Page 29 of Falling for Lucifer

Eight Years Later . . .

L ucifer did his best to hold his laughter in. He knew if it slipped out, there would be hell to pay. The occasion was actually extremely sad, but the way Hades was carrying on had Lucifer crying tears of laughter and not ones of sadness.

“She was the best dog. My first baby. My dawg, man. My dawg for life,” Hades said, his voice low and somber as he looked down at the tiny box that sat in a hole in the ground in his and Harley’s backyard.

The way he spoke reminded Lucifer of how Professor Slughorn spoke at Aragog’s funeral in Harry Potter .

That thought caused another bought of chuckles that he disguised behind his handkerchief.

Ellodie cut her eyes at him, but he was saved because Harley sniffled.

Ellodie immediately wrapped an arm around her best friend.

The past eight years had really cultivated a beautiful friendship between the two.

Cati and Eris as well, who stood on the other side of Hades with their men.

They were all gathered around, saying their final goodbyes to Pixie.

She was old and had died naturally the night before.

All the kids were in the theater room, no doubt tearing it up.

Etta was for sure the ringleader, and her seven-year-old brother was her right-hand man.

Anthony had been conceived on Ellodie’s birthday eight years ago, and their youngest, Talia, was three now, the same age as Harley and Hades’s son, Atlas.

That wasn’t even counting all of Eris’s kids and Cati’s kids.

All Lucifer could think was, Thank God this shit wasn’t at my house.

“You okay?” Lucifer asked Harley as Hades droned on about Pixie.

She sniffled again and shook her head. Pixie was her baby.

She’d gotten her as a puppy before she even knew Hades, so her death really hit differently for her.

Lucifer knew she still had to tell the kids about Pixie, and that wouldn’t be an easy conversation.

Everyone in Hades’s household loved dogs.

Lucifer’s amusement died down some when his eyes landed on Gotham.

He lay right next to the little hole in the ground with his head resting on his paws.

He was getting old, too, but the little Yorkie puppy prancing around him kept him young.

Bell was her name, and the family had gotten her three months ago.

Lucifer thought Harley might have suspected that Pixie would transition soon, and Bell was there to help lift everyone’s spirits when the time came.

Lucifer scooped her up as she tried to run past him. He petted her head a couple of times before handing her to Harley. She smiled through her tears and snuggled Bell to her.

“. . . And she was the best listener. Learned how to follow my lead within twenty-four hours?—”

“Okay, Bro.” Lucifer cut him off. “I think that’s enough, man.” He clapped his brother on the back and fought to keep control of his somber expression.

Hades had insisted they all wear black today in honor of Pixie, so it looked like they were at a real funeral. Hades took it a step further though. He wore his most expensive black suit and shiny shoes with a pair of shades on.

Lucifer couldn’t tell if Hades was mugging him or not from behind his shades, so he exhaled a sigh of relief when Hades took one last look at the tiny box and crouched down.

Just low enough for Lucifer to hear, since he was the closest to him, Hades muttered, “I got your mama, Pix. Rest up, baby. I love you.”

The laughter Lucifer felt disappeared, and he realized his brother really was struggling with this more than he let on. Being dramatic was in Hades’s nature, but this time, he hid behind that because there was real pain there.

Lucifer squeezed his shoulder when he stood again but didn’t say anything. He just let his brother have his moment and made sure nobody bothered him until he was ready. Finally, he sniffled and took in a deep breath before facing everyone else.

“That concludes today’s service.”

Lucifer bit back another laugh as Hades walked over to Harley and hugged her into him.

Ellodie walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “You ain’t shit,” she whispered. “I know you were laughing that whole time.”

Lucifer grinned down at her. “I can neither confirm or deny that accusation.”

She shook her head and giggled before leaning into him. The past eight years had been beautiful for the couple. They had three healthy kids and a house full of love.

Not long after Ellodie’s birthday all those years ago, they had an intimate wedding in Fiji with their loved ones before she gave birth to their son.

They traveled often, and Lucifer had opened his motorcycle repair shop that he hoped to pass down to his son one day.

Ellodie had retired from wedding planning years ago but still took on a couple of events a year for celebrities.

Life was blissful, and they managed to make it that way together. Lucifer felt indebted to her.

They stood in their embrace for a while before Ellodie whispered, “I love you.”

Lucifer kissed the top of her head. “I love you more.”

Over the years, those words were the truest he’d ever spoken.

He loved Ellodie with all his heart, and there would never be a lifetime where that wasn’t so.

Meeting her saved him. It saved his life, his legacy.

She was the reason for the man he had become.

Fate brought them together, and destiny would keep them that way because if there was one thing he was going to do, it was give Ellodie every single reason to keep Falling For Lucifer.

The End