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Lily

“I think the thong is a lost cause,” Lily said, wrinkling her nose at the sad piece of black lace that had tried so valiantly to hold up to the combined lusts of a demon prince and his deified princess.

She headed towards the garbage can by his desk, but Bel snatched it out of her hand before she could make it more than a few steps.

“It did its best. I think we should keep it to remember today.”

“Thong or no thong, I think I’m going to remember today for at least a few reasons.” Lily laughed, finding her shirt and tugging it over her head.

Bel’s expression went so achingly tender that her heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Me too.”

Unable to stand even the few feet of distance between them, she crossed the room and slid her arms around his waist, kissing his pectoral, then resting her chin on it, gazing up at him. His tail curled around her calf, free hand coming up to trace the line of her nose before he nuzzled it with his own.

A tentative knock at the door drew their attention.

Bel sighed, squeezing her calf with his tail before easing away and heading for the door, completely unbothered by his lack of shirt, her damp, ruined thong casually in one hand.

I’m going to marry the hell out of this man someday, she thought with a smile, warmth washing over her at the thought.

The office door swung open to reveal a fretful Lev and a completely neutral Greg.

Lev’s orange eyes danced between her and Bel, eyebrows furrowing slightly at Bel’s shirtless torso and her slightly messy hair, but even though he looked slightly pained, he just swallowed hard and began speaking.

“I wanted to apologize, um, to both of you. Beleth, I’m very sorry for misrepresenting the situation in a manner that caused you distress. I should have carefully and thoroughly explained the situation”—he coughed awkwardly, flushing a deeper shade of olive green—“once I had committed to even saying anything. Though, I realize now that I shouldn’t have said anything, which is where I begin my apology to you, Lily.”

Beside him, Greg simply folded his arms and gave a tiny nod.

Lev, to Lily’s shock, horror, and amusement, bent deeply and formally at the waist and stayed there.

“I offer you my sincerest and most heartfelt apology for my actions. In my excitement, I shared news that was yours to share, not mine. In doing so, I robbed you of the opportunity to tell your story in your own way and time and caused great emotional distress to those who care deeply about you. There is nothing in my power to undo what I have done, but please know that I will do everything in my power to not repeat this mistake. Should you ever need assistance in the future, I offer all the help I can give.”

Lily blinked. Then blinked again. She glanced at Bel, who she expected to look exasperated, but instead he was staring at Lev with a curious expression that she didn’t have time to fully interpret.

“I…” Just telling him to stand up didn’t feel right. Lev was always a bit formal, but that apology had been formal . There was meaning there that she couldn’t fully appreciate without more information. She collected herself quickly, deciding that formality was probably the best approach.

“I thank you, Lev...iathan, for your apology. You may stand.”

She felt like a fucking idiot, but Lev stood, looking a bit relieved, yet still more than a little worried. So she kept going.

“I accept your apology,” she assured him. “And I forgive you. It happened, and it wasn’t great, but you are genuinely sorry and have a chance to learn and grow from this. You…” The immensity of what Lev had done for her, for all of them, before he’d gotten excited about it, struck her. She rubbed at her stinging nose. “You’re the reason I get to have the future I dreamed of—that Bel and I dreamed of. You’re the reason the Afterlife really feels like home now. I know I said thank you before, but holy shit, Lev.” She chuckled wetly. “ Thank you. Can I give you a hug? Or would you prefer something else?”

“Um. I…well, a hug would be fine. You’re clothed.”

Lily ignored the wheeze from Bel’s direction and wrapped Lev in a careful hug.

His lean arms eased around her slowly, patting awkwardly at her back while he whispered, “Lily, I don’t mean to be a terrible pedant about this, but I know that the chances are slim to none of you being approved for deification and I’m concerned that you all are celebrating prematurely. Statistically—”

“Lev, honey, can you feel my heartbeat?”

His hand stilled on her back. “Yes, of course. A healthy heart rate. A tad elevated perhaps, but that makes sense considering the excitement.”

“Lev.”

He paused. “I’ve missed something, haven’t I?”

“Souls don’t have heartbeats.”

A long pause. Then he hugged her with actual enthusiasm. “Oh, thank the Universe, this will make so many things easier.”

Lily laughed and hugged him back.

“The translation there is that he’s glad you’re staying, because not only do you make soul management easier, but he’s actually rather fond of you and would have missed you,” Greg said dryly, leaning against the door frame.

