Battle With Fire by K.F. Breene

Five

“Nobody move,”I said softly, a whip crack of command in my voice.

You are supposed to say, “Who’s there…”

I knew who was there. Lucifer.

My breath came in short bursts. Emery pushed up from the island, his body tense in places and loose in others, ready for action. Darius stayed perfectly still, watching me closely. Callie and Dizzy put down their glasses. Clearly no one intended to heed my command.

Oh, it seems you have some friends coming to call, I heard.

“Penny!” I burst into action before my thoughts could catch up with my legs. I didn’t know whom I was rushing out to protect, Penny or Lucifer, but I did know that if I didn’t get there in a hurry, someone was going to die.

“What’s going on?” Callie yelled as I sprinted down the hall toward the front door. Darius kept pace behind me, with Emery hurrying after.

I reached the door and ripped it open, finding Lucifer on the front stoop, wearing the white button-up dress shirt and jeans he always did, turned to face the person who’d stalled on the walkway leading to the house.

Penny stood within a gathering cloud of magic, spells twisting and turning around her, vicious, pumped full of power, and ready to do some serious damage. Rage shone plainly on her face, burned brightly in her eyes.

At the edge of the property, Veronica peeked out from behind a bush and a wall of spell, sectioned off from the battle that was about to unfold.

“Wait—”

Penny loosed the spell, which she sent surging and twisting through the air, straight for Lucifer.

I flung out my hand, but Lucifer had already whipped his hands out to react. His magic ballooned out, a complex weave of fire and ice, so finely wrought and artfully crafted that I wanted to sulk at my paltry attempts.

Her spell slammed into his wall, sizzling through parts and sliding off the rest. He braced, the muscles in his arms bulging, his body shaking slightly with the onslaught. He heaved forward, pushing his magic toward Penny, fighting her spell back toward her.

“Stop!” I shouted, my magic slicing into the mix. I halted my father’s efforts and then latched on to Penny’s spell. I followed it home with my magic, unraveling both it and the churning cloud of magic above her. “Emery, go calm her down.”

Are you here to wage war? I asked Lucifer.

“No. I come in peace.” He paused, and a little smile twisted his lips as he magically wrestled with me, pushing back at my efforts to cut through his magic. “Take me to your…leader,” he said, grunting as he thwarted my attempt to punch through his barrier.

His magic speared at me, and I flung it away at the last moment, continuing to work at his push, now aimed at me. Wanting to crush me. To wipe me from the earth.

He was teaching me, even now.

Sweat beaded my brow and determination steeled me as I fought back, figuring out how to work around him. Loving the feeling of fighting with my magic. Of sparring with death threats instead of the equivalent of a wooden sword.

“She’s still fighting him,” I heard, the words barely registering through my focused attention. “Damn it, Emery!”

A concussion of air pushed me. A body hit a car in the driveway—probably Emery—and then another stream of Penny’s magic sliced through the air. This time, it wasn’t just rage behind the spell, but fear and hurt and vengeance…laced with love and devotion to our friendship. To me.

She was also borrowing heavily from Lucifer’s and my demonic magic.

The spell boiled and fumed, twisted and grew. The stream turned into a gush, and hellfire erupted in the air and washed over Lucifer, cutting through his efforts and blasting him back into the doorjamb. It crackled across his skin and turned to fire along his scalp, burning away his hair.

“Penny, whoa!” I stepped in front of him and held up my hand, meeting her hellfire with my own to stop the onslaught.

She cut off, panting, rage still burning brightly as she beheld Lucifer. “Why are you stopping me?”

“Hellfire won’t kill him, remember?” I paused to make sure she wasn’t going to throw another spell. “Also, I was just sparring with him. It wasn’t for reals. Sorry, I should’ve said something.”

She dropped her hands, and her body sagged a little. “Are you shi—” She scowled. “Suck a toe, Reagan. You could’ve let me know.”

