Page 54 of Premonition of Peace

“You need to plan on how to cut the tie fromyourself.”

My jaw fell open. “You want me to only consider how to save myself? Are you serious right now?”

“What else would I be? She is going to do exactly as you said. The Morrigan will use Sasha to kill Kat, and when she's done,she's going to cut the strings on her puppet and go straight for you. You need to find out how to retreat into your memory loci, keeping safe long enough to cut the soul tie between the two of you.”

“I can't believe you.” Tears began to sting my eyes. I was so disappointed. I thought maybe he was a little better than the Lucifer of before, but here he was, pushing me to focus on self-preservation.

“He has a point,”Ann said, whispering in my mind.

“Regrettably,”The Warden agreed.

“I'm not like you, Lucifer. I care about others. I saved Piper, I saved you, and I'm going to save Sasha and Katherine. If you won't help me?—”

“It’s not a matter of caring, Nathalie, it's a matter of reality. I care deeply for Sasha and would never want to see her harmed. Her soul is in the veil. We can’t change that.Youcan’t change that.” I started to shake my head, and he captured my chin between his finger and thumb. “But you can still save yourself.”

“You’d have me abandon her. Abandon them both?—”

“Katherine doesn’t deserve this loyalty, but even if we put that aside—you don’t know how to remove Morgan Le Fay from Sasha. She’s hunting her. Eventually, one of them will mess up. Either Katherine kills Sasha’s body and The Morrigan enters her, or she kills Katherine and abandons Sasha to jump into you.”

“There has to be another way,” I whispered. “Something we’re not seeing. I just have to find it.”

“Little witch,” he began, stroking the side of my cheek with his knuckles. “I don't know how to lure the Morgan Le Fay out of Sasha, but after playing games with her for half a millennium, I can tell you that she won’t be easily deceived.”

“We’ve managed to keep her in the dark for days now. She doesn’t know we know she’s back.”

“That you’re aware of.”

I paused, my eyes narrowing. “What reason would she have to pretend?—”

“I don’t know, Nathalie. What I do know is that she’s over five hundred years old and consumed the life force of her children to keep her alive. She’s certifiable, but not stupid. You’re not the first Le Fay to try to find their way out of this, but I want you to be the last.” Lucifer brushed his knuckles along my cheek gently. “You wanted my help. The advice I’m giving you is help, even if you're choosing not to listen. You don't have a backup plan. This is it.”

A tiny bit of guilt fluttered through me, and I tried to school my features. If I told him, he would try to hide me away. He and August were no different in that. They would let the world burn so long as I lived. Ronan was the same with Piper.

The Nats in the loci were trying to talk, but I worried if I let them through, Lucifer would show up in my mind again. It wasn’t his fault. At least I didn’t think it was.

“I need to go,” I said, removing myself from his embrace and walking back to the counter, grabbing my keys.

“The loci,” he said softly, his gaze holding mine. When I didn’t answer, he added, “I felt the pull.”

I sighed, but finally nodded. “I just need to think.”

“Ann knows I’m right,” he said knowingly.

I grumbled incoherently, annoyed that he even knew their names and could argue with me using their feelings or logic.

“I’ll give you your space,” he said, lowering his voice to a sexy rumble. He leaned down to brush against me with a kiss, teasing as he nipped at my bottom lip. “Just come back to me when you’re done.”

“Thank you.” I patted his chest with the palm of my hand. “I know you’re only looking out for me.”

“Always.”

As I walked out the door, he whispered so quietly, I almost didn’t hear him.

“Careful, little witch.”

I didn't even bother taking the elevator. I sat at the bottom of the stairs in my building leaning up against the wall. It seemed like the safest and most private place for the time being.

The loci was surprisingly somber.

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