34. Summer
Chapter Thirty-Four
Summer
T he figure solidifies and stands before us, his lips curved in a wicked grin. I don’t need him to step into the light to know exactly who I’m facing. This is what I have been dreading since the previous night. Lucifer has arrived to take his nephew.
Lucifer steps forward, and I am shocked to see the strong familial resemblance not only to Rafe but also to Uriel. For some reason, I expected the King of Hell to look different.
He has the same facial structure as Uriel, the same wise eyes. They are like two sides of the same coin, Uriel the light, and this male before me, the dark. It’s reminiscent of how Connor and Rafe looked when they stood next to each other, and the thought fractures my heart.
Lucifer’s skin is paler than Rafe’s, lacking Farrah’s stunning genetics. He is tall and lean. While he is slimmer than Uriel, I can sense there is still extraordinary strength present beneath his dark jacket.
A menacing aura oozes from him, practically suffocating me. His dark eyes are trained on Rafe as he idly flips a piece of gold in his hand. He is silent for a moment, and then his gaze settles on me.
“You must be the light fae.”
I shift, subtly getting into a better position to defend Rafe if needed. I know he’s enrolled in the school, but I would be foolish not to doubt the power of the Avalon bond when it comes to the devil.
Lucifer slowly looks me up and down, his dark gaze coating me with unease. “And what exactly are you planning here?” he asks, his expression bored. “Are you thinking of attacking me?”
“Whoever you are, get out of this house, or you’ll discover how quick I am to kill first, ask questions never ,” Alice growls softly, and while I don’t take my eyes from the threat in front of me, I feel her move closer to Rafe.
“What are you planning, Lucifer?” I ask, lifting my chin a little.
Alice tenses beside me as she gains an understanding of the situation.
Lucifer’s onyx eyes sparkle a little. “Me? I’m here to retrieve my nephew and take him home where he belongs.” Something about his tone alludes to the threat, to the danger we will be in if we impede him from obtaining what he wants, but I will not back down. He will not take my brother.
“He is home,” I say as calmly as I can manage.
Lucifer’s eyes narrow a little, and he tilts his head, jet-black hair falling over his forehead. “His home is with his own kind. His blood. Me .”
“You are not his kind. We are his family,” I say, my fists clenching as I try to think of ways to get out of this situation. He’s blocked the doorway of this room, and even if he didn’t, we’d never leave Rafe alone with him.
Lucifer takes a step toward us, and somehow he seems to get taller, more looming. “Oh?” A cruel smile graces his lips. “Didn’t you kill the last one?”
I flinch, his words battering me painfully.
Lucifer lifts his hand and waves it casually, but the power from it blasts Alice and me back. We collide hard with the wall, knocking the air from both of us.
Lucifer moves toward Rafe, but he is stopped by an invisible wall. He snarls and looks around the room. One of the runes the headmaster painted on the wall has reappeared and is glowing.
“Meddling sorcerer,” he snarls, and then in a flash of red and orange hellfire, he is gone.
Alice and I scramble up and hurry to check on Rafe. He is still unconscious, his breathing even.
Alice stretches, wincing a little at the pain in her back. “Ow. What a prick.”
“Indeed. Will you notify the headmaster? I need to go to the library.”
Alice nods and pulls her phone out of her pocket. “What do you need from the library?”
“I need more demonology books. A lot of the stuff in this one is too advanced. I need to start at the beginning. Plus, it’s for demons, so it makes little sense to a non-demon.
” Also, I want to check out that book about prophecies to refresh my memory, but I’m not telling Alice that until I have to.
“And ways to fight the devil?”
“I’m not sure there will be a book on that, but one thing at a time.” The runes worked for now, so we have a little breathing room. “You’ll be okay?” I ask, anxious about leaving them alone.
Alice grins, and it isn’t a nice grin. “I got my guns,” she says, pulling a set of pistols out of the bedside table.
The barrels of each are etched with runes that glow with a faint blue sheen.
I don’t even want to know where she got them, or why she was keeping them in Zach’s old room.
No doubt they have been runed to wound immortals.
The guns that I’m familiar with from the mortal realm would have been ineffectual on anyone with even the slightest skill in healing.
“Right.” I exhale. “Call me if you need anything.”
I leave the house, and no sooner have I stepped off the porch than I feel him materialize next to me.
“You had a visitor,” he says, and I hate the way his voice sends an awareness throughout my body. My heart launches into action, but I just keep walking.
He grabs my hand. “Are you all right?” he asks.
I yank my hand free, that delicious anger surging through my veins. “Leave me alone.” I walk faster, but he grabs my arm, stopping me and pulling me around to face him. His shadowy, barely there figure is broad, tall, muscular, and?—
“Lucifer is not to be trifled with. You need to be careful.”
