20 Bandit Prince

Lily

“Obviously lemon sharks don’t taste like lemons,” Lily said, looking up from a particularly helpful article about supporting traumatized children. “Was he seriously surprised by that?”

Bel rolled his eyes. “Even I knew that. Though according to this article, lemon sharks do occasionally get possessive over certain divers and get jealous when that diver gives other sharks attention.”

“Relatable,” Lily said, stretching her back. They’d ended up sitting on a nearby bench, doing what they, as nerds, did best. Bel had offered to research shark facts and documentaries, as well as sift through the flood of text messages from the group chats for valuable advice and information. While he handled that, Lily researched child trauma and general caregiving advice. With every article she felt, if not more qualified for the task at hand, at least slightly more prepared.

She texted Siedah an update and asked if she had any information about child-specific counseling services in the Afterlife, figuring that the Front Desk would know that kind of thing. Lily knew how much counseling could help a person, but she didn’t want to overwhelm Sharkie with it too soon, if she ever chose to go. It wouldn’t hurt to know what resources were out there though.

Every so often, Bel held up his phone to show her a cute picture of a shark, or read a particularly funny joke, text exchange, or interesting fact. Apparently, Poseidon and Lir were arguing over the best shark, while Cthulhu was offering a “foodie’s review” of different shark species.

She leaned her head back, letting out a slow breath. I’ve got this. It might not be perfect, but it will be my best. No one had it all figured out.

“Lily?”

“Mm?”

“It really doesn’t bother you? When I call you princess?”

She lolled her head to the side to meet his eyes at the unexpected question. “I wouldn’t say I liked it if I didn’t mean it.”

He gave an amused huff. “I know. But earlier you looked…uncomfortable. Not just the fun kind of annoyed.”

How had she ever doubted his perceptiveness? “I do like it. I just…don’t think I deserve it, that’s all.”

An almost sad smile ghosted over his lips. “You do. You might not be a ‘poofy dress princess,’ but you’re still a princess. You could be called a queen, even.”

“ Fuck no.” Lily gagged dramatically, rewarded by his deep, rolling laugh. “That’s entirely too much responsibility. Plus, it’s princesses who have all the fun—going on adventures, kissing bandits that turn out to be naughty princes in disguise, discovering secret powers they somehow never knew they had. That’s princess stuff. It’s still a huge amount of responsibility, but it sounds like a lot more fun. In movies and books anyway, not historically.”

“What princess movies have this ‘kissing bandit prince’ trope you speak of? I may need to take notes.”

“That one would be found in romance books. Everyone loves a secret prince, especially if he’s a bad boy with a heart of gold. And has a great ass.”

“I’m going to need a list of book recommendations.” Bel grinned. “It’ll be good for me to branch out.”

Lily couldn’t help the wicked grin she aimed at him. If only he knew what he was asking for. Her Paradise library had turned out to have not only her favorite smutty romance novels, but some fantastic new ones as well—ones that made even her toes curl and had her reaching for the bedside drawer full of fun toys.

Bel arched an eyebrow, running his tongue along the tip of one fang, mischief lighting up his features. “What kind of books are you reading to put that look on your face? Naughty, naughty princess,” he tsked.

They both danced close to that invisible line now. Flirting with Bel wasn’t just flirting . It was something else.

“You know how much I love research. I want to be prepared for any and all scenarios that may…arise,” she teased.

He sucked in barely perceptible little breath, gaze darkening as it flickered down to her lips and back to her eyes.

He might as well have traced her lips with his touch. His heat radiated through his pants and her leggings where their thighs touched. It would be easy, so easy to press her leg just a little harder…

A young voice floated down the hallway, answered by Luci’s deeper one, fracturing the spell.

She looked back at her phone, the text on the screen gently detailing the kinds of behaviors caregivers could expect from children who had been through deeply traumatic experiences. Guilt soured her stomach, the sexual heat curdling at the realization of how selfish the moment had been—

She immediately quashed that line of thought.

It wasn’t selfish. It was human .

Connection could be a comfort. She knew that as well as anyone.

She’d once read studies on the prevalence of sex after funerals, how people clung to the things that made them feel alive, even in the midst of death. Remembered how, after her diagnosis, she’d gone out and hooked up with an old booty call, just to feel alive one last time before she’d gotten too sick to enjoy much of anything at all.

