2

I threw myself into one of the many newer chairs around the map table. It hadn't been a surprise to transfer from their bunker into mine. They should've occupied the same space of reality just in different worlds, so it made sense. Though most of the interior of this one would be brand new compared to the one we just left. I had done my best to rebuild after the explosion that had taken it, but it still didn't feel quite like home. My attention was dragged back through the rift as it pulsed with power and the young girl stumbled through it. I watched her eyes wander around the space, taking everything in.

"Is this my basement?" Sapphire asked.

"You got into the basement?" I laughed softly.

She nodded absently as she continued to look around. "My parents think I'm a 'goodie too shoes'. It's difficult to keep that up sometimes." She ran her fingers over the table. "I got copies of the keys to all the locked rooms in the house. It wasn't even hard to sneak away the originals to do it." Her eyes fell on a bookshelf. "The furniture in here is different though."

"There was an accident with some fire a few years ago." I sighed. "What else do you keep from them?" I asked, standing to walk over to the small pantry I had put in and finding a beer to drink. It had become more of a habit than anything else to continue drinking. Something familiar that I could occupy my time with. 

"I have a tattoo?" She said, almost giving it up as if she didn't know if it counted. I raised an eyebrow at her, she still looked a little young for that. "I liked my moms a lot, so I got it done too. The star inside the sun. It's on my ankle." She lifted the edge of her pant leg to show me the ward. "Easier to hide."

"Well, at least that's taken care of," I muttered to myself, taking a sip of the tart liquid. I walked back to where I could see the rift. "What's taking them so long?"

Sapphire shrugged. "So I'm named after you?" I nodded at her question and sat on the edge of the table, eyes on the rift. I could feel the worry pooling in my gut. I wasn't a babysitter. Growing up with brothers was enough to deal with. "How'd you die?"

I coughed on my drink, the question seeming sudden. "Which time?" The look I got back would've made anyone else think she'd seen an actual ghost.

As if by chance itself, that's when the rift wavered again and spat Lucifer out onto the floor. He looked rushed, his breath heavy and a new deep slash pouring blood down his arm. 

"Sunbeam?!" He called at the golden thread.

Elly stepped backward through the rift, barely unsteady on the new ground as she kept a gun trained on the energy. The crack of a final shot filled the air, making the kid clasp her hands over her ears. 

"Panto Koth Munto!" She shouted as she fired another blind shot into the rift. It shriveled up and disappeared quickly after that. Only when it was completely gone did Elly lower her weapon and take a deep breath. "The pack followed us." She said with a heavy sigh.

"Fuck. I thought we'd ditched them." The guilt took over the worry and hung heavy in my gut. "I'm so sorry, Elly. I didn't mean…"

"We can always move when we get back, Alex. It's fine." Elly assured, tucking her gun into the waistline of her pants. "Looks like you fixed it up nicely." Her eyes wandered in the same way her daughters had until they fell on Lucifer. "You alright?" She asked, dropping to her knees to tend to him.

They were still the same. Still so deeply in love. Still so protective of each other. Still just as ready to take on the world as they had been when they'd left it. Had they ever really grown up?

"It's just a scratch." Lucifer grimaced as Elly prodded the wound. His grace looked like it was lower than I'd thought. It had to have been luck that gave us enough for the rift. "I'll be fine."

"Come on, pigeon." I stooped down next to Elly, taking his arm as gently as I could, and pulled him to his feet. "Stop getting hurt though. It keeps putting me in situations where I have to pretend to like you." I healed his arm with another cool rush of energy as he mumbled a quick thanks. "How are you holdin' up kid?"

"I…I'm…" She stuttered, standing as straight as a board. "Ya. I'm fine. Good."

"You can be honest, Ally. Are you ok?" Elly asked, taking a step towards her daughter.

Ally took a step back. "You're right. I'm not ok. Stay away from me." her voice shook. "Both of you."

"Sapphire…"

"No!" Ally screamed, the lights around us flickering with the awakening powers of a Nephilim. She looked shocked as she looked around at us. "What else aren't you telling me?" She sounded so broken.

