Lucifer (Book 3, The Redemption Series) Read Free Page B

and leans in closer to Lucifer until their faces are barely an inch apart.
    “Lucifer,” she murmurs, “kiss me…”
    Lucifer hesitates for only a second before grabbing my mother to him and kissing her passionately.
    I feel Lucifer take hold of one of my hands and instantly find myself sitting on the real bench back in Malcolm’s courtyard.
    “ Why did you bring me back here?” I ask him, feeling cheated out of seeing more about my parents’ life together.
    “ Because what happens after that kiss isn’t something a daughter should see her parents do,” Lucifer says sounding slightly embarrassed.
    “ Oh,” I say, not needing any further explanation.
    I feel Lucifer begin to pull his hand away from mine, but I grab it before he can.
    “Please,” I beg, “tell me what you think will happen if I collect all the seals. I need to know.”
    Lucifer stares at our conjoined hands, his face drawn with worry.
    “You’ll change, Anna,” he finally says, sadness at the prospect of this eventuality in his voice. “You’ll become something you won’t be able to recognize anymore.”
    “ How will the seals change me?” I ask, becoming worried for the first time since my mission began that maybe Lucifer was right about my quest.
    Lucifer raises his gaze and looks me straight in the eyes.
    “You’ll grow to be more of a monster than I am,” he tells me. “Hate will fill your soul to a point where you can't be saved. If you want to stay the person you are, stop trying to retrieve them, Anna. Save yourself and those who love you the pain of losing you in that way.”
    Lucifer phases back to Hell, leaving me with even more questions than I had before.

Chapter 2
    I stare at Lucifer's phase trail and know exactly why he’s returned to Hell. I pity his lonely existence. He only wants to relive beloved memories of his time with my mother, allowing Hell to feed off his unending misery. Having found my own soulmate, I can only imagine the torment Lucifer is living in. If I were faced with an eternity without Malcolm, I’m certain I would either go mad or simply die from a broken heart. Unfortunately, the rift separating Heaven from Hell is a chasm no one can traverse.
    I stand up from the bench and take in a deep breath to help brace myself for what awaits me inside the house. I want to be with Malcolm, but I know he'll be furious with me for leaving without letting him know where I went. Then again, I can't imagine he would have simply stood aside and let me follow Lucifer to Hell. He would have done everything within his power to keep me from phasing there, even though it did end up providing me with some valuable information. I now know a small portion of what Lucifer was holding back from us. I have a feeling there is more to the story than what he told me, but at least he knows there's nowhere he can go that I won't follow to get the truth.
    When I phase back to Malcolm's bedroom, I find the man I love sitting on the edge of the bed looking completely lost. His elbows are resting on his thighs with his head hanging low and propped up between the palms of his hands. I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt as I look at him. I don’t like to see him so sad, and I like it even less because I know I’m the reason for it.
    As soon as I take a step forward, Malcolm's head jerks up. I'm in his arms before I can even think about taking a second step.
    “Anna,” he sighs with a mixture of relief and worry, hugging me tightly to him, “where have you been? Did someone take you? Are you hurt?”
    Malcolm makes to lean back to look at me, presumably to make sure that I haven't been harmed in any way. I quickly wrap my arms around his waist and hold him firmly to me, needing to feel his strength.
    “ I'm fine,” I tell him, feeling anything but after what Lucifer has told me. “Just hold me, Malcolm. All I need right now is to feel you.”
    Malcolm does as I ask, but I know his questions are far from over.
    “ Where were