That moment with Bel had been heated and real and natural, not selfish. Selfish would have been abandoning Sharkie so that they could go fuck in the newly vacated conference room. While that was a deeply pleasing mental image, she’d never do it, and neither would Bel.

Which was part of why it was so easy with him. She knew down to the tiniest fiber of her soul that Bel was good . Sexier than he had any right to be, but good, first and foremost.

“Bel?”

“Hm?”

She opened her mouth, met his gaze, and thought better of it. Then thought again.

He needed to know. It was important that he know.

“I know you don’t feel like you earned being a prince,” she said.

He stiffened so completely that even his tail stilled. Shit.

She forged on. “But you’re a prince to me. Not in the shitty paperwork, ‘you got assigned to be a prince of Hell’ way, but in the ‘you have a good heart’ way.”

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even seem to breathe, just stared at her with a stunned look on his face. She wondered if it were possible to melt into the floor.

Could she fade into the wall? No, she couldn’t leave Sharkie. Well then, they’d just have to sit in awkward silence until he left or Luci and Sharkie had finished their conversation.

Bel didn’t so much as twitch.

Maybe his hatred of being a prince ran deeper than she realized, and she, like an idiot who wanted to be stupid and poetic—and okay, maybe a little romantic—had said the worst possible thing. This was why she just read romance novels and was never the heroine of her own.

“You’re still a pretty kick-ass general though. If that…makes you feel any better.” If Cthulhu could exist and be a nautical food critic, surely she could know when to shut up.

But then Bel’s arm slid around her shoulders, pulling her tightly against his side. His breath ghosted over her ear before he pressed a lingering kiss into her hair.

She melted in relief, eyes drifting shut, the hollow tension in her chest replaced with something silky and calm. She’d always assumed that when people described moments as “quiet,” they’d literally meant “without sound.” They hadn’t. Inside her head could be so damned loud , but in that moment it went quiet. Peacefully, gently, comfortably quiet.

They were simply there. Together. Side by side, sharing warmth and breath and comfort and affection.

She leaned into him, reaching up to cover the hand on her shoulder with her own. He lifted his lips and rested his cheek on top of her head, letting out a slow breath that riffled her hair.

“Thank you, princess,” he murmured.

She squeezed his hand, not opening her eyes, just soaking it all in, comforting him and letting herself feel comforted, their research abandoned. Luci and Sharkie continued their unintelligible conversation. An elevator farther down the hallway dinged. Voices murmured and faded again. She was happy to stay right where she was. Possibly for the foreseeable future.

“So,” his voice was rough against her temple, “can I be one of those bandit princes or does the quality of my ass not meet the standard?”

She clamped her free hand over her mouth in time to muffle what would have been a deeply inappropriate laugh and managed to restrict it to a nasal wheeze. Bel fought his own battle to snicker quietly, his body shaking. She patted him on the thigh with a quiet chuckle.

“With your ass, big guy, I think you could be whatever kind of prince you want.”

He grinned into her hair. “Being a prince to you is fine by me.”

She turned her head to look at him with a smile, then fought to remember how to breathe. A scant few inches separated their noses. She could see every striation in his irises, the texture of his soft lips, the minute details of his skin, the tiny strands that had escaped the braided portion of his hair to wisp over his face. His breath fanned over her skin, her too sensitive lips. So close.

She mentally slapped herself but couldn’t bring herself to back away.

“Lily,” Bel said, his voice rough.

“Bel,” she replied, desperately grasping for the threads of their conversation. “You sure you want to be a prince to me? I have very stringent requirements for the quality of royal ass.”

His cocky little smile nearly lit her on fire. “Perfect. It’ll be an incentive not to slack off in training.”

She wrinkled her nose at him.

He stuck his tongue out at her.

Lucifer coughed.

She blushed down to her toes at the sight of Luci standing directly in front of them, looking like the cat that got the canary, with Sharkie holding his hand and watching them with careworn eyes that were brighter than they had been. A little smile even tipped the corners of her mouth.

“Did you guys have a good talk?” Lily asked, sitting up a little straighter at the same time as Bel.

“Yeah. Did you?” Sharkie asked.

Bel coughed, and Lily wondered exactly how brilliantly red her ears had to be at that moment. “Yeah, Bel was very helpful.”

“I’ll bet he was.” Lucifer smirked.

