Page 83 of Plaidypus
Leonard chuckled. “Which one of us is guilty of the ultimate evil? She passed on throwing the stone to either me or her father, and we passed, too.”
“The responsibility is mostly hers, but you’re sharing some of the credit. I’m pleased to inform you that you’re both coming to my many hells to stay, and I’ve already picked a lovely plot of land Icy will love. I’ll have to meddle with you both a little, in the form of bequeathing you with fire and ice resistance, but it’s only a little meddling. My father already approved, asHelikes you both. You chose mercy. Most would not.”
“And my father?”
“My father is annoyedHe’sgoing to have to figure out how to contain a spunky little pony with a taste for danger noodles. Your mother is no better despite the fact that she’s more of a vanilla flavor of human. ButHerewards those who do great deeds, and they have done more than their fair share. The desecrator would have died within a few hours. The danger noodle bit him several times in the initial assault. How sad. You truly had delivered mercy along with justice.”
“What a pity. Have you had a round with him yet?”
“Only in that I put him in with the few geese still kicking around here until the rest return. I’ll be taking my time with him and the other newcomers.Heis not in the mood for any form of mercy right now. My darling is withHimand our cats to coolHistemper a bit. WhileHeunderstood what I planned to unleash upon the world, andHeapproved my plan, the reality of their effectiveness has created a rather substantial amount of annoyance. The souls will be treated fairly.Hefinds consolation in those who would have otherwise come toHisgates last night but did not. Many futures have been changed. The number of prayers of thanks offered during the night were, let’s say, numerous.”
“Not all consequences are bad,” I murmured, and I battled Leonard for the sheets. “We’ll get dressed if you go away for a while.”
“No quickies. After lunch, you can indulge luxuriously, but there will be no quickies in my household today!” Lucifer vanished in a poof of brimstone.
Leonard burst into a snickering fit. “I like how he specified only today. As if he doesn’t indulge in quickies with his succubus wife. Succubi love when their bonded partner decides to go in for a rough quickie. But he’s also the Lord of Lies, so if Darlene wants a quickie, she’s getting a quickie, and to hell with our opinion on the matter.”
Joining him in snickering, I slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. “He said no quickies, but he said nothing about indulging in the tub. It’s plenty big enough for two, and for some reason, I’m a little sore.”
“Indulging in a tub is the definition of luxurious, and it’s not like he hasn’t recorded the news for us to watch. If he wants us eating lunch that badly, he can serve us while we lounge in the tub.”
“That sounds like a plan. Come be luxurious with me.” I waggled my fingers until he followed me.
If the Devil didn’t like it, he’d have to cope and learn some patience.
Darlene ultimately herdedus out of the tub. The warm water, bubbles, and jets sidelined any attempts at intimacy, and we’d spent the time half dozing. The succubus, armed with towels, refused to relent until we were both dressed. I couldn’t stop yawning, and Leonard wasn’t much better.
“Lycanthropes. Send them to bed, and they ultimately forget they need to actually sleep—and I mean for rest, not with each other. You weren’t supposed to tap your viruses out until tomorrow. Now you’re living zombies.” Making disapproving noises at us, she adjusted my clothes, which involved a soft, flannel shirt, which matched Leonard’s flannel shirt.
In plaid.
“I’m a plaidypus now,” I told him.
Leonard snorted on a laugh. “You are so tired.”
“You’re the reason I’m so tired,” I replied.
“All I did was invite you to do what you wanted. In growls.”
“They were sexy growls.”
He grinned, wrapped his arm around me, and pulled me towards the door. “I will share more of those sexy growls with you later, sometime after we find out what sort of chaos and mayhem we’ve unleashed on the world.”
Darlene hurried ahead of us, taking over as an usher, as though we might be defeated by a simple door or become lost in the Devil’s home. I could understand getting lost.
He had a few too many guest bedrooms, most of which weren’t occupied.
A pair of lycanthropes could stay entertained in one of those rooms for a long time without being found.
“Just be grateful I reminded Lucy you two needed some cuddle time. He did check in on you when you were mostly asleep. We have a rule; nobody sleeps in any tubs unsupervised, and there’s always a devil or demon monitoring for that situation, especially if we have mortals around. The bedrooms are bewitched to be safe havens, and there are wards that warn the monitoring devils and demons there is someone sleeping in a tub. It’s a luxury job, pays well, and earns favor with Lucifer. Lucifer does the monitoring if it’s one of his preferred people dozing. He asked the kitchen to start making something for you two when I went to get you out. We may have scanned you both to check your viruses. Excellent work tapping your viruses last night.”
I nodded, grateful they’d bothered with putting in so much effort on our behalf. “So, about the vampires. Is my brother all right?”
Darlene asked. “He’s fine. He’s very baffled by the state of the Saven brood, but they’re all bouncing back as expected. Lucifer asked me to make sure you had the correct record in case they talk to you about it. It’s about how they were made into vampires. Quinton, one of Ernesto’s sons, passed away. I wasn’t told why, and I guess it’s a sore point, but at the time, there was another race of beings: the Babylonians. They’re the source of the original sin. Their love of Ernesto and his family was so great that they delved into their deep wells of knowledge to attempt to raise the dead. In this case, Quinton. A life for a life was their theory. It didn’t work as expected. Ernesto rose, murdered every member of his family, and in their guilt and grief, the Babylonians raised them all as vampires.”
I flinched at the thought of the man having killed his family. “But even as a vampire, I could see how much he adores his daughter. Even if it’s not true love like we think of it. He seemed like he would do anything for her.”
Darlene nodded. “Pierina, Ernesto’s only daughter, was the jewel of his soul, which is why their souls were swapped. Ernesto loves all his children. He always has, even despite his state as not possessing his own soul. That deep love is ultimately what led to yesterday’s events. But Quinton has been the one who has carried the guilt of the entire vampire race. Because of his death, his father was willing to do anything to bring him back to life.Heunderstands that deep love and willingness to sacrifice. This is where things become sketchy. In that moment, Ernesto carried the portfolio of the Christ—Hisson. More specifically, Ernesto becameHisfirst son to choose the path of sacrifice. In that moment, Ernesto was willing to sacrifice anything for his love of another. He didn’t carry the portfolio for long, but it was the foundation of the portfolio and the entire concept of true sacrifice for another. Ernesto sacrificed all, even his soul, for his beloved son. It was his willingness to pay any price, even an eternity in my Lucy’s many hells, that created the vampire race.Hisgift to the Saven family was that the sacrifice would not be in vain—and that they would all find salvation one day. You and your brother were the key to that salvation.”
