CHAPTER 20
The morning came too soon with a knock at the door. A servant of some kind said in a voice like a crackling fire, “His Majesty will meet with you in one hour.”
Kira yawned and stretched, Azrin’s arm still draped over her ribs.
“Already?” he asked sleepily. His hair was a mess of black waves and his eyelids were still droopy. Gorgeous, Kira though. He was gorgeous.
Kira smelled coffee and fresh bread and rolled over to see a tray on the round table, two mugs of steaming coffee.
“Lucifer sure knows how to treat his guests,” she said, grabbing the mugs and walking back to hand one to Azrin.
He sat up in the bed and the memories of last night hit her one by one as she stared blankly at his bare chest. She had begged him to fuck her, and it had been the best sex she’d ever had. Her cheeks flushed and she suddenly realized she was naked as well.
“Believe me,” he said thickly, dragging his eyes across her body. “If I thought I had time, I would have you again. But an hour is not nearly long enough for me to do all the things I need to do to you.”
Heat bloomed all over her body and her breasts peaked with arousal. Once with him was far from enough.
She set the mug onto the round table and turned back to him to ask, “So you don’t regret it?”
His eyebrows twisted and he shook his head with dismay at her question, “Regret? Absolutely not. Not in a million life times, Kira. I want to do that and more every day for the rest of eternity.”
He softened his gaze on her, “I don’t think you understand what I feel for you.”
She stood at the edge of the bed, and he grabbed her arm to pull her back to the mattress with him. Her laughter filled his ears as he gathered her into his arms, pressing his bare chest to hers.
Azrin’s eyes locked onto hers as he continued, “When this is over, when we go back to the apartment block, I’m going to show you how much you mean to me. I swear it.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips, not the sensual passionate kisses of the night before, but a reassuring, safe, loving kiss.
She watched as he left the bed and slid on his pants. The site of his naked body was a thing of absolute beauty. The idea of having more time with him, more time for kisses, more time for conversation, more time to be in his presence was enough motivation for her to face the oncoming meeting with Lucifer.
They dressed and ate quickly, shared a few more fevered kisses with roving hands until another knock came to the door.
This time it was Beezlebub’s noble voice they heard on the other side. “His majesty is ready for you now.”
When Azrin opened the door, Beezlebub sniffed audibly, “You two smell different. I trust that you slept well?” There was a ghost of a smile on his dark lips.
“Yes,” said Azrin. “The best night of my existence so far.”
Kira took his hand and they followed Beelzebub down the staircase to what she could only assume was a throne room. It was massive, full of the same black obsidian stone. A dais stood at a collection of enormous windows, overlooking the flaming landscape of the old city below.
Lucifer was waiting for them, gazing out of those windows, a king surveying his kingdom. A pristine white robe was gathered around his lithe body with a blood red sash at his hips. His wings were out on full display, white feathers that glittered in the firelight.
He turned slowly as they approached, his hands clasped in front of him, “Prince Azrin. Miss McKinley. Welcome.”
He inclined his head toward them, golden curls that seemed to never fall out of place. “I greatly apologize for the delay. I trust you found your accommodations acceptable.”
“Of course your majesty,” Azrin went down on his knees on the stone floor. He grabbed Kira by the wrist and gently tugged her down with him.
He whispered “Bow your head”. She followed his instructions.
“None of that, my children. Rise.” Lucifer waved his beautiful hand, “We have important matters to discuss.” His voice was so smooth, refined, ice cold water skating over glass.
Kira and Azrin rose to their feet together. Azrin softly brushed the back of his hand against hers and Kira entwined her fingers with his.
Lucifer’s eyes were pools of glacial water, but his expression was gentle. Kira braced herself for whatever he was about to say.
“Kira McKinley,” she froze as his gaze pierced her, “I regret to inform you that you are not in the right place.”
She tried to calm her breathing, her heart beat so ferociously that she thought it might erupt from her chest. Azrin squeezed her hand.
Lucifer continued, “You are not supposed to be here, my child, because you are not dead yet.”
“What?” she blurted.
“Your corporeal form still lives,” he went on gently, “in a hospital in Brooklyn, New York.”
