Page 24 of Lucifer's Redemption

“Yeah, not as big as Lucifer’s,” he huffed. “Mom says I gotta keep this room clean first.” Loki picked up a ball, threw it across the room, and got it through a hoop on the wall. He squealed and began jumping on the bed.

“Come on, wanna jump? It’s almost like the trampoline in the back of the palace.” My wings fluttered from my excitement that they would have such a contraption. “'cept that one is broken.”

My wings hung back, wilting slightly. “Why is it broken?”

Loki landed on the bed with a thud, not even trying to remake it. “Had a nanny that was annoying me; she told me how naughty I was, all the time, so I invited her to come jump with me.” Loki smiled with his fangs hanging out of his mouth, almost salivating as he explained, “I might have used my powers a little too much. I pushed the springs down super low and catapulted her into the hellhound pin. They were getting washed that day so the whole lot was in there. They had a lot of fun ripping her apart.”

I gasped, sitting on a chair covered in clothes. “You killed her?”

“Well, yeah, dollface; like I said, she was annoying, and she kept trying to get into Lucifer’s pants.”

I felt my lip poke out.That poor woman died by having her body ripped to shreds.The heat in my eyes gave me the sign that I was about to cry right here for a woman I never met. My wings sagged. Rubbing my nose with the back of my hand, I sniffed carefully, trying not to let him know I was really dying inside.

“Hey, hey, whatcha crying for?” Loki hopped off the bed, running through a mess of clothes to get to my side.

“That poor demon, she could have had a family!” I stood up, backing away from Loki. His big eyes searched mine. “She had her whole life to live, and you just took it?” The lights in the room faded in and out, finally stopping when my eyes set on Loki.

“No, no, listen, it isn’t like humans or werewolves dying. Demons don’tactuallydie around here.”

Rubbing a tear away, I sat back down on the chair. “What do you mean then?”

“Demons can be respawned all the time. Dad has this pool of souls, and he just goes in there, touches his finger in it, and out pops a demon. They get their body back and go on their merry way.” Loki smiled. “I would never kill someone, like a human or supernatural, just the demons.”

I fiddled with my hands, glancing from Loki to my nail polish. “Alright.” Loki sighed, his breath fanning my face. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you? If I got annoying? I’m supposed to be your nanny now, right?”

Loki shook his head, bringing me into a hug, surprising me. “I can’t kill you! I may be a trickster, but I don’t go around killing people all willy-nilly.” He pulled away from me.

He didn’t look like a hugger, yet here he was, hugging me. I smiled, my wings fluttering showing too much excitement.

“I’d never do that to you, Uriel! You’re the first person I’ve met that tells it like it is. I like that.” He put his hands on his hips. “You know, it’s gonna be hard to keep you as a friend,” he spoke almost mockingly.

I twisted my lips, lowering my head.I’ve heard that kind of tone with Mom sometimes. It was done in a joking manner, but it still stung just the same.

“But I like it! I like a good challenge. I never met someone that didn’t care about my status or wasn’t willing to be my friend right off the bat. So, you, Uriel, will not just be my nanny, but a great friend, too.”

Perking up, I grabbed the closest piece of clothing, which was literally under my arm, stood up, and excitedly threw it into the hoop, letting it drop to the floor. Then, the idea sparked: how to get him to clean his room while still having fun.

I stepped over the massive amount of laundry and toys to an empty laundry basket that was laying on its side. Picking it up, I put it under the large hoop. “Want to play a game?” I asked excitedly.

Loki looked at the basket and the clothes on the floor. He huffed, wadding up a shirt. “Fine, but let’s make it interesting. Let’s ask each other questions to get to know each other.”

I nodded frantically, liking the idea to get to know Loki. He was mysterious, mature, and immature all at the same time. I found him interesting for someone his age—which I’m guessing is about ten; it’s hard to tell when he is as tall as I am.

“Okay! You first!” I clapped. “Age before beauty.” He wiggled his brows, throwing the shirt at me.

Aww, he thinks he’s pretty.

“Alright, where is your favorite place to be?” Loki asked.

“Right now? Probably here in the Underworld; I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Really? That’s sad.” He shook his head, watching me shoot. He picked up a shirt, wadding it up. “Your question, dollface.” I giggled at that.

“Hmm… what is your favorite trick to play on demons.” Loki rubbed his chin, looking to the ceiling. “Probably taking hellhound shit and putting it in the servants’ toilets. Their shits are huge, and they can’t flush, so you have to get a stick to break it up first. It makes all the older demon women scream so loud Dad can hear it in Mom’s garden when we are all having breakfast!” Loki rolled back on the couch laughing.

I laughed too.Even though he said a bad word.

It went on like this for an hour. We got to know each other’s likes and dislikes—he hates too much meat but loves the taste of roasted vegetables and tofu, and he feels like he has become the forgotten child now that he has an older brother who has a temper and a younger sister who is too adorable for him to look at properly.

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