37. Lucifer

Another One Bites the Dust starts playing in my head as a bright pink light flashes across Hell.

They've chosen an incredibly stupid way to get information out of her. I didn't even need her to get the information I wanted.

Granted, I haven't told any of them that I've figured out the culprit. I wanted to see how far they would take this stupid "bet." Apparently, the answer is all the way. They've bonded themselves to her! Because she's a human, when they eventually decide to break that bond, she will die. And then what?

They're playing with her. Like she's a toy. And is the human so ignorant that she believes they all actually want her?

Then again… Sloth never told her he bonded with her. The others probably haven't either. What a silly thing to do.

I call for my brothers, all except Asmodeus. Let him have his fun.

One by one, they all appear in the throne room. "You called for us?" Leviathan has always been the demon I was closest to. His envy makes him the best at everything he does.

"I'm sure you've seen that Lust has bonded with Brianna." I pause, checking their reactions to the news. They all look at each other with sly little smirks, knowing something that I apparently don't. "Have any of you found any information regarding who is healing her?"

"I never tried to learn." Wrath; so fucking arrogant. He never wanted to leave Hell.

I ignore him. "Anyone else try to learn?"

They all look around at each other for a moment until Levi speaks up. "I did find an angel at her apartment but when it was brought up, she knew nothing about it."

Once again, Envy proves himself to be useful. "Thank you, Levi. I've already questioned Jophiel. My sister can't hold on to a secret for anything. We all would have known if it were her, but alas she is only friends with the human because you were all showing special interest in her."

"You don't honestly believe that do you?"

If any one of my brothers had the audacity to ask me that, I would assume it to be Wrath or Lust. Maybe even Greed. I did not expect those words to come out of Levi.

I jerk my head in his direction, staring a hole into his head. "Sorry? I don't think I heard you."

A malicious smile graces his lips. "Don't you talk to your sister? She's met a soulmate because of Brianna." She's found a mate in a human? Has the supernatural world lost all order?

The disgust must show on my face because Satan lets out a mocking little laugh. "With Daemera of all beings. Can you believe that?" Why does that name sound familiar? "All those times I told her not to invite a succubus to her home and now she is the reason soulmates have found each other."

My sweet innocent little sister has found a soulmate in a succubus?! I give a quick shake of my head to clear it. A problem for another time.

"Regardless! All of you have bonded to her so that you could get close enough to her to find out whose saving her and if God is still here, and yet none of you have any worthwhile information. Failures! All of you!"

"I bonded with her because I wanted her. Not for some stupid ‘bet.'" Sloth's voice, for once, isn't monotone. It's filled with cockiness. "Honestly, Lucy, I'm positive you are the only one who still cares about it." Each of my brothers nod their head in agreement.

It sets me off. "I'm the only one who still cares that there is no one left to undo our punishments? I'm the only one who still cares that the rest of us are stuck down here if one of us is on Earth? I'm the only one who still cares that a rogue angel halfling is healing your precious human?!" With each question my voice grows louder until I'm yelling. "I'm the only one who still cares that the whole point of Mammon bringing the fucking human to Hell was so that we could leave? All of you are too obsessed with one woman's pussy that you've lost sight of everything we've been working for!"

"Rogue angel halfling?" Wrath's tone is ominous. I revealed more than I should have in my rage. "Have you found the culprit, brother?"

His use of the word brother is mocking rather than admiring. Looking between the five of them, I'm sure I'm no longer considered a brother. They've all become brother-husbands to a human and I am left on the outskirts. Knowing Asmodeus, he will follow along Wrath like a little puppy.

"Apparently, I'm the only one who still cared enough to look for them." I refuse to falter. I'm not wrong. This all started as a bet to Mammon and the others. Brianna stood in this throne room a month ago as a pawn to help us leave Hell.

"We care, Lucifer." Sloth once again, attempting to be the voice of reason. He started this whole fucking bonding mess in the first place. "We care that we aren't allowed on Earth if one of us is there already. We care that we are still punished and can't use our powers to their full potential. We care that someone other than us is watching over our mate." His empty black eyes focus on me as his next words hit me like a slap across the face. "We just care about Brianna more."

It's time for a wake-up call.

"All of you are useless in this situation. Why don't I ask Brianna directly how she feels being bonded with all of you? Let's call her here." I stand from my throne, moving to the enchantment in the middle of the room where I can force my brothers to come to me. "You've all bonded to her, giving her half of your essence. In reality, she's more powerful than all of you combined and she doesn't know it."

One by one, my brothers' faces pale. "Lucifer, what are you doing?" Satan's words aren't filled with arrogance now. There's an underlying fear.

"I'm showing you what you've created." I do a slow circle, making direct eye contact with each of my brothers. "I think it's time you learned the truth."

Envy stands from his throne. "Lucifer, stop!"

"I think it's time she learned." I focus on her essence, now mixed with all the sins except mine. It's powerful and yet she is incredibly clueless.

Brianna is in the house my fellow Kings and I have built her, which makes it so simple to grab on to her essence and forcibly pull her to me.

She appears before me, crumpled on the floor from the force I used. Asmodeus is quick to follow her. I wrap my hand around her throat and lift her to stand, not letting go once she's found her feet.

Instead, I do something that I haven't done in over a millennium. I use the angel magic left within me to shield us from demons, making her unavailable to her "mates."

"Lucifer?" Her voice is soft and confused, belying her powerful essence. "Why are you doing this? What's happening?"

I give her the simplest answer. "It's time for this to end."