"Just like we're going to stop the Four Horsemen's apocalypse before it happens too," Lucifer said.
Samael nodded. “Pestilence’s tomb still holds, and Theo and his gargoyles are guarding it. They'll report any changes to me immediately.”
I prayed Pestilence stayed locked up for a very long time. I wanted my baby to grow up without the threat of Adam casting a shadow over her childhood. He'd already done so much harm to our family—all I wanted was to not have to worry about him coming after us again.
Samael lapsed into silence, but something about the conversation felt unfinished. Lucifer glanced up like he felt it too.
“Is everything else okay?” I asked. Samael was Lucifer’s greatest friend and ally, and we both owed him a lot. If he was unhappy with the current situation, we would fix it however we could.
“Yes.” At first I thought Samael wasn’t going to say anything further, then he cleared his throat and looked away. “I took your advice, Lucifer. On the way here, I stopped to see Asmodeus and his new family.”
"Really?" I leaned forward, so excited by this unexpected turn of events I barely noticed the contraction. Okay, that was a lie, it hurt like hell.
Samael had been so upset by his son Asmodeus turning mortal that he'd refused to have anything to do with him for the last few months. Lucifer and I had begged him to give his son a chance, to meet Brandy, to forgive Lilith for making their son mortal. All we wanted was for him to talk to his son, if nothing else. Especially now that Brandy was pregnant too.
"How did it go?" Lucifer asked, as he gave Samael his full attention. He knew all about reconnecting with estranged sons, and how challenging it could be.
“It went well. I've come to accept my son's decision, even though it pains me. I can see he is truly in love, and has found a family that makes him happy." He hesitated. "I'd had no idea my son wanted something like that. I thought he was happy as an incubus, but now I realize how miserable he'd been. I just never expected him to end up with a human."
"Brandy is his mate," I said, feeling defensive of my best friend. "And she's a good person. She took care of me when I had no idea who I was, and accepted me when I told her I was an angel dating Lucifer."
Samael inclined his head. "I have nothing but respect for the woman who managed to tame my son."
"And Lilith?" Lucifer asked. "Have you spoken with her?"
Samael scowled a little at that. "No. Not yet."
Lucifer rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "If there's anything I've learned from all of this, it's that family is everything. They say time heals all wounds, but maybe this one could use a little help.”
Samael's lips pressed into a tight line, but then he said, "Fine, I will make an effort to speak with Lilith, even if only to stop this infernal flirting she does in front of Baal."
"About damn time," Lucifer said.
Another contraction shook through me, and this one was followed by a feeling like I'd peed myself. I'd had enough babies to know that meant my water had broken.
"It's also time over here," I said, unable to deny it any longer. "Send for Marcus. The baby is coming."
Lucifer dropped the screwdriver. "Now?"
I nodded. "Now."
22
Lucifer
Hannah grimaced more than smiled and she gripped the hand I’d offered her with all the strength of a god. Good thing I was one too, or she'd have broken me.
“That’s it. Keep breathing.” I’d intended to be soothing, but she shot me a glare and I closed my mouth, relegated to be the hand she was holding. Marcus waited at the foot of the bed, but I was under strict instructions to stay by her head and leave the business end to someone else, which suited me just fine.
It had been a long labor, and even though Hannah had born four children before, she hadn't done it in this body, which made everything different. Equal parts anticipation and sadness floated through my mind as Marcus told her to push. Meeting a daughter for the first time would be a wondrous thing, especially after our last one had been taken from us too soon, but I was also keenly away this would be the last time I ever experienced this. And while that burden was mostly Hannah’s, she’d sacrificed herself for me and that responsibility weighed heavily.
But I couldn’t afford to think of that now. Not while my mate needed me. Besides, the excitement outweighed the sadness. Today we would complete our family.
I tried to listen while Marcus coached Hannah through the birth process, but my attention was all on my mate, holding her hand through every breath she gasped. I knew the pain of this moment would fade, as it had with each of the boys, and we'd be left with a miracle.
