Revealing the Monster (Playing with Monsters #4) by Amelia Hutchins

“How is the little prince today?” I asked, putting my hand on the incubator, watching the runes come to life with a blue glow, igniting a spell. The moment the magic lifted, I opened the door, placing my hand onto his slumbering form.

Lifting Harbinger from the incubator, I held him against my chest, inhaling his scent deeply. He had black hair, wispy but thick. His skin was soft and warm from being in the heated box. If he opened his eyes, they would be the color of the midnight skies, banked with sparkling golden flecks. Lena said it had looked like I’d swallowed the entire galaxy in my gaze, and she was damn close with her assessment. My son held the same power, which would be a gift and a curse.

Running my nose along the top of his head, I cradled him against my chest, closing my eyes. I’d never thought it possible to father a child, but Lena was a miracle, one that had given me the perfect son. I prayed he would hold the same belief in me that Lena did, and had the same fire that his mother held within her.

“He remains in stasis, Lucian,” Larkin stated, her soft voice echoing through the room. “Harbinger is strong, though, like his father. He fights the stasis in which the Sandman holds him. He says that our little prince is dreaming of his mother. To Harbinger, she is the world.”

“He’s not alone in thinking that,” I muttered, knowing how he felt.

His baby-soft flesh reminded me of how precarious his life was at the moment. I’d brokered a deal with Death, and I wouldn’t undo it, either. Lena didn’t understand what coming back from the dead had done, creating a ripple that ended her line. I could have intervened, but not even I knew what price Death would ask for both of them back.

Her grandmother had known what was about to happen. I’d given her the option of dying with or without pain. She’d chosen well, and in doing so, she’d never felt or seen anything once the demon had taken possession of her body. Sarah had also left Lena a letter, as had Kendra. They’d understood why they were dying and that it was inevitable.

You didn’t escape death, and if you did, you paid a hefty price in doing so. I’d offered to prevent Kendra from joining the others, but she’d accepted what was coming.

I’d asked her to choose between herself, Magdalena, and both of their children. She’d chosen to follow her family and permitted me to protect the three who remained. I’d also asked more of Kendra, knowing that I’d need a way to save Lena in the event that something happened.

Kendra had allowed me to place the runes on her wrist, freeing her soul to be reused inside her twin, which was a perfect match. She could never house enough to allow the seal to grasp onto, but there was a suitable amount to regrow Lena’s soul continually, so that she held her emotions. And as much as I needed Lena to think like an immortal, I loved her feelings because they were a part of what made Lena who she was. Kendra had agreed that Lena needed to remain herself to raise Makenna in her absence.

I lifted Harbinger higher into my arms, holding him to my chest to place my nose against his forehead. The thought of Lena finding out that our son was alive caused something within me to heat as warmth spread through me. I’d been cheated from seeing her swell with my child, carrying him inside her body. She’d been cheated of that too, and so much more.

Did I want to replace enough of her soul to allow her another child? Yes, but with the seal still inside of her, it wasn’t an option. We would create nothing more than a machine that focused on destruction, slaughtering anything and everyone that stood in its way. I couldn’t give her that. Neither could Lucifer.

Sitting in the rocking chair, I exhaled while listening to the sound of my son’s strong heart beating with the life flowing through him. I pushed my fingers through his dark, wispy hair while he made soft noises in sleep, his little mouth puckering as if he suckled nutrients. For several moments, I held his tiny, perfect form against my chest, knowing his mother waited for my return.

“Your mother loves you so much, son,” I admitted, kissing his forehead before leaning forward. I cradled him in my hands, staring down at his heart-shaped face and glowing eyes that studied me. “Hello, little one. I’m your daddy, and soon you’re going to meet the woman we both adore.” He watched me with galaxies burning in his gaze before his lips puckered and then spread into a smile. “You have her smile, Harbinger. Let’s pray you have her fight and integrity. She’s a beautiful being, inside and out. She loves you so much already. I’ll get through to her and make her see that you’re waiting for her.” His eyes closed, and I placed a soft kiss on his cheek before standing and making my way back to the incubator.

Carefully, I put him back into the box that could only be opened by me, Spyder, or his mother. I didn’t trust anyone else with his life. I’d brought him home, to my palace.

Here, he was protected by an army of souls indebted to me, but the idea of leaving him alone was unnerving. I’d done too much to lose him or Lena, and I wouldn’t, even if she wanted to go away from me. I’d built this room the same week I’d learned she hadn’t died. I created it to protect her from my enemies, but it would also serve as a pretty prison if she intended to leave me.

I hadn’t been willing to lose her then, and I sure as hell hadn’t changed my mind. Lena was embedded into my soul, ingrained into my life. The idea of her coming here to my home created excitement to see it through her eyes.