Lamar frowns, but nods, even though he still hasn’t gotten up from the floor. “Yes, my king,” he states affirmatively.
“I’ve told you once to stand. I’d rather not repeat myself,” Lucifer drawls.
Lamar slowly rises to his feet, keeping his eyes lowered as his body visibly vibrates with tension.
“I don’t particularly enjoy my custody being violated,” Lucifer goes on. “If any custody is protected, it most certainly should be mine. Wouldn’t you think?”
I can’t tell by his tone if he’s being rhetorical, underhandedly vapid, or just curious.
Lamar just remains a block of stone, unmoving and silent.
“Well?” he prompts, casting a sideways glance to Lamar.
“Father, what are you—”
“Silence, Manella. I told you not to speak, or I’d ask you to leave,” Lucifer interrupts with an eerily calm tone.
Manella swallows his words, casting a less certain look toward Lamar.
“Yes, my king, I would assume your custody would receive the highest protection.”
Lucifer nods, clapping his hands together once. “I agree.”
With a wave of his hand, ten men appear in shackles, all of them unmasked to show the horrifying faces. They look to have been burned off and scarred over. I have to look away from the hideously disfigured bodies as well, because those burns scrape every bit of flesh.
“These ten prison guards had access to your cell. I granted none of them access,” Lucifer says with a bored tone and a lazy shrug.
Five more men appear in shackles, all of them looking just as gnarled and disfigured as the others. Humans wouldn’t be able to survive such damage. Did this happen recently? Or is this their form after transition?
I totally get the masks now.
“These five are the ones I gave access to. One of my most trusted escorts, and four of my most trusted throat guards,” Lucifer goes on.
He moves closer to the line of ten men. With a dark smirk, he winks, and the men drop to the ground, screams of agony ripping from their throats as they start convulsing. Black liquid oozes from their mouths, eyes and ears as they start gurgling, their screams being silenced as they drown internally.
Lucifer wipes a bit of black liquid away as though it’s a cumbersome piece of dirt. The droplet falls from his sleeve and splatters to the ground before it’s absorbed and lost from sight.
The ten dead men disappear from the room, an ominous silence falling over us in their tortured wake.
Swallowing thickly, I take a step away from the devil. Then another. And another. Until I’m against the wall.
Lucifer grins wickedly at Lamar. “Now to find out who exactly gave them access. It’s been a long while since I had the ability to hear the lies so easily,” he goes on, turning his attention to the five men.
The men have no expression as they remain shackled, since their faces are too distorted to relay any sort of emotion.
“What about you?” he asks the first one.
“No, my king,” the man immediately says, bowing his head and exposing his throat.
Lucifer smiles broadly. “Truth,” he says, moving down to the next one.
The same question and answer are repeated, and this one bows and exposes his throat as well.
When he moves to the third one, I notice a subtle tension spread through the guard.
“And you?”
The guard doesn’t answer as quickly. “No, my king. Never,” he says, bowing his head and exposing his throat.
“Lie,” the devil says seconds before the man’s head goes rolling.
Silence again.
There’s no spraying of blood. No scream of warning. Once second there’s a head, and the next second it’s bouncing around on the ground and rolling to a stop at Lamar’s feet.
The body falls, jerking the line of shackled men around him closer together, since they’re all chained to each other.
I follow Lucifer’s gaze to Lamar, and the relief on the prince’s lover’s face is almost instant. The devil can hear a lie, which means he’ll know it was never him.
The chains disappear, and the men step away from the fallen body before it also vanishes from sight.
Lucifer shifts his gaze and studies them briefly, before turning his attention to Lamar.
The four remaining men stand at a militant position, likely waiting to be dismissed.
“What were your whereabouts on the night the elder was attacked in neutral sanctuary territory?” Lucifer asks him.
Tears of pure relief cloud Lamar’s vision as a smile spreads across his lips. “With my prince, my king. I spent the night in his chambers, and woke with him that next morning,” he says, then swiftly bows, his entire body relaxed as he exposes his throat.
Lucifer glances to Manella. “He is cleared of the charges against him and remains under royal protection. An attack on him is an attack on us all,” Lucifer adds.
Lamar barely manages to keep from sobbing, remaining in his bowed state. Manella’s eyes glisten as he bows at the waist to his father. “Thank you, Father. Thank you.”
Lucifer snaps his fingers, and five men walk in. All their gazes search the room, seeing the four men instead of the fifteen originally sent in here. They stiffen and go to attention.
“Make sure it’s recorded that my son’s lover is exonerated of all charges. And place a royal inquiry into the true killer of the elder. Lamar is being framed, and I’ll not tolerate these games,” Lucifer drawls in a bored tone.
