Chapter 45
Chapter
Forty-Five
LUCIFER
Sanctuary looked the same as it had when we’d left, but now that the world was set to rights, far fewer creatures remained hidden underground.
Most of the shifters and vampires had returned to their homes, eager to restore them to their former glory.
Same for the Novasgardians and the fae who’d been away from their realms for far too long.
Even my brothers had fucked off back to heaven.
Except for Evander. He’d muttered something about spending some time on Earth before disappearing into the night.
Besides Lilith and Crombie, the only ones remaining were the heirs and their mates. It seemed fitting for them to stay until we’d had the opportunity to properly say goodbye.
“Are we certain they’re dead?” Caleb asked, his arm wrapped possessively around Sunday’s waist. “We can’t risk bringing Eden home until we know she won’t be in danger.”
“My brothers confirmed it,” I said.
Grim added his assurance to mine. “I asked the same question. They’re gone for good.”
“At least for the next twenty years,” Sin muttered.
“What was that?” Caleb asked.
“Nothing,” he said far too quickly. “Rest assured, your little ones will grow up safely.”
“In that case, I think we’ll be off. We’ve been away from our daughter for far too long.”
“Let’s never do this again,” Sunday said.
“No. Never,” Merri agreed. “The next time we see each other, I want to be on a beach with a cocktail and no responsibilities.”
Dahlia laughed. “I’ll bring the romance novels.”
“I’ll bring the picnic!” Rosie offered. “I found the most adorable set of baskets in the attic.”
“Absolutely not,” Asher said with a quick shake of his head. “You stick to the after-sun lotions and body oils.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “That would probably be safer all around.”
“Don’t worry, Duchess. We will find something. In the meantime, I think we should take our leave. I’ve shared you with the world for far too long of late,” Gavin said.
In the end, it appeared there wasn’t much that needed to be said after all. As soon as the first group started to say their goodbyes, the others followed, and then it was just the six of us standing with Lilith and Crombie.
“What must it feel like to go about life without being hunted?” Crombie asked Lilith under his breath.
“I couldn’t say. I’ve never experienced it myself.” Lilith’s eyes darted in my direction before returning to her fae prince. “Perhaps we’ll know one day.”
The comment had me recalling something I’d been meaning to talk to her about.
A loose end that required some tying up.
Ignoring the fact that I’d been eavesdropping and was not, in fact, a welcome member of their conversation, I sidled up to my ex.
“I do believe I might have a solution to your problem. A . . . bargain, as it were.”
Lilith raised her brows while Crombie narrowed his eyes. “We weren’t talking to you,” he snarled.
“So?”
Just when it appeared he was going to shove his fist down my throat, Lilith stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Wait a moment, pet. I’d like to hear what he is offering.”
“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 over Iniquity—”
“You will do no such thing.”
“Hear me out before you get your knickers in a twist. I’ll take over Iniquity, 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. Iniquity was 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.”