Page 104 of Sleeping Redemption
He revealed my Divinity Sword, laying it across his open palms as he offered it to me. The moonlight glanced off the shine of the metal, highlighting the familiarity of the sharp edges and engraved symbols on full display. Seeing my sword in one piece right before me filled my heart with profound happiness.
My eyes widened, and I was certain I even gasped at the sight.
“Where did you find it?” I asked in disbelief.
Slowly standing, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the grip and lifted it from his possession as my eyes stared at it in wonder.
Tucking his hands into the pockets of his black pants, he gave a casual shrug. “There are many things for us to discuss. This is just one facet of our future conversations.”
An angry growl came from Sylas as he shouted out his thoughts on the matter. “You son of a bitch! You had it the entire time, didn’t you?”
Lucifer’s sharp laughter cut through the air. One of his hands came to rest on the front of his chest as he tossed his head back in amusement while slightly arching backward.
“Oh, God, Sylas!” he mused. “You give me too much credit,” he admitted as he straightened up, still chuckling to himself quietly.
Sy’s fists clenched at his sides, and I could already see that it was taking everything in him not to lash out physically.
Reaching out toward me, Lucifer stroked a finger under my chin with a tender smile. “Truth is, I convinced Nicodemus to surrender it to me in exchange for my assistance.”
Just hearing Nico’s name made me feel queasy.
“You see, I would like to consider myself a neutral party in this entire situation. When there are disagreements amongst my ranks, it is my duty to find an acceptable resolution that leaves everyone satisfied,” he said with a loftiness in his voice that sounded like he was doing some great service to others.
“Disagreement? You’re kidding, right?” Atlas spoke up with an air of bitter disbelief.
Lucifer raised a brow at him and nodded, unfazed by the skepticism. “I seem to recall that you had your own disagreement with Nicodemus. Perhaps, if you had me on your side, you wouldn’t have become a skewered half-breed.”
The ruler of Hell before us scoffed with a dark smirk as he continued. “Now, look at you. Lifted up amongst the do-gooders as a guardian angel and not a very good one at that.”
As Atlas opened his mouth to spit out what was likely going to be an angry retort, Lucifer raised his hand to stop him.
“I digress. I am not here to judge you,” he explained before turning to face me once more.
“Kinley, sweetheart,” his voice held an endearing tone to it. “Come back home. We can settle the differences you have with Nicodemus there. I assure you, he wants a resolution to this as much as I do.”
Shaking my head at him, I feel a sense of betrayal that Lucifer could even make such an insane suggestion.
“I have done nothing but listen to you day in and day out, and this is your solution?” I asked incredulously.
Oh, is that what you think? My dark little angel, you thought I was your Dark Lord, Lucifer?
The Devil spoke in my head once more while my eyes remained focused on Lucifer’s silent form.
Something shifted behind Lucifer’s eyes, a realization as his face softened before me.
“Nicodemus, that’s enough,” he stated firmly, seemingly speaking out into the air to no one in particular.
All I could hear was sinister laughter contained inside my head.
Lucifer reached out and cupped my face. “These saliranimum demons, they let their imaginations run wild. When I gave them the ability to jump from human to human, I never expected them to evolve to a point where they could jump into the minds of more…sophisticated beings like yourself.”
My jaw hung open as the world around me felt like it was spinning down a vicious spiral of torment. The voice in my mind. Every thought I had ever had came into question.
Tears sprang to my eyes as a whirlwind of emotions overcame me. What thoughts had ever been mine, and for howlong? The air felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs, and my chest tightened painfully.
“Now, if you’ll just come with me back to Hell, we can?—”
Rook interjected, his voice growling with anger. “She’s not bloody going anywhere!”