They all bow, then turn and swiftly walk out the way they came in. The four remaining fellows stay at attention, still waiting to be dismissed.
“You may return to your chambers with full pardon,” Lucifer says to Lamar. “I’m sure Manella will join you shortly.”
Lamar moves to his feet slowly, staying bowed at the waist. “Thank you, my king,” he says as he darts a look full of relief and pure joy to Manella.
Manella nods subtly, his face remaining a stoic mask in front of the devil, though I know he wants to run out with Lamar.
“You’re dismissed,” Lucifer says to Lamar.
Lamar bows again, turning to walk out, giving the devil the last word. I quickly follow him out, and watch with a curse as he disappears from sight, likely going to Manella’s chambers.
Shit.
Not this again.
Frustrated, I poke my head back through the door just as Lucifer holds a hand up. All four remaining men burst into flames, and their screams have me jerking my head back, unable to watch.
Why did he do that?
I wait until the screams go instantly silent before I peek back in, seeing nothing but ash before it disappears. Lucifer goes to a throne-like chair and takes a seat, getting comfortable as a dark smirk emerges to his lips.
“You knew nothing of the protective gift your lover had. I could see it in your reaction to that conversation,” Lucifer tells Manella.
“No, sir,” Manella answers absently. “Are you certain it’s not something else? Is it still with us?”
Reeling back, I groan. I forgot the devil knew I was there.
Unable to help myself, I poke my head back in, but find the devil studying the spot where I was earlier.
“I’m not concerned with it, so speak freely,” Lucifer finally says with a shrug, returning his attention to his son. “Though, if it is a gift from Lilith, you might want to visit with her and have her revoke it before the curse takes effect. If it hasn’t already.”
He, for some reason, stares absently at my spot again. I swallow audibly.
“You weren’t able to read their lies, were you?” Manella asks him candidly.
Lucifer gives him the creepiest smile I’ve ever seen. “I’m afraid that gift has not returned. Though I did wake up a few months ago without the breaches of darkness clouding my mind. I’ve been trying to ascertain who has been taking advantage of my weakened state. Certainly none of your lovers. Lamar clearly believed I could read the truth, and was eager to spill it to me. Let’s let him continue believing in such, along with all the others. As far as anyone is concerned, these four died for their own failure to see the traitor in their midst.”
He claps his hands together as Manella smirks, looking more like the devil’s son than I’ve ever seen him.
“You’re finally back,” Manella says like he’s pleased.
“I certainly am,” Lucifer says darkly. “And the devil isn’t too happy with the traitors among us. Your siblings should not be suspect, though I’m sure you already suspect them.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve taken something precious from me,” Manella growls.
“None so precious as your Lamar. None so powerful either,” Lucifer states absently. “And they’d never create a mess such as this for me, especially not in the state I’ve been reduced to these past few centuries.”
He does realize they’re devil-spawn, right?
Manella bristles. “Tensions are high between the six of us right now. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed when you see us together now.”
He nods, but a grin still stays fixed to his lips. “That’s all going to change, my son. Everything is about to change.”
The certainty and malice rolling off him sets my stomach into waves. I don’t like how sure he sounds of himself. It can’t be good when the devil is excited.
“Tell your siblings to look forward to a reunion.” Lucifer shifts his gaze toward Manella again, the corners of his mouth turning out like the Grinch’s as he adds, “Daddy’s home.”
A chill shoots through my spine, and I move back. Focusing hard, I find the boys presence, and I start to zap myself there, when they’re suddenly standing right behind me.
I squeal a little, and Jude’s wide eyes meet mine. Ezekiel looks half dazed, but his eyes clear when he spots me. Gage blows out a shaky breath, shaking his head as he runs a hand through his hair.
Kai opens his mouth like he’s about to speak to me, when the two large doors open on their own.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss, freaking out. “The devil is in there.”
The suicidal idiots just smirk at me. Jude even winks at me.
“Come on in, boys,” I hear Lucifer drawl, and my entire body goes awash with cold.
Ezekiel passes through me, his eyes closing briefly as he breathes in deep, and I whirl around to follow them.
I really will try to kill the devil if he attempts to harm them.
And I’ll find out just how good of a protective spirit I really am.
Or have my heart split four ways and set on fire.
One of the two.
Chapter 20
Another, smaller throne has appeared, and Manella is lazily lounging next to Lucifer. The devil is casually sipping from a champagne flute that I don’t recall him having earlier, as we step forward.
The doors slam shut, and I step up behind them, ready for whatever.
“Rather interesting quad you fellas must be to keep getting so much attention,” Lucifer drawls.