Page 44 of Judge of Saints and Sinners

Nephesh dropped his head. “There is more that I haven’t told you. Things that I know you need to know. And while our bond has continued to tie us together for the time being, I believe that maybe what I’ve been protecting you from is the truth. And that ends now.”

I sat up, goosebumps erupting all down my skin. “But this feels so real.”

“It is real, in a way. You are asleep, just like me, but we are sharing a dream.”

“That’s wild.”

“It is, but I didn’t know what else to do. Something keeps telling me that our time together in the living world is coming to a close. My brother’s magic is specialized to dreams. He agreed to help us.”

I nodded, shifting so that my legs were curled under my body. “So what is it? What do we need to talk about?”

Nephesh looked away towards the immense windows, where a warm light filtered in around us. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Anywhere is good, Nephesh.”

His wide shoulders nearly shuddered at my words, dropping low as he turned away from me. “I told you I’m the heir of Hell.”

“Yeah, you sort of threw that out there.”

“I meant literally.”

“Literally we glossed over it?”

“No, that I am the heir to my father’s kingdom.”

“Your father is…?”

“Lucifer.”

I swallowed. “What?”

“My father, the King of the Underworld, he is the ruler of all of this. He and my brothers, we rule this world together. Seeing as he is an immortal, it’s not like he is planning on dying and leaving it to me, but there are certain aspects of my birth order that are less appealing than one of my younger brothers.”

“You’re saying Lucifer is a real person and you are his son.”

“I am.”

“Does he look like you?”

“No one is really sure. Only my mother has seen him without his glamor. But from what I’ve seen of myself, I’m guessing that his demon self is just as wild-looking as mine. If not more. Demons often have a more palatable form and then a more…aggressive battle form. My father and I are both blessed to have an additional form. A creature form. But unlike me, he has never been forced to use it.”

“And who is your mother?”

“She was the first witch and an excellent cook. She loved us all very much.”

“Past tense?”

“She was taken many years ago, before I lost Anna. My father has not been the same since.”

“Who took her?”

“A powerful being called the Drude. They’ve been attempting to take power from the Underworld for over fifty years now. They are waging a war against my family, and we aren’t even sure why. Other than the obvious need for power.”

“I’m sorry, but at the same time, what does this have to do with me?”

“When the Drude began to gather power, my mother cast one last spell, to sever our souls in half, planting the other half of them in a human, who would be born when it was time for us to reclaim that half of our soul.”

“That sounds intense.”