Page 72 of An Unexpected Ascension
I find Lucifer sitting at the head of the long dining table in the Great Hall. Colorful fruits adorn artfully crafted silver platters, Danishes stuffed with fillings, croissants so airy, each bite flavored with savory butter. All untouched as the God of Hell drapes his body amongst his chair, contemplation pinching his features. I follow his gaze to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking nothing but vast, empty lands, then the outline of the city beyond.
Only when I take the seat next to him does he pull himself from his reverie.
“What ails you, my God?”
He sighs deeply, combing a hand through his overgrown hair.
“We’ve taken decades to plan this war... what if it’s not enough? What if I get my Ada back and I find that she’s not mine any longer?”
“She was always yours, will always be yours.”
“Yet, I cannot dismiss the possibility that she may no longer find the capacity to love me after all this time.”
“Then demand it. Make it so. Do not let those Gods win.”
Lucifer’s lips pinch in displeasure. “A forced love is not a love at all, Lynx. Best to remember that.”
I dismiss him with a grunt and divert our attentions elsewhere. “We have our army, stationed and ready for retaliation. I will leave in two days' time to gather the Mortifier,” I tell him. “Everything will be right again.”
“You shall take the girl with you.”
I nearly choke on my tea, the glass clanking against its saucer as I return it.
“Why in Hell would I do such a thing?”
“You cannot go alone. No one has ever seen the Mortifier, and I refuse to send my Second into the unknown. It could be dangerous.”
“And what help could the angel be?”
“Teach her how to wield a knife or better yet, her fists.”
“In the next day?”
“While she’s not busy scrubbing?—”
Lucifer’s words cease mid-sentence as a distressed Briar barges through the double doors to the Great Hall. Wrapped in a violet sheet, she marches toward us, eyes blazing.
“That color really does suit you.” Lucifer smiles warmly at her.
“You!” she snarls at me with a pointed finger.
My brows raise innocently. “Me?”
“The drawers and closet were filled yesterday with more clothes than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. Where did they all go?”
Fighting a smile, I look up at her.
“Can’t say that I know.”
The Devil rolls his eyes. “Oh dear. Here, allow me.”
He waves his hand dismissively and the sheet draped around Briar’s naked body is replaced with an outfit similar to that of my own. A simple black T-shirt and black jeans that hug her curves like a second skin. Leave it to the Devil to don her in black.
Her chest visibly deflates with relief, the violence etched in the lines between her brows smooth out as she thanks him.
“Just the woman we wanted to see.” He smiles, pulling out the seat next to him.
She plants herself directly across from me, a menacing grin curling her lips.
