Page 83 of Lucifer's Redemption

I held Uriel close, not daring to let go of her again. She was far too slippery for my liking, and with her dream, I wouldn’t let her slip away again.

“It was nice to meet you, but we must get going.” I pulled Uriel with me, out of the surf. I didn’t want to burn the siren children when we were transported back to the Underworld—water dwellers don’t do well with fire.

“Will you come to visit again sometime?” Manta spoke up, her tiny arms in a praying motion.

“We want the angel to visit with us again. Maybe we can teach her to swim too!” Scurry ran towards us to hear her reply.

Pulling Uriel away from them, I growled in warning.Even if they were children, I would not let my mate be susceptible to their greedy little hands.

“I’d love to!” Uriel peeped from behind me. “I’m Uriel by the way.” She reached her hand out, but I pulled her closer to me.

“That’s enough,” I growled, glaring at the children.

Uriel’s golden eyes blinked at me. “Luci,” she whined.

Pulling her closer, I whispered in her ear, “May I remind you of the dream you just had? We need to get home.”

Uriel’s eyes went from filled with excitement to sorrow. Looking away from me, she slowly waved at the children and pulled me back to the dried sands. “Maybe some other time.” Her voice was now sad.

Shit. Now I’m the bad guy.

The children looked at me in disgust, since I chastised her. I growled again, pulling Uriel back to me.

“Listen,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “as soon as we figure some things out”—the children’s heads whipped to listen to my voice—“I will take you to Atlantis so you may visit your new friends.”

Uriel’s eyes widened. The warmth of her tears washed away. “You would do that? Take me to Atlantis?”

I chuckled, rubbing her cheek with the pad of my thumb. “If it would please you, then yes. Of course, I will.”

Even if it means being buried under millions of gallons of water.It was already giving me an extreme case of claustrophobia.

“Anything you want.”

The children beamed before running back into the water.

“Come soon! We will tell Mother and Father! They will be so happy!” Their hands waved excitedly until we saw their fins retreat into the water.

“They won’t even believe you,” I muttered.

The surrounding sand swirled, and the black smoke buried us as we were transported back to the dark palace.

As soon as we arrived, we found the palace bustling with servants and warriors. Father’s warrior demons stood in every corner and looked at us warily while passing. Uriel held tightly to me, not liking the warriors who didn’t generally roam the palace. These warriors were beasts. Ares himself helped train these demons. Their black horns were as large as a ram’s, and their tails swayed as they trotted down the hall with a heavy gate. The loud, clopping noises of their hooves made Uriel wince each time their feet hit the marbled floor.

“What’s going on?” she inquired with her arms wrapped tightly around mine. I soothed her with my other hand, keeping her close to comfort her.

“Father knows about your dream,” I mumbled, heading straight for his office.

I would never leave Uriel alone. Not now that the darkness was evidently progressing far faster than I would have liked.

The office doors stood agape. Mother was inside, sitting on Father’s lap while looking into the Sphere of Souls, which Selene left for her.

“Luci!” Mother went to leave Father’s lap, but was quickly pulled back down. Father’s smoke smothered the entire floor; the dark wood floors and red carpet were now stained permanently.

“Lucifer, come in.”

An old friend, Hermes, sat on the couch holding parchment and a quill, taking notes.

“We are being questioned by Hermes to make this trial a quicker process for Zeus,” Father explained as I sat, pulling Uriel onto my lap. She yawned before putting her head just under my neck.

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