Chapter 12
Meeting Lucifer
It was early morning. After checking out at Vancouver International Airport, my mother handed me the winter coat she’d bought me at Changi Airport before putting hers on. “Put that on, Averie, it’s really cold outside.”
“How will the journey proceed from here onwards?” I asked as I tugged the bulky red coat on. She’d almost bought me a bright pink one, but I’d stopped her in time. I hadn’t worn pink since I was a kid. I didn’t hate the colour—didn’t hate any colour—it just wasn’t me anymore. When my mother asked about it, I told her that seven years was a long time, that a lot could change in seven years, but she didn’t get it. Maybe to her those seven years weren’t as long as they’d felt to me?
“A car is waiting for us,” she said as I followed her to the terminal’s exit.
When we were outside, she put her arm around my shoulders then cut through the crowd knowingly, walking to one of the many vehicles parked there—a classy black sedan that screamed money. Lucifer had to be filthy rich. With the first class plane seats, I’d already known a thing or two; this just confirmed he really was well-to-do. For someone constantly on the run, he seemed to be doing so in a very luxurious manner.
A short trip later, we pulled up at a modern loft made up of dashing penthouse units. The concierge recognised my mother, nodding in acknowledge as we passed through the lobby and headed upstairs in an elegant glass elevator. We came to floor 24 within a minute, and my mother led the way down the hallway. Stopping before unit 754, my mother reached into her tote bag, fished out a silver key, and stuck it into the keyhole, unlocking the chic five-panel white wooden door.
“Luce?” she called out as we entered, her voice ringing through the unit, and I grimaced. I found it a little hard to believe that my mother actually had a pet name for Lucifer—in my mind, he was uber-tough, a villain straight out of a movie—but I brushed it off quickly. I wasn’t here to investigate this.
“Come on into the sitting room,” a silvery but masculine voice said.
My heart rate picked up. It was ironic that I was actually eager to meet him now; not too long ago, I would’ve given anything to prevent it.
My mother took my hand and led me into the sitting room, but we jerked to a halt by the television at the front of the room. We weren’t alone. There were a lot of people in the room—people I knew.
“Why are you all here?” I asked, more bewildered than I’d ever been in my life.
Sasuke, Sir Albion, Alary, Atward—Archangel Israfel—Acacia and Asa were all here, scattered around the contemporary, black-and-white room. With the exception of Atward, they were stiff and alert and unsmiling, and they all had their watchful eyes trained on the only man in the room I didn’t recognise.
Lucifer.
Realisation suddenly struck me—it had to be the only person I’d told this address to. “Sasuke,” I said, in a voice so cold, so accusing, I barely recognised it as my own.
“I didn’t mean to—” Sasuke said anxiously.
“You don’t trust me.” I’d wanted to sound harsh, but my voice come out sounding pathetically wounded.
“No!” he cried, pointing at the stranger. He was the only one sitting down in the room, an amused look on his face. “I don’t trust him. He’s Lucifer. I was worried you’d be deceived by him. You wouldn’t be safe with him.”
“He’s my father—what can he do to me? Originally, everything is probably going to turn out all right, but your unnecessary concern messes things up!” There was a sharp intake of breath as I finished, and for half a second, I regretted my words; the hurt glint in Sasuke’s eyes was undeniable. It was the truth, though. He’d really messed things up. Now, I could only hope things wouldn’t get out of hand.
Sir Albion decided to step in at this point. “Now that everyone is gathered as you’ve requested…” So they’d all been waiting for me and my mother. “…let’s negotiate. To start, I want to know exactly what you’ve been doing, and why.”
The amused look still on his face, Lucifer laughed. He crossed his long legs with a single smooth movement, his distinctive voice—resembling Atward’s beatific one in some ways—echoing in the room, and I took a moment to look, really look, at my real father.
His lustrous dark brown locks were slicked back so perfectly, not a strand was out of place. Like Atward, he had a distinguished bearing about him and stunning good looks—heavenly brown eyes that had such bottomless, otherworldly depth, you’d run the risk of losing yourself in them; flawless, manly brows; high, chiselled cheekbones; a completely symmetrical straight-edged nose; and exquisite full lips that were naturally turned up even when he wasn’t smiling—but there was something more to him, something a human body couldn’t possess: a subtle, divine glow that poured out from deep within him. It put people in a daze, and that inexpressible feeling was just hard to believe; I couldn’t help but keep checking if he really was real.
