by Abbie Payne
Twelve
Lucifer Palmer
Prince of Death
The White City
“GET OUT AND STAY OUT IF YOU know what’s good for you,” Uriel shouted.
He shoved me out of the gates of the White City and left with the other angels that had accompanied him not too far behind.
I hurried back to the gate when they left, determined to at least try to get back into the White City. I didn’t want to leave him alone. I couldn’t leave him alone.
Not only did I have reason to believe that Princess Edelweiss was going to be furious with me if I left him behind, but I was never going to be able to forgive myself.
No, if I couldn’t save King Victor, telling the princess wasn’t going to happen. I would just wallow in my guilt and maybe tell the boys about it, but probably not. I didn’t know that I wanted to bother them with this problem if it could be helped.
My hands wrapped around the golden bars of the gate and I began to try to pry it open when I felt a wave of electricity course through my body, forcing me to jump back from the gate.
I growled as I watched the angels still strolling away and turned and picked up a decent-sized rock from the side of the path. I set it on fire before throwing it over the gate, watching it land into one of the ponds nearby and fizzle out. It was a shame I always wanted to see this place go up into flames, but of course, nothing bad ever happened to the angels.
Those things were reserved for us - the undesirables and untouchables.
“I’ll be back, mark my words!” I called out, not talking to anyone and not expecting anyone to listen to me anyway. Almost in response to my promise, the sound of gospel music and the Holy choir singing filled the air and I couldn’t help but flinch at the suddenly elevated volume. I didn’t know what I was expecting - trying to ignore anything that held any truth to it was the angels’ favorite past-time.
❀
Palace of Sins
I KNEW I COULDN’T DO anything else to help King Victor and I wasn’t about to stay in Heaven just to watch them all gloat about how they now had the king of Hell as their “prisoner”, so I ended up giving in and teleporting back home. I felt awful leaving him behind, but that meant that I would have to go back sooner rather than later to get him back and make sure that this would never happen again.
There was no way that I had enough power to kill all of the angels on my own, but unfortunately for the angels, I knew that my brothers would be willing to help me if I asked them. I just had to convince myself to ask them and involve them in all of this mess...
The Palace of Sins was quiet - too quiet when I arrived in the foyer, but it didn’t take long for the sound of someone screaming to echo in my eardrums and throughout the house. I didn’t have much time to think before the sound of chaos breaking out upstairs sounded throughout the entire palace.
“Lucifer, where are you?” I heard Elton and Lachlan call in unison.
My heart sank when I heard the pain in their voices as if they’d already called out for me several times, and, without wasting another second, I teleported upstairs.
I followed the sound all the way to Edelweiss’s room where I found my brothers and her guard fighting against two other angels - two other angels that I probably knew better than any of the others: the two archangels, Gabriel - better known as my “replacement” after my fall - and Michael.
I didn’t hesitate to help them, only briefly glancing back as the Angel Hunters appeared. Edelweiss’s bedroom was a makeshift battleground, filled with flying fists and magic spells. When Gabriel and Michael’s gaze fell on me, apparently just then realizing that I was then, they left. Though not before letting us know that they would be back for the princess before we knew it.
I ran my hand through my hair and rolled my eyes, “Cowards,” I mumbled.
This felt like another way for them to prove to us that they were better than we could ever be.
I watched as Roscoe made his way over to check on the princess (who seemed relatively unscathed other than the fact that she was trembling in fear) before looking around to look at everyone else.
Only when I did that did I see Griffin on the floor, curled up in a fetal position. His face was coated with silent tears as he held his stomach. Immediately, my mind jumped to one of the only reasons that it could’ve been, but I tried to push it out of mind until Pierce and Sylas walked over to Griffin.
He wasn’t crying out in pain, but I could see him shaking and hear a soft whimper coming from him now and again. Griffin had a higher pain tolerance than most demons. He spent a lot of his time in school playing sports and getting into trouble in some way, shape, or form and that always came with some kind of injury.
Pierce crouched on the floor and gently took Griffin’s hand away from his stomach to reveal a massive and deep gash in his side. A black liquid was spilling onto the floor.
“Is that...?” Lachlan started, moving to stand beside me while Elton stood on my other side.
“What else would it be, genius? Of course, it’s blood,” Wyatt replied irritably.
He was the only one of my brothers still in his demon form, but if I knew him (which I hoped I did), he would stay in it until he was sure that we were no longer in danger. Wyatt would never admit it (and would try to kill me if I tried to suggest it), but we all knew that we were just as important to him as he was to us. I was even tempted to argue that he held us over his own needs, but it was going to be a cold, cold day in Hell before he would agree with that.
Sylas groaned and looked at me, “Is there any way that we can help him here?”
I knew what he was trying to get at, but I shook my head.
Pierce looked at the two of us, then, “I hate to say it, but if we don’t get him to the hospital soon, we may be needing to start taking applications for a new prince of Gluttony.”
Thirteen
Pierce Palmer
Prince of Pride
Las Vegas Demon Hospital
“THOSE ANGELS ARE GONNA PAY for this,” Sylas grumbled.
