Lucifer’s Daughter(28)

“I am not just your father; I am the lord and master of deceit. Did you really think I wouldn"t find out about you consorting with that–that–”

“Are you talking about me?” asked Auric in a deadly, quiet voice from behind me.

I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Damn, and double damn. I could see this getting ugly real quick as the testosterone level inched up into dangerous levels. Not to mention my arousal levels, as Auric"s shirt clung damply to the well-defined muscles of his chest.

My father smiled slyly. “Has he told you just who and what he is?”



I looked from my father"s gleeful face to Auric"s tight one. I just knew I wouldn"t like what was coming.

“I was planning to tell her myself,” said Auric.

“When? After you took her heart and virginity?” said Satan, pulling the protective father routine, to my surprise.

Auric flushed a beet red. What, he"d been planning to debauch me? Mmm, how titillating. But back to the matter at hand.

“What are you hiding?” I faced Auric, with my arms crossed.

“It"s not as bad as Satan is making it out to be,” he said, looking very unhappy.

“Great, then tell me.” He was married. He used to be a girl. My mind ran through the many possibilities.

Auric looked from me to Lucifer; he seemed to be fighting an inner battle, one that he lost.

Sighing, he said, “I"m an angel.” Okay, not the answered I"d expected.

“A fallen one,” interjected my father.

I shot my dad an evil look. “Let him tell me, Dad. I want to hear it from his lips.”

“I am an angel, fallen from Heaven and the Army of Light.”

“Big deal. What"s the problem? We"ve got lots of fallen angels in Hell.”

“Ah,” said my father gleefully. “But the fallen in Hades follow the path of evil. Their souls have been lost beyond redemption.”

I wrinkled my forehead and tried to process what they both weren"t telling me. I hated intense early morning discussions, especially before my daily cup of coffee. Slowly, the light bulb lit up inside my head, and understanding dawned. “You haven"t lost your soul to the dark side yet, which means you can still redeem yourself in the eyes of God, and resume your position in Heaven. Well, that"s good for you, isn"t it?”

Auric looked miserable.

“Come on, tell her the rest,” goaded my father.

“I can return if I perform a great act of good.” The words came reluctantly.

I could be really dense at times. “Like what, saving an old lady from a burning building?”



“Bigger,” Auric said, shifting uncomfortably.

And then I had the big revelation. My mouth dropped open, and my eyes widened, and I whispered, “If you rid the world of a great evil. Something like, say, Satan"s daughter.”

“Originally, I"d planned that; but then I met you and got to know you and...”

“You wanted to kill me!” I shrieked.

“Not anymore.” Auric"s face looked at me pleadingly.

“Oh, gee, that makes it all better. So, what, you"re going to kill one of my friends instead?

Maybe my sister, Bambi?” I ranted.

“No, of course not. I–” Auric stumbled over his words, his eyes a window into misery, but I didn"t care. I felt so betrayed. I"d trusted him. Allowed myself to start caring for him. Let him touch me; and all along he"d been lying.

“Well, I see my work here is done,” said my all-too-cheerful father. “I"ll talk to you later.” With a pop and stink of brimstone, Satan went back to Hell to spread around some more of his version of joy.

My heart shriveled inside my chest, and the walls that protected my psyche came slamming down. “I think you should leave,” I said woodenly, heading to my bedroom.

“Can"t we at least talk about this?” he asked, reaching for my arm.

Without even conscious thought, I repelled him. My power lashed out and pushed him back hard enough to hit the wall and crack it. He stared at me, surprised, which made two of us. I mean, I knew I had power and all, but I"d never had it react like that. Or so powerfully.

“Please leave. There"s nothing left to say.” Auric looked as miserable as I felt. How dare he!

He"d betrayed me. I listened, with my back turned, as Auric grabbed his coat and left.

As soon as the door shut behind him, the first of many tears rolled down my face. I clenched my fists at my side and let out a scream, a gut-wrenching sound that went on and on, before I dropped to my knees and sobbed.

How could he have done this to me? I thought he"d cared for me. I"d begun caring for him. I"d told him things I"d never told anyone. Let him touch me in ways I"d never been touched before.