Hexed (34 page)

Something inside Lucifer seized. She told her body to climb into the mirror, to get away, but the filcher demon inside her prevented her. Apparently it took less time to take hold than she thought.

“You have only delayed the inevitable,” said the Sister. “Both the boy and girl have summoned us. Once summoned, we can find them anywhere, pull them through any reflection.”

Lucifer nodded. She could feel that she still had complete control of her body, so long as she didn't make a move toward the mirror. “That's true. Unless I destroy the book.”

All seven Sisters laughed. “How charming that you think you'll have that opportunity.”

Their fiendish claws clasped each other, forming a complete circle around her. Horrible light filled the room.

Something smacked Lucifer in the chest. Only it wasn't the witches' spell. It was the defibrillator. Someone from the other side had tossed it through the mirror. As quickly as she could, Lucifer grabbed the paddles and pressed them to her chest.

Then the Sisters' magic hit her.

Lightning ran through her, igniting her. The pain was excruciating, so much so that darkness played at the edge of her vision. Lucifer knew that, for a moment, her heart had stopped, but she wasn't sure if it was the defibrillator or witches' magic that started it again. It didn't matter. The jolt was enough. She felt the filcher demon inside her rising like bile in her throat. She screamed, an awful gurgling sound. The filcher demon fell out of her mouth and spilled onto the floor. Its tiny head swiveled back and forth as it took in its surroundings.

Then it jumped at the nearest Sister.

The Seven Sisters of Witchdown unloaded on the creature, turning it into a cloud of acrid gas. But the distraction was long enough to allow Lucifer to half dive, half fall through the mirror.

She collapsed to the ground in the living world with a dull thud. Her arms twitched, and her legs didn't want to work. She looked up at the vanity to see the witches' hands reaching through the glass, their arms smoldering as they desperately grasped for anything.

Lucifer quickly rolled over and dumped the contents of her trick bag on the floor. She grabbed the book in one hand and a lighter in the other, but her thumb simply wouldn't work properly. She couldn't get it to light.

Lucifer felt something warm close around her hand. It was David. He held her hand in both of his and helped her flick the lighter to life. A tiny flame popped into existence. He looked at her with that perfectly crooked smile that would have turned her legs to mush if they weren't already useless. She put the flame to the pages of the book.

In an instant, the book was engulfed in fire. Tiny demonic faces rose into the air and then faded with the rising smoke as the pages popped and crackled in the unnatural heat. The witches howled and spat curses through the mirror. Lucifer could see their faces crowding together, all staring hate directly at her. And then, just as quickly, the mirror cracked and every window in the room shattered. The entire room of the Worcester House seemed to deflate as the floorboards dissolved into the same rotting husks found in the rest of the house. The Sister's Wheel that had kept the room whole was useless now that the book was nothing more than a smoking pile of ash.

Silence filled the room. Lucifer looked around, taking stock of the situation. Buck was holding Gina in his arms so tightly she was worried the poor girl would suffocate. But from what Lucifer could see of her face, Gina didn't much care. Ethan and Isis were next to Trish, all three appearing shell-shocked. Ethan gave Lucifer a nod and said, “Hey . . . sorry about, you know . . .”

“Were you the one who threw the defibrillator to me?”

“Yah, figured you'd need it,” he said.

David put his hand on Lucifer's shoulder and said, “When you didn't follow me out, we knew you must have been in trouble. Ethan thought it had to be the witches using the filcher demon to stop you. So he tossed it in, thinking it could help.”

“Uh, yeah, about that,” Trish said. “Am I ever going to get that back?”

“I'll buy you a new one,” Lucifer said. “So, everyone's alive? No one's possessed? No one's missing? We're all good?”

Buck looked at Lucifer. “Yes,” he said, his broad face beaming through his tears.

“We're all good, Lucifer,” David said. “You did it.”

At that moment, David's smile was the most beautiful thing Lucifer had ever seen. But something about it was different. She couldn't tell what it was, only that there was something . . . missing.

Even so, she was overjoyed that it was the last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness.

CHAPTER 29

“I'll get it!” Gina shouted.

Lucifer could hear Buck's heavy footsteps heading toward the front door. He bellowed, “No you won't! Stay put!”

The cop opened the front door, looking odd and even more imposing in jeans and a T-shirt than his usual police uniform. Perhaps the oddest thing about him was his face. The tired scowl that he always wore had been replaced by a bright and cheerful smile. He was happy.

“Lucifer!” he said, swallowing her up in a bear hug.

When he finally let go, Lucifer said, “Not letting her answer the door?”

“I'm not taking any chances.”

Lucifer looked back at the stack of mirrors and the demolished vanity in the trash bin out on the street. “No mirrors either?”

His scowl came back for the briefest of moments. “No. Chances.” He stepped out of the doorway and said, “Come in, come in. When did they release you?”

Lucifer showed him the plastic hospital bracelet around her wrist. “A couple of hours ago. No frostbite, no brain damage. Just exhaustion and a little dehydration. Docs say I'm good as new. So I thought I'd stop by and say thanks for picking up the tab on that. Hospital says it was all taken care of.”

Buck grinned. “Yeah, but not by me. Speaking of thanks . . .” He stepped into the other room then came back with a manila envelope thick with cash. When he handed it to her he said, “Thank you, Lucifer. I mean it. You gave my daughter back to me and I owe you for that. If there's anything you ever need, you let me know and it's done. No questions asked.”

Lucifer couldn't help but smile. “Thanks, Buck.”

“There's more than just money in there. My friend, the one that told me about you. Her number is in there. I think she can help you.”

