Page 36 of Lucifer's Redemption

Did she sleep well? Was she worried when she awoke and realized her body had been moved to her bed?

Loki was already in the hall, banging on the door to Uriel’s room when I went to check on her. My fists tightened. I wanted to be the one to wake her, or at least know if she was still sleeping. Pushing Loki aside, he grunted but knew not to complain.

After I knocked on the door respectably, Loki rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “She isn’t in there. She would have woken up.”

I ignored his commentary, only thinking of Uriel on the other side. After cracking the door, it was clear that she wasn’t inside. The heat of her bed had faded, and her soothing aroma of the gardenias didn’t rush to me. Gritting my teeth and growling, my eyes grew red. Loki took off down the hall, knowing I was about to explode.

Where the fuck could she have gone?

Dashing down the hall, my body erupted into flames. My hands continued to blaze until I saw her, her eyes full of excitement, as I walked into the dining room, barefooted.

Never in all my years had my body calmed so quickly. The fire was doused within seconds. Even my hands did not leave charred remnants on my fingers. She stood there, like the angelic goddess she was, a woman who could best the beauty of Aphrodite. The weirdest part of it all was she didn’t even know it.

Mother was smiling like the sneaky Cheshire Cat with her hand constantly patting Father’s “I told you so.” He only grabbed her face, kissing her gently.

Spending the whole day with her without making a fool of myself. That was going to be my next challenge.

Chapter 14

Lucifer

Onceshefinishedbreakfast,Uriel excused herself to her room to get ready for the day. Going around barefoot in the Palace wouldn’t be smart. You never knew if Loki left a tack in the hallway for some unknowing servant.

My hands twitched on my thigh before running my hand through my hair. A shaky sigh escaped my lips as my leg shook up and down.

“Relax.” Ares scooted his chair over, poking my shoulder a few times before finally resting his hand on it.

He made the mistake of trying to pat my shoulder when I was angry and earned a nasty burn on his hand that took an hour to heal, much longer than the usual burn he incurred from my father.

“Just be yourself. I’m pretty sure she would like anyone pursuing her,” Ares snickered as I gave him a fierce glare.

The worst part of it was, that it was true. She may very well fall for anyone showing her any sort of attention because of her innocence.

I rubbed my scruffy face with my palm as my mother nudged my father repeatedly. She was trying to provoke him to say something, any words of encouragement, but it obviously wasn’t panning out. He scowled at her, but her big, green eyes only fluttered, impelling him to bend a knee and concede to her wishes.

Sighing thickly, his hands landed on the table gently. “Son,” he cleared his throat, “I just want you to know that she isyour mate, sheisattracted to you, and shewillbe yours. Just don’t blow it.”

“Hades!” Ember hissed. “Honey, you are going to be fine. There is a reason your souls were paired. Now, I know you have a lot of soul-searching to do with yourself, to find out who you really are. After all those years spent wandering the palace halls alone, refusing to socialize with your peers, this will be good for you both.”

I hummed, billowing my shirt away from my body.Fates, I was sweating, me, the fucking son of Hades, sweating like a pig.

“I’m going to shower,” I grumbled, rising from the table. The sliding of the chair across the dining room floor rang in my ears like nails on a chalkboard. Everything seemed heightened, and I couldn’t figure out why.

Proceeding down the hall, I could visualize the younger version of myself. Sulking, I passed by my childhood replica. He was dressed in a miniature Armani suit, his hair combed over. I was the perfect gentleman, and the young girls raved for me, but I disregarded them. My hands tightened and released repeatedly—a terrible habit I picked up after watching my father get angry at a few demons. Now it indicated the onset of the fire that would be released.

My miniature self vanished; my breath heaved in and out as I continued down the hall. Stopping outside my door, I could hear Uriel singing in her room, oblivious to what we were.

The first time she grabbed my hand, she said she felt tingles, but does she still? She hasn’t mentioned them once since seeing me for the first time.

Once dressed, I opened my door to find Uriel patiently waiting outside her door. Her gold sandals, which my mother had picked out, complimented the dress she wore. My mother was obsessed with all things cute and girly, she said it made her feel young. By the looks of it, Uriel would be the same. My lip twitched, thinking how similar my mate was to my mother. Father was a brooding man like myself, so I guess it made sense.

Only the exact opposites attract, right?

Huffing, I strode over to her; her eyes brightened immediately. “Are you going to show me a magic trick now?”

As I opened my mouth to answer her, Blaze, another family pet, ran across the hallway. His small foxlike body, and the fire that replaced his tail, zoomed down the hallway into the grand foyer.

“Wait, what was that?” Uriel took off down the hallway, her hair flying behind her, touching the back of her heels.

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