Elly and Lucifer looked at each other, a silent conversation happening right in front of us. It looked like they were struggling to find the best way to tell her everything and nothing at the same time. I understood wanting to protect her, but there was no protecting her from her awakening abilities now. They were going to come and if she didn't start learning they would overtake and destroy her.

"I got this," I said with a deep breath. I walked over to the girl and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'll take her to a room and we'll talk."

Elly looked like she wanted to protest, but Lucifer shook his head, in silent agreement with me for the first time in the better part of a decade. I gave a quick nod of thanks and led the girl down the hall, away from her new present and to an empty bedroom. There hadn't been a lot of time to redecorate, so the room was fairly bare. Plain beige walls, a wooden floor, an iridescent bulb in the ceiling light that flickered with empty threats of darkness, a single-person bed pushed up against one wall, and a small dresser a few feet from it. She took no time in falling onto the corner of the bed, defeated.

"Look, kid," I said while I closed the door. "They're doing this because it's the best option for all of you."

"I don't care." Ally kicked her foot out as if she was kicking something invisible. "They've been lying to me my entire life. How do they expect me to feel?"

"I'm sure it feels like fucking shit. But that does not give you the right to act like an entitled little brat. The people who have raised you, and love you more than anything else in the world. Who fed you and gave you a safe space to grow and learn. It is ridiculous that you'd treat them like this." I didn't want to be angry with her. It was hard enough to control my anger as is most of the time. But she needed to hear this. "Maybe being kidnapped was exactly what you needed. You need to wake up and realize how much your parents gave up to care for you. How long were you strapped to that chair in the barn? An hour? Tops?" I took a step closer to her and pointed at the door now. "Those wolves barely laid a hand on you before your parents showed up and saved your whiny ass. Your father put his life on the line to save you! What are you not getting about all that?"

She was silent, but those blue eyes mirrored the same angry waves and storms Lucifers held when he was angry. She knew I was right but she wasn't going to go to admit it outright.

"Now, they probably haven't handled this in the best way." I moved closer until I could take the space next to her on the bed. I sighed, cooling the flames. "They've only ever had you in mind. They're both worried sick about you. You can see it in their eyes. Your mother would move fucking mountains for you. And your father would take as many souls as it took to get you whatever you wanted. They love you so much."

"If they love me so much, how could they keep all this from me? What am I? What did I just do out there?" Ally seemed calmer now like the words had sunk in and the storms were subsiding. She calmly pulled her hair back into a ponytail. God, she looked so much like Elly had when she'd first come here.

"You're a Nephilim," I answered again, leaning forward onto my knees.

"You said that earlier. Half-human, half-angel. But what does that mean?" She questioned.

"Right. Well…" I nodded. "You have both a human soul, and now an archangel's grace. You'll develop abilities that go beyond that of just normal angels. You should even be more powerful than your dad."

"Even though he's a fallen archangel?" I could feel her eyes on me now. "They've never been religious. I don't know that much about those kinds of things."

I chuckled. "I wouldn't have expected them to be religious." It was a funny idea, Lucifer dressed in Sunday blues, ready to sit in an aisle with his white-picket-fence family while a preacher spoke of fire and brimstone. "And yes. He did fall. But that doesn't make him any less powerful. Some say he is the most powerful angel to ever come from Heaven. But we can talk about him another time." I gave her a side smile, one she didn't return. "Your kind are extremely rare. There's only one other in existence."

"Why are they so rare?" At least she seemed interested in something now.

"Heaven forbids their existence. If you were to come into your full abilities unchecked, you could destroy the world like it was a toothpick." I mocked an explosion with my hands.

"That… sounds badass."

I laughed. "It is. Like I told you before. I'm nowhere near your power level. And you gotta watch your emotions until you can control your powers more. Jack, the other Nephilim, used to be the same way. And you need to remember that. Don't get mad, try not to be upset. Or someone could get seriously hurt. Understand?"

