Chapter Seven
Serenity
Days pass rather quickly down here.
Everyone has been pretty busy, even Silas, but I have no idea what they even do for work. I just wander the house, hoping to find secret passages or something interesting. This is literally Lucifer’s house; how can there not be some crazy secret to uncover?
I had been told it was best not to leave since the house is protected, and the only people allowed in are people that they trust.
I sit in what I now know is the main common room and think of what I could do to pass the time. If they are going to leave me alone all day, then I need something to do.
An evil smile comes over my face when I finally think of what I could do.
It’s their fault for leaving me alone so much.
I get to work on setting traps around the place. It’s so big; there are so many places to choose from.
I’m under the dining room table when I see a set of feet come into my view. When I look up, I see Lucifer staring down at me. I swallow hard.
It’s just Lucifer. Nothing to be scared of, Serenity. Be cool.
I casually crawl from under the table and get up like I wasn’t doing anything weird.
“Sup?” I say with a nod to him. Mentally, I face palm myself. Really… ‘sup?’ That’s the best you can come up with to your father in-law?
A smirk appears on his face.
“I was checking to see if you wanted to come with me for a few hours. I figured you had to be getting bored being alone everyday, but there has been a surge of activity that’s been keeping everyone busy.
I thought you might like to see some of the stuff that happens down here, but it seems you found something else to occupy your time. ”
“I was just checking out the design and woodwork of your table,” I say nervously.
He raises an eyebrow at me. “From under the table?”
“You know you have to make sure you get a good look from all angles,” I say. Wow, I sound stupid to my own ears.
“I know what you are really doing,” he states.
“Oh?” I say innocently.
“You are setting up pranks for my sons,” he says and, when I am about to deny it, he does that eyebrow raising thing again and I slowly nod my head.
“Me and boredom don’t really mix well,” I tell him with a shrug.
“I love messing with my sons. What else do you have planned?” he asks with excitement in his eyes.
We both grin at each other. It will be good to have Lucifer as a partner in crime.
It turns out he’s pretty handy to have around since he has so many powers. He also has so many ideas that I wonder how long he has been wanting to mess with his sons like this.
He has an evil smile the whole time. It would be scary if it was directed at me, but I’m sure my smile looks equally evil.
By the time the sins are expected to come home, Lucifer and I are sitting in the common room. I’m drinking some red fruity drink that I have never had before, but it’s pretty tasty. I’ve had two already.
“Hey pop, working hard I see,” Fredrick says, joining us in the room.
“I took a break to spend time with my new daughter,” Lucifer states.
I raise my hand. “That’s me!” I say loudly. Why is my voice so loud?
Fredrick looks at me in surprise and then grins. “You got her drunk?”
Lucifer chuckles. “She’s only had two,” he says dismissively.
“Two to someone who doesn’t drink is a lot,” Fredrick says, laughing.
“She’s fine,” Lucifer says.
“Where’s my bride?” I hear being asked before Silas walks into the room.
“Look, it’s my sin! Sinny-sin-sin!” I say loudly again.
He stops walking towards me and stares. “Are you okay?”
“Fine and dandy. Just hanging out with Papa Lucifer here,” I say, pointing to his dad in case he didn’t know who I am talking about.
“Sister is drunk,” Gareth says with a laugh while he enters the room.
“How much did you give her?” Silas asks as he starts walking towards me. He sits beside me, and I lean into his body and relax. I love how he feels safe and like home.
“She’s only had two bloodhounds,” Lucifer says.
“She’s still partly mortal; she can’t handle that kind of drink just yet,” Silas says, sounding upset.
“It’s okay, they taste good,” I slur while petting his chest.
“Good thing it’s almost dinner time. We need to get some food into you,” Silas mumbles.
“I hope it’s something good. I don’t think I could pretend to like the food in this condition,” I mumble.
Everyone stops talking and stares at me. “You haven’t liked the food?” Lucifer asks, sounding upset by the idea.
I shrug. “I’m sure it would be good to most people but, when you are used to eating from the gas station or the cheapest fast-food places, it’s hard to adjust to having actual food cooked for you.”
“You have to tell us if you don’t like something. Don’t fake that it’s good on our account,” Gareth says.
“Okay, I’ll try to remember that,” I say with a smile.
Who knew they took food so seriously?
Silas
My woman is drunk. I’m sure my father didn’t mean to get her drunk. He probably didn’t realize how little it would take. Alcohol made in the underworld has stronger effects than anything made up above.
Serenity is clinging to me, which I don’t mind at all. We mostly cuddle in the evenings. I don’t mind taking this at a slow pace. Everyday, she falls into my arms more easily and with less hesitance.
When she dropped the bomb about not liking most of the food we serve, my dad and brothers took it upon themselves to get more food prepared that most mortals would find good.
There is a feast by the time dinner is called.
“Wow. It’s like food paradise,” Serenity says before licking her lips.
I can’t help but chuckle with everyone. This is the most talkative she has been with everyone since she got here.
