Page 37 of Lucifer's Redemption

“Wait!” I exclaimed, but her contagious laughter echoed down the halls utterly carefree. Smirking, I ran at a pace to catch up to her, but she was fast, faster than I ever thought she would be, especially for a woman who had been cooped up in a house most of her life.

“Here kitty, kitty!” Uriel cooed.

Mother rounded the corner, holding Lilith. Her broad grin could light up the entire darkened hallway. Mother watched me, intrigued that I was chasing my mate down the hall. “Have fun,” she whispered to herself, but I heard it. There was a hint of mischief in her eye as I glanced behind me, while she skimmed down the hall.

Shaking my head, I followed Uriel’s inane giggles until we arrived at the palace library. Her body abruptly halted, like there was a giant piece of cake waving in her face. Barely stopping in time, I landed just behind her, my arms grabbing her to prevent her from toppling over.

I have a feeling I well have to catch her all day long if she went to find Blaze every twenty minutes.

“This is the biggest library I have ever seen!”

I chuckled, loosening my grip on her. “Probably the only library you have ever seen in person,” I muttered. Uriel playfully hit me, walking inside.

“I could spend all day in here.”

My knees bent, my body slumping in exasperation. “Not you too,” I spoke lowly.

My mother spent so much time here.

Uriel’s hair flipped in my direction, and her sweet smell invaded my nose, chasing whatever thoughts I had about sealing the library forever out the window. Instead, my body ached to move her bed in here if that would make her happy.

Uriel’s hand landed on her hip, eyes narrowing at me. “I’ll have you know, Ihavebeen to a library!” She sassed. Biting my bottom lip, I crossed my arms, amused at this little woman’s temper. “One night, Mom took me to her office.”

Office?Scratching my head, I couldn’t figure out what the hell she was talking about. There weren’t any offices in the Celestial Kingdom. Uriel’s head yawed, surveying the three stories of wall-to-wall shelves. Lines of ladders on rollers were pushed by several servants who were dusting.

“What ‘office’ does your mom work for?” I asked.

“Uh…” Uriel put a finger to her lips. “The Celestial Office…” her voice wavered. Her golden eyes sought mine, looking for truth. “There isn’t a Celestial Office, is there?” My mate’s joyful smile turned into a frown, suddenly twiddling her fingers and looking away in shame.

I wasn’t sure where Hera worked, but obviously, she didn’t visit the Celestial Palace. Their library was extensive.

“Hey,” I walked to her, pulling her fingers away.

That was a nasty habit I was obliged to break: she couldn’t pick at her precious fingers. They were already inflamed, and I wouldn’t have my mate doing that to herself. Then I needed to help her overcome this nervousness. Sure, she was innocent, literally. She was deprived of the worlds around her and cooped up in a house barely suitable for the high-ranking goddess and angel. They lived humbly to maintain the innocence they thought would protect Uriel.

No. My mate was going to discover the truth about everything, and I was going to be the one to enlighten her.

“Listen here.” She tried to pull her hands away from mine. I gripped them tighter. She gasped when I pulled her pained fingers to my lips. They healed instantaneously and her skin was no longer irritated. “As much as you love your mother and father, they kept things from you. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It wasn’t your fault.”

Feeling the heat well in her eyes, I knew she was about to spill tears, and the mate bond pulled me like a dairy cow trying to evade its milking.

I wasn’t in love with her, yet. I was fighting it, but the strength of my soul reaching for her had me trying to recede, to let us both find ourselves.

Uriel blinked away her tears before they fell.

Thank the Fates.I would have turned into a flaming torch if she dared release even one tear. I disliked the gut-wrenching feeling of seeing her upset.

Uriel beamed at me, a smile barely reaching her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. Our hands were still entwined as we stared into each other’s eyes.

Could my infatuation with her get any stronger?

My question was quickly answered as our gaze broke when Blaze pawed Uriel’s foot. She loosed an excited squeal before quickly covering her mouth to muffle the sound. Blaze cocked his head to the side, studying her intently.

“Oh, you aren’t a kitty! You’re a cute little foxy thingy!” Clearing my throat, Blaze floated from the floor and landed in Uriel’s hands—like damn Tinkerbell.

“This is Blaze, he’s a phantom tail. They help bring werewolves’ souls to the underworld when they get lost along the way to their human counterparts.”

Uriel

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