“What happened to her?” he asks my father.
“Her body isn’t used to using that much divinity.” Michael puts his hand on my forehead, and the pain starts to fade. “And her child is more human than she is.” He slowly shakes his head back and forth and glances up at Lucifer. He doesn’t say anything, but I know: he has no idea what to do. I’m the first ever offspring of a witch and an archangel, and I’m the only Nephilim to get knocked up myself. “Are you feeling better?” he asks me.
“Yeah,” I say, though I’m a little shaky. “Is my baby okay?”
Michael moves his hand down, hovering it over my stomach. “She’s strong, just like you.”
“She?” I let out another breath, and the pain subsides. “It’s a girl?”
“Biologically,” Michael says with a smile. “Yes.”
“I’m going to have a daughter,” I whisper to myself. I was under the assumption the baby was a girl, back when I thought I heard Michael tell me to do it for her, but Lucas and I couldn’t know for sure. I already felt bonded with my unborn child, but knowing that I’m going to have a daughter makes things seem even more real, and everything that happened weighs on me. “Can I go home now?”
“Yes,” Michael tells me and helps me to my feet. He pulls me into a one-armed hug, and I reach out for Lucifer’s hand.
“No one will see us disappear?” I ask when Lucifer takes my hand.
“They might,” my father says. “But they won’t remember it.” With that, he flies out of here, landing us right back where we were. Remiel’s body is still motionless on the ground, with dark red blood seeping out from the wound in his chest. I break away from Michael and look around the forest. Everything is silent and still—too still. It’s eerie, and the feeling of being watched creeps over me.
“Lucas?” I call, and my breath clouds around me. I shiver, having just come from the bright and sunny beach. “Kristy?” Frost-covered leaves crunch under my feet as I take several quick steps toward my house. “Lucas?” I call again a little louder. If he’s close, then he heard me.
A dog barks in the distance, and right as the glow of the back porch lights come into view, Lucas speeds through the woods, stopping right in front of me. His eyes are wide, and he runs his eyes up and down me, making sure I’m okay before pulling me into a tight hug.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe, wrapping my arms around his muscular body.
“It’s okay, my love.” Lucas kisses my forehead and runs his hand over my hair. Scarlet barks again as she plods over, followed by my familiars who stayed by Kristy as she ran from the house.
“You’re back,” my best friend pants, winded from running.
“I am,” I say, and Lucas loosens his hold on me but doesn’t let me go. I think he’s afraid Michael will fly me away if he does.
“Where did you go?” Kristy asks, stopping short when she sees Michael and Lucifer just yards behind me.
“A beach in Australia.”
“It’s the same one you went to before.” Lucas leans in and inhales. “I can smell the ocean on your hair.”
“Yeah,” I say and inch back, keeping my own hands locked around Lucas’s waist. I don’t want to be flown away from here either. I shiver from the cold, and Lucas pulls me close to his chest, though his body offers no warmth. Regardless, being close to him is comforting. “Michael seems rather fond of it.”
“It’s one of my favorite places in all of creation,” Michael states as if that’s a perfectly normal thing to say. I look at him, and then at Remiel’s body.
“What are we going to do?”
“You, my dear daughter,” Michael starts and walks forward. Kristy tenses and moves behind Scarlet. “Are going to go inside. We will handle this.”
“We will?” Lucifer scoffs. “Like I said, I’m done—”
“Enough,” Michael booms, and I shiver again. “None of this was your fault, Callie.”
“Claiming my throne was,” Lucifer says as he moves over to Remiel’s body.
“You can have it. I didn’t really mean it. I just…I didn’t know what else to do, and Bael…he…he was here. I don’t want it,” I spit out.
“Neither do I,” Lucifer says and waves his hand over his dead brother. Fire springs from the ground, the same way it did when he took Roger’s body to Hell. “And you’ve just given me an idea, my niece. Thank you.” His eyes meet mine, and he smiles before disappearing, wings flapping and blowing my hair back.
“Don’t go,” I rush out, moving away from Lucas toward my dad. “Please.”
Lucas pulls me back to him, glowering at Michael. “You owe her at least half an hour,” he growls.
“That’s all I can afford,” Michael says with a nod and motions to the house. “She should rest.”