Chapter thirty-four : Everly

It took us an hour to reach his home which was located on the outskirts of the city. We were driving down the road when he stopped the car. I looked around and saw nothing but open fields.

"Everly please stop it." He sighed.

"Stop what?" I turned to him.

"Stop fidgeting, stop shaking your leg and most of all stop making that face like your in a state of war."

"Well it is a war, isn't it?" I laughed nervously. He was right though, it really felt I was headed to a war. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I didn't know how I was supposed to behave. What if they saw through us, through me? It was all a lie after all. And now I was a nervous wreck. This was all wrong. Perhaps I should just head back.

"Everly look at me," he said and I looked at him, trying my best to mask my nervousness. Looking at his face I made out that I failed miserably. He reached out for my hands in my lap, "Sweetheart, there's no need to be nervous my family is just a bunch of crazy peeps." He smirked but that didn't help.

"Lucifer maybe I should not be accompanying you. It doesn't seem right to me." I shook my head.

"Hey, hey," he cupped my face, "It's going to be all right. You just have to be yourself, I'll handle the rest. Please trust me."

I looked into his dark brown eyes which looked like the earth after torrential rain, calm and serene, holding such promise that I was forced to trust him. Trust him that he would be right beside me if I needed. Trust him that he'd be there of me. I took a deep breath and nodded. He smiled softly, "Good," and kissed my forehead.

We stopped and he got out of the car, before I could undo my seatbelt and open the door he was already there and opened the door for me, I rolled my eyes and he smiled. He helped me get out and gave me a moment to adjust my dress. "You ready?" I nodded.

I was in awe looking at the house which was obviously huge. It was a classic European style villa which was surrounded by beautiful gardens on all sides. We were walking down the path to his house when two golden retrievers came running in our direction. They jumped at Lucifer, barking happily, wagging their tails. I laughed and their heads turned in my direction, they barked again and walked toward me cautiously. I bent down and opened my hands, they sniffed me and started wagging their tails again, I petted their heads happily. "These are Cookie and Buttermilk." I gave him a side glance.

"Don't give me that look, I'm not the one who named them-" He was cut off by a girl's voice, "Cookie, Buttermilk,"

"She is," he smirked. A little girl appeared down the path. Her face lit up at our sight, more like Lucifer's sight. She started running toward him which made her golden ringlets bounce, "Uncle Lucifer," she jumped into his arms and he picked her up, she kissed him on his cheek and hugged him tightly. "You're late," she announced.

"I'm sorry princess." He snuggled in her neck which made her giggle.

"Lily, I told you not to run around." A young boy around around my age came running.

"Uncle Blake look uncle Lucifer's here!" The girl chimed.

Blake, so he was Lucifer's stepbrother. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes, just like Lucifer's father. He was tall but not as tall as Lucifer and had a few facial features that resembled his. And as Tori had told me he was majoring in journalism and was easy to approach. A typical happy-go-lucky type, she had said.

I stood there on the side trying my best not to get noticed and I was doing fairly well at it until Blake noticed me, "Hey, you must be Everly," he stepped up to me and we shook hands, "I am Blake, Lucifer's younger brother."

"It's nice meeting you." I smiled back. Before I knew Lucifer bent down and put Lily on her feet, she now bore a serious expression on her small face, she straightened her yellow dress and spoke, "I am Lily. I am four years old and I am going to marry uncle Lucifer when I grow up." She said her big blue eyes shining with determination. I looked up at Lucifer with an amused expression and he shrugged his shoulders.

"There she goes again," Blake sighed, "Lily you know you're too young, right?"

"No! Uncle Lucifer said he will wait for me to grow up." She stomped her foot and pouted. I couldn't help but smile, this girl was too cute.

"Okay, okay, Lily why don't we go inside and meet everyone." Lucifer asked, and the girl beamed. She grabbed his hand and started running in the direction she came from, pulling Lucifer behind her.

Blake shook his head and smiled, "I'm sorry about that, she always gets hyped up when Lucifer's around. And I am certain she thinks of you as a rival considering how beautiful you are."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. I mean thank you but I can't beat her, she's way too adorable."

"That she is. Now we better get going, the family's already over the edge waiting so long."

The villa appeared to be bigger as we neared it, Lucifer was at the door and ran toward me immediately, "I'm sorry sweetheart for leaving you behind." He hugged me.

"It's all right." I tried to push him away, seeing Blake's surprised expression from the corner of my eye. "Come, everyone's waiting for you." He held my hand and pulled me behind him.

This was my first time seeing him this excited and I'd try my best not to spoil it. He lead me down a long hall and I was barely able to keep up with his long strides. Just like the outside, it had stayed true to its ethnicity with its marble inlay and the pastel colour scheme. It surely looked like one of those villas shown on the the TV. He suddenly came to a stop and I almost collided with him. He stepped aside for me to look into the room. It was a lounge with long cream couches, Lily sat on one playing with a small boy. The french windows were open and overlooked the garden, I could make out a long table set up outside and the people huddled around it. It was so beautiful, so warm. Lucifer's hand slid down to the small of my back, "let's go." He pushed me forward and with one long breath I started walking.

Lily's blue eyes glistened at the sight of Lucifer, damn this girl was really head over heels for her uncle, "Uncle Lucifer look Liam is up." She grinned. The small boy beside her grinned and babbled something and then squealed with excitement. He had the same eyes as his sister's but brown hair.

"Lily why don't you play with Liam, until I introduce Everly to everyone." He said tousling her hair. She pouted but nodded. Obviously she didn't like the idea of me being around Lucifer. Our eyes met and I tried to apologize her from my eyes but she turned away her head. Great Everly, you couldn't even win over a little girl. How are you going to work it up with the adults?

Lucifer nudged me forward toward the french windows, I could feel my heart racing with every step I took. The distinct noises of chattering became clearer as we got closer. I can do this. I survived even when the odds weren't in my favour and this was nothing compared to the problems I had faced. Certainly I could do this. But why won't my brain understand this and stop imagining a hundred ways of how I could mess this up. We were almost at the table when Lucifer's father looked up and smiled from ear to ear, he stood up and announced, "Finally you're here. We've been waiting for you all day." The sounds died out and every head turned to me, okay maybe this wasn't as easy as I thought after all.

"This is Everly," Lucifer broke the silence. What was I supposed to do now? Maybe introduce myself? Or I could just sprint away from here. I liked the later. I was too busy with my thoughts that I didn't realize Lucifer mouth was next to my ear, "I can actually see the gears turning in your head. Take it easy love." He kissed me on the spot behind my ear which made shivers run down my spine.

I felt a tingle and looked around to find the same surprised expression on everyone's face. I had to say something and break this awkward moment, so I mustered my courage and smiled, "Good afternoon everyone I am Everly Madigan."

And of course it didn't have the same effect as I had in my mind but at least their surprised faces were gone and now they were just staring a hole through me. I looked up at Lucifer, I don't know why, maybe for some help. But his expression took me by surprise, he seemed frustrated. Okay now I was certain I shouldn't have come."Drop those dead expressions right now or I'm leaving this instant." He said agitated and everyone broke down laughing. Wow. That was unexpected.

Lucifer's father stepped forward and took Lucifer in a hug, "Oh son it's been so long you brought a girl with you. We were just shocked." He said laughing. "Sorry if we scared you Everly." He winked at me.

"It's all right." I raised my hands and smiled. "Now come both of you, the lunch's ready, and everyone's dying to meet the girl who melted the Satan's heart." His father lead us to the table where everyone was already seated waiting for us.

It's showtime.