Lev released her, ducking his head and squirming a little. “Your reports are thorough without being needlessly dense and are formatted very nicely.”

“Benefits of having a bachelor of arts degree.” Lily smiled, letting Lev off the hook.

“What Greggles is trying to say is that he would have missed you too,” Bel drawled, nudging his friend’s shoulder with his fist.

Greg nodded, the barest hint of a smile playing at his lips, his long tail flicking behind him. “Welcome home.”

Lily was debating whether or not to ask him if she could hug him too when her phone rang. She’d grabbed it on her way down, then completely forgotten about it. She fished it out of the pocket of her leggings and studied the name flashing on the screen.

“It’s Asmodeus,” she said.

“Put it on speaker,” Bel said. “I want to hear his reaction when you tell him the news.”

She swiped the screen. “Hello—”

“Where are you?” Asmodeus snapped.

Everyone in the room went still. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining the swift rise of the guys’ tempers and attitudes along with her own, but she pushed those distractions aside and reached for her control. No one outside of souls at the Hellp Desk had spoken to her that way since she’d arrived in the Afterlife, and the biting response that danced on the tip of her tongue was instinctive.

Just as she opened her mouth, she remembered that it was Asmodeus. Azzy. Badass and goofy and good-hearted, if a bit clumsy on the delivery of that good-heartedness sometimes.

She took a measured breath. “Excuse me?”

“ Where are you? I am standing at your desk and there are souls here being shitty, and I have an infant who is also being shitty, but in a far more literal way, but no you. I came here because Lev said you were going to the Reincarnation Office, and I thought, Lily wouldn’t do that to Bel without so much as a decent fucking explanation , so I came here to—”

“Asmodeus, stop,” Lily said. To his credit he went silent immediately. “I understand that you’re upset and worried about Bel, but you don’t get to speak to me that way. You can either treat me with respect, or we can hang up and have a different conversation later.”

She knew he was terrified for his cousin, his brother in all the ways that counted, but there were boundaries that she refused to allow violation of. Even Greg and Lev frowned darkly at her phone.

“Shit. You’re right. I’m sorry. I—”

“Of course she’s right. What the fuck, Asmodeus?” Bel growled. She’d never heard Bel sound like that, darkly protective and tightly restrained all at once, like a bow at full draw with an arrow on the string, waiting to be released. It was more than a little sexy.

Focus.

“Bel? You’re with Lily?”

“Yes. And I better be about to witness your apology,” Bel said, glowering between her and the screen as if he could convey his displeasure to his cousin with just a look.

“You are. I was in the middle of it,” Asmodeus said seriously. “Lily, you’re completely right, and I’m sorry for talking to you that way. I…got really emotional and didn’t think, but that’s no excuse for snapping at you like that. I never should have done it, and I won’t do it again. I’m really sorry.”

Lily’s pique faded at the sincerity in his voice. He was a good man, and she appreciated his apology more than words could say. It would take some more getting used to, all these genuine, unflinching apologies.

“Thank you. I forgive you and accept your apology.” She paused, wanting to lighten things up, because today was too good of a day, and he’d been sincerely sorry. “At least you’ll be able to tell Sariah that.”

Bel grinned delightedly. “Sariah is going to murder you when she finds out, Azzy.”

Asmodeus groaned. “I deserve that.”

“Also,” Lily continued, “I went to the Reincarnation Office to let them know that I’m not leaving. Ever. I’m staying in Afterlife and managed to get full denizen status. Someone’s got to shake you heathens up and love Bel properly.”

Relief dripped from every word of Asmodeus’s response. “Oh good. Congratulations! And welcome home forever! I want to hear how you managed the denizen thing. We should have a celebration dinner, like a little-ish one at our house before the big family party you know is going to happen…and before my wife kills me.”

Lily smiled at Bel, then at Greg and Lev.

“I’d like that.”

* * *

Not long after she’d hung up with Asmodeus, her phone, along with Bel’s, had blown up with calls and texts. Asmodeus had, with her blessing, made the announcement to the gate, and it’d flown from there. The first call she’d answered had been from a downright giddy Lucifer, who sounded suspiciously choked up despite his glee. He’d apologized for not thinking of deification, explaining that he hadn’t worked with souls that hadn’t been sent to Hell closely enough to know much about it. His obvious pride in Lev and his discovery warmed her heart.