We were all sitting in the emergency room, surrounding Griffin’s bed while we waited for a doctor to come and tell us what the news was. Edelweiss was sitting on the floor at my feet. She’d been silent for the past ten minutes, but it didn’t seem like she was going to talk any time soon. Lucifer and Elton were the only ones that were really talking, but I couldn’t help but notice that Lucifer didn’t seem to care too much about what was going on. I wasn’t going to say anything - mostly for Griffin’s sake - but Wyatt didn’t look like he had the same intentions.
Then again, Wyatt was the prince of Wrath. I supposed I couldn’t expect too much from him.
I noticed that Sylas was pale (well, paler than usual) and he was slouching in his chair with his leg bouncing up and down. I felt sorry for him and I wanted to comfort him, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t think there was anything I could do. Sylas was never a fan of hospitals, though he spent plenty of time in them when we were kids.
We all perked up with the doctor came in and I looked over as Lucifer reached over and put his hand on Sylas’s arm. Sylas looked at Lucifer pleadingly, but Lucifer didn’t get the chance to say anything before the doctor started talking.
“The good news is, he’s most likely going to be fine,” the doctor mused, “The bad news is I’d like to keep Prince Griffin for a few days - just in case something happens.”
The doctor was mostly looking at Lucifer, but that was probably a smart move. Other than Lucifer and me, none of us had any idea about anything to do with medical stuff and most of the others didn’t want anything to do with it, to begin with. Sylas was just the most vocal about his hatred of doctors and hospitals - Elton, Lachlan, Gus, and even Wyatt weren’t fans either.
Lucifer nodded a little, ignoring Griffin’s protest that he wanted to go home. “Thank you, Doctor,” he mused, “Do you know where he’s being moved to yet?”
The doctor shook his head, “No. Probabl
y the royal suite, though.”
Lucifer smiled and nodded. Well, at least that meant Griffin would have a private room. None of us were the greatest at sharing our space with other people. Elton and Gus were the only exceptions to that rule and even then, they were only okay when it came to sharing their space with each other, not other people.
After a few more exchanges between Lucifer and the doctor, we were left alone again while everything was prepared for Griffin to be moved. Griffin scowled at Lucifer, wincing a little as pain shot through his side and gripping the side of the bed until his knuckles were white.
“I don’t see the point in staying here,” Griffin grumbled, “It’s not like they can do anything for the pain.”
As a general rule, demons couldn’t have painkillers (the joke was always that “they killed the pain, alright - they killed the demon so he’ll never have to feel pain again”) and - even though we weren’t originally demons - we were no exception.
“You have to stay, Griffin,” Lucifer hummed, “Doctor’s orders.”
Griffin huffed at him and looked at Sylas, “Sy, why don’t you go back home? You don’t have to be here.”
Sylas shook his head, “Nope.”
Griffin raised an eyebrow, “Why not?”
After some hesitation, Sylas turned his gaze to the ground. “I don’t want to be alone,” he lamented.
I didn’t think any of us were going to argue with that. I was too proud to admit that I was scared out loud, but I was.
“The last time anything like this happened, we were all still in Heaven, right?” Elton asked meekly, leaning against the wall and cracking his knuckles.
Though Lachlan was the youngest, Elton had the least amount of memories from our time in Heaven. I knew why that was - we all did - but we all agreed a long time ago not to tell him what happened to him. What happened to Lachlan was bad enough. We didn’t need to rehash what happened to Elton, too.
“I believe so,” Lucifer nodded, “That was when we had the big health scare with Sylas.”
Sylas released a noise that made him sound like an injured puppy and rubbed his forearms up and down, “Can we not talk about my health problems?”
Sylas was always getting sick when we were in Heaven, though. That was part of what made him so lethargic - that sickness that we were talking about had taken a lot out of him and he was still suffering from the consequences of it. Back in Heaven, the angels started calling him “Sloth” because he was so “lazy” (granted, we tried to keep the details of his illness under wraps, so it was partially our fault). That was why he eventually became the prince of Sloth.
Gus looked at him, “Sylas, relax. It’s not like anyone’s going to get you.”
Sylas didn’t say anything else, but I saw him move a little closer to Lucifer as a nurse walked past, driving a cart filled with tubes that all had colored caps on them.
“This is the first time Griffin’s been in the hospital and in this much pain, though,” Wyatt said, an obvious edge in his tone, “How is that time worse than this time?”
Lucifer shook his head, “I never said it was, Wyatt. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“It doesn’t look like you care,” Wyatt huffed, glancing back and forth between Lucifer and Griffin.
“Why wouldn’t we argue here?” Wyatt snapped, “I’m just saying that you and Lucifer don’t seem too bothered by this whole thing - if you don’t care that much, then you can leave. We don’t need you here just to take up space.”
I looked up at him, noting the tears that were filling his eyes.
“Lachlan, trade places with me,” I requested as I got to my feet, wanting to sit beside my younger brother and try to comfort him. I couldn’t help Sylas, but I was hopeful that I could help Wyatt.