I almost pointed out that she had been about to swear, but I pulled back. “I know, I’m sorry. Hang tight, though—we still don’t know why he’s here. We might have to kill him yet.”

“Yes, that possibility is never out of the question.” Lucifer laughed and straightened up, smoke curling from his head and his eyebrows wiped clean off his face. “Mighty magic. You have earned your place at my daughter’s side.” He offered her a bow. “I must ask…can all mages do hellfire?”

“No.” I didn’t leave my place, mostly between him and her. “She has a rare gift. If she’s close enough, she can…borrow someone else’s magic, essentially. She can tap into the kind of magic they do and weave it into her spells.”

His brow twitched upward. “Fascinating. And the angelic magic…where did you acquire that? After killing that accursed druid, I hope.”

I answered for her again. “No, she robbed it off a disgusting little Redcap goblin we killed a while back.”

“Oh, fantastic.” He beamed at her. “Horrible little creatures, those. Almost as bad as the wretched angels.”

Callie and Dizzy stood just inside the door, capsules in hand, ready to throw some spells. Darius was off to the side, the wariness I felt through the bond not showing on his perfectly composed face.

I squared off with Lucifer again and met his eyes. “Why are you here?”

He put up his hands. “I was telling the truth a moment ago—I come in peace. Alone. I wanted to speak with you again. See where you live and what you’re doing. That is all. I understand if you don’t want to see me.”

He was the enemy, at least one of them—everyone agreed on that. He was one of the powers I’d have to fight on the battlefield. That I would have to best in order to keep the worlds somewhat balanced. I should send him away, or maybe even try to kill him.

But instead I let out a breath, looked at Callie and Dizzy, and lifted my eyebrows. “Can you fix his hair, and also can he stay for a minute, or should we move this to my house?”

“You cannot be serious,” Penny said on a release of breath.

“Babe,” Emery said softly, trying to subdue her.

She stuck out her arm toward Lucifer. “He trapped her down in the Underworld, planned to kill us, chased us with the intent of kidnapping her again, and we’re supposed to invite him in for tea and crumpets?”

“Let Reagan handle it,” Emery murmured.

“Your loyalty to her is commendable,” Lucifer said to Penny. “And you’re right, of course. I am a deplorable specimen. I’m best watched at all times. I simply cannot be trusted…except when it comes to my blood. Reagan is my daughter, my heir, and I hope to make amends. As much as can be expected, of course, since war is coming. It seems we won’t be on the same side. As for my hair…” He ran a hand over his head and then down his face. Thick, dark hair sprouted and grew, covering his head and forming perfect eyebrows. “Easily remedied.”

Penny’s brow lowered. She cocked her head at him. I doubted she was used to the villain coming right out and saying where he stood. Vampires certainly never did. Apparently shifters didn’t either, that tricky bastard Roger.

Or maybe she was just jealous of Lucifer’s ability to grow his own hair back. What I wouldn’t give for that trick…

“You know what…” I nodded, looking at Darius. “Let’s move this to my house. If things go south, and Penny has to blow it up, it’ll give Darius a reason to make it even bigger.”

“I’d like that,” Lucifer said, and stepped back. “I’d also like to try some of your Brink whiskey. Let’s see what the Underworld failed to live up to.”

“A lot.” Penny crinkled her nose at Lucifer. “A whole lot, that’s what. It’s a mind bender down there, and I don’t mind saying it.”

Unable to help a laugh, I walked toward Darius. “The Underworld broke Penny’s brain.”

“The elves did, actually,” she said. “The painting Cahal drew certainly helped.”

I quickly explained what Cahal had apparently painted.

“Ah. Yes, the state she was in…” Rage and anguish flickered in Lucifer’s eyes. Fire curled into the air around him. “The elves will see retribution for that. But that is for another day. I will meet you at your house, Reagan. I was there earlier in the day, but you’d gone out. The Seer told me to come back later.”