He dressed like a human as well—in a black cashmere sweater and sand-coloured trousers—and he looked like he was in twenties. My mother looked so much older than him, and I seemed more like his sister than his daugh—
No, wait.
I didn’t look like his sister either. I didn’t look one bit like him. He was a white man with looks so dazzling, it was out of this world. I was yellow-skinned and looked like my mother.
There was no way I could be his kid.
But then again, why did my mother insist I was? There was no reason for her to lie.
And what about Asa? He was supposed to be Lucifer’s son, and he looked nothing like Lucifer either. He looked so much like his mum... Perhaps nephilims only took after their human mothers, appearance-wise?
Lucifer cocked his head and drummed his fingers on his thigh. Staring ahead at nothing in particular, he said in a haughty and provoking tone, “That depends on what you’re talking about.”
Literally smoking in aggravation, Sir Albion rolled his eyes. It was the first time I’d seen him so unnerved, and it weirded me out horribly. “Are you planning to try a comeback? If you are, you’d better reconsider. As you can see, I have the resources to bring you down again anytime.”
Running his beautiful fingers—saying that of my own father sounded so terribly wrong, but every part of him really was impossibly exquisite—through his glistening hair, Lucifer gave Sir Albion a cocky smirk. “Are you sure you’re watching your back carefully enough?”
Sir Albion snickered. “I have six trained nephilims on my side,” he said in a mocking voice. “You have only one—one who is unable to use her ability. Are you sure you should be the one laughing here?”
Personal attack aside, I wanted to protest that I wasn’t on Lucifer’s—or anyone else’s—side until I figured out what was going on, but Atward beat me to speaking.
“Brother.” He’d been standing in the open balcony with an arm around Asa’s shoulders, but now he came forward and stopped a few meters from Lucifer, who was sitting at the shorter end of a L-shaped, dark leather sofa right in the middle of the room. “We need to communicate.”
“We have no intention of trying a comeback, or anything like that. We just want to be able to lead our lives peacefully,” declared my mother indignantly in Lucifer’s place.
“Peacefully, huh? What’s the meaning of the murder of a fifteen-year-old girl then? Months ago, the host of Gemini, Jamila Green, went missing and hasn’t been seen since,” retorted Sir Albion, his eyes never leaving Lucifer. “Please, shed some light on the matter.”
My mother looked genuinely derailed. It seemed like she didn’t know what Lucifer had been up to, and I was totally relieved to know that. At least she wasn’t involved in a crime that heinous. “What has a missing girl got to do with us? Not every crime in this world has something to do with us, just so you know.”
Nobody spoke after that. Thankfully, the perturbing quietness in the room was short-lived.
“That sacrifice was necessary,” said Lucifer wit
h nonchalance, while I flinched slightly at that confession. He’d taken the life of a young girl, claiming it was necessary…
Just what kind of a person—or rather, archangel—is he?
“Necessary for you to enhance your powers!” sneered Sir Albion in disgust.
“I have no intention of engaging in further conflicts with you, my beloved nephew. I merely need my health back.” Lucifer rose from his classy sofa with easy grace. “Putting aside the serious talk, I have yet to take a good look at my great-grandniece and nephew.” He started striding toward the fireplace where Acacia was standing with Alary, but Sir Albion and Alary shifted into protective stances at once.
“Whoa.” Lucifer frowned, stopping in his track. “There’s no need to get hostile. We are family.”
“What did you want Gemini for?” asked Atward evenly.
“To get my body into shape, of course. Who do you think is responsible for this?” snapped Lucifer, directing daggers at Sir Albion as he dropped his high spirited act for the first time.
Even though Lucifer was my father, I felt I had to speak for justice, “If you didn’t start a mutiny twenty years ago, things wouldn’t be the way they are now.”
“Averie!” My mother shushed me. “You should be standing on your father’s side, not—”
“I’m not standing on anyone’s side,” I declared, flashing everyone in the room a meaningful look. I hoped I’d gotten my message across to all of them.
