Page 105

“Be strong,” Khaosti says, “And remember you are not your father’s mirror.” The shadowguard yanks on his chain and he’s dragged away. “I’ll see you soon, Amber,” he calls after me.

That just leaves me, the new guy, and the sorceress who now has hold of my chain.

“Come.”

She leads me up a set of stone stairs blackened by flame. At the top, a huge iron door swings open. I’m shoved from behind and I stumble inside but manage to stay on my feet. The room is dimly lit, but otherwise it looks…normal. Almost comfortable, dark wood and dark red furniture. She shoves me again and I growl.

Something shifts in the darkness.

“Welcome to Hell, daughter.”

Chapter 43

Where I Finally Meet my Dad

My first thought is that he might be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And he doesn’t look like a devil.

He’s tall—why couldn’t I have gotten my height from my dad?—broad at the shoulders and lean at the hips. Simply dressed in black pants and a black shirt, with no weapons that I can see. Maybe he doesn’t need them. He has pale skin, black hair, and green eyes—just like mine.

He’s studying me in return, head cocked to one side, and I’m guessing that he’s not thinkingI’mthe most beautiful thinghe’sever seen. His lips quirk. Great, he thinks I’m funny. I suppose that’s as good a way to start a relationship as any.

“Release her,” he snaps.

The chains fall away, and I rub my wrists and roll my shoulders. Everything aches, and the collar is like a heavy weight choking me, dragging me down. “Thank you,” I say. “I don’t suppose you could take off the collar as well. You know, as a sign of…good faith. I promise I won’t do any magic.”

This time, his lips curve into a genuine smile. I can see why my mother must have fallen for him. He’s definitely pretty enough to overlook a few little faults.

“Perhaps not just yet,” he murmurs, then turns to the witch. “Leave us.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want me to persuade her to cooperate?”

“Go,” he growls, and the room trembles at the sound.

Still, she hesitates, a tic jerking in her cheek. I’m betting she was hoping she’d get a chance to torture me. Or she just doesn’t want to leave me alone with him. Maybe she thinks I might hurt him. Fat chance with this thing around my neck. But Lucifer doesn’t look at her again. He’s still watching me, his gaze unreadable, and after a moment, the witch bows her head and vanishes through the doors, leaving us alone.

I stare at the door for a few seconds. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“Not surprising. You killed her daughter.”

He must mean the witch from the battle, the one he spoke through. Or maybe the first one, from when Thanouq and Zayne were attacked?

Lucifer finally moves, pacing a slow circle around me, studying me like a puzzle he’s trying to solve. “You look like her.”

My throat tightens. “My mother?”

He nods, his gaze flicking over my face. “Yes. But you’re not her.”

No shit. “Well, you’re not quite what I expected either.”

He chuckles, and the sound is warm—inviting even. It makes my stomach twist because it’s so human—so completely at odds with the monster I know he is.

“What?” he almost purrs. “You expected horns? Claws? Wings, perhaps?”

I narrow my eyes. “I expected an evil monster. You just look…normal.”

His smile is sharp. “I find this serves me well. Or do you prefer this...” He waves a hand down his frame, and his figure dissolves into shifting smoke, then reforms. I recognize him, the devil from Lucifer’s Mirror. A demon’s head, complete with black spiraling horns, emerald eyes gleaming with malice, sharp cheekbones, full lips. Wings of black sprout from his back. He’s still beautiful, but scary as shit. My mother must have crafted the mirror in his image. So, he must have shown this version of himself to her at some point. Was that when she realized that he was truly evil?

“Well, I wouldn’t want to meet you on a dark night,” I say.