I slowed as I reached Darius, turning back to face my father, but decided I didn’t want to ask questions. The Red Prophet had been hanging around my place, which was fine because she never mentioned her prophecies. I didn’t mind her weirdness—it was growing on me, actually, especially considering how much it irked everyone else—but I could not tolerate her magic. Not anymore. I was a person who held grudges, it turned out. Torture could do that to a person.

Into our cars we went—Darius, Penny, Emery, and me in my car, followed by Dizzy and Callie, who’d refused to stay behind. Poor Veronica had been left at their house alone, guarded by an impenetrable ward, which was definitely for the best in case things went pear-shaped. I took a couple deep breaths and prepared to invite my father into my world.

Darius slipped his hand onto my thigh. “It is encouraging that he decided to visit. He does not seem to harbor ill will.”

“He’s always like that,” I responded, clicking on my turning signal. Somewhere above us, Lucifer flew in his demon form, a very handy way to get around town. “He’s chill until he isn’t.”

“He probably wants to talk you into helping him take down the elves,” Penny said, looking out the window. She held Emery’s hand.

“Probably,” I replied, getting onto the highway.

“So he can find you anywhere?” Penny asked. “There is no hiding from him?”

“Not unless she uses that spell we did,” Emery murmured.

He was talking about a spell that could magically make me disappear. I could assume a new appearance, wipe out the feel of my demonic magic that allowed my father to track me, and drift into the shadows. If my mother had had access to that spell, I knew she would’ve used it on me to give me a normal life. After she’d passed, I likely would’ve used it on myself. But now?

No. I liked who and what I was. Even if Lucifer and I didn’t end up getting along, I wasn’t going to hide from him. I wasn’t going to slink away and turn into someone else. I’d worked hard to become me over the years, and I wouldn’t change because of some daddy issues.

“Seems so,” I said.

Penny clearly read the not gonna happen behind my statement, because she murmured, “There has to be a way to mask her magical signature without changing her. Like camouflage. A temporary thing…”

I took the exit, close to home now. Adrenaline and nervousness fired through me.

The car was quiet as I rolled down my street. I loved this little corner of the world, just like I loved my magic and myself. I wanted to share it with Lucifer. It might not be much, but it was mine.

He landed as I turned off the car and pushed open the door. Mikey stood near his stairs, a hard scowl affixed on my father. He looked like he was about ready to run—seeing a demon turn into a man before his eyes probably wasn’t sitting well. Smokey waited in the shadows of the cemetery across the street, watching the goings-on. Mince, a guy that lived a block over, strolled down the street toward us, his eyes downcast, looking at his phone. He’d missed Lucifer landing.

“Long time, no see,” I said as he came closer.

He glanced up, his face creased with annoyance from whatever he’d been looking at on his phone. His nose was wide and a bit crooked from being broken so many times during his boxing years, and a bit more padding lined his stomach than the last time we’d seen each other. His gaze shifted to my front yard.

“Smokey said that whack job is gone,” he said.

He meant the Red Prophet. He wasn’t a fan.

“Is she?” I looked at Smokey, crossing the street to us. “She took off?”

“She said she had to intercept the musings of a madwoman or some shit,” Mikey said, his stare still on Lucifer. “That guy was here earlier. Claimed he was your old man.”

“Yeah.” I came around the car with a straight back and raised my chin in case Lucifer looked down on my home. “He is.”

Callie and Dizzy parked behind my car and got out, bickering about something. They cut off when they saw Lucifer standing at the base of my stairs.

“We havin’ a party?” Mince nodded at Lucifer, then smiled at Darius, showing off a chipped front tooth. That was new. “Hey, bro. Where’s your fancy car?”

“This ain’t stuff you want to get messed up in,” Mikey said to Mince in a low tone. “The new guy makes the Red Prophet look like a saint.”

“What?” Mince stopped, squinting at Lucifer. “Why?” He took a step back.

“He’s fine.” I gestured at Mikey. “Lucifer, this is No Good Mikey, obviously Mikey for short.” I pulled out my keys.