She nodded her blue eyes at other thoughts. "And Jack. Whose kid is he? He'd have to be half-angel. How many angels would be willing to break the rules of Heaven?"

"I'll give you one guess," I muttered, waiting for the explosion that was sure to follow. But it never came. I looked up, my eyes wondering her face as she sat in thought. She looked almost calm.

"I have a brother?" I nodded. She would catch on fast. "And I'm assuming he's much older than I am?"

"Probably about a year or two physically." I answered with a shrug, "But he'd be younger than you if we took his literal age into account."

"And I have magical powers?" Ally looked at her hands.

"Sure." I smiled more. "If that helps you make sense of them."

"Any other long-lost family secrets I should know?" She asked with a heavy sigh, falling back onto the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, just like her mother before her.

"If any important ones come to mind, I'll be sure to tell you." I patted her knee before pushing myself off the bed and starting for the door again.

"Alex?" I turned around at my name. "Was my father as bad as everything makes him out to be?"

I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a second. It was a hard thing to answer. "I think the man he is now is far different from the man who fell. He is closer to a man you can be proud to call dad than he ever has been. Just because he made a mistake doesn't make him evil." I turned back to the door. "Get some rest, I'm sure today has been a lot for you."

I left her with that, closing the door behind me before I walked back to the map room. I stopped at the edge of the hall to study the scene before me. Elly had taken to cleaning her pistol, a frustrated and tense air around her as she did so. And Lucifer looked like he was trying to do anything but look at her as he pretended to study a shelf full of books. 

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked, cautiously stepping into the room.

"Nope," Elly grumbled, tossing her gun aside with a loud huff of air. It clinked onto the table. "We're done."

Lucifer glanced over his shoulder when the gun hit the table but was quick to look back to the bookshelf. Had I stirred something up? Had I started this new chapter of their lives? One where they fought over such small things. I knew it was a lot for me to ask of them. Someone who had been dead for the last twenty years for them. Tonight had to be just as hard for them as it was for Ally. It took everything for them to leave and come back with me. 

I took a seat next to Elly and stole back the bottle of beer that sat in front of her. "Care to explain something to me?" Elly leaned forward in her chair, her attention momentarily on me. "You never really stopped hunting did you?"

"We did." Elly started defensively. "When we found out I was pregnant. We put all hunting aside and Luci started working so we could make a life for her."

"You wouldn't have that study if you'd stopped. Let alone been looking for the bunker." I pointed out. "The kid mentioned business trips."

Elly rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly caught in her web of lies. "Alright, maybe we didn't entirely stop. But it was only to survive and keep Ally safe." That was a solid justification for still putting her in danger by continuing the game. "It has been quite a while though."

"Right." I nodded and turned to Lucifer. "How are you holding up Mesothelioma?" I heard Elly snort as I butchered another of his names.

His eyes were dark as he turned to me. "It's Mephistopheles, Mother Superior." It had a bite to it when he spoke. Elly laughed regardless. "I'll have my grace back soon enough. Found dumb and dumber yet?"

"Finding them wasn't the issue," I said, leaning back in the chair. "Sam's a few hours south in Wichita. Dean's still on the other side of Esbon, as far as I know."

"They've been so close all this time?" Elly asked her attention on me again. "And you haven't gone to see them?"

I let my eyes flicker black and pointed to my face. "In case you've forgotten, I'd be shot on sight." My eyes flickered back to normal.

"Well…didn't they all think you'd be coming back anyway?" Elly's voice held a little excitement. "They don't have to know you came back as a demon."

I let out a forced laugh. "You kidding? Sam's seen enough to know how they smell from miles away. And Dean literally lives with a guard dog for a boyfriend."

"The stench of Hell isn't easy to get rid of." Lucifer nodded, coming to join us at the table. He stayed a seat away from Elly, the air between them thick even this close. What had they been fighting about? "Speaking of which, what have you done to it?"