I lean into the anger. “Why the fuck do you care?”
“You know why,” he growls. His hold on my arm tightens, and I know it’s going to bruise. His handprint will be etched into my flesh, and I know I will study it tonight in bed.
“Get the fuck out of my life,” I hiss.
“No.”
I glare at him, trying to pour as much venom into it as possible.
His head whips toward the faint sound of footsteps, and he growls. “This is not over,” he snarls under his breath.
“Miss Tuatha De Daanan?” the headmaster says as the stranger disappears.
I clear my throat, feeling the blush creeping up my neck. Why do I feel like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t be?
“Good morning, sir.”
“Were you speaking to someone? ”
“Just myself,” I lie, my cheeks burning.
He frowns but continues, “I heard Lucifer paid you a visit. I believe he was less than pleased with me.”
“Yes, as expected, he wanted to take Rafe.”
His jaw tightens. “We should speak inside. There’s something you need to know.”
I look around and realize that we are barely a hundred feet from the house. With a soft sigh, I turn and lead the way back. Once we are inside and the door is closed, I turn to look up at him.
His silver eyes connect with mine, and he says, “He’s not just a Fallen.”
I watch him. This is what I suspected, what I was afraid of.
“He’s the heir apparent to the throne of Hell.”
“It’s confirmed?” I ask, looking away.
He nods. “There is a prophecy that one of the seven archangels would Fall and ride with a crown of bone and ash within the fires of Hell.”
“Lucifer.”
He shakes his head. “It’s Rafe. Lucifer’s offspring are not Fallen. His heir had to be Fallen from an archangel family.”
I frown. “I don’t understand. Rafe is not one of the Seven.”
Headmaster Emrys nods. “I know, but the rest of the prophecy leads to Rafe. Perhaps something has not unfolded yet within the Morningstar family.” He frowns. “Lucifer could not have an heir that was not his match in every way. He was a Fallen archangel. So his heir must be the Fallen son of one.”
“Does that mean Lucifer’s children are demons?” I ask.
“As you are probably aware, information on Lucifer’s family is almost impossible to find, but I do know that he and his wife have had at least one.
Lilithim. The prophecy does not allow for a demon leader of Hell, only a Fallen.
Otherwise, the balance would be skewed.” He looks at me gravely.
“Lucifer will do whatever it takes to bring his heir to his realm.”
“He seemed pissed that you had been here. I’m sure his next visit will not be so fleeting.”
“You are more than likely correct, but I enrolled Rafe. Lucifer cannot take him until Rafe allows it.”
“Even with this new information?”
He nods. “Avalon is the safest place in all the realms if you are an enrolled student. ”
I think about last year and wince.
“What happened last year, Miss Tuatha De Daanan?—”
“Was not the fault of the school,” I say, not wanting him to finish that thought.
I should have been safe here, and for the most part, I was.
At the very least, I was safe from Torin.
It is just unfortunate that I came across Aqua when I did.
“Are there any loopholes that Lucifer might be able to take advantage of?” I ask, bringing the conversation back to Rafe.
He stares at me for a moment as he considers the question.
“Rafe can go willingly, of course, and that leads into the only other way that Lucifer could force Rafe’s hand.
At least, that I know of. Lucifer can make it so he has no choice.
” He pins me with his intense stare. “If Rafe were given the choice between your life, Miss Legosi’s life, or going to Hell. Which do you think he would pick?”
The color drains from my face because there is no doubt what he would choose. “I will not lose another Morningstar,” I say, and even I recognize it as a vow. “Tell me what to do.”
He watches me for a moment, and I struggle not to shrink under his gaze. “You need to be able to keep the devil at bay. You have potential, but you need training.”
I nod and drop my gaze. His assessment is absolutely accurate. I am no match for a power like Lucifer, and I would be beyond foolish to think I could survive him if he decided I was in his way.
“She called you light fae.” My body tenses instinctively at the mention of Aqua, anticipating the pain of the memories. They don’t disappoint, and my whole body remembers the agony of that moment, but I force myself to meet his gaze again.
“How do you know that?” I ask, willing my voice not to tremble as the echo of pain bounces through me.
“She kept screaming it when I killed her,” he says, tilting his head as if gauging my reaction.
He’s not going to find one. The darkness swirls inside me, and while it is contained, I hope he destroyed her, slowly, painfully.
He gives me a small nod as if finding whatever it was he was looking for, and says, “I do remember that long before the Fall, there were always two regents, two courts. I spoke with my father, and he confirmed it.”
I hold his gaze, the silver in his eyes appearing molten.
“I think you might be from the court that didn’t survive the Fall.”