“What the fuck did she just say?” Mince stepped back again, now turned sideways, ready to run. “What kind of dude calls himself Lucifer? Because Lucifer is fictional.” He bent at the waist a little, his features comically wide. “Lucifer is fictional, right?”

“And that is Mince.” I motioned to him. “They aren’t magical, and aren’t real fond of things that are.”

“Wonderful to formally meet you, Mikey, Mince.” Lucifer smiled at the now-frozen Mince. “Yes, my name is Lucifer. I do not run hell, although some don’t see much of a difference. I am not fictional, as you can see, though I doubt I resemble the stories you’ve heard as a child, either. I never wear red hats over my horns, for example. My horns are black.” His image rolled into his demon shape, black wings snapping out to the sides. He had glowing red eyes stuck in a bony face with two horn nubs at the top of his forehead. I was nearly positive he could make this form look nicer, since he could effect any form he wanted with his magic, but he clearly liked dramatics. Or maybe he used his human look for the Dr. Jekyll version of himself and the demon form for Mr. Hyde.

“What the fuck?” Mince took two quick steps backward. “Reagan…what the fuck?” He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them up as wide as they went, rubbing them and trying again. Lucifer’s image rolled back into that of a human, with his white button-up and jeans. “Nope.” Mince shook his head, clearly not quite able to turn away just yet. “Nope!” Finally, he turned and ran.

“I’ll see ya later,” Mikey said, walking the other direction. “This shit is not my forte.”

“And that’s Smokey.” I nodded at Smokey, who was gleefully watching Lucifer, probably hoping he’d do some other magical trick. A light burn marred his bald head, and his face looked sunburnt. Suddenly I wondered what had happened earlier. Whatever it was, it clearly hadn’t dampened Smokey’s mood. “He’s not magical either, but he doesn’t mind it like the others.”

“Fantastic to meet you, sir,” Smokey said. “It’s an honor.”

“Out of curiosity, why didn’t you choose a magical neighborhood?” Lucifer asked, offering Smokey a small bow.

“I’ve had to hide my magic, and it’s easier with people who don’t know magic exists.” I led the way up the stairs. “I’ll introduce the others inside.”

“You’ve had to hide your magic,” Lucifer repeated softly, following me. “Why is that?”

I turned the key and opened the door before stopping. “We have a very strong ward. I’ll need a blood offering to let you through.”

Lucifer’s gaze trailed to the frame of the door. “If you insist, though I can get through this if you’d prefer.”

I stepped into the house. “You can see the magic?”

“I can feel it because of its power. It’s expertly wrought, I can tell. By a mage, yes?” He turned and looked at the grim faces of Penny and Emery. “Those mages, I would assume? The angelic magic thrums within it.”

“Would you wreck the spell to get through?” I asked.

Lucifer thought for a moment. “Most probably. I don’t think I could pass without disrupting it. I could try…”

I furrowed my brow. “So you wouldn’t need to tear the spell down first?”

“My power trumps theirs. I’ve pushed through a lot of wards in my time. I’m good at getting around or through them.”

“I guess I won’t have much protection if the elves decide to come calling,” I murmured as I pulled a knife from the holster on the side of my leg and nicked his finger. He didn’t flinch.

“Only the most powerful of them, and they wouldn’t bother doing the dirty work themselves. Are they here? In town? I can send up a host and clear them up easily if you’d like. It would be my great pleasure.”

I let his blood drip onto the tripwire for the spell and had him pass through. “Not the elves specifically. They’ve sent spies, I’ve heard. They aren’t actively engaging yet, though Roger—the alpha shifter I’m working with—doesn’t think that’ll last.”

“Probably not, no.” He entered my house and his gaze traveled over the living room and then down the hall. He followed me into the kitchen, noticing the table, the countertops, and then the pantry.