“But, but that’s not possible” her voice was getting louder, defiant. “I saw it. I saw my death, my body. How can I not be dead?”
“These are things that I have no control over. The fact remains that you are still alive and thus you do not belong here.” He remained calm and carefully controlled, even through her outburst.
“I can’t be.” Kira shook her head, her long ponytail swaying. “If I’m still alive then it’s only because machines are keeping me alive. Make them stop.”
Those glacial eyes were heartbreakingly soft as he said, “I can not. You do not have the appropriate paperwork on file.”
“What does that mean?”, she asked. The sound of panic in her voice forced Azrin to tighten his grip on her hand. She could feel his pulse quicken.
“I checked the records and you do not have a,” Lucifer raised his eyes to the ceiling for a moment, as if remembering a specific term, “you do not have a “Do not resuscitate” on file with the hospital. They can keep you alive on those machines as long as they wish.”
“That’s ridiculous!” she spat, tearing her hand from Azrin’s grip and taking half a step forward. “You’re The Devil. Make them take me off life support. I’ll sign whatever you want.”
“I am sorry Kira McKinley. I must abide by the rules. I must take you back.” Lucifer said, standing his ground.
Kira took back the half step, her shoulders slumped at his words. “Take me back? But, I don’t want to go back.”
“I understand, Kira McKinley, but these are the rules.” His face was harder now, stern, a father who understood how consequences could hurt.
“No! I’m not leaving.” She grabbed Azrin’s hand again. “For someone who talks a lot about freedom of choice and rebellion, you sure are a stickler!”
Anger filled her entire body, filled the blood in her veins. She realized she was shouting when Lucifer bent slightly and brought his face closer to hers. He was intimidating, but not menacing.
“While I admire your spirit, child. There are rules that even I am not allowed to break. This is one of them. You are not dead and therefore you are not allowed to be here. I must send you back.” His tone was matter-of-fact, not angry, just the truth.
He straightened to his full height again and continued in that tone, “You may return eventually, of course.”
“What am I supposed to do?” she asked, tears filling her lower lids, threatening to spill over.
“Live your life. Continue on the path you were on before and you will return in time.” he answered.
Azrin squeezed her hand again and when he spoke his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it, “I will be here when you return.”
“No, I can’t just go back to my old life. Not now that I’ve experienced this.This isn’t fair!” She stomped her foot.
“Life is not fair, Kira McKinley. I must take you back, regardless of how anyone feels about it.”
He turned away from her, and continued a shade quieter. “When I send you back, you will not remember your time here.”
Azrin’s face dropped as he fought to hold back his own sadness. He was a carefully crafted soldier and Kira needed his strength, not his grief.
“I won’t remember? Not anything?” her eyes fell to the floor, fat tears falling and hissing as they hit the stone floor and turned to steam.
“No, it will be as if none of this occurred. I can not change that.” He turned around sharply, piercing her with his icy stare. “And do not try to take your life. Suicide is a complicated process and you could be stuck in litigation for a long time. I can not guarantee that you will come back here after that action is taken.”
Kira’s chest rose and fell with her breath, her eyes searching the floor for answers that didn’t exist.
“When?” she asked at last, pulling her eyes back to Lucifer’s heavenly face.
“Now.” he replied.
The tears fell in earnest now as her fate set in, a fate that no one could change.
Azrin came around to face her and took both of her hands in his. “Kira, I will wait. I will wait as long as it takes for you to return. We will still have eternity, just delayed.”
“I don’t want to be without you.” She said, dripping tears on their joined hands.
The look on Azrin’s face was agonizing. He wiped a tear from her cheek. “It’s okay, Kira. We will meet again. I swear it to you. I will be right here the whole time, waiting.”
Kira threw her arms around Azrin and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his clove smoke scent, desperately trying to cement it into her memory.
He kissed her cheek and whispered into her ear, “No goodbyes. Not now, or ever. Just see you soon. Okay?”
A sob broke from her lips as she nodded her head. “Okay. See you soon, Azrin.”
