Chapter 76

Beatrice

I shook my head in disgust. Apparently, whatever concern my mother had for my safety wasn’t enough to risk her own. As for my father, his reaction was the hardest to swallow. He was actually accusing me of betraying Desmond. My brother had tried to kill me.

For a short time, while my mom had been telling the council about her concerns, I’d wondered if she’d changed, but this wasn’t some sappy movie where everyone lived happily ever after. My parents weren’t going to suddenly realize how much I meant to them and beg my forgiveness. I’d been a fool for thinking it was possible.

“And these are the people you want to listen to about my well-being?” I asked the council members. I didn’t give them a chance to reply before continuing. “Lucifer is just as dangerous as my parents claim. He’s a fallen angel and the Lord of Hell. He also cares about me and won’t abandon me while my brother might be trying to kill me.”

“How dare you defend Lucifer!” my father hissed. “You betray your family, yet you defend the devil?”

“Sit down,” Isadora Hunt snapped, just as Lucifer was about to get to his feet. “I’d like to hear from Beatrice. Then, we can hear from Lucifer, if he has anything to say on the matter.”

“Can we go now?” my mom asked nervously. “We need to get away from here. What if Desmond hears about this meeting and comes looking for us?”

“Sit down,” a warlock snapped at her before shaking his head and giving me a kind smile. “I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this.”

I didn’t like pity from others, so I ignored his. “Can we finish up here?” I asked.

“Of course,” the warlock replied. “Why are you staying in the demon realm?”

“My brother is on the loose again, and I’m worried he’ll come after me,” I began. “Lucifer felt it would be safer if I stayed with him.” I decided not to give more details. They didn’t need to know more.

“Where has your brother been?” Isadora asked. “I mean, before his escape.”

I was certain they already knew the answer, but I decided to respond, anyway. “He was imprisoned in Hell.”

“Why?” Isadora pushed. “He’s alive and a warlock. While I agree his crimes were horrific, they didn’t fall under Lucifer’s jurisdiction.”

This was the tricky part. I didn’t want to lie to the Council of Witches, but I didn’t want to tell them what had happened either. “He was imprisoned for stealing Lucifer’s car.”

“Your brother stole Lucifer’s car?” a witch gasped. “Is he stupid?”

“He’s not stupid, but yes, he was imprisoned for stealing Lucifer’s car,” I replied.

“Only a fool would steal from Lucifer,” a warlock added.

Looking over, I found Lucifer’s lips twitching.

“Yes, it would be foolish to steal from Lucifer,” I agreed.

“Why would Lucifer offer you his protection,” Isadora asked. “Before you answer, let me save you some time. We’ve all heard the rumors of your involvement with Lucifer, but you’ve only recently met.”

“Time matters little when you’ve found the right woman,” Lucifer replied for me. “I will do anything to protect Beatrice.”

I heard several sighs from the audience. It seemed I wasn’t the only one affected by his words. I felt warm all over. I also felt pretty badass. The Angel of Darkness had told a room full of snooty witches that I was the woman for him. My magic flared, reaching out to him. I sucked in a sharp breath when his power responded to mine. It barely reached out and glided along mine before he reined it back in. That brief touch left my body throbbing with lust.

“You expect us to believe you could love someone like Beatrice?” my dad demanded.

My mom gasped.

I clutched Lucifer’s hand tightly and met his eyes. With a shake of my head, I tried to tell him I didn’t want him to defend me to my dad. I knew he was angry, felt his rage sliding along my body. With a frustrated growl, he nodded his understanding. I wasn’t convinced I’d stopped him from going after my father, but he wouldn’t go after him now—assuming my father didn’t say anything else to rouse Lucifer’s temper.

“Can we finish up here without any more insults from the father of the year?” I asked.

“Yes,” a warlock added. “I think that would be best.” His attention moved to my dad. “As for you, I would recommend you be careful making your way to your car tonight.”

“Was that a threat?” my dad foolishly demanded.

“It was a good piece of advice,” Lucifer added quietly. “Bad things happen to people who piss me off. You’re still breathing because your daughter doesn’t want you dead. That could easily change.”

Surprisingly, my dad looked more defiant than afraid. As long as he kept his mouth shut so we could finish up and leave, I didn’t care what reaction he had to the threat of Lucifer coming after him.

“I think we’ve proven that Beatrice isn’t being held against her will,” Isadora concluded. “Her relationship with Lucifer doesn’t violate any council rules. Now, we need to discuss the matter of Desmond LaCroix. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

“I’ve had the cottage he hid at before searched,” Lucifer began. “We found a hidden area that we didn’t know about before. It appears to have been used recently but abandoned. Beatrice has been trying to think of other places he might be hiding, but she hasn’t come up with anything yet. When we find him, he’ll be dealt with.”

“This is a witch matter,” Isadora told him with no fear.

I liked her. She was a tough witch who didn’t always conform to societal norms.

“Don’t even think about telling them I’m yours so this is your concern,” I warned him. “No macho posturing that will delay me escaping this meeting.”

He chuckled at my reaction, even though everyone in the room had to have heard me. I’d given an order to Lucifer. This would be the talk of the witch community as soon as the meeting let out.

“Fine,” he agreed. “I’ll just point out that I don’t take orders from the Council of Witches. There is only one witch who has any say in how I deal with Desmond LaCroix.”

That should have been the end of it, but council meetings were never that simple. We spent the next hour listening to the council discuss my brother. They even took comments from the audience, and it was boring. I thought Lucifer’s patience was impressive—that is, until I noticed he was sleeping.

“We can go now,” I told him, giving his shoulder a swat.

“I was certain they’d bore us to death,” Lucifer grumbled as he got to his feet. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take care of your father? It would be my pleasure.”

I shook my head and replied, “He’s not worth it. We’d just end up having to come back here for another council meeting to answer questions about whatever you did to him.”

Lucifer sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Let’s quickly make our escape.”

Naturally, it wasn’t that simple.