Lachlan looked up at me and furrowed his eyebrows and started to argue when we were all distracted by Lucifer getting up and walking out of the room without a single word to any of us.
“Lucifer-” Elton began, going to follow him.
Gus shook his head, “Leave it, El... he obviously doesn’t care about us.”
“Gus, stop it, you know that’s not true,” Elton argued.
I sighed as I traded places with Lachlan and sat down in the chair next to Wyatt and put my arm around his shoulders. I refused to believe that Lucifer didn’t care about us, but things weren’t pointing that way at all. Perhaps that was just my pride talking. Maybe Lucifer didn’t care about us and I was just wishing that he did.
“Are we staying here?” Elton asked me, “Overnight, I mean.”
I looked over at Sylas questioningly. I didn’t want to make that kind of decision for him. He looked like he needed to leave regardless of what he wanted to do, but I wasn’t going to force him to leave if he wanted to stay.
“We’re staying here with Griffin until we at least know if he’s staying here,” Sylas decided, “Lucifer might be okay with leaving, but I’m not.”
Fourteen
Edelweiss “Eddie” Sullivan
Princess of Hell
Las Vegas Demon Hospital
“GAVIN, SHE’S A CHILD, YOU CAN’T do this!”
I was standing behind Victor’s leg, peering up at King Gavin as I clung tight. This was my first time in the Celestial Palace, but I’d already heard many stories of what went down in the throne room. Those stories rarely had happy endings.
I was supposed to be graduating from Angel School (the private school all little angels went from from ages three to six where they learned how to be angels as well as be trained for the ranks they would officially assume at eighteen) today. However, little did I know that I wasn’t going to be doing any such thing.
This was all because I finally stood up for myself against an angel that had been taunting me since we started going to school together at the age of three. His name was Jared and he was a son of two Seraphim, a rank that we all would’ve shared had I not come out wrong.
From the moment that I could comprehend their words, all of the archangels, Gavin, my parents, and most of the other angels told me that I was wrong. I was the daughter of two of Gavin’s favorite angels (one of which ran an organization that Gavin strongly endorsed). Gavin blessed my parents since my mother had been having serious infertility issues and Gavin felt that they would’ve made a perfect child - possibly even a prospect for a new archangel. I should’ve been the prime example of what it meant to be an angel, but I wasn’t.
Instead, I was a Defect.
I never understood what it was that warranted the treatment I was given, but I suppose that was my first problem. I didn’t understand that being born on Christmas Day and interacting with the king of Hell or any of his kind were bad things. I didn’t understand that, for the angels, there was no such thing as a victimless crime and they were always the victims no matter what the truth was.
Even when Gavin lost His temper and sent me plummeting through the open circle in the center of the throne room (the one that Gavin used to look down at the world below Him), I didn’t understand what I did wrong. I was just a six-year-old girl that was looking for some semblance of comfort and found it in the one person that I everyone told me I would never find it in.
I know now that it was when I began talking to Victor that I became too dangerous for the angels’ liking. Instead of blindly believing Gavin as I and every other angel in my class at Angel School were taught to do, I began to think for myself. Then, when I began to think for myself, I realized that there actually wasn’t that much truth behind Gavin and His teachings.
As I fell, I heard the sound of gospel music blasting. There was always gospel music playing, but this time it sounded like they were using it to drown out the sound of me begging for my life and Victor losing his temper.
The sad part was that I wasn’t shocked by it. No one ever listened to me. Either no one ever heard me because I was afraid to speak up for myself or no one cared to listen in the first place.
That day, I should have died, b
ut it was because of Lucifer that I didn’t. He couldn’t fix everything - Gavin had taken away my immortality (which Lucifer managed to craft a potion to replace later on) and my ability to fly. Almost all of the bones in my wings had been shattered when I hit the ground and, though Lucifer tried his best, he wasn’t able to completely heal them. The only thing he was able to do was make it where I wouldn’t have to live the rest of my life in excruciating pain.
I was a patient at the demon hospital and kept in a medically-induced coma for six months after that, but I never forgot that moment - my nightmares didn’t allow me to.
When I woke up, I didn’t know much of anything. I had to relearn how to walk, how to get around without my ability to fly, how to teleport now that Victor had given me the power in place of flight.
I think the most painful part was that I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I was no longer one of God’s angels, but I never truly was to begin with. I was no longer a Defect - though the angels would continue to call me that.
I wasn’t sure that I could call myself a fallen angel since I held no characteristics that would label me as one, but I knew I was not a demon. I didn’t know if I belonged in Hell, but I doubted there was any hope of reconciliation with Gavin and the angels.
There was one thing that I did know, though: Gavin, God, and all of the angels were either liars or they didn’t know a quarter as much as they thought they did. The angels weren’t saints and Gavin and His father were not saviors.
I was unaware at the time, but Victor had already made the decision on the night that I fell from Heaven that he was going to take me in as his own. My parents didn’t even put up a fight and I was from that point on the Devil’s daughter.
Oh, and spoiler alert: I still wouldn’t change that fact for the world.