No one said anything following my declaration; everyone was in a daze. The only person who actually gave me a reaction was Atward—he smiled approvingly at me.
“This negotiation is not getting us anywhere,” Sir Albion said brusquely.
“I stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine. It’s as simple as that,” said Lucifer just as curtly. “I’m not trying anything, if that’s what you want to hear. I only want to reunite with my family.” His sharp, dark eyes—the same shade of ash brown as his hair—looked into mine for the first time, and I froze. Just as I’d thought, it really was easy to get lost in those unearthly eyes. “All you Savants have to do is stop interfering in our lives.”
A BlackBerry on the side table next to Lucifer suddenly vibrated, snapping me out of my trance. He picked it up and scrolled through a message.
“Brother.” Atward walked right up to Lucifer. “Promise me you won’t ever hurt another soul, and we’ll leave.”
“All right, all right. I won’t hurt another soul after today,” promised Lucifer impatiently as he slipped his BlackBerry into his pocket. “Please leave.”
“Why should we trust you?” demanded Sir Albion.
“I want to trust my brother,” said Atward calmly.
“It doesn’t matter if you do or not,” seethed Lucifer. In the space of a heartbeat, he’d vanished, reappeared next to Acacia, grabbed her by the neck and vanished again then reappeared with Acacia, near me and my mother. Drawing a handgun from behind the television set, he wheeled around then pointed it at the side of Acacia’s head.
I stopped breathing. Everyone else turned still too. Nobody had been expecting this.
Surprising everyone, Asa spoke first. “Let me take her place while you sort things out?” He stepped into the living room.
Unable to believe my ears, I gaped at Asa. His voice...the look in his eyes...they never wavered. Shock slammed into me with the impact of a hurricane. He didn’t hesitate at all to put Acacia’s life before his own. This was his life—his one precious life—and he was willing to give it away so readily for the sister who’d always treated him like dirt.
Clearly, Acacia had the same realisation. “Asa...” she gasped, a shroud of utter surprise and disbelief draping her ashen face as she stared wide-eyed at him.
Looking exhilarated, Lucifer glanced from Asa to Sir Albion. “I’ll have to admit this—your boy has guts.”
Atward sighed. “Calm down and let Acacia go. You know we aren’t here to fight,” he said, keeping his tone gentle.
Lucifer ignored him. “There’s one thing I’ll never be able to take lying down—the humiliation I’ve suffered all of this time,” he hissed at Sir Albion as he locked his arm tighter around Acacia’s neck. “You and that damn Michael... But there’s one thing you’ll never be able to feel smug about. I’ll do you a favour and enlighten you. Whatever you do, death will still catch up to you. It’s only a matter of time.”
Sir Albion looked like he wanted to lash back at Lucifer, but seeing Acacia under threat, he toned it down. “You can shoot me, I won’t even move, but leave the kids out of it.”
Lucifer shifted the gun to point at Sir Albion. “Now you said it—”
Asa zapped between Sir Albion and the gun. He stared into the weapon with his back straight and an unfaltering look on his face.
“Quit it!” snapped Atward, finally losing his patience.
“You like to play the hero, don’t you?” Lucifer grinned at Asa, amusement flashing in his eyes. “I admire your guts, but you have to know I won’t hesitate to shoot you, brat.” Lucifer’s finger on the trigger moved, ever so slightly.
“No! No! No!” I yelled in absolute horror, bolting forward. My mother was shouting behind me, but I couldn’t care at this point. “You can’t shoot him! He’s your—”
Asa and Sir Albion collapsed as gunshots roared in my ears. Someone gripped my forearm, there was the wrench of teleporting, and I found myself in a new room with only Lucifer and my mother.
“That felt good.” Lucifer smiled to himself, looking satisfied. “I never expected to have the grand reunion today, but it was great.”
I found it hard to breathe, still trapped in disbelief. “Why did you shoot Asa?” My voice was barely audible, but it was the best I could do.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes, regarding me with a strange expression. “I could sense it. That Asa boy spelled trouble, so I got rid of him before he became a threat to us.”
“He’s your son!” I hollered then broke down, sinking to the floor in a complete emotional wreck.
