Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“Did you just kill him?” I ask, working hard not to feel bad for a demon.

“He served his purpose.” Lucifer pours himself one more drink and waves his hand over the wall, hiding the shelves from sight. Running both hands through the hellfire in front of me, I let my eyes fall shut for a moment, trying to find a small reprieve. None is to be found; shocker, right?

“Does time pass differently here than on earth?” I open my eyes and see that I’ve accidentally made the hellfire around me purple again. “When we go back, I’m not going to find a year has passed, right?”

“Time is relative,” Julian starts. “What happens here happens anywhere else, just not there. The construct of time, you will find, is simply just that.”

“What?” I shake my head. “Never mind. That’s, uh, way too complicated for me right now. If I’m here for a day, only a day will pass for Lucas?”

“Yes,” Julian tells me, and I let out a small breath of relief.

“Then let’s get out of here.” I look at Lucifer. “You’ve gotten out before, so I know we can do it again. Since the doors were closed from the inside this time, will it make it easier to get back out?”

“Perhaps,” he says. “Though I’m afraid this is another thing that’s not quite so simple.”

“But it is,” I shoot back. “Open a door and get out. Super simple.”

“Everyone in Hell knows who you are,” Lucifer reminds me. “Only someone with archangel blood is able to shut the gates. There were rumors before of the Nephilim child still being alive. There’s no doubt now.”

“Right. Fuck.” I sigh and step away from the hellfire, putting my head in my hands. “And when the demons start talking, the angels will listen.” I nod, trying to keep up with my own thoughts. “We open a door and risk someone tagging along with us.”

“Correct,” Lucifer says. “You are safe here until the rumors quell once again,” he goes on. “My brothers and sisters wouldn’t dare come to my dark kingdom in search of you.”

I swallow hard, Lucifer’s words echoing in my head. He’s right. No one would look for me here, and Elena would basically be cloaked from everyone. “I’m not having a baby in Hell. I’m going home, with my husband, and he is going to be there whenever I do go into labor. In a hospital. With doctors and drugs.”

“There are many doctors here,” Lucifer tells me, and I make a face, not needing to say what I’m thinking for him to get it. “Fine, if they’re here, they’re not the most outstanding humans, but it doesn’t mean they’re bad doctors.”

“I’m going home to Lucas,” I say, and the fire glows purple again. “We’re going to figure out a way to get out. Because I really want a slice of the ridiculously expensive cake Eliza ordered for my baby shower.” I blink and get a flash of the house, remembering how panicked Eliza was to get the decorations up in time, and how Lucas and I put a skirt on a fucking table. It felt a little silly then, but now…now it’s all so trivial. Because what does it matter if the balloon arch in the foyer is perfect when Famine is going to wipe out all the crops? Or if War makes loved ones turn on each other?

I bring my hand to my mouth, sniffing a laugh. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny, yet it is. I’m standing here in Hell—literal Hell—and everything else just seems so fucking petty, doesn’t it?”

“Is she cracking?” Lucifer asks Julian under his breath.

Julian, who takes everything literally, narrows his eyes. “She looks fine to me.”

“Mentally cracking.”

“Oh, right.” Julian’s concerned gaze trains in on me. “I believe so.”

“I’m fine, guys. I mean, I’m not fine because I’m six months pregnant, trapped in Hell, and who knows what kind of carnage is going on above us. Speaking of Hell, where are the special places?”

“Yes, she’s definitely cracking.” Lucifer strides forward. “Maybe, dear niece, you should have a seat.”

“Not until you show me the special places. Come on, you have to know what I’m talking about. You’ve never heard someone say there’s a special place in Hell for so-and-so? Scott told me there was a special place for me many times.” My lips pull into a smirk. “If only he knew my ‘special place’ was the bloody throne.”

Julian looks from me to Lucifer and back again, blue eyes clouded with worry. “Years ago, you used to give witches a boost in their powers for worshiping you. Callie is a witch. Witches can create portals. Normally, it would take an entire coven, but if you enhance her power, we could very well get out without alerting anyone.”

Lucifer grins. “You’re right. It’s worth a shot. What do you say, kiddo? Think you can handle it?”