Don’t kill him with your eyes, Lily, Sharkie is watching. And he’s the ruler of Hell. But mostly Sharkie’s watching.

“So,” Lily said, “what did you guys get figured out?”

“Mr. Luci says I don’t have to stay in Hell because my foster mom was”—Sharkie lowered her voice as if the bitch would hear her all the way from the mortal world—“ wrong .”

Lily just nodded.

“He also said, um…” Sharkie looked up at him for reassurance. All traces of his smugness evaporated when he looked down at her with a tender smile and an encouraging nod. “He also said that I can ask to stay with you. If that’s okay.”

“Of course it is,” Lily said, simultaneously relieved and nervous. “I have a room that you can make completely your own.”

Sharkie’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Okay.” Sharkie seemed to waver between excited and dubious. Lily didn’t blame her. Consistency, patience, kindness, and respect. Those were going to be the name of the game in helping Sharkie heal and feel safe.

Lucifer leaned towards Sharkie. “Do you mind if I speak to Lily for a moment?”

“Okay…” Sharkie said slowly, glancing at Bel, then Lily.

“He’s nice, I promise. He doesn’t bite,” Lily said, rising to her feet.

Bel shot her a look that had liquid heat dripping through her veins and curling through her abdomen, before aiming a cheerful and completely benign grin at Sharkie, bracing one elbow on a knee and holding the pinkie of his other hand out to her.

With that tiny gesture, Lily realized that she was utterly fucked. What she felt for Bel in that moment was so far outside the realm of “only friends” that she had no idea how she’d keep a lid on it.

But she’d deal with that later.

Maybe.

“I’m not so bad,” Bel said. “Besides, I hear you like sharks. Do you have a favorite kind? Like lemon sharks?”

Sharkie’s gasp of delight had Lily’s lips tipping up as she followed Luci farther up the hall. He shot a fond look behind them, where Sharkie had clambered up beside Bel and pointed at something on his phone, talking more animatedly by the second.

“Thank you for bringing her down,” he said when they stepped into an alcove.

“Thank you for taking the time to talk to her. I don’t know what you said, and I don’t need to know, but it seemed to help.”

All semblance of warmth disappeared, Lucifer’s eyes glowing brighter than she’d ever seen them. Raw power radiated from him in a nauseating buzz, a bit like standing outside when lightning was about to strike. The primal, instinctual screech of wrong and run jolted through her system, but she steeled herself. Lucifer was beyond furious, but not at her.

“I’ve been the master of Hell from the beginning, since before it was known as Hell,” he began, a strange double timbre quality to his voice. “I have seen all the worst monsters that humanity has thus far produced. Yet, the monsters who prey on children remain among the vilest.”

Lily said nothing. She had only worked in Hell for a blip of time in the grand scheme of anything, had only gotten a small taste of exactly the kind of putrid evil that could be found in it, and she agreed with him.

“You looked in the file?” he asked.

“Briefly. I wanted to get a sense of what happened so that I wouldn’t say or do anything to accidentally hurt her. I left the rest for her to tell in her own time.”

“Good.” His voice made her teeth ache. The glow of his eyes dimmed until she only felt vaguely nauseated instead of moments from throwing up. “She wasn’t the first child that woman abused. Nor that pastor. Nor those men. And,” he snarled, eyes flaring, “she wasn’t the last.”

He seethed for a moment, jaw clenched as he stared out into the hallway. Lily waited, watching the emotions rage in his eyes.

Lucifer heaved a long, weary sigh, power dimming down, rage fading into exhaustion. He adjusted his tie, fixing those glowing eyes on her. “I’m sorry, I’m sure that was very unpleasant for you. I didn’t mean to expose you to that.”

Lily held his gaze, letting the mask drop, letting the monster she’d kept caged at the bottom of her soul show a bit. “Luci, there’s nothing you could do that will be more unpleasant than seeing what was in that file. I don’t care how vicious you are.”

He looked so tired.

“I’m sorry,” she said gently.

Confusion flashed across his face. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

“Because I know. I know that if anyone were to find out about what those monsters have done, what they will do, they’ll blame it on ‘Satan’s influence.’ I’m sorry because they’ll never see this . They’ll never see that Lucifer, ruler of Hell, took time out of his day to comfort a child and be enraged on their behalf. They’ll credit you for the evil things that happen, not the justice you represent, and I’m sorry. However, when the fuckers who did this get down here, and it’s time for them to reap what they sowed, I’m sorry for that too. Because I will do my level best to make you look like an amateur at the job you created.”