"You mean Hell? What have I done to it? I'm making it thrive if you must know. Soul counts are up, torture is eternal, your ever image is still frowned upon." I winked at the devil. "I think I'm doing an amazing job running the place, no thanks to you." I finished the beer and pushed the empty bottle across the table. "I spruced up the decor a little from your dreary medieval shit, but it's still just the same as you left it. Completely ready for you to take over."

"What?" He seemed taken aback by this. "Ready for me? We aren't…we won't be staying here."

"Hell needs its king, not a sloppy steward," I said.

He fell quiet, sharing a silent glance with Elly for the first time since I'd come back into the room. They seemed startled by the offer of staying here. It was weird to be on the outside of their silent conversations, almost like I was interrupting something intimate. Maybe he could read her thoughts. It wasn't a crazy thought. I was still coming into my own form of power, so anything felt like a possibility.

"We're in no position to…"

"The offer will stay." I interrupted Elly, waving a hand around. "I wasn't made to rule Hell. It is quite literally hell." I laughed at my joke. "I just want to fix the world before it burns."

"For the rest of your lifetime?" Elly questioned. "You know you're stuck like this forever, right? You're just a ghost with an ego." This time Lucifer chuckled. It was going to take everything I had to put up with him again. "Sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"You're fine, hun. It's not wrong." I smiled at her softly, even though there was something that churned uneasily in my stomach.

Maybe I shouldn't have brought them here. In a few ways, it would benefit me. Lucifer could help rain in Hell and those who still followed him. And with Ally being here, we could fix Heaven too. Or at least start to. And with two Nephilim's it would make killing off the monsters faster and a hell of a lot easier. But was it going to be worth potentially ruining what they had before? It wasn't like I had many other options otherwise. Crowley had been no contact for months now. I still wasn't convinced the boys would talk to me. And Ketch was still…missing. Elly had to be my best bet at making things better. And I needed every chance I could get. 

"Why don't you two go get some rest too? We can go talk to Sam or Dean tomorrow." I tried to keep a gentle smile on my face.

Lucifer took the invitation to sleep and stood, extending his hand to Elly. She shook her head, refusing his offer. Defeated, he tucked the same hand into his pocket and walked away to find a room. 

"Did he say something?" I asked Elly once he'd left. She only shrugged and sank deeper into her chair. "What happened, Elly?"

"Just a fight about Jack." She sighed.

"What about…Ohhh…" The realization hit me as she shot me a look. "Ok. So. You're like his new mom. No big deal."

"I'm not his mom." She hissed.

I bit my tongue, wanting to swallow my words. She still had a sharp tongue. She had changed so much since we last had a good conversation. Maybe she had never been ready to be a parent. She had only been twenty-two when everything had happened. That was so young to have everything so messed up happen to a person. It would be insane if it hadn't messed with her in some way. 

"You can't just ignore him. You were so great with him the last time you were here." She sat quietly as I spoke, avoiding my face. "Elly, he might not be your kid, but he is your family now. He's an amazing kid. You've just gotta give him the chance."

Elly shook her head. "I didn't think I'd ever have to deal with this. Any of it. I didn't want my daughter to ever know she had a half-brother. And I know that sounds selfish of me, but I'm almost jealous that another woman had Lucifer first. Isn't that crazy? To be jealous over a woman who lost her life while I got to keep mine through a loophole?" She let out another sigh. "But that doesn't matter anyway. Jack doesn't like Luci anyway. And I doubt his feelings have changed since we've been gone."

"You're the only one who knows what their relationship was when you left." I took her hand in mine, her eyes meeting mine again as I did so before quickly looking away. "I'm here for you to talk to, Elly. That hasn't changed and never will. I'm not…I'm not a mom, so I have no idea how you feel. But I'm here to listen at least. Did you have anyone to talk to back home?"

She scoffed. "Who was going to listen to me talk about everything? My mother is already certifiably insane, but I guess that means I could've just told her. She wouldn't have known any better anyway. But otherwise…no. I couldn't just go to a book club. Instead, I got a gun permit and had men hit on me at bars. That's not exactly great for conversation."

