Caught in the Fire

Chapter I: The Bloody Wings

"Deep down, you know you're a monster."

Underneath a skylight in the middle of a loft, Lucifer was crouched next to a dying Cain. Their surroundings looked like a battlefield of blood-stained feathers, spent bullet casings, and the unconscious bodies of two of Cain's henchmen. The sun's rays shone down on them, reflecting off the Hell-forged blade that protruded from the former immortal's chest. In the midst of it all, the Devil watched with glee as the light slowly left his opponent's eyes.

"And that you belong in Hell where you would torture yourself with that truth for eternity."

He'd made the former immortal a promise to find a way to kill him, but had gone back on that promise due to their exploits putting the Detective in danger. But keeping the monster alive had resulted in Amenadiel's assassination attempt, Charlotte Richard's death, the Detective and himself being lured into a trap, and the two of them almost dying to a hailstorm of bullets. It was only due to using his own wings as a shield that he was able to save himself and the unconscious woman in his arms—the one thing in his life he cared about the most.

"'Cause no matter what you tell yourself, you can't outrun what you've done."

Lucifer watched as the realization of his guilt slowly dawned on Cain. Cain didn't feel guilty about anything—not Abel's murder, or the Blind Sinnerman's death, nor all the people he'd killed over the millennia—but if he could go to Hell over a tiny bit of guilt, it would be worth it. He hated that former immortal and enjoyed watching him agonize at his feet. A burning hatred that seemed to come from deep inside of him clawed its way to the surface, until his eyes burned with rage and his face felt like it was on fire. The heat continued spreading throughout his body, and his injured wings burned and ached, but he continued focusing on damning Cain to Hell.

"What you truly are..."

Finally satisfied that he'd planted the seed of guilt in Cain's cold, dark heart, he reached down to the blade, thinking that a quick pull would cause him to bleed out on the spot and end his miserable existence once and for all. A far worse fate awaited him in Hell, and he couldn't wait for Cain to experience it all. But just as his fingertips were about to reach the blade's handle, Cain seized his hand with an iron grip and looked up at him with a twisted, self-satisfied smile.

"And neither can you!" Cain warned him, laughing sardonically.

With only seconds to live, Cain sought to damn the Devil to the same fate that awaited him in Hell. He continued wheezing through his laughter, holding the Devil's gaze, until his heart finally stopped. His body went slack, and his empty gaze remained fixed toward the Heavens he desperately desired but would never step foot in.

That cursed laughter echoed in Lucifer's ears, angry that even in his last moments, Cain sought to have the last laugh. He imagined that monster suffering in Hell at the hands of demons, trapped by his own guilt, unable to escape for all eternity. Cain would never hurt another person ever again. He would never see Earth's sky again. He would never see another tomorrow. He would never --...

"Lucifer!" he suddenly heard the Detective say behind him.

His seething hatred immediately faded away at the sound of her voice—a voice that always calmed any storm raging within him. He slowly rose to his feet and ground his teeth, feeling that pain in his back from the bullets still embedded in his wings. It was excruciating, but he did his best to conceal it. The last thing he needed was the Detective asking about his injuries. Because then he'd have to tell her the truth, and then of course she wouldn't believe him but would still insist on fussing over him, and then he'd have to show her his wings.

And that, he would never do. The last thing he wanted was to show the Detective his angelic side. He was no angel, and he had proven that by killing a human being against God's decree. He was no longer poor, innocent Samael, trying to please an uncaring God. That angel died when he was cast out of Heaven on God's orders by one of his brothers. And not just any brother, but the one who...