Page 1 of Lucifer's Redemption

Chapter 1

Lucifer

Intheboughsofhell, the smell of burning skin and flesh pierced my nose into the night. With such heat, many would think that the flames would cast light upon the tattered souls, but it doesn’t. Black magic reeks around every corner of Hell, leaving behind a bittersweet taste of fear as the tortured souls hope their torture is done for the day.

It never is. Their torture will never cease.

Just because night has fallen in Hell with the deep-red sun dusting the rusty-colored grass as it sets for the evening, it meant nothing. The screams of the night, the howls of pain from twisting a soul into odd positions, gave me strength. For every fear that popped to mind, my hands made it a reality.

Blue, red and white flames, hot enough to melt any earthly metal, swept across my nails. The flame jumped from side to side as if it were a small doe jumping through an ominous forest. One touch could induce pain for weeks, yet to me, it is just the sweet burn of menthol across my chest. Breathing deeply and smelling the skin crisp under me—which everyone here deserved—fueled my lust for destruction.

Anger rose within the depths of my gut at how humans, supernaturals, and whatever else the damn gods decided to create had me fixing their dirty work. The ones that turned away from the light sought revenge among their own kind, hurt the innocent, and craved to rule over the weak like cows for slaughter.

I am the God of Destruction, the bringer of death and despair. I will not just destroy buildings, the soil, and the physical bodies, I will destroy their minds, twisting them in ways they could not fathom possible. They will scream for me to extricate myself from their mind as I contort their deepest fears into reality. I will only laugh at their pathetic cries of absolute terror.

They are mine to control; my father, Hades, deemed it so. The torture, the destruction, and the ending of a soul were the greatest high I could ever get. No matter how much my mother embodied the kindness and empathy that she tried to teach me, the Fates had already chosen my path: destruction.

Another whip of the silver chains slashed through yet another damned werewolf alpha. The clacking of my footsteps rang as I sauntered to the middle of the cold metal platform. The alpha’s head was bowed, his hands chained behind his back, and blood dripped from his brow. His wolf, just as evil as he was, panted in the back of his mind, suffering from the wolfsbane gas.

No creature would go unpunished.

“Your mother has been in labor for eight hours, and yet you still waste time beating this pathetic wolf.” My father’s leather shoe stepped in the deep-red trail of blood flowing into the grate. “She would be most disappointed to know you didn’t wait for your sibling’s arrival along with the rest of the family.”

My lip curled in amusement.Little does he know, the only screams I did not want to hear were those of my mother. She was too perfect.

Born a wolf, she endured years of torment after being sold into a trafficking ring at a strip club and forced to work as a waitress and a maid. Father found her, and eventually, they mated. Mother became the first werewolf supernatural to be mated to one of the Twelve, the Original Gods of ‘Olympus’—as the humans called it.

“She would be furious, wouldn’t she?” I chuckled. My father grabbed a rag from a nearby hook, tossing it to me to wash the blood from my bare torso.

Mother mated one of the most powerful gods of the Celestial Kingdom. Once soul-bonded, she inherited his god-like qualities. Her gift of empathy was enhanced, and she gained the ability to pair souls like Selene, the Moon Goddess. It was the biggest uproar across the realms. Now, Selene had been granted time to find her own mate, the old-fashioned way, by being a wolf herself.

“Let’s go back, hmm?” Father slapped my bare back. “I know the fire roars inside you to destroy. It is part of who you are, but don’t let it control you. There needs to be a balance.” He sighed, rubbing his chest.

“That balance will only come if I get a mate, and I don’t need one.” I let out a harsh breath, hitting the alpha once more with my chain, knocking him to the ground.

None of the females I had ever met had given my soul ease. They all wanted power, sex, or a title. My mate wouldn’t be any different, no matter how much my mother lectured me.

The alpha’s grunts and cries no longer excited me. Now my thoughts traveled to the idea of always being alone.

It was better that way: to be alone.

“I think you forget everyone is paired with someone.” Father walked with me off the platform. “As the son of Ember, the Goddess of Empathy and Bonding, you should know that.” The crowd that watched the humiliation of the alpha at his knees faded. His fear left the arena as blackness became his next torture. He was no longer allowed to see the light and was forced to remain alone.

Loneliness was the only way to survive in this world. Mates will continue to bring you down. My father, once known to be a monster in everyone’s eyes, had now softened into a regular family man. That was good for him, but I could never be the person he is now.

There are days I could not control my lust for inflicting pain and suffering on my next victim. The grip of the whip in my hand and the sound of my claws ripping across someone’s chest made me groan with pleasure. Burying myself in a part of my father’s work was my new normal. Running as soon as Hell’s sun crossed the tops of the blackened forest and not returning until the blood-red moon was high in the sky.

It was all I needed.

Large bursts of cries came from the room next door. My mother’s screams finally ceased, but not those of my new sibling. Loki, my younger brother, still of adolescent age, was hiding from his latest nanny. We had been through fifteen in the past three months. Many were killed or quit while attempting to corral the God of Mischief.

“Master Loki! Where are you?” the nanny squealed.

It was another demon mistress trying to get into my suit pants. Every single one of the lust-hungry demonesses in their short damn skirts.

“Oh, Master Lucifer, have you seen your brother?” Her eyelashes fluttered towards me, flashing her sharpened fangs which damn near sparkled.

Yeah, he’s under my damn seat.Rolling my eyes, I stood up and moved to the couch.

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