"Men still flirt with you?" I teased, hoping to change the mood of the room. "I can't blame them." I trailed my eyes down her body, making sure she was watching before returning my gaze to her face and winking. She laughed heartily, lowering her face as a blush came across it. "Why don't you come to bed with me?" My hand moved to her face, taking her shin and pulling her closer. I could feel her heartbeat in my fingertips. It was so fast. "It's been a while since we shared one and I don't sleep. We can stay up all night. Especially now that I know what you like after finding your hidden toys in the study. Never pictured you as a restraint type-a girl." Her eyes flickered between mine as I spoke. I could sense her question if I was serious or not. I leaned close enough to brush my lips against hers…

"Get the fuck away from her before I stab you." Lucifer's voice came from behind me. 

I fell away from her, laughing a little. "I'm sorry. You can have your wife back." Lucifer stopped as he reached for the phone he'd left on the table. They once again traded silent glances. "What?"

"We're…" Elly trailed off.

"We never actually got married." Lucifer finished.

"You're not married?" It was a confusing thing to think. But maybe that was just how old-fashioned I was.

"We never really got around ot it." Elly shrugged. "We're domestic partners."

I snorted, almost falling out of the chair. "Lucifer? Domestic?! Oh how far you've fallen."

"You know what. I will take you up on your offer." Lucifer barked. "I want my Hell back."

"You need to go back into that cage, princy. Let the real ruler take over." I pushed more.

"Real ruler?" Lucifer scoffed. "You're just a glorified rat."

"Time to return to daycare, Daddy dearest." I leaned towards him. "Two kids is a lot to handle."

"Guys what the fuck?" Elly asked, now standing next to her chair. "I'm going to bed. I can't listen to any more of your bickering."

"Night Elly," I called after her.

"Night, Sunbeam." Lucifer echoed.

"You going to bed too, duck?" I asked once she was far enough away. I leaned back into the chair, my fun gone for the day.

"I was going to try. Got used to having to. But I don't feel like I need to now. Heaven't felt this good in a while." Lucifer stretched like he was feeling the grace move through his veins. "Give it a few days and I'll be back to normal."

"Ya know, that used to scare me. But it doesn't anymore." I smiled as he tried to stare me down. "You've been tamed, lame. There's no more lion."

Lucifer sighed and rolled his eyes. "See you tomorrow, Doll." He said, moving away from the table and towards the hall as well. "Thanks for helping with Ally."

"She's a good kid." I threw out.

He nodded and left the room, following after Elly.

I felt alone again after he left. It was such a common feeling now. To feel so very empty and alone. It was another thing I had gotten all too used to. I sighed, closing my eyes. When I opened them again I was in the throne room of Hell, sitting on the cold stone throne. There was no reason to be in the bunker right now.

I shifted in the seat, swinging my legs over one of the arms and leaning back against the other. "Mehak!" I called, my voice booming off the walls. "Mehak!"

"Y…you called?" A timid voice said, accompanying a head as it popped around the edge of the large oak doors at the end of the hall. Mehak was a smaller demon. His host's body looked maybe twenty at most, tall and mostly skin and bone. It fit the demons' all too subservient nature.

"Fetch Orion for me. I'm bored." I ordered.

"Right away." And with that, he was gone.

I slid from the throne as the door closed again, unhooking the latch of my necklace and tossing it aside where it wouldn't be seen. There was no use in wearing it in the following moments. It would feel too heavy, even if he was dead it still felt like cheating.

I jumped, shaken from my thoughts by another demon entering the chamber. Orion's host was one to marvel at. He was tall, tanned, and lean, the muscles of his body almost looked sculpted. The short dark hair on his head was always disheveled in some way. His face was chiseled and covered in subtle dark stubble the demon preferred to keep. But none of that mattered to me. It was those grey eyes that I was interested in. Things so close to the ones I truly wanted in moments like these. Moments where I could kiss a demon and pretend I wasn't.

"Good morning!" I called, maybe too loud, as Elly stumbled into the map room.