My love for Hannah grew as I watched her amazing body bring forth the life we’d created together. Even this was a sacrifice of sorts—volunteering her body for our love. I'd lived thousands of years and seen many amazing things in that time, but this was the most incredible and unbelievable, the way life continued.
“One more push!” Marcus’s voice was calm and soothing, and he was probably easing Hannah’s pain as he guided our daughter into the world. Still, I saw her tense up and it made my protective side come out.
"Are you sure you've done this before?" I asked Marcus. I knew he was a great healer, Archangel Raphael's son even, but did he really know how to deliver a baby?
Marcus rolled his eyes and ignored me. I scowled and considered threatening him and everyone he loved if he didn't get this baby out immediately, but then Hannah's eyes met mine and I forced myself to be calm. Deep breaths. I swept Hannah’s hair away from her forehead and let her grip my hand. I couldn’t do anything else but be with her. In this role, being the Demon King was essentially useless.
Suddenly Hannah let out a guttural roar and a wave of power released from her. A heavy gust of air rushed through the room, sending medical supplies flying. Light and darkness burst out of Hannah all at once, and bright green plants suddenly grew up around us, before immediately withering and dying. Through it all, Hannah drained the life of everyone around us as she cried out, and though my powers as War protected me from the brunt of it, I saw Marcus stagger and grip the edge of the bed, his body weak.
"Hannah!" I cupped her chin, forcing her to look at me. "You must control your powers!"
She blinked at me and then the soul-sucking feeling of her draining our life force died off. She drew in a deep breath as she regained control of herself. "Sorry!"
I pressed a kiss to her forehead as she relaxed a little and the room returned to normal. Marcus recovered quickly and got back to work, and soon a thin cry pierced the air as our daughter was brought into the world. Hannah's eyes widened as the baby girl was placed on her bare chest, allowing her to connect immediately with this beautiful, wrinkled, sticky creature that was our baby. I wedged myself onto a thin sliver of bed beside Hannah, wrapping an arm around her as I gazed upon both of them with love.
While Marcus healed Hannah up, she cradled our daughter, and I cradled her, stroking her hair. No words were needed as we shared a moment of quiet, calm love.
"Take the baby, Lucifer,” she eventually murmured.
Suddenly I was accepting our daughter into my arms, and I held her against my chest and smiled down at her. She seemed to look at me with recognition, and a small pink arm waved from inside her blanket as I settled her in the crook of my arm.
“Perfect.” The word came out as a whisper, and I barely saw Hannah’s smile widen before I refocused all of my attention on the child in my arms. I stroked her cheek with the very tip of my finger, careful of the new, fragile skin. “Just beautiful.”
Love surged through me, and my chest tightened. The sound that came from my mouth could have been the start of a laugh or a choked sob, and I didn’t care if neither was the expected reaction from the Demon King on the birth of his only daughter.
I kissed the baby’s little red face and reached for Hannah’s hand. My amazing mate had done it again. I was truly the luckiest immortal in the world.
“What are you going to call her?” Marcus asked.
"Funny enough, we haven't discussed that." I perched on the first chair I found and gazed at my daughter's little face, her beautiful blue eyes, and I offered my finger for her to grasp. I glanced at Hannah, and she smiled as she moved her gaze from me to our daughter and back again.
“How about Aurora?” she asked softly. “After your mother.”
My chest tightened as I looked into my daughter’s eyes again, the color of the sky at dawn. "Yes, that's perfect."
"I'll let you come up with the middle name," Hannah said, as she leaned back and closed her eyes, no doubt exhausted from everything her body had just gone through.
I considered various names for some time. Since Hannah has chosen to honor a member of my family, I thought it only fitting we do the same for her. "How would you feel about Jophiel?”
Tears gleamed in Hannah’s eyes as she smiled at me. “I think Jo would approve.”
