Chapter 22

It just so happened that three days after Saninna came to visit, Lucifer began beating on my door in his attempt to get in. Luckily Damien had warded against this type of behavior so Lucifer was left angry and frustrated when his attempts remained fruitless.

I waited until the banging became a more reasonable knock before opening the door and staring at him.

"Where is she?" He demanded, near yelling.

I raised a brow before closing the door gently in his face. I turned and walked away, as I would not be beholden to deal with such behavior.

The banging resumed and I ignored it, sitting on the couch with a book on magical alignment and flipping through it leisurely.

Saninna made her way out of the bedroom whilst rubbing her eyes. She looked rather exhausted as she made her way towards the front door.

"Do not open it," I said, flipping the page to my book. "Until he calms I will not allow him in."

Saninna shrugged and made her way towards the dining room. The attendants had dropped off breakfast not long ago and I was happy to see she was eating it.

"Open the door, Verin," Lucifer shouted, slamming his fists into the door. "Now."

"Say please." I shouted back, still trying valiantly to read my book.

"Verin." He yelled.

A loud bang made me jump and I sighed. Tossing my book onto the table I stood and walked towards the door, watching it rattle with each of Lucifer's 'knocks'.

I swung the door open and looked at Lucifer. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were a deep burgundy red. He was furious.

"Where is she?" He fumed, standing just outside the radius of the barrier.

I closed the door, counted to three, took a deep breath, and opened it once more.

"Good morning," I said, rubbing my eyes with my thumb and forefinger in frustration.

"Where is she?" He glared at me.

I shook my head tiredly and slammed the door in his face once more. I wondered how long it would take for Lucifer to realize I would not tolerate disrespect.

The banging resumed and I threw my head back with a groan. This would probably take all day.

I waited for a breath before opening the door and looking pointedly at him before saying: "Good morning." I spoke slowly, in case he had not heard me before.

"I'm here for my daughter, now tell me where she is."

I closed the door on his face before locking it and making my way to the dining room. I took my seat beside Saninna and began picking at my food. I felt a headache brewing behind my eyes.

"He is here for his daughter." I mocked. "Sadly, I have killed and eaten her."

Saninna chuckled humorously, taking a bite of her food. It was eggs, fruit, bread, and what I assumed was red wine. I took a sip of my cup.

It was not red wine.

I made a face at the bitter, coppery taste of what I could only assume was blood. I smacked my lips together before glaring at the offending cup of liquid. Saninna laughed.

"What is this?" I asked, pushing the glass away from me.

"It's dragon's blood." She replied calmly. "Filtered twice to remove most dangerous properties, it takes on a slight translucency. It's to help strengthen your magic core."

I glared at the offending glass of red liquid and shook my head. I was not about to take another sip of that offensive drink.

"You were born on earth and your core is weak. Drink it." She said firmly.

"What does it mean to have a weak core?" I asked by way of distraction.

"Your mana and powers won't be affected but it is more prone to shattering. Now drink."

I grumbled but did as I was told, grabbing the glass and drinking the contents as quickly as I could. I nearly gagged but I finished it all, to Saninna's satisfaction.

"Good." She nodded.

The banging got louder.

We ignored it for a while longer, focusing on our food and idle conversation until, mercifully, the banging subsided.

"I wonder if he broke his hands." I mumbled, standing to make my way into the sitting room.

"Be nice, he's just worried."

I kept silent as I walked over and took a seat on the couch. I picked up my book and continued reading.

The noise returned, though thankfully a soft rapping of knuckles on the door. I placed my book face down on the table, stood, and opened the door.

"Good afternoon gorgeous." Damien said with a smile. He stood next to a very disgruntled Lucifer, whose head was bowed down as he kicked at the wooden porch.

"It is morning Damien," I commented with a grin. "Would you like to come in?"

Damien nodded enthusiastically. "Can he come too?"

I looked at Lucifer with a sneer. "He has yet to greet me."

"Oh, that explains it then." Damien nodded. "I guess he's stuck out here then."

"Good morning, Verin." Lucifer said through clenched teeth.

Finally, he had swallowed his anger and pride. It was nice to witness.

"Good morning, Lucifer. Would you like to come in and see Saninna?" I asked, stepping to the side to allow them entrance. "She is finishing breakfast as we speak."

Lucifer bolted into the house and made his way to every room, looking only briefly before moving on, until he came to the dining room and disappeared inside.

I closed the door and took a seat on the couch with a heavy sigh. I already regretted allowing Lucifer entrance. He would become a headache, I just knew it.

"How long has he been standing outside banging on the door?" Damien asked, taking a seat beside me.

"20 minutes or so." I answered, grabbing my book to continue reading. "I managed to tune it out."

"Good on you." He nodded. "Reading anything interesting?"

"Magical alignment. I'm trying to discern what alignment I fall into."

"Nature…probably." Damien hummed in thought. "You're part elf after all and those are some strong genetics. I'll look into nature alignment and get back to you."

I nodded, continuing to read the book. I could hear raised voiced from the dining room and kept my ear trained for any sounds of distress. Thankfully none came.

Moments later the door to the dining room slammed open causing me to jump slightly in my seat. I glared up at Saninna who had run towards me, dragging Lucifer behind her by his arm.

"Do it." She commanded.

"This is long over due." Lucifer said, rubbing his temples. "But I'm sorry for keeping your condition a secret from you. It was wrong of me to assume it would be better for you."

"Accepted." I nodded. "You may leave now."

"Let's go Saninna." Lucifer said, voice filled with sadness.

Let him be sad. I would not pity him.

"I'll see you next time Verin." Saninna smiled and waved goodbye as she and her father left, vanishing as soon as they had stepped through the door.