Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
P atty sidled closer to Bianca and whispered in her ear, “What’s he doing?”
Bianca would like to know that herself. He had no business making promises to Emma that he would help, and then waving archangels in front of a traumatized child. “Lucifer.” She pinned him with her best I-mean-business stare and jerked her head toward the corridor. When you were a kid raising your baby sister, you learned a thing or two, and that stare was working for her now. “I need to speak to you outside.”
Leaning closer to Emma, Lucifer winked and said, “Bianca wants to talk to me outside. Do you think I’m in trouble?”
“Looks that way to me,” Emma said with a sage head nod. “Whatever it is, just say you’re sorry.”
“Say sorry.” Lucifer gave her a thumbs up. “Got it.”
Bianca was not amused. Hell prince or not, she wanted to hand the arrogant son of a bitch his balls. On a platter.
Grabbing him by the front of his sweatshirt, she tugged him onto the tiny porch and shut the front door behind them. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Do you mind?” Lucifer gave her hand knotted in his sweatshirt a pained glance. “Please do not make this heinous garment worse by wrinkling it.”
“It’s a sweatshirt.” She barely managed not to bite him. “They don’t wrinkle.”
“Appalling.” Lucifer shuddered and picked her fingers off his front. “I am at a loss as to why anyone would even make a garment like this, let alone wear it.”
“Hey!” She went toe to toe with him. Damn, he smelled delicious, like cedar and leather. At least a head taller than her, he had a broad chest that made her itch to sink her nails into it. Focus, Bianca...not on him . “Firstly, check your fucking privilege. Not everyone can afford bespoke shirts. And what do you think you’re doing with Emma? You asked me to trust you, and you’re blowing it.”
He raised a brow. “Do you expect me to lie to the child?”
“I didn’t expect you to come out and hit her with the hard truth. Have you any idea how difficult tonight has been for her?” She’d been searching for ways to break the truth gently when the prince of darkness here had charged right in and broadsided Emma with the truth.
“The truth is harsh.” He shook his head at her. “I hate to burst your bubble—” He stopped and raised his hand. “No, wait. That’s not strictly true. In different circumstances, I intend to take great delight in bursting your bubble.”
“Get to the point.” God, he was fucking infuriating.
“Children are not stupid. Adults, however, insist on treating them like they are.” He shifted forward, bringing them close enough that she doubted she could slide a piece of paper between them. “An awful thing happened in this house tonight, and she deserves to know the truth, because believe me, the truth is better than what’s happening in her fertile imagination.”
Bianca tried to hold her ground, but that was a lot of pissed off, powerful being sucking up her air, so she stepped back.
“And as for the archangels. I saw what Ashe did to Eddie.” His jaw muscle flexed. “And it does not augur well for your witches. And especially not for that little witch in there. We need to keep her safe, and Sophia will do that.”
The truth pierced like a lance to her chest. Bianca wanted to scream and yell at him that he was lying, but she had the nastiest feeling that she was on the receiving end of a Lucifer sledgehammer truth bomb. “You’re frightening her.”
“No, I treated her like she has the right to the truth.” He closed the small distance she’d created between them. “I will find her mother, but I can’t guarantee the outcome.” His voice dropped to an angry rasp. “And don’t berate me when you deliberately concealed how powerful that child is. She’s in danger, and your evasions have increased that danger.”
“I didn’t conceal it. Not on purpose.” Bianca hadn’t been thinking of much on the drive here, beyond getting to Emma and Ethan.
“Emma has a target on her back,” he said. “And I’m taking her to a being who can keep her safe.”
He was right, and it rankled that she hadn’t thought of that. “The coven will hide her.”
“Like they hid her mother? Or the other eight witches who have been taken?” His eyes were deadly serious and pitch black. “No. Understand this, haglette, you are outmatched and outgunned. We are taking those children to Eddie’s theatre where Shade and Sophia can watch over them until we can find a better plan.”
He finally stepped back, and Bianca could take a deep breath again. “Okay.”
* * *
For the second time in his endless life, Lucifer was loaded into a Corolla. He was gaining more and more appreciation for the versatile vehicle. This time, he was wedged between Ethan in his car seat and Emma—who had fallen asleep against him. Despite how Bianca felt about him, Emma drew comfort from his proximity, and the poor human mite needed all the comfort he could give her.
He was hoping Raphael was still at the theatre because along with taking his powers, the amulet had muted his connection with his counterpart angel. He was also grateful that he and Bianca had suspended hostilities for the duration of the car ride.
The amulet felt like he’d been covered in a large, scratchy blanket, and he writhed inwardly against it. A tiny pulse of his main power answered his challenge. He narrowed his concentration on the amulet. Tendrils of his power were creeping through a crack in the amulet—and marked the beginning to Bianca’s comeuppance. But first, he had to take care of Emma and Ethan.
Bianca drove into the theatre parking lot and killed the engine. She stared at the theatre door and bit her lip like she was having an attack of nerves. It was so unlike her that he paid closer attention.
“Problem?” he asked as they continued to sit there.
Bianca took a deep breath. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Of that, he had no doubt.
It took some maneuvering to get two sleepy children and himself out of the back seat. Emma clung to him as he lifted her out, so he hoisted her into his arms.
Bianca carried Ethan.
Emma tucked her warm face into his neck, her breath moist against his skin. “Are you really the devil?”
“In a manner of speaking.” He took a large duffel bag from the flotilla of baggage Bianca was unloading one handed from the trunk. Children did not travel light.