Lucifer stepped close to them. Kira could have sworn there was amazement in his expression. But he gently touched Kira’s shoulder. “Come, my child, we must go.”
She looked back at Azrin one last time, his face was so grave. He mouthed something, but she couldn’t hear the words. The three words that in all his millenia of existence, Azrin had only ever said to one other person.
There was no time to ask him to say it again. A cloud of sparkling embers surrounded Lucifer as he gently pulled her away from Azrin.
Kira never took her eyes from his, those swirling galaxies staring back at her, glistening with tears. She knew she wouldn’t remember him, but she knew that she’d never look at the stars or the night sky the same way again.
The embers turned to flames and then to smoke and they were gone. Azrin crashed to his knees and wept.
“What an unfortunate turn of events for you, my brother.” Beezlebub’s large hand landed on Azrin’s shoulder.
CHAPTER 21
Kira opened her eyes slowly, the fluorescent light in the hospital room was blinding. Machines beeped and made whirring noises in her ears and it was too much.
She started to close her eyes again, but a face came into her frame of view. A kind, although angular face, framed with blonde hair. She blinked, adjusting to the white light around her. The face had gray eyes and they blinked back at her.
“Kira?” His voice was soft, almost inaudible, but his full lips moved. “Are you awake? I’ll get the nurse.”
The beeping machines were annoying and something was in her throat. She tried to raise her hand to her throat, but her arms wouldn’t move. Something was holding her down.
The man’s voice was gentle, “It’s ok. Don’t try to move. You’re in the hospital. Wait for the nurse, Kira.”
His big hand was at her cheek, “Fuck. I’m so happy to see your eyes.” he said, wiping a wet streak from her face.
The man backed away as a team of nurses rushed into the room. Kira wanted to talk, to scream, to cry, but she couldn’t do anything. The thing in her throat wouldn’t let her make a sound and she was strapped across the chest to the hospital bed. Around her legs too, she realized as she tried to wiggle her feet.
“Easy there girlfriend,” one of the nurses said as she came into Kira’s vision. Kira glared at the woman dressed in teal scrubs and blinked furiously. “Okay okay, I’m going to help you, but you have to be patient.”
Cold drops fell into her eyes first. She would have sighed at the relief if she could have. The nurses began to remove tubes, the one from her throat came out and made her gag. The movement hurt and she whimpered.
“Sorry, hon,” said another nurse. “I know it’s not pleasant. Are you in pain?”
Kira nodded slightly, everything hurt, but her head, that hurt most of all. She tried to speak, but no sound came out. So she mouthed the words“my head”.
“Yep. Okay. I’ll get you some medicine.” The nurse with the black hair turned to a red haired one, “Let’s push some more morphine.”
Eventually, the chaos ceased and the room was quiet again. The nurses had pumped her IV full of pain killers and removed the restraints around her chest and legs. Kira was alone with Keith who sat in a chair next to her bed, gently stroking her hand.
“Jesus Christ, Kira. I thought you were dead. The doctor’s said it’s a miracle you didn’t die,” he said, still speaking softly.
“I think I did,” she croaked. Her throat was dry and scratchy, but his hands were soothing, and the pain was down to a dull soreness.
“Do you remember anything?” he asked and quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”
Kira took a deep breath, it felt good to fill her lungs, even though it made her ribs ache. “I remember leaving the bar and my broken shoe, but that’s it.”
“You were hit by a car. The driver was drunk. They’re okay, but they’ll probably go to jail.” Keith said.
“Shit. That sucks.” Kira stared up at the white panels on the ceiling. All of this sucked, but at least she was alive.
CHAPTER 22
Beezlebub stood behind his brother as the cloud of smoke caught fire and Lucifer emerged, wreathed in glowing embers. He adjusted the sash at his waist and surveyed Azrin, still kneeling on the floor, his face buried in his claw tipped hands.
“Prince Azrin,” he said, a father consoling his hurt child. He reached his hand out and gently pulled on Azrin’s wrist. “Face me, my son.”
Azrin’s face was red and tear streaked as he looked up at Lucifer, but he rose to his feet and took a steadying breath.