Marcus and his assistant—who I'd barely even noticed was here this whole time—finished cleaning up, and left us alone for some privacy, saying they would return to check on us shortly. I handed the baby back to Hannah, and she began attempting to breastfeed.
"She's powerful," I said quietly, as I watched them. "I can feel it, even here. The perfect blend of both of us."
"With a little bit of Elder God thrown in for good measure," Hannah said with a laugh.
"Do you think Famine changed her?" I asked.
"No, not at all. But my becoming Famine changed Aurora too, since we were still connected." Hannah sighed a little. “Famine said she wanted to be a mother again, and I sensed she would never hurt this baby. If anything, she made sure Aurora was protected during the transition. I had no love for Famine, but I appreciated that."
I smoothed a hand over my daughter's fuzzy head. No one like her had ever been brought into existence before. Half angel, half Fallen, with a touch of Elder God. I already knew she would be destined for greatness. Of course, we first had to get through the toddler years. Or worse, the teenage years. Somehow I had a feeling she wouldn't make them easy on us. She was a fighter, like her mother.
Our daughter had the power to destroy the world—or end it. I only hoped we were up to the challenge of being her parents.
23
Hannah
The next few months passed in a sleepless, newborn haze, although Aurora didn’t suffer from lack of attention. Our closest friends came to visit regularly, and Zel took her godmother duties far too seriously, proving the intensity we’d predicted from her was right on the money. She'd already tried to give Aurora two tiny knives like her own, and I'd had to explain that it would be a few years at least until my daughter would be ready for combat training.
Despite being an Elder God and not needing sleep, I was somehow exhausted most of the time, and it was a relief when Lucifer suggested I go out and finally take my horse for a ride. We'd made a small stable for the horses on one side of our estate along with a big grazing area, and even though the horses didn't really need any tending to, they seemed to enjoy having a space of their own.
I went out there now, breathing in the glorious fresh air, and found both horses together in the grass. Misery immediately came over to me and nuzzled me with her nose, and I smiled. I'd been so busy I hadn't made much time to get to know her, and I was excited to go for a ride and have a little me time, something that was rare as a new mother.
I climbed onto her back with ease, my body somehow knowing what to do even if I hadn't ridden a horse in centuries. I wove my fingers in her thick black mane, and then she took off with a triumphant leap, racing down the grass. Strife just shook his head and stayed behind as we galloped around the estate, and then we trotted down the rocky path to the beach. Once on the sand, Misery took off at top speed, and I threw my arms out and laughed as the sunshine filled me with life.
Riding across the beach gave me a lot of time to be alone with my thoughts without a baby demanding my attention. I wondered how my sons were doing, and hoped they would visit us soon, but I knew they were all busy with their own lives too. I thought about Samael running things from Vegas, and how nice it was to have some time to step back from all of that. I loved being the Demon Queen, but I also loved being Aurora's mother. My thoughts then turned to Lucifer, who seemed to enjoy being a father again too. The only thing that bothered me was that we hadn't been very intimate since Aurora was born. Hell, we'd barely had a moment alone together since then. I knew that was normal though—after all we'd been through this three times before—but thanks to Marcus and my Elder God healing my body had long been ready. It was more a matter of finding time and energy with a newborn. I just hoped that having a baby—a baby we both knew would be the last—wasn't going to change our relationship. Each experience seemed more important and immediate when we knew it was the last time we'd ever go through these moments, and I wanted to sear them all into my memories forever.
I wasn't sure how long I rode up and down the California coast, but eventually it was time to return to the stable. As I slid off Misery's back, I felt our connection strongly, this horse that was mine and yet also free. A part of her soul was bound to mine through some ancient magic I didn't understand, but I welcomed her calm, steady presence.
"I'll ride you again soon," I promised, as I patted her back. "And you still need a new name. How about...Shadow?"