“Have a seat.” I motioned to the table, figuring I’d treat him like anyone else. When it was time for whiskey, we usually sat at the table to drink it and shoot the shit. I pulled down glasses as the others filed in, the latest remodel making that possible. Penny took a seat opposite Lucifer, her eyes hard. Dizzy took a chair next to Lucifer, and Callie settled in next to Penny.

“No drink for me, Reagan,” Emery said, drifting to the counter and hoisting himself up on it. He clearly planned to treat Lucifer as he would a new vampire.

Darius lowered into the chair on the other side of Lucifer, leaving the seat at the end for me. Wariness swirled within him, and I knew he was intentionally putting himself as a buffer between my dad and me. On the surface, though, he couldn’t look more confident.

“The mage scowling at you is Penny,” I said as I put the glasses down before retreating to get the bottles of alcohol.

“I seem to have two mages staring at me.” Lucifer glanced between Penny and Callie. “I am getting the impression that I am not very popular among your friends.”

“Not really, no.” I poured two fingers of whiskey for Lucifer and then the same for myself. Callie tapped her glass, and I poured for her and then Penny.

“Wine for me, Reagan, thanks,” Dizzy said, his customary smile absent.

After pouring Darius’s cognac, I grabbed a bottle of red from the pantry.

“The younger one staring at you is Penny,” I said, finally sitting down. Usually Darius would help prepare the refreshments, but he clearly wasn’t comfortable enough to move freely around the space. It seemed I was the only one who felt zero wariness in Lucifer’s company.

“Hello.” He tilted his head at Penny. “You were the mage that laid waste to the entrance of my kingdom, correct?”

“Yes,” she said without bashfulness. “I didn’t mean to the first time. I did mean to the second.”

“Of course. As I said earlier—you have mighty magic.”

“Emery is over there on the countertop,” I said. “He’s her dual-mage partner. You might’ve heard of him as the Rogue Natural.”

“Ah.” Lucifer nodded at Emery. “A rare treat. Yes, I have heard of you. You caused some disturbance with the elves, correct? Reagan thought you would enjoy my castle. Didn’t you say that, Reagan?”

“Yeah. They wouldn’t mind if you did an illusion to mess with them,” I told Emery.

“Mind? We’d welcome it.” Lucifer laughed. “I do so enjoy getting visitors lost in the castle. It’s been too long.”

Emery nodded but didn’t say hello.

“This is Callie”—I motioned to her—“and Dizzy.”

“We’ve met,” Callie said with a hard expression.

Surprise flitted across Lucifer’s face. He studied her. “Remind me, if you would. I don’t recall.”

“When you were involved with Amorette,” she replied. “We were her friends.”

“Yes, I remember now! Forgive me.” He smiled at her. It wasn’t returned. “A grave loss for everyone, but no one so much as Reagan.” His eyes turned apologetic as his gaze flicked back to me. “I apologize for my actions in your mother’s garden. I overstepped and used your pain abominably. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It’s possible,” I said, warmth budding in me because he’d realized his error without being told. “This is Darius. I believe you planned to kill him and my mage friends.”

“I did, indeed, yes. That would have been a mistake, hmm? You would not have forgiven me for that.” He turned and inclined his head at Darius. “Your reputation precedes you. You have made short work of learning my kingdom. You know it quite well in a short period of time.”

“Not well enough, or I wouldn’t have found myself in a cell, waiting for death,” Darius replied smoothly.

Lucifer laughed. “This is true. You are the child of Vlad, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Darius answered.

Lucifer took a sip of his whiskey, and his face pinched. “This is quite a bit different than what we can offer in the Underworld. I can see what you mean, Reagan.” He blew out a breath.

“It’s like a punch in the face,” Penny said, clearly fond of that comparison, and leaned forward and looked at Lucifer closely. “You are incredibly nonchalant about almost killing us. You don’t seem sorry at all.”