“What manner of speaking?” Emma whispered. “Are you bad?”
“Only when I don’t like you,” he said. “So you’re perfectly safe with me.”
Emma nodded. “That’s good.”
“Emma.” Bianca rubbed Ethan’s back as he nestled against her. “We’re going to introduce you to some people who are going to look after you and help you.”
“Lucifer isn’t looking after me?” Emma stared up at him.
“No, witchling.” He smiled to reassure her. “I’m going to find your mother.”
“Good.” She nodded.
“Yes, good.” Bianca threw him a vicious look.
Raphael stood in the doorway. He glanced at Lucifer, Emma, and then the duffel bag and shook his head. “Words escape me.”
“Let’s keep it that way.” Lucifer shoulder checked him on the way past.
Emma stared at Raphael. “An angel,” she breathed.
“Snap!” Raphael grinned at her. “That’s exactly what I thought when I saw you.”
Charming fucker was Raphael, and a decent counterbalance. They were one of the few archangel and hell prince pairings that got on well.
“Your eyes,” Emma whispered. “Look like gold.”
“And yours look like velvety chestnuts.” Raphael winked.
Giggling, Emma wrinkled her nose. “That’s weird.”
“I’m weird.” Raphael chuckled and took the duffel from Lucifer.
Yep, Lucifer had lucked out with Raphael. Unlike Wrath and Ramiel, who were one breath away from fighting every time they met, he and Raphael were happy in each other’s company.
In all honesty, that probably had more to do with Raphael being such a reasonable and humble sort who strove for peace and harmony, than him.
Lucifer shot Raphael a look that said he would explain later, and his archangel nodded. That there was why they got on. “Emma and Ethan have had a difficult night,” he said.
“Then they’re in the right place.” Raphael smiled and led the way up the stairs to the living quarters. “I’m Raphael,” he said to Emma.
“The archangel?” she whispered.
Raphael blushed. “You’ve heard of me?”
“Duh!” Emma snorted. “Everyone’s heard of you.”
“Now you’ve done it.” Lucifer carried her up the stairs. “He’s going to think he’s all that.”
Emma almost smiled, and Lucifer took that as a win.
Shade appeared at the top of the stairs and took all of them in. He turned his head and called, “Eddie, we have visitors.”
“Oh, crap,” Bianca murmured.
Lucifer had questions. Did Eddie have issues with Bianca? He didn’t like that. He would have to make it clear that the only being of power who had issues with Bianca was him.
“Visitors?” Eddie’s voice drew closer. “Who would arrive at this—” She stopped next to Shade and stared. “Oh!”
Lucifer stepped past Eddie and Shade into the small kitchen. He needed an expert in children.
Dee was making tea, while Daniel sat at the table eating charred cookies. They gaped at him.
He was getting tired of that reaction. Admittedly, the sweats were something he’d never worn, and he didn’t usually have that much to do with children. Also, playing porter was a new experience. However, they could stop gawping at him as if they’d never seen the like. Just because something wasn’t the norm for him, didn’t mean it never happened. “My friend, Emma, here was had a difficult night.”
“Oh dear.” Dee approached them. “Hi, Emma. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had a difficult night.”
“My mother is gone,” Emma said, her arms tightening around his neck. “Lucifer said he didn’t know where she was, but that he would look for her. He told me that there would be angels here and people who could look out for me while he looked for my mother.”
“Well, you’ve seen an angel,” Dee said giving him a hard look. “And if Lucifer said he would look for your mother, then that’s exactly what he’s going to do.”
Hadn’t he already promised Emma as much? The humans he encountered lately were getting far too accustomed to making demands of him. “Emma is a witch, like her mother,” he said.
“Right.” Dee smiled at Emma. “Then it’s a very good thing we like witches around here.”
Daniel stood. “Would you and your brother like to lie down in my room? It sounds like you’ve had the sort of night that you would need to lie down after.”
Emma stiffened.
“You can go with him.” Lucifer hated the tension in her small body. No child should ever feel that way.
Emma’s brown eyes locked on him. “Where will you be?”
“Right here.” He pointed to the kitchen. “I need to tell these people what happened, and we need to make some plans.”
Emma mulled that over. “Plans about Ethan and me?”
“Yes, and other stuff that I’m not going to get into with you.”
“Because I’m a kid?”
She’d hit the nail on the head. “Yup.”
Emma gave that some thought. “Okay, then.” She held up one dimpled finger. “But don’t leave without telling me, and if your plans are about Ethan and me, then I want to know.”
“That’s fair.” He put her on the ground. “Daniel will show you where you and Ethan can sleep.”
“Are you hungry?” Dee took Ethan from Bianca. “I can bring you a snack?”
Emma eyed the cookies on the table. “Those?”
“No.” Dee chuckled. “I think we can find you something else.”
“No, thank you.” Emma frowned at the cookies. “Ethan has already brushed his teeth, and he shouldn’t have cookies before bed.” She gave Dee an adult look. “The sugar gets him all hopped up.”
“No snack then.” Dee motioned for her to follow Daniel.
When he turned away, Raphael and Shade were standing there staring at him. More bloody gawping. Smashing. “What?”
“Sophia’s on the way,” Shade said. “Do we need Wrath?”
“I’m not certain.” This situation was beyond anything he’d handled before. “But Emma is a powerful witch, and whoever took her mother is going to want her as well. I’m relying on you to prevent that from happening.”
“Fuck.” Shade stared after Emma and Ethan. “If it’s that bad, you best tell us everything.”