Page 101 of Demons & Damnation

The man shrugged his shoulders and stared at Kyla. “Well with Easter right around the corner, why not just call me the Easter Bunny?”

“Whatever takes your fancy,” Kyla replied, not dropping her eye contact with him.

The two stared each other out for several seconds before the man narrowed his eyes and took a step forwards. “Lucifer, Kyla. You address me as Lucifer.”

“Ok, no problem,” she replied, giving him a sickly-sweet smile. “Would you care to explain why you’re here, Lucifer?”

Flicking his eyes over to Azazel, and then Balthazar, he returned his attention to Kyla. “Since you were about to become a serial killer, you caught my attention. As Azazel and Balthazar will tell you, serial killers are escorted down to Hell by me personally. It used to be your grandad’s job, but we all know how that one turned out.”

“Ok, understood. However, I only killed one person so that kind of doesn’t warrant you being here.”

Lucifer lifted his right hand and waggled his index finger from side to side. “Ah ah. It’s your intentions that count, not what actually happened.”

Kyla snorted. “That’s ridiculous. That’s like letting a bomb off to kill one person but end up killing thousands and then saying ‘its fine, only meant to kill one’.”

He dropped his hand to his side and said, “Well in that case I would make an exception, so I guess what I’m really saying is I’m not making an exception for you.” He flashed her a lopsided grin. “Nothing personal. Just good business.”

“Business? Since when is there a business in taking souls to Hell?”

“Ah,” he said. “Now that is a whole other story that we don’t have time for today. Now—” he clapped his hands together “—shall we skip to the teary goodbyes? I’ve got a cannibal in Canada I need to catch before dinner.”

“Err, no. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Marmalade, don’t fight him. You will lose, trust me.”

Lucifer grinned. “Wise words spoken from the General of Hell himself. When are you coming back to visit us, Malpass? We miss you.”

“I think what you meant to say was that you bend the rules to however they suit you,” Kyla said, tilting her chin up in defiance.

Lucifer settled a steely glare on Kyla, quirking an eyebrow up at her. “My, my. You do have some balls. I guess you inherited those from your father.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “But yes, you’re right. I am judge, jury, and executioner so I can change the rules as I see fit.”

Kyla gasped. “What did you just say?”

“Ooops,” he said, slapping a hand over his mouth in mock horror. “Did I just let a little secret out of the bag?” He held one hand in front of the other and jokingly slapped the back of it. “Naughty boy.”

Malcolm took a step forwards, clenching his fists at his sides. He gave Lucifer such a hardened glare that it would have made anyone else wet themselves in an instant. “You told me you didn’t know who that was.”

Lucifer shrugged his shoulders. “Well, at the time you asked me, I didn’t.”

Malcolm widened his eyes. “Are you telling me you found out at some point?”

“Perhaps...”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Malcolm bellowed.

Lucifer lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “You never asked again.”

“You slimy good for nothing mother—”

“Leave it, Malcolm,” Lily said, placing a hand on her husband’s forearm. “It’s done with and all in the past. You know how he works.”

Lucifer grinned. “Yes, Malcolm. Listen to the wife. Now there’s a good boy.”

Malcolm narrowed his eyes at his former boss. “Mary would be ashamed of you.”

In a split second, Lucifer’s eyes turned blood red, shadowed by black circles. He grew by four inches in height and width as his fingernails sharpened to knife points. He opened his mouth to reveal four-inch-long razor sharp teeth from one side to the other, top and bottom.

“Speak her name in my presence again, I dare you,” Lucifer boomed, his voice deep and full of authority.

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