She rubbed at her eyes tiredly and yawned as she sat at the table, laying her head down on it. Her long blonde hair stuck up in odd places, probably either forced there by her own physical activities or sleeping on it wrong.

"Late night?" I asked teasingly. Who was I to be the only one ot have a little fun?

Elly nodded, her face still pressed to the table. I smiled at her. She was adorable. I scootched a plate of some eggs and a few pieces of bacon across the table to her. It was just about the only thing I could cook and not ruin. Dean had been the one to do all the home cooking, the gene seemed to have skipped Sam and I.

Speaking of my brother. "I think we should go talk to Dean first. He's closer, and Cas can always help keep him calm."

Elly hummed, pulling a piece of bacon into her mouth before lowering her hand back to her lap and slowly pulling the bacon into her mouth as she chewed on it. 

"Anyone else up?" I asked, laughing at her.

"Luci didn't sleep much last night. Must be getting…" She yawned. "His grace back sooner than we thought."

"I'm sure." I smiled.

"We didn't have sex," Elly stated.

"What do you mean 'we didn't have sex'?" Lucifer demanded as he came into the room, pulling a shirt on over his head. "It was amazing makeup sex and you know it." He came around to Elly and kissed the top of her head, stealing a piece of bacon from her plate as he went. "Sapphire up yet?"

"Not yet," I answered, plucking the bacon from his hand and placing it back on Elly's plate. "You don't need to eat anymore."

"Not like I like the taste of it anyway." He pouted before trotting off towards the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes. "Like I was saying." I took the seat next to Elly. "Cas can keep Dean calm, so that's our best bet. I'd go find Sam but I'm not exactly sure where he's at and I'd rather not surprise him on my own."

Elly finally sat up, running her fingers through her sex-knotted hair. "That sounds fine. Do you want me to go in first? Maybe the shock of seeing me will blind him to you?"

"As much as I love the idea of using you as a human shield," I smiled as she struggled to keep a strand of hair out of her face. "I think that's a horrible idea. But I do think as long as you're there, I won't be shot on sight after the holy water test."

A snicker came from the devil as he came back into the room. "That'll be fun to watch." I shot him a dirty look.

"Can you go get Ally, Luci?" Elly asked him, stuffing a fork of eggs into her mouth.

"Ya, feathers. Go be useful." I said, smirking as I reached to wipe a crumb of whatever snack he'd found off his face. He was quick to snatch my wrist and push it away. At least his reflexes were still good.

"Don't fuckin touch me." He almost growled.

"Afraid I'll take you down again?" I pressed.

Lucifer scoffed, releasing my arm. "Take me down? Please."

"Lucfier, go get Ally please," Elly stated, coming between us again.

I stared into those storms, silently challenging them. There was a split second where they glowed red, and I felt mine flicker to black in the same instant. Even with Elly there between us, I could feel just how thick the air was with power and tension. It was almost electrical. A tornado challenging a hurricane.

"Are you two going to be this annoying the whole time?" Elly asked, her hand suddenly on each of our chests, pushing us away. "Go get our daughter before I ask you again. You know I hate to repeat myself. And Alex…" It was almost surprising when she turned to me. "Stop antagonizing him. You're being childish."

"It's just a bit of fun, Elly," I said, watching him leave the room. "It's been a long time since I've had any competition."

"Ya well. It just makes it so I have to deal with the aftermath." She sighed, sitting back down.

"Whips and chains?" I smirked.

"Shut up."

I chuckled, "You should go get ready too, Elly. We can head out once everyone is ready."

"Fine, but I'm taking this with me." She said, grabbing her plate as she left the room again.

I laughed more. God, it was so good to have her back.

"You'll have to take care of some of the hound souls while I'm out today, Mehak," I ordered. I had called the smaller demon into the bunker to discuss small things with him while I waited on the others. "I think there's three that come due today and I won't be able to send the hounds out myself."

"And…and you trust them not to eat me?" the demon asked nervously.

