Page 67 of An Unexpected Ascension
“That bad, huh?”
“No, it’s just not my story to tell. Frankly, Briar, I don’t think you’ve done a thing that warrants you to be here. I told him to leave it, leave you, but there’s something deeply rooted in my friend that he just couldn’t let it be. I’ve never seen him so conflicted before.”
“Conflicted how?”
“He’s caught between wanting to hate you and not quite feeling it.” He pinches his lips as if he’s already said too much. “Now, may I tell you about my wife?”
My brows quirk in surprise, thinking back to the bedroom and the?—
I look down at the dress and see a little nod from the Devil.
“Please!”
“Ada. She was my whole world, my little ball of fire that kept itspinning. Every morning, I would run my hand through her red mane, tendrils so vibrant you could paint with them.” He smiles to himself, taking a gulp of wine. “We met so young. Barely into our adulthood. I was assisting my father at his butcher shop you see, and she was picking up dinner for her mother to cook. She got to that counter where my father stood, but I nearly tackled him to the ground. My old man, he was so furious with me, but the second he saw her and then looked back into my eyes, he knew. He laughed, placed that sturdy, bloody hand on my shoulder and slapped my back.
“Oh Ada. She came back every week after that, buying the smallest bit of meat, but I would sneak her a few ounces extra. I’m sure my father noticed, though he never said so. When we were just past school age, we wed. It was the happiest day of my life, until we had our first son and then our second.
“Beautiful – my family. What I would do to have it all over again. To kiss her, to spread my fingers through her hair and caress her to sleep. To have her with child over and over again and our house full of joy and laughter and chaos!”
Lucifer’s gaze clouds over. There’s a distance in his eyes as if he’s drifted off into another world, a world where his wife still exists. He clears his throat, startling me.
“Briar, please eat. I’m sure you’re starving.” He gestures to my untouched plate.
“Is your wife here?” I ask, picking up the weighty fork.
“No. I’m not sure what all Lynx has told you?—”
“Lynx?”
“Hermes, my apologies.” He dismisses the misstep. “There’s a war coming, Briar. Ask me why.”
“I-I know why. I saw it.”
I swallow the bite of chicken in my mouth and meet his gaze. He sets his goblet down on the table, folding his hands together.
“And how might you have seen such a thing?”
“The Tree of Knowledge. It’s why I’m here.”
There’s a patient rage forming within him and that one bite of chicken starts to feel like a really bad mistake.
“What foolery is this?”
“Lord-—”
“I am a God!”
“Yes, of course,” I murmur. “God of Hell, it wasn’t something I sought out on my own. My hand was forced.”
“By?” He seethes. “Oh, never mind! I already know. That fucking imbecile.”
I don’t confirm, don’t need to.
“Please forgive my outburst. My Second has a way of getting to me sometimes, but unlike him, I am very open with how I feel. You will come to see. Anyhow, I have matters to attend to.” He pushes himself to stand, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor noisily. “The point of my story, dear – I love my wife, and she will return to her rightful place by my side. You have nothing to fear with me.”
I nod as he dismisses himself, leaving me there with all the food and wine I couldn’t possibly finish.
Well, the wine I can... and do until the room starts to blur.
