Mentored in Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

“This other magic…” Lucifer let the sentence trail away.

“The godly power, on her mother’s side,” Cahal replied, and I was getting closer to knifing him so he’d shut up.

To my surprise, though, Lucifer snorted. “Godly power? Is that a joke, druid? Those meddling fools are no more gods than those fool elves. Than you. They are cowards, truth be told. But fine, your point is made.”

I wanted to think at Cahal, to ask him what he was getting at, but I couldn’t without Daddy Dearest hearing it. I wondered if I could section off my thoughts.

I wondered if Lucifer would allow me to learn.

“Well,” I said, trying to steer this conversation like a train that had jumped the rails and was hurtling toward a sleepy village. “Be that as it may, I can build, to a degree. If I work a little harder at it, I’m sure I can create something passable.”

“Of course you can. Come.” Lucifer turned and jerked his head. “Let us have a tour. I’ll give you your first lesson.” I stepped forward to follow, Cahal quickly falling in behind me. “No, no.” Lucifer flicked his hand and an intricate sort of wall curled into existence, stitching into the air, starting at chest height and barring Cahal’s way. “Not this time, Master Shadow. You are best taken in small doses, and I have had my fill.”

I slowed, glancing back, considering whether to tear down that forming wall and push the issue. But Cahal stepped back and tilted his head to me.

Go, he thought. I will be fine.

“Of course he will.” Lucifer hadn’t slowed. “What am I, a barbarian? I would never harm my heir’s treasured pet.”

“Cahal as a pet…” With stinging doubt, I turned and hurried to catch up to Lucifer. I needed his instruction, and it wouldn’t hurt to have more knowledge of his kingdom. If Cahal wasn’t put out, he’d be fine. “I suppose it does make sense that I would have the surliest pet I’ve ever met.”

I just wondered if I would be fine. Lucifer was tricky. Trickier than anyone I’d ever dealt with. Layers upon layers of secrets and lies simmered just beneath the caring surface he showed me. It was different with Darius. Although vampires were notorious for being manipulative, and he could manipulate people into pretzels, he genuinely cared about me. He’d gone so long without feeling that his emotions discomfited him. Which was what made it so easy to tell the difference when he was feigning emotions to manipulate me. I usually caught on pretty quickly and zeroed in on his motive. I took peace in knowing that.

But with Lucifer, I could feel his affection. I could see his excitement to have me around. I could even sense his pride in me, wrapped up in the strange push and pull he had with Cahal. He laughed, played jokes, messed with me, but made sure I had everything I wanted. It felt genuine—he felt genuine. He couldn’t be, though. Not with the way he kept this place running. He was a lot more balanced than the elves, but he clearly had a ruthless underbelly. I just hadn’t seen it yet.

I had a feeling most people didn’t until it was too late.

I needed to stay vigilant.

“You did this place up better than even the vampires could,” I said, marveling at the sweep of heavy velvet curtains that should’ve looked really dated and ridiculous but somehow paired nicely with the textured wallpaper and modern sconces lit with his special brand of lighting. “And how do you make those glow?”

I could just see his cheek lift in a smile as he stepped off the first stair on the grand staircase leading all the way down to the castle doors, and hovered above them at an angle. His glance back said he would like me to follow his lead.

“Simon says…” I did the same, not as smooth, maybe not as polished, but perfectly capable of the slow hover.

“Very good. You are much farther along than any heir I have met thus far.”

“Why do you call them—us—heirs instead of children?” I increased my pace to keep up as he floated down. It felt weird that there was no air. It would have been much cooler if my hair were blowing out behind me.

“Because it hurts too much to remember lost children.” He settled onto the ground gracefully. I bumped down next to him. He looked me in the eye and put his fist to his heart. “My hope is that you can survive, even with the magic of those suffering fools.”

“The gods?”

His eyes narrowed. “They are not divine. They are merely angels. They have a world, like this one. They are immortal, but so am I. And the elves and many other creatures. Their magic is powerful, sure, but not unstoppable. Not for me.”