A bombardment of texts and phone calls from Persephone had followed. Her first few voicemails were mostly excited shouting of things Lily couldn’t quite make out, but what she did understand—ribald suggestions of how to celebrate her newfound deified status—scorched even Lily’s ears.

More messages, from Siedah and several other workers at the Front Desk, along with Athena, Aphrodite, Freyja, Cthulhu, Thanatos, Brighid, the Morrigan, Pele, several of the librarians from the Universal Library, baristas from Common Grounds, deities and beings she’d never met. The best, though, were from the demons she’d befriended in Hell. Apparently, the entire contingent of gate demons was celebrating like they’d won a major sporting event, sending her blurry videos of absolute chaos as they whooped and cheered.

It had been a long, winding road to arrive where she belonged. Her mortal life had happened the way that it had, and no one could change that. But she couldn’t be mad about how things had unfolded. She, for one, wouldn’t change anything about how she and Bel had come together, or how she and Sharkie had found each other and grown. Well, except maybe the near heart attack Bel had had after Lev’s well-intentioned but badly delivered announcement.

That realization, along with Lev’s and Asmodeus’s apologies, had settled something in her heart. So, before they left Bel’s office, she’d pulled up a contact on her phone, took a deep breath, and typed out the message that had been a long time coming. The pain of her past no longer defined her, and the future was bright with promise.

Lily: Thank you for your apology, God. I forgive you.

* * *

A few whirlwind hours later, Lily leaned back against Bel, basking in his steady strength as they waited for the flood of kids to burst through the front doors of Sharkie’s school. He had his arms banded over her chest loosely while she traced aimless patterns over his forearms.

“Still processing?” he asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Mm.” She took a deep breath, hearing the first threads of kids chattering in the halls. “I didn’t realize how much it would matter to other people. To you, me, and Sharkie, sure. I thought your family would be excited, along with the gate demons and our friends, but I didn’t…I didn’t realize how much I mattered to people. They’re not just happy because I’m useful, though that’s a part of it. They’re happy for us . It’s been a long time since I’ve had a community like that. Like this.”

“Forever,” Bel reminded her teasingly in a deep singsong.

She bit his forearm. Lightly. Ish.

He laughed just as the door to the school burst open, releasing the torrent of kids, younger ones first, then gradually increasing in age. Sharkie and the young demons around her were all on the cusp of becoming teenagers, but Sharkie, though still growing, was getting outpaced in the growth spurt department.

She saw both of them and lit up, breaking away from her friends with a cheerful wave.

How far Sharkie had come. How far they’d all come.

“Both of you?” she asked, eyes bright. A flicker of concern danced over her features. “Wait, did something bad happen?”

“Something did happen today, but it was nothing bad,” Lily assured her, stepping out of Bel’s hold to wrap Sharkie in a hug. “It’s actually really, really good. How was school?”

“Fine, not nearly as interesting as whatever has you both looking so sappy.” Sharkie giggled, gripping her tight and resting her cheek against Lily’s chest, just like she always did.

Lily waited with bated breath to see if she’d notice. She didn’t doubt that she would. Sharkie was one of the most observant people she’d ever met.

Sharkie froze, then jerked back, staring at Lily’s chest in shock. Her wide eyes jumped between Lily’s gaze and her chest, then she pressed her ear against Lily’s chest again.

“You have a heartbeat?!”

Lily explained what had happened, what she’d done, and Sharkie’s grin grew brighter and brighter with each word.

“I’m staying, bug.” Lily grinned.

“So, you get to stay and have kids?”

“That’s the plan and hope.” Lily laughed.

“Heck yeah! Siblings! They’re gonna be so cool! This is going to be great! We get to always stay a family, and it’s going to get even better! When do your powers come in?”

“I don’t think I’ll be getting powers, beyond what I’ve already got.”

Shark wrinkled her nose. “Well, that’s stupid. Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.” Lily laughed again.

“There’s pros and cons for everything, I guess.” Sharkie sighed, then went right back to her enthusiasm. “How are we celebrating? We are celebrating, right? This is not a situation that calls for being chill. I say we do something that either involves food or fire. Or both.”

“We can do both.” Bel grinned, taking Lily’s hand. Lily draped her arm over Sharkie’s shoulders, and her heart kicked happily, the last piece of her soul settling into place.

Home.