Lucifer spread his hands. “You tore down my magical walls, snuck into my kingdom, and intended to deceive me. Death was justified. It’s for the best it didn’t happen, but that doesn’t change the offense. You have not apologized because you had good reasons for your actions, and I will not apologize because I did too.” He shrugged. “And here we are. My hope is that Reagan can forgive me, and we can put it behind us.” He met my gaze. “I wondered if I might have a few moments of your time?”

“Not on your life,” Callie said immediately as Penny started shaking her head.

“It’s fine.” I pushed back my chair and stood, Darius with me. Emery hopped down from the counter. “You guys, it’s fine. He didn’t come all this way to kill me, and he won’t be able to kidnap me out from under your noses.”

“Very true. I mean Reagan no harm.” Lucifer pushed his chair back and stood with me. “Not now, and not ever. It was a bad judgment call to try to force someone like her to stay in my kingdom. Tatsu has made that abundantly clear to me.” Tatsu was his dragon, and I was surprised to hear that she didn’t agree with Lucifer. “We have things to discuss, though. Things that have nothing to do with the coming war.”

I grabbed my glass and used my free hand to gesture to the living room. “We can sit in there.”

Emotion rolled through Darius, but he made no move to stop me when I left the room. He also made no move to sit back down. Neither did Emery.

“Your friends are very protective,” Lucifer said as he sat on the couch. I took the armchair on his right. “That speaks highly of your connection with them. Your neighbors are the same way. I can see why you were eager to get back here.” He moved his hand through the air. “Your home is beautiful. It suits you perfectly. The location is interesting as well. This is a very vibrant city that speaks to me. I’m glad to be here.”

I bent my head in acknowledgment, pushing down a smile and trying to ignore the weird glow of pride in my chest. I’d wanted his approval for reasons I couldn’t explain.

He paused for a moment to sip his drink. His face pinched again. “I’m not sure I like whiskey. It is, indeed, like a punch in the face.” He smiled and put it on the coffee table. “I owe you an apology, Reagan. I read the situation with you very badly. Those antics would’ve worked on a great many people, but I am a proud parent to know that they will not work on you. I do think of you as my daughter, I hope you know that. You are my blood. You proved that in so many ways in the Underworld. I hope I don’t make you uncomfortable when I say that you belong there. You were meant to rule, and I hope you’ll choose to come back someday.” He leaned back and crossed an ankle over his knee. “I have made it clear to my subjects that you are royalty, whether you live there or not. You are my daughter, and you will be treated as such. It is your birthright.”

The warmth glowing in my middle swelled and flowed through me. I had wanted this olive branch. Ever since leaving the Underworld, I’d yearned to go back.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat but didn’t respond. I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“I invite you to return and stay for a while,” he continued. “I’ve left the borders opened. You can come and go as you please, wander wherever you may. You have no limits—no restrictions. I will offer you no warnings or advice, as you surely don’t need them. I would just ask that you treat the kingdom with respect.”

“Of course,” I managed.

“I left your vampires alone when you were last in the Underworld. They were allowed to follow you out in peace. All but the one that had been captured. He, I returned to his maker and a horrible demise. In the future, if vampires come in with you, they will be welcomed. If they are not, they will need to report to me and state their business. I hope you don’t mind, but they are cunning. Until this business with the elves is settled, I’ll want to keep my eye on them.”

So he’d let Ja go. I glanced toward the quiet kitchen, everyone clearly listening in. That was a good little tidbit for Darius. Maybe he could wrangle another favor from her or something.

“First, they aren’t my vampires. None of them. And if they aren’t Darius’s, then they are definitely up to no good. You’re right to keep your eye on them at all times.” I pointed toward the kitchen.

All of them,I thought so the others wouldn’t hear. Darius loves me, but he’s still a vampire. I’d be grateful for a heads-up if he’s wandering around down there. He doesn’t share his business as often as I’d like.

A ghost of a smile curved Lucifer’s lips. Wise. You’ll now have a network to rival his. We can easily keep tabs on him.

Cripes. I needed to remember whom I was talking to.

