Page 83 of To Crave Truly

I turned to Adriel who had been watching us intently. “Where is my Father? Tell me now.”

The angel blanched. “We don’t know. We think he’s gone to Eden but we—”

“Shit!” I jumped to my feet and fled the room.

“Lucifer, wait!” Michael yelled from behind me.

“What’s going on?” the fire demon asked but I wasn’t listening. No. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible. It was just a theory.

One I’d shared with Mordecai.

Fuck!

A hand gripped my elbow and wrenched me to a stop.

“Talk to me,” Michael said, his green eyes full of panic. “What has you afraid?”

I looked him dead in the eye. “That the Divine One will cease to exist.”

“What do you mean?” Torsten asked.

“We exist because of the Divine one. He was the first creation and he created all of us,” I said.

“We know all this,” Adriel said. “Through him the worlds were created, carved out of his imagination and he breathed life into all things.”

“But what if he wasn’t the first. What if he’s only all-powerful because the Celestials fuel that power.”

“Sacrilege,” Adriel spat.

“It was just an idea, but Mordecai and I would talk about it for hours. That maybe he was only powerful because the Celestials gave him power. That what if he was just Divine because he made it so.”

“Meaning that it was thereby a thing that could be taken,” Edwin mused aloud.

“Exactly,” I shouted, relieved I was being understood. “Think about it. Celestials believe the Divine One is absolute. I’m not saying that he isn’t, just that maybe we don’t know everything.”

“You’re saying our father lied?” Michael said with a grimace.

“No. I’m saying he didn’t correct anyone.”

Silence enveloped us all as I let that sink in for everyone. I recalled the long nights Mordecai, and we would theorise over everything. I’d rejoiced in the fact that he thought like I did, beyond the realm of possibilities. I’d nurtured it and now, it was going to be my downfall.

“So,” Edwin began, “you think Mordecai has told Camael he can be the next Divine One?”

“I thought his purpose was to protect,” Torsten said. “Would he want that?”

I growled in frustration. This was taking up valuable time.

“If he thought he was doing the right thing, he would,” Adriel said quietly. “He believes in righteousness above all else. It’s his purpose. If he thought that he could save everyone by becoming the Divine One, he would.”

“Don’t you see, Michael. If power is vanishing from the Upper Realm, then the Divine One is also losing power. He will be weak and easy to destroy.”

“And if Mordecai is somehow storing power from the witches, what’s to say he isn’t storing celestial power,” Edwin said grimly.

I hadn’t thought of that. With Camael, he’d be able to utilise any type of power, no matter where it came from.

“Then we have to stop Mordecai,” Michael said firmly.

Adriel stepped forward. “What can I do to help?”

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