Page 34 of All's Hell That Ends Well

“Quite,” I confirmed, remembering how I’d wrecked my room in Heaven in my fury after Azazel had been caught.

“What I just don’t get,” I said after a moment, “is why Lucifer even needed to claim me for himself. I mean, with his power and authority, couldn’t he have simply commandeered me into hisservice anyway, even if you were the one who claimed me after my fall?”

Azazel shook his head slightly. “It’s not that simple. Theoretically, yes, Lucifer could pull demons from other territories into his direct service, but it’s not really done. Usually, even he would ask permission first, as a courtesy toward the archdemon to whom the demon in question belongs. And if the archdemon denies his request and Lucifer ignores it and seizes the demon anyway, it would ruffle quite a few feathers. The power balance between Lucifer and the archdemons isn’t as stable as one might think at first glance.”

“Oh?” I raised my brows. “I thought he was supreme overlord of Hell.”

“He is, but it’s also more complex than that. The relationship between him and the archdemons is a give-and-take, hinging upon mutual respect, and if enough archdemons banded together to go against Lucifer, it would be problematic for him. Generally, the archdemons often squabble among one another, and their individual disputes are enough to monopolize their attention and keep them busy. They rarely agree on anything. But if Lucifer started to infringe upon the rights of one of them by, say, conscripting one of their demons without permission, the others might just sit up and take notice and decide to push back, because they have a vested interest in making sure that kind of behavior doesn’t get established as the new norm.”

I nodded with understanding. “Because if they let it slide that one time with that one archdemon, who’s to say Lucifer won’t do it again, this time to another archdemon?”

“Exactly. That is the one thing they all agree on—that a slight from Lucifer against one of them is a slight against them all.”

“And you think Lucifer might have been afraid of that reaction should you have claimed me first and refused to allow him to conscript me?”

He scrunched up his face. “I wouldn’t sayafraid, necessarily. I don’t think he truly fears that he could lose a war with his archdemons. It’s probably a question of time. If the archdemons rebelled in protest of his attempted conscription of you, and I managed to hold on to you during the conflict, it would take time for him to squash that rebellion and eventually bring you under his control. And since he believes Lilith to have already been reborn, he will feel the press of time to get to her. A war like that between archdemons and Lucifer could last decades, maybe well over a century, depending on how firmly the archdemons want to make their point.”

I pursed my lips and sucked in air against my teeth. “And he just told me himself that Lilith doesn’t have decades. He wants her found ASAP.”

“Which is why he would have been hell-bent on getting you under his control right away. If he doesn’t even have to contend with my claim over you, then he can command you to do his bidding without delay.”

“I mean, I might have even been open to doing the search after you claimed me if he’d asked nicely,” I said with a pout.

“Oh, he wouldn’t have asked.” He scoffed. “He would have demanded.”

“You’re so sure?”

He tilted his head and gave me a prompting look. “Can you imagine Lucifer putting his pride and thousands of years of being used to demons kowtowing to him away long enough to politely ask the demon who used to be a human—and who somehow managed to publicly humiliate him on two separate occasions—to please do him a favor?”

I grimaced. “Okay, yikes, when you put it that way…”

His laugh was dry and humorless. “No, he would never have asked nicely. He might even have come in brandishing the threatof dragging your father’s soul back to Hell as leverage to get you to comply.”

My stomach turned over, and I gulped. “I can see that.”

“I’m guessing he wanted full, uncontested control over you, and the easiest way to get that is to be the one to claim you after your fall.”

I sighed, my heart heavy at the thought of being shackled to Lucifer like that, with no way out in sight. “Well, he sure succeeded in that.”

“Don’t worry,” Azazel murmured, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. “This is not forever. I’ll get you back. I’ll find a way to bring you home.” At my doubtful look, he added with a sly smile, “Love, if I can manage to infiltrate Heaven to have a secret affair with an angel, I can figure out how to poach a demon from Lucifer.”

A knock sounded at the door, and I flinched. “Wait!” I shouted, realizing I was buck naked.

Scrambling off Azazel’s lap, I glanced around for my clothes, only to remember they had gone up in flames during our combustive lovemaking. With a grimace, I summoned a new set from my suite and hopped into it. Next to me, Azazel pulled on his own freshly summoned clothes. Right, as an archdemon, he probably wasn’t limited in his reach to call things to him.

Once properly dressed, I turned to the door and opened it. Gilarion stood on the other side, taking a bow.

“His Grace has called you. It is time.”

My heart clenched, and I threw a look over my shoulder at Azazel. His gaze softened, and he came over, slinging one arm around my waist and pulling me close.

Placing a kiss on the top of my head, he murmured, “Send word when you’re back. I’ll see you then.”

The rush of love I felt from him made me catch my breath. Laying my hand on his cheek, I whispered, “I love you, too.”

And with a last kiss that caressed my soul and caused my knees to go weak, I turned away and followed Gilarion down the hall.

CHAPTER 11

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