She was gone. He had never loved someone, not like this, not with the reciprocation that Kira gave him. And now she was gone, for however long, he didn’t know.
He would wait, he had spoken true to her, but would she be the same when she came back? Would she be old and gray, he didn’t care about that.
Would she have a different personality, changed by wisdom and years and children? He didn’t know if he could bear that.
She would fall in love with someone else. He supposed she deserved that. Deserved to be happy with a human lover, not a demon. A crack split through his heart at that thought.
Lucifer opened his mouth to speak and Azrin had to shake his head to clear his thoughts and listen attentively.
“I had no idea this was possible.” He started pacing slowly, twisting the cuff of his robe in his fingers.
“I don’t know what I did when I made you, Azrin, but you are different.”
He stopped and stared at Beezlebub who was still standing at Azrin’s back. “He is different, isn’t he?”
“Yes, your majesty, he has always been different, even in those old days.” Beezlebub answered gently.
Lucifer resumed pacing, making large gestures with his hands as he walked, “Never very good at torture. Too close to humans for his own good. And don’t get me started on your obsession with their world.”
He stopped in front of Azrin and placed his hand on Azrin’s chest. “Soft, you were always so soft.”
He shook his head, golden curls swaying back and forth. “I didn’t give you the capacity for this kind of affection. I could blame humans and their little squishy hearts,” he made a gesture as if squeezing the juice from a fruit in his palm. “I could blame any number of sources. I sure as fuck could blame my own father.”
Azrin had never heard Lucifer curse. The sound was so candid that it caught him off guard. His creator had always been reserved. Cruelty or cold indifference were the only emotions he knew Lucifer to have.
“None of those things will solve this problem, however.” The cold indifference was back in his voice.
Azrin raised his brows, “problem, my lord?”
Lucifer snapped around, “Abso-fucking-lutely a problem, Azrin!”
Azrin shrank back an inch.
“I don’t want one of my princes moping around hell after some human woman!” He shuddered with disgust. “We have to do something about that because I won’t have it.”
One corner of his perfectly bowed lips raised in a crooked smile.
He resumed pacing as Azrin just stared at his father with wide, dark eyes. “Now, I can’t kill her and you can’t kill her. It’s against the rules. There’s no magic spell to make her a demon. It doesn’t work like that. I only know of one solution.”
A solution? This had Azrin’s attention. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, his ears perked up and he squared his shoulders.
“Emissaries are allowed up there. Perhaps, one of my emissaries could pull some strings, put some wheels in motion that would bring her back via the appropriate channels.” He stroked his bare chin with a perfectly manicured hand.
Azrin slumped his shoulders again and started to retort, but Lucifer cut him off with a silencing gesture.
“Who to send? Belial is a menace and can’t be trusted up there. You remember what happened last time? He almost got me into a lot of trouble with that Pontious Pilot business.”
He walked to the wall of windows and Azrin took a step closer.
“Then there’s Beezlebub,” he turned and faced the demon behind Azrin. “That won’t do either. No offense Beezle, but you’re old, and would stick out like a sore thumb.”
“None taken, your majesty.” the demon replied.
“That’s it. I’m out of emissaries. If only I had one more son to do my bidding.” He looked at Azrin, a feline smile creeping across his face.
Azrin felt a tingle deep inside himself, a change, a shift. Gold epaulets appeared on the shoulders of his uniform and a gold pin on the lapel of his jacket.
Azrin crashed to his knees again.
“Your majesty,” he bowed low and the tingle turned to flames, engulfing his body in heat. His eyes flared momentarily with a red glow.
“Get up, emissary. You have work to do.” Lucifer said in a steady tone.
Azrin rose and flexed his fingers. He could feel the power surging through his veins. He didn’t realize how much he had missed it.
“Do you mean?” He started to ask.
“Brooklyn, New York. That’s where I need you to go. I believe you understand your mission? Am I correct?”
“Yes, your majesty, of course I understand,” he answered.
Lucifer’s features turned sharp, “This is a difficult mission. Don’t fuck it up, boy.”
Azrin bowed his head. “Thank you, father. I will not.”
THE END
Azrin and Kira will return in As Above, So Below: The Waking World