Lucifer’s power rippled, a slow smile easing onto his lips. “Ms. Lily, I believe that sounds like a challenge.”

Lily smiled back. “Think you’re up to it?”

“Against you and the justice you’d deliver for that child?” He studied her, assessing the cold fury she was certain was in her eyes. “I will admit to having my doubts that I could do any better.”

He rubbed his forehead, mirth fading. “That child, Sharkie, she is special. Such wonder in her heart…and such fear too. Luckily, you are special too. Don’t”—he held a hand up before she could open her mouth—“argue with me. Please. Life has wounded you in its own way, but that does not diminish who you are, and who you could be, if you only stop being afraid of yourself.” His tone was gentle but firm.

Lily felt tremendously itchy.

Standing in front of a rabidly furious ruler of one of the most infamous punishment realms was one thing. Accepting compliments about herself—multiple times in one day no less—was entirely another.

“She trusts you,” Luci said. “The only reason she spoke with me was because you had promised to keep her safe.” He gestured down the hall, where Sharkie’s sweet little voice contrasted with Bel’s deep rumble. “The only reason she is so open with Bel is because you trust him. Perhaps there is more there than just trust—”

“Lucifer.”

“Your business is your own,” he assured her. He angled his head, humor fading into gentle seriousness again. “However, if I may just say this: Home and family may not always look the way we imagined that they would. If you need anything, especially when it comes to helping the child, I am at your disposal. She is very smart, and quite blunt. I enjoy that, and others will as well. Other deities will be happy to offer their assistance. It is one of our Universal Constants to never harm children, but I understand that fears from the mortal world may carry over.”

Lily chuckled, thinking of the flashes of Sharkie’s wide-eyed wonder. “Honestly, Luci, I think once Sharkie learns how not to be afraid, she’s probably going to run the place. Or at least explore every inch of it.”

Lucifer’s smile was brilliant. “Perhaps. Though I think she may get sidetracked by some of the more oceanic realms. There are things in that water that give me the creeps. She’ll love them.”

Bel

“I believe this goes without saying, but whatever resources she wants or needs, she gets,” Lucifer said in his office an hour later, typing away on his phone.

Bel snorted, reaching for a leftover dumpling. “Way ahead of you. I already told Lily backup was only a call away.”

The ruins of their lunch were scattered across Lucifer’s massive desk. After Lily had finished her conversation with Lucifer and asked Sharkie if she was ready to go to Paradise, Bel had given her a supportive wink and watched her gently take Sharkie’s offered hand as they headed towards the elevators.

Lily might not fully believe it yet, but Bel knew that Sharkie was in the best possible hands. If anyone could protect and guide that girl, it was Lily. She had the patience and kindness and fierce protectiveness to help the terrified child feel safe again, and begin what Bel knew could be the long process of healing.

Pride swelled in his chest, and not just because of Lily’s incredible strength of character and Sharkie’s little flashes of personality breaking through her fear. He was…proud of himself . Lily had called him a prince, and instead of carving into his soul like a curse, it had settled over him like a warm blanket.

Lucifer stiffened, a hum of power rippling through his office.

“What?” Bel asked, wariness stilling his thoughts.

“She’ll have the backup she needs, but for the next few days, it won’t come from you.” Lucifer handed over his phone, all the spark inspired by his conversation with Sharkie gone.

Bel scanned the screen, cursing. The small incursion from the unfamiliar Universe didn’t seem to be staying small. It wasn’t an army yet, but it didn’t look friendly either. He couldn’t bemoan the fact that it had to happen when it was his legions’ on-call rotation—everyone had things that they didn’t want to miss—but he’d allow himself a flare of annoyance before focusing.

He wanted to be there for Lily, for these first days with Sharkie. He wanted to be her backup. Her emotional support, if she needed it.

Bel let himself loose a single sigh, then let the feelings fade and cleared his head.

“I’ll gather my legions.” He stood, handing Lucifer back his phone.

Lucifer nodded, brow creased as Bel headed towards the door of his office.

He paused on the threshold, turning back. “Lucifer—”

“Whatever she needs, Bel. I promise.”

With a short nod, Bel left, shutting the door behind him.