“I hope, someday, that you will take a position of leadership within our kingdom,” Lucifer went on. “We can work you in slowly, or throw you in the deep end and see what happens.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said, and maybe I was crazy, but I actually meant it. “There’s a war coming, though, so I really should deal with that first.”

“Yes. About that.” He adjusted himself in his seat. “The elves will be trying to kill you, you need to realize that.”

“I do, obviously.”

“And I will be trying to kill them.”

“Right. Makes sense.”

“If you get in my way, I will go around you, or kidnap you for real this time and stow you somewhere safe, but I will not go through you. You have nothing to fear from me or my people. I wanted to make that clear.”

“Are you going to ask me to join your side now? I got manipulated by a shifter earlier today, so everyone is taking their shot.”

“No. I’m done trying to manipulate you. You will go your own way. As will I. I will say this, however: I don’t need that accursed druid’s painting to know what you looked like in that dungeon. To remember the broken body lying on that cold, hard ground. To know how long it took you to recover. That is etched firmly in my memory. Either you will claim vengeance for that, or I will do it for you. I will not tolerate mistreatment like that, not to my blood. They will suffer for what they have done, and if I am not mistaken, we are not the only ones who wish to claim our vengeance.”

His eyes flicked to the kitchen. His words became thoughts.

About your hellfire-spewing friend. Make sure that she doesn’t tip too far into rage, or at least does not stay there too long. She might want to get vengeance as well, but if you value her, don’t let her. She is not like us. She can’t venture too far into the darkness and still make it back to the light. I can see how her death or insanity would affect you badly, so I offer that advice.

I shook my head and looked away. I liked this sonuva bitch more and more as I got to know him. I loved how his evil blended so well with the good, and how he was completely unabashed about either side.

“I probably would join your cause, if you weren’t working with Vlad,” I joked, huffing out a laugh.

“Hopefully you will join me after we wipe the elves from the Realm.”

He was joking, his tone light, but rage suddenly blasted through me, and I wanted nothing more than to stand in front of his army and command them to march. I wanted to lead them straight to the castle to finish what I’d started—burn it to the ground.

“Turns out I’m not adjusting so well to being tortured,” I said, wiping my hair away from my face.

“I would like to make a joke about that, but I’m not adjusting so well to you being tortured, either.”

“Not as well as you adjusted to Cahal being tortured?”

“You will never let that go, it seems,” he replied. “I will say, however, that he was in a day spa compared to what you endured. I’ve never seen that druid so pale as when I saw him looking down on you in that dungeon.”

“That’s really no excuse for letting your son torture someone.”

“Even the druid? I have a very hard time feeling bad about him, you must realize. The angels took pity on him—surely we’re even?”

I frowned at him, and he laughed.

“Where is he, by the way?” he asked.

I shrugged. “He took off.”

“Of course he did,” Lucifer said darkly. “And just so we’re clear, I fully expect that druid to attempt to kill me, like he tried to kill my last heir.”

I lifted my eyebrows.

His smile was cold. “Didn’t tell you that part of the story, did he? Hmm. I’ll save it for him. You’re a good enough judge of character to tell if he’s lying.” He cocked his head. “You mentioned hiding your magic earlier. You have the magic of the Underworld—why would you hide it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I knew you’d show up, drag me down into the Underworld, and try to trap me there…”

“Yes, that’s a pretty obvious answer. I would’ve had a much better time at keeping you down there when you were younger, though. I call that a missed opportunity. Now I have to go about it with decency. So much more hassle.”

I had to smile at that. “Way more hassle, yes. Maybe a better outcome, though.”

“Let’s hope.” He glanced at the kitchen again. “Now, should we go back in to your friends, or let them eavesdrop a little longer?”

I rose, and we re-entered the kitchen together. Darius pulled the chair out for me.

Lucifer sat and threaded his hands together on the table. “Darius, tell me more about your relationship with Vlad. I have been instructed to turn him over to you if Reagan asks. It seems there are some skeletons in his closet regarding you.”

