Chapter 26

Lucinda's POV

✨Six or so years ago✨

- Part one -

I shook my body trying to get rid of the chill and goosebumps that littered my skin. That was the first time I went through a portal since I was five years old and it felt so weird.

I suppose I wouldn't remember what it felt like before. I took a deep breath and savored the feeling of human air. It's quite different from underworld air... Less ash and heat.

The grass below my bear feet felt odd but delightful. All the grounds in the underworld are dry, cracked and baren of all life.

Atleast the parts of the underworld I'm allowed to see. One of the places I'm not allowed in is the pits where all the damned souls are sent to burn for eternity.

I've been around the area but have never ventured close enough to get a peak because the energy that radiates from the place is off the charts in pain and torture.

You could probably hear the screams from a mile away from the place. Where Lucian and me worked on our 'royal duties' was several layers above the actual hell.

A few animals passed by the sudden appearance of a person in the middle of a field who came from nowhere with a wide portal behind her.

A few birds chirped in the trees while the wind blew past the leaves on their branches. I smiled at the livelihood of nature in front of my eyes before it was ruined.

A loud thud came from behind me as Lucian landed in a very unceremonious way on the grass. He got up quickly and dusted himself off to pretend like that just didn't happen.

"What the hell are you doing here? I took this deal to get as far away as possible from you and all underworld nonsense"

"Well my dear princess... It's the first time you've set foot in this realm since you were five so I'm pretty sure you have no idea how to find a place to live or food to eat etcetera"

"I'm pretty sure I can manage..."

"Is that so? How are you going to get money?"

"I'm half demon... I'll figure something out"

I walked away from him and he followed close behind me. Irritated I picked up my pace and put a good distance between us before I focused on the road again.

At some point I came upon a road with Lucian gaining up on me so to get as far as possible from him I tried to cross it when a truck came barreling towards me.

I watched as the truck flashed it lights and me and honked for me to move out of the way but I froze. Seconds from turning me into a pancake I was shoved roughly off the road and came rolling to the side of the street.

My head hit the ground and my vision was blurry while a ringing noise was blocking my hearing. I could see a figure in front of me trying to get my attention and my vision cleared.

Lucian had his hands on his head, cursing like a sailor as he took in my appearance. I looked behind him and saw a man with chestnut brown hair covered in blood on the floor.

His eyes were closed and clearly looked unconscious... Or dead. I couldn't really tell. I would use my heightened senses to hear his heartbeat but my ears were still ringing.

I focused on his chest and saw that is was moving up and down indicating that he was in fact alive. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

This idiot didn't risk his life after all...

My sigh seemed to take Lucian out of his trance and he carefully helped me up. I lifted my arm to touch my head and winced slightly when they came back with blood.

"Lucinda! How could you do something so idiotic... So much for you can handle yourself... What were you thinking?!"

"Stop talking... Head ringing"

He scoffed at my poor attempt at an answer... I didn't need to be scolded like a child who just stole a cookie from a jar.

The man behind Lucian began to move and he regained consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and I saw the most beautiful stormy grey I've ever seen.

They looked around frantically as if unaware of previous circumstances before he realized that he was bleeding out on the floor.

His eyes glanced at me from where he was laying and a look of relief passed over his features before they became panicked.

There was a deep gash in his abdominal area with a foreign object sticking out of it that I hadn't noticed before. It was spurting out blood and staining his shirt and the ground.

He looked back at me and muttered two words before he passed out again.

"Help me..."

I looked at Lucian who's attention also seemed to be on the strange man. Assuming that Lucian also so what he asked for I gazed into his cobalt-blue eyes silently begging for his help.

"Absolutely not..."

"What why?!"

"I didn't tell the fool to jump in the way so not my responsibility"

"Lucian please..."

"It's not like you were going to die Lucinda... Now way Lucifer would make it that easy"

I rolled my eyes. Even if this sorta idiot did push me out of the way for absolutely nothing I still felt kind of responsible for his pain.

He didn't know I wasn't going to die and I'm not going to start by making my first mistake here. I know it's dangerous to make deals especially when you have just made one a few hours ago but I have to save this mans life.

I glanced over at his limp figure a few feet from me and Lucian. His hand was on his abdomen as if trying to stop the bleeding in his unconscious state. His face was pale and his breathing was shallow...

...On the brink of death.

"Let's make a deal..."