A soft neigh signaled to me that she liked that name, and it was settled. It seemed fitting somehow, since I was an angel that lived between light and darkness. Shadow wandered off to stand with Strife, the two of them content in their new home. Like this, they certainly didn't look like horses of the apocalypse. I wondered if Lucifer would rename his horse too. We were still Famine and War, but we kept those dark parts of ourselves in check using everything else we were. We'd figured out how to control our powers...and our cravings. Sometimes I did still get an urge to drain all the life out of every plant around me, but like someone battling an addiction, I worked through it and overcame it.
I checked the time—nap time. One of my favorite times of day, especially when I looked down at Aurora's sleeping form. Tiny eyelashes against delicate cheeks, a cherubic mouth, a face so peaceful and innocent it seemed unreal. Sometimes I watched her for hours, almost unable to breathe past the love constricting my chest. How could I have forgotten it felt like this?
I strolled into Aurora’s nursery, preparing to get everything ready for her nap, nearly tripping over the millions of toys and baby products. I'd had three kids before Aurora, but I'd never had so much stuff before. Some of it did certainly make things easier though. I'd have killed for one of those automatic rockers when Belial was a baby—that boy had been the worst sleeper ever. Modern women had no idea how easy they had it compared to the olden days.
Inside the nursery I found the light already dimmed, the blackout curtains tightly closed, and a shirtless, muscular man standing near the crib. Lucifer turned toward me and held a finger to his lips, as he cradled our sleeping daughter against his chest. I smiled back, feeling a burst of love at the sight of them together like this. Lucifer and I had been through so much over the centuries, both together and apart, especially over these last few years—but it was all worth it for moments like these.
Also, Lucifer half-naked and holding our baby? Seriously hot. My mouth practically watered at the sight. Then he bent over to put Aurora in her crib, giving me a view of his perfect ass, and I nearly fanned myself. Who would have thought that the devil could be such a good dad?
We stepped outside and closed the door, and Lucifer asked, "Did you have a nice ride?"
"It was great. I really needed some alone time. Thanks for watching Aurora."
"Of course. We had a lovely day, although it took a bit of rocking to get her to sleep. I forgot how hard all this newborn stuff is. You'd think after three other kids it would get easier somehow..."
"I know." I took his hand and tugged him toward our
room. "In fact, I was just thinking maybe we should have some alone time too."
He arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
As soon as Lucifer entered the bedroom, I shoved him against the wall and plastered myself against him, my hands smoothing over his shoulders as I lifted myself on my tiptoes for a kiss. He only hesitated for a fraction of a second before his arms wrapped around my waist and he held me tight against him. He spun us around so I had my back against the wall, and his tongue slipped between my lips as he deepened our kiss.
“Hello there,” he murmured against my lips as heat shot to my clit. "Is someone feeling a bit randy today?"
I ran my hands along his sculpted abs. "Like you didn't do this on purpose, walking around all half-naked like that."
He donned an innocent expression. "It's hot today."
"You're right, it is hot. I should take off my clothes too." I grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head.
His eyes raked over my exposed skin. "Probably a good idea. In fact, we should both take a nice refreshing shower to cool off, don't you think?"
"It has been some time since I showered," I admitted with a laugh. Mom life didn't leave much room for showers at the moment.
"Time to get you cleaned up." He picked me up and carried me into the bathroom, then set me down while he turned on the shower. It was big enough to house five people at least, with water spraying from multiple directions, plus the perfect little bench.
Our clothes were quickly shed, and then we stepped aside into the hot water, behind the steamed-up glass walls. As I stepped under the spray, I pressed my naked breasts against Lucifer's bare chest. He dropped his head, his mouth hot and urgent against my neck, his tongue against my collarbone, and I whimpered when pure need flooded me. I ground against him, relishing the hard length of his cock pushing against my skin as he rolled his hips. I could feel all of him against me, melting me, turning me molten under his touch.
Infernal God (Claimed By Lucifer Book 3) Page 12