Normal people would’ve gone unnaturally still at that word bomb, but Darius didn’t seem at all affected as he lowered into his seat. “Who has mentioned this to you?”

“That nutty fae with the red hair. We have secret dealings—I can’t tell you what they are.”

I shook my head. “Don’t listen to her. You might end up in a pickle.”

“Like you did?”

“Exactly like I did, yes.”

“I do not like their brand of magic. I can agree with you on that.” Lucifer looked around the table. “I might try the wine. I remember liking that brand of alcohol.”

Emery turned from leaning against the counter to grab a glass.

“Given you are the mate of my daughter,” Lucifer said to Darius, “I would advise you to find a way into Vlad’s closet. It doesn’t seem as though you will like whatever you find. I assume it’s no secret that I am using him for his forces—I’d like this matter resolved before long or it will interfere with my killing all the elves. Please note that I will use his forces regardless. Taking him won’t change that, not now. If he isn’t leading them, one of the others will. That’s the joy of creatures that are not at all sentimental.”

“So then…it’s all about you?” Penny said.

Lucifer grinned at her. “Of course. Did you expect the master of the Underworld to be altruistic?”

Penny frowned. I laughed at her confusion. Lucifer’s irreverence had a way of disorienting a person.

“Noted,” Darius said, and rolled the brown liquid around his snifter, his tell for when he was thinking.

“So, tell me.” Lucifer glanced around. “What did you really think of the Underworld? Pros and cons. I’m looking to make some improvements.”

It was amazing, watching Lucifer thaw the room and make everyone comfortable with his presence. Even Penny warmed up, shedding some of that rage she’d carried around like her magical cloud ever since leaving the Underworld. When he left a couple hours later, everyone was speaking like old friends. Emery hadn’t ventured any closer, but he was chuckling regularly and had even smiled a time or two. Callie huffed a good bit, of course, but I could tell her heart was no longer in it.

When it came time to leave, Lucifer gave me a hug, which somehow wasn’t awkward, and told me he’d see me on the battlefield, if not before. He also said he hoped to see me in the Underworld when I was ready.

“It is incredibly hard to hate that man,” Penny groused after he’d gone. “He was going to kill me. He was headed to the jail cell I was being held in to kill my fiancé and me, and now I kinda like him. What kind of magic is that? You’re not that cool, Reagan. I have to say it—you’re simply not that cool. I don’t trust him.”

“You shouldn’t trust him, and he was always incredibly charming,” Callie said. “And incredibly dangerous. You have to be careful to remember what he is capable of.”

“I guess that is kind of like a vampire, though,” Penny murmured.

“We’re going to see on the battlefield what he is capable of,” Emery said. “But at least we don’t have to worry about him killing us. That’s a relief. Of course, there is still Vlad, and I don’t think for one minute that Vlad will feel beholden to Lucifer’s wishes.”

“No, nor do I,” Darius said.

“Do you have any idea what Lucifer was talking about with the whole skeletons-in-Vlad’s-closet thing?” I asked him. “I assume he didn’t mean that literally. Or not just literally.”

“No. I’ll need to speak to the Red Prophet. Vlad is capable of great treachery, but I thought I’d uncovered everything in our long history. Possibly I was mistaken…”

“Great, we’re headed into battle with even more questions,” Callie said.

“The greatest question of all is for you, Reagan,” Emery said, and the room quieted down. “What will you do about the elves? Will you go Roger’s way and play nice, or Lucifer’s way and kill them all? Because if you go Roger’s way, you’ll still need to stand between your father and them.”

I got the feeling that he and Penny hadn’t come to New Orleans to “regroup” at all, as Penny had said. I got the impression Emery wasn’t sure which way the wind blew as it concerned me, and he’d wanted to come before everything started to figure it all out.

Joke was on him. I still didn’t know myself.

I shook my head and finished my glass of whiskey. “Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all.”