We all gather in our seats, and l watch as she grabs something to eat. I notice that she takes one of everything; probably trying to figure out what she likes.
She stills and looks around. I follow her lead and notice everyone is watching her.
“Could you all not watch me eat?” she asks, sounding annoyed.
Everyone starts making their plates now that Serenity has made her own. When we are all seated, we engage in general conversation with one another. I do notice that my brothers and dad glance at her from time to time.
At one point, she asks Jasper to pass her more dumplings and freezes for a moment like she’s in a trance.
“How many times have you binge watched all the Marvel movies? Wouldn’t you get sick of them?” she asks out of nowhere.
He freezes and looks at her.
“Too many to count. I like watching movies and shows all day,” he says slowly.
“That makes sense, since you are Sloth. You don’t want to do anything, ever,” she says absently.
“How did you know I was Sloth?” he asks her slowly.
She shrugs, “I don’t know. You have this whole chill vibe about you, and you mentioned a Marvel movie at least once in a conversation. I haven’t watched them all, but I have watched enough to know the names of characters.”
“That’s very observant of you,” my dad says, looking at her intensely.
“When you pretty much have no one in your life, and spend all of your days on high alert, you start to people watch. You can get to know someone by the way they act or looks they give. You can tell if the smile they have is real or fake. It’s something entertaining to me.
It always made me feel less lonely,” she says like she didn’t just break our hearts with that statement.
This woman is going to be so protected and taken care of, she’s going to start to get sick of my family hovering around.
Sure, I know we haven’t been around much this week, but we have been busy with activity in the underworld.
Something is going on; there have been an increase in deaths, and many underworld beings are going missing. We haven’t been able to figure it out.
I didn’t want to leave her alone her first week here, but it wasn’t something I could help.
Just as I get lost in my head, my thoughts are broken by Otis falling to the floor.
“What the fuck?” he growls from the ground.
Serenity bursts out in laughter as she clutches her stomach. Then, I hear my dad laugh. Which is odd in itself because I have never heard him laugh before.
“What did you two do?” Otis asks as he stands up. He puts his hands on his hips.
“We had some time to kill today and decided to have some fun,” Serenity says through her laughter.
“What did you do to my chair?” Otis asks.
“Relax, we just took a couple screws out because we knew you liked to rock back and forth in your chair,” she says, waving a hand dismissively at him.
“Dad’s right, you really are observant,” Otis states while glaring at her.
“Be sure to remember that,” she says, making it sound like a threat.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lorenzo butts in.
“One day, all of you will find your brides, and I will have a lot to tell them. I already know that we women have to stick together. I haven’t met any of them yet, but I know they are out there,” she says while smiling at Lorenzo.
“I’m not taking any fucking bride,” Lorenzo mutters angrily.
Serenity looks at him and laughs.
“You think that now but, when she comes, you won’t be able to deny it,” she replies.
“What makes you so sure?” he asks, sounding like he doesn’t believe her.
“Because I denied it at first, but you can’t explain this pull you feel.
This person was meant for you in every way.
It may be scary, or you don’t want it at first, but there is something amazing knowing that there is one person out there for you who will love you even with all of your flaws.
A person who would never turn their back on you and that you know that, no matter what, they will always be there,” she says, not realizing she just stunned everyone at the fucking table.
“That sounds wonderful,” Gareth says with a sigh.
“Of course, it does. Just because I’m not ready to jump in fully doesn’t mean I don’t understand the importance of this bond. I have had a lot of time on my hands this week to think about everything, and it has helped me to realize a few things,” she says.
“This is the most I have heard you talk. Maybe we should get you drunk more often,” Leopold says with a laugh.
“It’s the alcohol, but it’s also actually having food that actually tastes good instead of feeling like I’m eating the meat of a hellhound,” she says, and my dad breaks out in laughter.
“We have not been feeding you hellhound,” he says, chuckling.
Serenity looks at him skeptically.
“I don’t know. One day they were hanging outside the palace and, the next day, they were gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” my dad stops laughing suddenly to ask.
“They were here a few days ago, just chilling outside like they were guarding this place; but the last few days, they are nowhere to be found. No one said anything, so I assumed they aren’t always here,” she says while looking around and realizing the seriousness of what she’s saying.
“There are a few hellhounds that we have had guarding the palace for centuries. They never leave the premises,” Dad states.
“Then where have they been? How did you not notice they were gone?” she asks.
“I don’t know, but I will find out where they went. With everything that is going on in the underworld, we have been too busy to notice. When we get busy, the staff take care of them. I had assumed they were in good hands,” my dad says.
“One of the staff could have done something to them. A lot of people aren’t allowed on palace property. You said it was magically protected. There are a select few you let in and out. One of them must know something,” Serenity says, sounding like she’s trying to figure this out herself.
“I’ll call them in and we will get to the bottom of this. Are you wanting to be here for this?” Dad asks Serenity.
“Yes, I need to know. If someone hurt our hellhounds, they will pay,” she states.
Guess torture is on the menu tonight.