk about?”
“I have an idea.” That was putting it strongly, but confidence was key in most endeavors. “I don’t believe the council will ever allow us to return home, but witches don’t have to share our fate.”
“Witches?” Onyx and Nico exchanged confused looks.
“It’s not right for witches to be damned for demons’ transgressions. I want to argue for their entrance into the rightful afterlife.”
Nico’s eyes narrowed in Luc’s direction, but he didn’t speak.
Onyx said, “That’s very noble of you, but how will that help you bond with Dex?”
Luc’s grip tightened on the armrest. “It might not. This isn’t about Dex. Not completely. Something has to be done about the souls in Hell. No one but those of us who chose to fall should be punished.”
A knowing look crossed Onyx’s face. “Only those of us who chose. Meaning mates should also be allowed into the Eternal Realm.”
“Exactly. If the council listens to reason and lets witches in, they can’t deny our mates unless they admit to punishing them for being associated with us, and for no crime of their own. There’s no reason mates shouldn’t be allowed to travel between realms.”
Onyx’s face fell. “Except that travel itself is forbidden, hence us being stuck here.”
Luc couldn’t deny it. This plan wasn’t perfect. “We have to start somewhere. There’s no refuting our claim when it comes to witches, and if it goes well, we can push for more. I’ll bring my case to the gate, but I don’t think anyone will listen.”
Onyx caught Nico’s eye. “Gee, I wonder why.”
Luc ignored that. “I need help. I’m here to ask for your support. I can’t bring the argument forward alone. There needs to be a united front.”
Onyx finished his drink and set the glass aside. “What good will my support, or even Ash and Dante’s, be? We’re always on your side. The council doesn’t know you fucked that up and had to earn our trust back.”
Onyx spoke as if Luc had succeeded in earning his trust. Did he mean it, or was it nothing more than a slip of phrase?
Luc couldn’t dwell on it. This wasn’t about him. Centering things on himself was his fatal flaw.
“I was hoping for more than your support. I’d like help getting other demons on my side, and I don’t mean Ash and Dante. I’ll talk to them later.”
Would they stand with him? Would anyone but his brother?
Onyx raised a brow. “You realize what scrounging up support will look like, right? No one is going to trust you, Luc. They’ll assume you’re after power.”
“But no one believes witches deserve to be in the Realm of the Damned. Demons will support the cause. There’s no way for me to gain power from this. Demons will see that.”
“Perhaps.”
Luc clenched his fist. “I have to try. Even if no one trusts me now, in time, they’ll see that I’m not up to anything. Demons will come around.”
“You might need serious time for that. I guess you have the length of a mortal life to figure this out, but will that be enough?”
Luc’s chest seized. This couldn’t take Dex’s lifetime. That was cutting it too close. “What about support outside demonkind? Nico, would you, Ollie, and Harper agree? What about others? Even vampires want entrance to the Eternal Realm.”
Their souls went to the Realm of the Damned if their immortal life on Earth ended, regardless of whether they’d been a witch or human before turning.
“No living witch or vampire would argue against you,” Nico agreed. “But how does that help? Surely the Eternal Realm already knows that we want to be spared from the Realm of the Damned.”
“They know theoretically. We have to make them see the reality. It’ll be much harder to deny our claim, looking into the faces of the innocent beings they’re damning.”
Nico seemed even more wary than before. “Can anyone but demons get to the gateway?”
Onyx shot a worried look at Luc. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t either. Anyone who goes would be risking themselves. If they can’t get back to Earth, they’ll probably have to enter the afterlife.”
Onyx wrapped a possessive arm around Nico. “And if the council doesn’t allow any vampires or witches we bring into the Eternal Realm?”
“Then they’ll be trapped in the gateway.”
There was a heavy silence.
“It will show that we’re serious,” Nico said eventually, earning a sharp look from Onyx. “As long as anyone coming knows the risk, then it’s their choice.”
“Nico,” Onyx hissed.
“We’ll talk about it later. I’m not saying I’ll go. But we have to be very clear before taking volunteers.”
Onyx’s arm seemed to tighten around his mate.
“I’ll be explicitly clear,” Luc promised. He wouldn’t trick anyone into joining. That would be counterproductive as well as cruel. “I don’t expect any mates to come to the gateway. We aren’t sure the Eternal Realm will extend their acceptance that far. At least not yet.”
“Good.” Onyx’s eyes burned, locked on Luc.
He silently vowed to force Nico to stay behind if he had to. By any means necessary. He wasn’t risking Onyx losing his mate.