“Help me with what?”

“Well, getting you out of that rat-hole apartment you've been squatting in, for starters.”

“But I like my rat-hole.”

Buck put his hand on Lucifer's shoulder. “Lucifer, this woman can help you, whether you think you need it or not. You're not obligated to do anything, just give her a call. Talk with her. You've done so much to help me and Gina. Let someone help you for a change.”

Lucifer tucked the envelope in her trick bag and said, “Fine, I'll call her. But I'm keeping that apartment.”

“Hey, the kids are in the other room. You want to say hi?”

Lucifer peeked around the corner. A movie she didn't recognize was playing on the widescreen. David sat in a recliner with Gina curled in his lap, while Ethan and Isis tickled each other on the couch. They were all laughing and smiling as if nothing had happened. Gina grabbed David's face and kissed him. Lucifer's heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. That David would come in, swoop her into his arms, and run off with her? It was foolish to think that he would just leave Gina behind, especially after everything that had happened. But Lucifer loved him. And he loved her? Didn't he? That's what the Harlot had said.

Lucifer scratched at the mark on her shoulder. As much as she wanted to be a part of David's world, she couldn't. She belonged to another. Yes, part of her had hoped that David could help her find a way to live in his world, but now that Gina was back . . .

“No,” Lucifer said. “They look like they're having fun, and I'd just remind them of . . . unpleasant things.”

“You sure?” Buck asked.

“Yeah. Just tell them I stopped by.”

Buck nodded and showed her out. “You call that number,” he insisted before closing the door.

Lucifer had made it to the sidewalk when David and Gina came walking out. “Lucifer!” Gina called. “You weren't going to say hi?”

“Oh, you were in the middle of the movie and I didn't want to interrupt.”

“Oh, please,” David said. “We've seen that flick a hundred times.”

Gina wrapped her arms around Lucifer in a bear hug that rivaled her father's. “Thank you,” she said, her voice near breaking. “I can't thank you enough for what you did.”

Lucifer returned the embrace. “You're welcome. Though in fairness, your dad paid me.”

“Money well spent,” said Gina.

Lucifer adjusted her trick bag on her shoulder. “You two know not to say anything about any of this, right? About magic, Witchdown, and all the rest?”

“The sooner I forget it, the better,” Gina said. She reached down and grabbed David's hand. There was a haunted look behind her eyes. Sadly, Lucifer knew that it was something Gina would never be able forget.

David said, “Ethan and Isis won't even talk about it. And since Mr. Pierce dropped the charges against Ethan's dad, I doubt they'll ever mention any of this again.”

“What about Trish?” Lucifer asked.

Gina said, “Dad arranged to have the clinic stocked with all new equipment. He even gave Trish a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. I don't think she'll say anything. Hey, you sure you don't want to stay? We're going to order pizza.”

Lucifer wanted to stay more than anything, but she wouldn't be able to handle seeing David with Gina. “I'd love to, but I've got some things to take care of. Rain check?”

“Gina?” Buck called from inside the house. “Gina, where are you, kiddo?!”

“I'm right here, Dad!” Gina shouted back. “I better go. He doesn't like it when I'm out of sight for more than a few seconds.” Gina gave Lucifer another hug and a thank you before dashing back into the house.

“She's handling everything well,” Lucifer said.

“She hasn't slept since she got back and she won't be alone in her room. It's all an act.”

Lucifer gently touched David's fingers. “Is she the only one acting?”

David squeezed her hand but then promptly let go. “Lucifer, I don't want you to think I'm not grateful for everything you did. I truly am. But . . .”

“But?”

“It was wrong of me to lead you on like that. That night we kissed . . . I took advantage of you and I should not have done that. I'm ashamed of my behavior and I hope you can forgive me.” He spoke like he was reading a speech, something he'd rehearsed in front of the bathroom mirror. His every word came at Lucifer like a punch to her stomach.

Lucifer ignored the tightness growing in the back of her throat and said, “No worries. We were just caught up in the moment. And don't worry, no one ever has to know.”

“Thank you, Lucifer,” he said. “For everything.” David gave her one last crooked smile before heading inside.

Numb, Lucifer turned and started walking home.

Lucifer didn't even bother closing her apartment door behind her. She stepped over the stacks of books and piles of clothes and went straight to her mirror. There was the familiar tingle, the shift in gravity, and she was once again in the Aether.

The mirror room was still an unsightly mess, though the Harlot had at least taken the time to remove the witch-hound's severed head. Broken glass and shattered wood crunched underfoot as Lucifer made her way to the Harlot's sitting room. Lucifer found the Harlot standing next to her throne, pouring a cup of tea. When Lucifer sat on the couch, the Keeper of Secrets didn't recline on her throne as Lucifer expected. Instead, she sat down on the couch beside her and placed the steaming cup of tea on the table in front of her. But Lucifer didn't drink. She did something she hadn't done since she was a very, very young girl.

She cried.

Lucifer buried her face in her hands and wept. She collapsed, her head falling into the Harlot's lap, her wails muted in the folds of her black dress. The Keeper of Secrets stroked Lucifer's hair and said, “The first boy that ever broke my heart had the most beautiful black eyes. Oh, how I did love him so.”

“You told me David loved me,” Lucifer choked through her sobs.

“He did, darling,” the Harlot said, her voice heavy with sympathy. “And if you remember, he also came looking for a secret. The price for that secret was his love for you.”

It felt like a knife twisting in her chest. David had loved her, but the Harlot took that away. Lucifer realized that's what was missing from his smile. The Harlot had plucked out that glint of affection that had always shone through whenever David looked at her.