Everything Asa had said before came flashing through my mind. He was the bravest and most forgiving person I’d ever met. Someone that brilliant should never have died so young. And Sir Albion… I wouldn’t want him dead either. He might not be the most likable person around, but he didn’t deserve to die like this. No one deserved to die at the hands of another. No one in had the right to take the life of another.
Not even an archangel.
Swallowing hard, I looked up at Lucifer and lost it. “He’s the son conceived by Alary’s wife after you raped her thirteen years ago. You shot your own son, idiot!”
For a fleeting moment, there was a hint of surprise in Lucifer’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. “That’s some news. I didn’t know that.” He made himself comfortable on a couch in our new environment and invited my mother to the spot next to him. She sat as she was beckoned, looking as shaken as I was. “Not that it matters. There was no way I would’ve recognised the kid. The Savants must’ve kept him hoping to get something out of it.” He snickered in a voice so vile, I couldn’t tolerate it. “He’s not my son.”
Completely appalled, I leapt forward and punched Lucifer in the face with all the strength I could muster. I’d never detested someone as much as I detested Lucifer now.
My mother let out a yelp. “Averie!” she scolded, but I took no notice.
“It’s not up to you to decide that, bastard!” My voice creaked terribly, but I was too shaken to care.
The corner of his lips bled from the impact of my punch, and his blood was, indeed, silver. “My dear,” said Lucifer, following a short silence. His tone was infuriatingly relaxed. “Today is the first time I’m seeing you, and you’re getting all worked up over our nemesis.” Calmly, he swiped the silver blood on his face away with a finger. “I understand that you’re in shock, but you need to get a grip on yourself.”
He was actually right. I needed to get a grip. I needed to get back
to the Savants. I needed to know how they were doing. Maybe they were injured but not dead. Nephilims were sturdy, after all. They didn’t die easily.
“Take me back to that apartment,” I demanded, clenching my hands into fists to keep from shaking.
“Do you have any idea what you’re saying?” said my mother in disbelief. “We can’t go back. They’ll get us.”
“They won’t!” I snapped. “Take me back!”
“They’re gone by now,” said Lucifer. To my exasperation, that actually sounded logical. Of course they would be gone. They needed to get treatment for Asa and Sir Albion. “Perhaps you’re not aware, but they don’t die easily. I pulled the trigger to make them understand I won’t hesitate to silence them if they ever get on my nerves.”
But where would they go?
Probably back to Singapore. They’d gotten here before me, which meant they’d zapped here and probably didn’t have any papers. They would only be able to go to a hospital in Singapore. Besides, that was the safest place to go to get away from Lucifer.
“Get me home, then,” I tried, even though I knew I wouldn’t be getting my way. Still, I had to try something.
Anything and everything.
As expected, my mother put her foot down. “You won’t be going anywhere.” Her face said ‘no room for negotiation,’ and I wanted to protest that she had no right to be acting like a mother after being MIA for seven years, but rationally, I saw no point in arguing with them. I couldn’t teleport like a normal nephilim, and I had no Canadian currency or credit card to pay for a flight back to Singapore. Simply put, I was stranded here, and I had no choice but to follow my parents around.
I was so pathetic.
And hold on. The Savants couldn’t go to a hospital in Singapore either. No civilian in Singapore owned a gun. The hospital was required by law to report gunshot wounds, and the police would do everything in their power to get to the bottom of the matter. The Savants couldn’t risk that.
God.
Where in the world would they go?
Maybe Inverness? It was Sir Albion’s hometown.
Okay, that didn’t make sense either. And even if they did go there, there was no way I would be able to find them.
Tears of frustration streamed down my face, and I slapped myself inwardly. I needed to calm down, not waste my time and energy crying.
“So we’ll be staying here?” I asked as I wiped tears off my face, deciding not to act rashly for once and get some time alone to calm down and make a real plan. “Where in the world are we anyway? I do have the right to know that, don’t I?”
“For the time being, yes,” said Lucifer. “We’re still in Vancouver, just a few streets from the previous apartment.”
“Where is my room? I’m tired. I want to get some rest.”
“You get to pick any room in the house,” he told me.
Not bothering with a reply, I headed off to work out a plan.