Page 77 of All's Hell That Ends Well

Rather than answering, I raised my hand and wove my fingers in the air. The pillow next to Azazel lifted, carried by my power, and then struck him square in the face.

It plopped down onto his lap in the next second, revealing his expression, which was somewhere between dark and amused.

“Are you telling me you’ve been having pillow fights with my grandfather?” he drawled.

“Ew! No!” I made a face and flailed my arms as if to physically ward away the mere suggestion of it.

Azazel’s low laugh and the mirth rolling down our bond clued me in to his joking intent. He sobered again an instant later. “He’s been showing you how to manage your power?”

“Yes. I had no idea what to do with all that strength, but we’ve been working on honing my skills of using it in a fight.” I sat up straighter, a proud note to my voice. “I can actually handle my shit now.”

His eyes flicked to my chest—still naked from our bed sport earlier—and lightning flashed in their depths. His power deepened with appreciation. Reaching out, he ran a finger around one nipple, eliciting a shudder from me. His tone, though, was all business when he spoke.

“I will send you guards.”

“Excuse me, what?” He was still playing with my breast, which distracted me something fierce, so I slapped his hand away. “I just told you I’ve been training and can now hold my own in a fight, and your first impulse is to assign me bodyguards?”

His glowing eyes lifted to mine, his voice smooth as silk as he said, “No, my darling. My first impulse was to raze this entire palace and everyone in it to eliminate the threat against your life. But that would be impractical.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t say.”

“I have told you before, and I will tell you again,” he said with the hint of a bite, “your safety is my first priority.”

“And you don’t think I can keep myself safe?” My nostrils flared. “I have the power of an archdemon now, and with my training, I know how to use it, too.”

He gave me a look of indulgence that made me grit my teeth. “Even archdemons travel with an entourage to other territories, especially to those where there might be peril. It’s only withinour own domains that we can move without guards because we control the territory. And considering that Lucifer doesn’t have a handle on the general security in the palace anymore, his own territory must be regarded as perilous, and therefore, you should have an entourage.”

Fine, maybe he did have a point. I wasn’t so naive that I would deem myself invincible and forgo protections that even archdemons availed themselves of.

But mulling it over, my brows drew together. “I don’t think it will go over well if you send a bunch of demons from your domain to follow me around.”

It could be considered an infringement of territorial rights because it was close to stationing his own troops in Lucifer’s domain.

“Seeing as Lucifer doesn’t seem to give a shit about much of anything going on in the palace anymore, I don’t think he’ll even notice.” He shrugged. “You don’t have visitor restrictions anymore, do you? Just say they’re your friends and visiting you.”

“Babe, have you met me?” I laid a hand over my heart. “I don’t have that many friends.”

The corners of his mouth twitched upward, but his tone was serious. “This is nonnegotiable, Zoe. I will not stand by and leave you without necessary protection. You’ve been attacked once already, and while Lucifer might still believe you’re safe enough through his word alone, and that your training should suffice to defend yourself, he operates from a place of authority that he doesn’t have anymore. The demons in his court aren’t loyal enough any longer that they’ll respect his decree, as the attack on you clearly demonstrated. That means you’re basically living in hostile territory, and even an archdemon would surround themselves with guards in a situation like that.”

I blew out a heavy breath. “Okay. I just hope this won’t cause trouble for you.”

“If it does,” he said with the kind of unshakable confidence of which I wished I had even a slice, “I’ll handle it.”

Azazel departed againfor his territory to deal with some archdemon business, leaving me well pleasured and glowing in the renewed certainty of his love for me.

With the buoyancy of that good mood, I made my way to Lucifer’s room. Hopefully, he wasn’t asleep this time.

He bade me enter after just one knock, and I stepped inside with new determination.

As usual, the lone candle battled the darkness, the chill in the air making my breath steam. Rubbing my arms, I approached the sofa where Lucifer lounged, a glass of amrit balanced on the armrest. Nearly visible weight pressed down on his form, everything about him seeming subdued and dull.

“What is it?” he asked in a hollow voice.

I cleared my throat and fished in my pocket. “I thought you might like to see this.”

Pulling my phone out, I unlocked it and opened the Photos app. Stepping closer, I turned the screen so he could see it.

When his gaze caught on the photo, all of him stilled. He didn’t even breathe anymore, his energy suspended in the air like a bated breath. Infinitesimally, his eyes widened, the image of Lilith reflecting off the shiny onyx of his irises.

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