Page 31 of Falling for Lucifer
The church was the same one Ellodie used to go to as a child. Her family wasn’t super religious, but her mom liked to keep up good appearances and attend at least two Sundays a month. She hadn’t been since she was eighteen. Her and God’s relationship developed into something more personal and relaxed and not for show.
The wooden pews looked like they had recently been upgraded. The smooth dark wood went well with the bright white walls and purple-toned decorations through the space. The stage was set up for the christening, and Ellodieimmediately felt her mother’s glare land on her. She groaned quietly when Kamilah excused herself from the conversation she was having with the pastor and marched down the long aisle to meet her.
“Where have you been? Do you know how it makes our family look when we’re late to our own events? I can’t believe?—”
“Mama, I’m here now.” Ellodie had to cut her off for her own sanity. If she hadn’t, she might have cried. Her mother had no idea the nightmare she had to live for those few days. The evidence shown from her black eyes were covered by heavy makeup. Ellodie wondered if her mother had seen her without the makeup, would she have been a bit nicer to her? Then she shook the thought away because she knew the answer wasno.Hell no.
Kamilah glared at her daughter before glancing at the people behind her. “I see Yasmine is here. She told me she’s your daughter’s godmother?”
“Etta,” Lucifer said.
“What?” Kamilah asked, looking at Lucifer with her brows pulled tight. Disdain displayed across her features, which immediately put Ellodie on the defense. She hadn’t realized how protective she’d gotten over that man. It might as well have been Etta her mother was looking at all crazy because Ellodie was ready to pounce.
“My daughter’s name is Etta.” Lucifer remained calm as he looked Kamilah in the eye.
Kamilah glanced at Etta resting in his arms before her hardened gaze landed back on him. She took a tiny step toward him, causing Ellodie to shift in front of him slightly. It was rare that she stood toe to toe with her mother. She’d learned long ago that the best thing to do was to let Kamilah have her way. Today, something shifted in her. The way Lucifer so easily claimed her and Etta as his own had Ellodie ready to go to war for him.
“Boy—”
“Aye, I know this lady ain’t ’bout to call my brother a boy,” Hades barked, causing everyone in the church to look their way.
“Hades,” Harley hissed, elbowing him in the ribs and hiding her face in embarrassment.
He looked down at her with a frown. “What? I ain’t call her a B-I-T-C-H. I got some respect for the Lord or whatever.” He spelled the word out as if that was a loophole to being able to curse inside a church.
“Oh my God, please ignore my husband,” Harley muttered as she tugged on his arm, pulling him away from the rest of the group.
“Who is that man?” Kamilah demanded, steam practically coming out of her ears.
“My brother,” Lucifer responded. Ellodie looked up at him, and she saw he was cool as a cucumber.
“Your brother? Well, I never?—”
“We aren’t about to do this here, Mama,” Ellodie cut in. Her mother could be dramatic as hell sometimes, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was her theatrics. “Either you respect my man and his people, or we’re walking out of here right now. Imagine how that will make our family look.” Ellodie raised a brow at her mother in challenge.
Kamilah’s skin tinted red as she looked between Lucifer and Ellodie and then behind them at Hades. Finally, she leaned into her daughter and whispered loud enough for Lucifer to hear. “This man is no good for you. We will have a talk about this later.”
“No, we won’t,” Ellodie asserted.
Kamilah’s jaw clenched as she leaned away and shook her head slightly before clearing her throat. “Yasmine is here somewhere. Where is the godfather?”
Ellodie was thrown off by the change in subject. She blinked rapidly as her brain processed. Here she was ready to throw down with her own mama in her childhood church, and her mother had inconspicuously slipped a mask back on and switched gears.
“Godfather?”
Kamilah sighed heavily. “Yes, Ellodie. You need a godmother and a godfather for a christening. People who will take an oath before God to step in and love your baby as her parents.” She cut her eyes at Lucifer as if there was no way he could possibly love anyone. “In the event of your deaths.”
“That’s morbid,” Ellodie said, mortified at that thought. Of course, if something happened to her, she would want Etta to go to Yasmine, but that wasn’t what she thought of when she imagined godparents. They were supposed to spoil her daughter rotten and babysit when Ellodie needed a break.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Ellodie. Do you have a godfather for the child, or am I going to have to find someone to step in?” Kamilah asked. Ellodie could tell her mother was losing all patience with her, but she didn’t know what to do about that. It wasn’t hard to do, and Ellodie seemed to do it often without even trying.
“My brother is the godfather.” Lucifer spoke up, tilting his head back toward Hades.
Kamilah’s eyes grew wide. “Him? Oh no. No. I will not allow it.”
“Aye, Hades.” Lucifer called out to his brother. “Come here.”
“Hades? Absolutely not. Ellodie?—”