"They only go after the soul on the contract, Mehak." A different voice answered for me. Of all the times for him to announce his presence, this was not the one I needed.

"Is…is…is…?!" Mehak tried to form the words he wanted to say.

"Yes." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes, that would be Lucifer."

"I..I…I…" The lesser continued to stammer.

I stood, picking Mehak up by his collar as I did. "You need to prepare the hounds." Lifted him as high as I could and let some of the power I held slip into the orders I gave him. "And if anyone else finds out that he's back, I will know exactly who to come to and kill. Do not think I will hesitate because you are my ward. Understood?"

Mehak was gone before I could put him back on his feet. I lowered the arm that had been holding him and turned to the fallen angel.

"Thanks for that," I grumbled. "Now I'll have to explain everything to him."

"You're losing your grip if you have to frighten him like that. You shouldn't be so hard on him." Lucifer said. I rolled my eyes. "He responds better to praise now and then."

"I praise Mehak when he's done a good job, not before." I fell back into the chair I'd been in. "But lately he's been responsible for four lost soul contracts and…"

"Didn't you say souls were at a high? Losing four isn't acceptable." Lucifer clicked his tongue. "Maybe I should take over again, princess."

I glared at him. "Don't call me that. I'm no princess."

"You like 'Doll' better?" He stepped closer to me, his index finger pushing under my chin so I was looking up into those teasing blue eyes. "You used to like that one. Made you shiver, if I recall."

"Right. 'Used to'." I narrowed my eyes. What was his game? "Like when I used to call you 'Dragon'. Or was 'Apollyon' your favorite?" I smiled as he pulled back from me, licking his lips. His hand went to the back of his neck. "What's the matter? All fire gone now that I brought that up?" He turned away from me, still not responding. Finally, this was going to be fun. I pushed from the chair again and stepped behind him. "Does 'Apollyon' remind you too much of that time I found you in Jamaica?" I whispered into his ear.

It was like the entire universe sucked in its breath as he took a step away from me. But I wasn't going to let him get away that easily. I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him towards me. If he thought he could get away with calling me 'Doll' so often he was wrong. I was going to use this against him as much as I could. I spun him with little force, making him look at me again. 

"Oh come on. You must remember that." I put a hand under his chin and ran my thumb along his jaw. "The sand, the cool water on the beach, the way the air hit our soft skin…"

Lucifer closed his eyes, sighing. "Stop…please."

It was such a power rush to have the king of Hell in my hands. I smirked as I pulled him closer, his pulse jumping under his skin.

"Just roar for me lion. Like you used to all those years ago." I was having too much fun with him now.

His hand trembled as he pushed against me weakly, but I knew him all too well for that to be convincing. I could hold him here for the rest of eternity if I so chose to. And I wanted to. Something about the thought of continuing such a forbidden act itched a certain scratch I hadn't known I was missing. I wanted to keep him here on this edge and make him weak.

I took another step towards him, just enough to whisper in his ear again, "Make me a sinner, Lucifer." I said his name slowly, like I had on the beach that night.

Lucifer sucked in a breath as if he had been holding it. I smirked now as I heard other footsteps coming down the hallway towards us. I pushed away from him and took a good few steps away so that nothing looked amiss as the others joined us.

"So we're going to see her brother?" Ally asked as she entered the room with Elly, holding hands. A promising sight.

"Ya, we're going to…" Elly paused, maybe sensing the air that was still thick in the room. She turned to each of us, trying to put the puzzle together. "What happened?"

"Nothing. We were just talking about old hunts." I gave her the false piece, not feeling an ounce of guilt for what I had just done. I held in the laugh that bubbled in my throat as Lucifer shot daggers at me. "I reminded him of the Godzilla scare he started."

"Someone had already taken Jack the Ripper," Lucifer said, clearing his throat. Elly gave him a weird look but otherwise seemed satisfied with the answer.

"And you decided to go with a giant, fire-breathing lizard," I said, chuckling as I stepped closer to the group again. "But enough about that. We need to get going." I reached out for their shoulders and blinked.