Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 81

Bella's P.O.V.

I'm flying! Lucien is carrying me in his arms, his enormous wings flap gently above our heads. This is AMAZING, beyond anything I could have ever imagined! I want to do this all day, every day. Soon, however, he's landing and I immediately recognize the area. It's the meadow near our camp site where he told me who, and what, he is. I reach out to kiss him, thanking him for that incredible experience, and we end up savoring each other for a few minutes. Then I find out the reason he brought me here...he begins to explain why I shouldn't be scared or nervous around his father, and why his Dad wants to meet me.

I think about this for a minute. They are worried if Lucien's mother had returned to them, it may have been against her free will, so they have to accept she chose a different path. It doesn't matter how bereft his father is, or how much Lucien needed his mother, she made the conscious choice to leave them, without the benefit of seeing into the future to witness the aftermath of her decision. My Dad hasn't dated in seven years because he lost the love of his life to a drunk driver. Lucien's Dad hasn't dated in centuries for the same reason...okay, maybe not because of a drunk driver, but the woman he threw his heart and soul into passed away too, and my subconscious begins to feel the rumblings of empathy towards his father. Then I look at the wonderful man standing in front of me. He's been raised by the monster we are taught to loathe and fear...the Devil. The epitome of evil and destruction. He didn't ask to be cast as the bad guy, just as he didn't want to lose the love of his life. Hmmm, this is something to seriously consider.

"Okay, let's say I'm on board with all of this," I tell Lucien, slipping off the rock ledge to pace in front of him. "My problem is I still cannot get past the fact your father is the actual Devil. The creature who comes for you in the night to torture you for your misdeeds. My frontal lobes are warning me they're going to shut down all my bodily functions and erase the restart button if I meet him." I look at Lucien closely while he runs his fingers through his hair, thinking of a rebuttal. When he doesn't say anything, I continue. "Humanity has been taught to fear and loathe your father, but I understand what you're trying to tell me. He may be a terrifying monster, but he's also your Dad. For your sake, I'm just going to have to suck it up and meet the guy." Lucien will be there with me, hopefully holding my hand so I can cut off his circulation if his Dad creeps me out. "Are you sure he's not upset you've chosen me? I'm nothing special, he might have bigger plans for you."

Lucien scoffs, and I can tell he's not happy with my self-deprecation."Try to think of him as any other father. He wants what's best for me, the only difference is, I'm the Prince of Hell. My footprints have been scripted to walk a path determined for me before I was born. I now know why Dad sent me to Pigeon Forge - I needed to understand everyone has value and deserves respect. I needed to learn how to be kind and empathetic so I could handle the seriously deranged with something other than contempt. He's happy I found you, and you are more than special to me. Nobody has ever held my attention before now."

I nod as I chew my bottom lip. "I think I get it," I tell Lucien softly. "I'm so thankful you see me that way."

He smiles at me. "You have an amazing internal fortitude that I wish more humans had."

"Oh? Why is that?" I ask.

"Because less people would find themselves at our gates," he says simply.

"Okay, see? That's why I'm a freaking wreck when I think about meeting your Dad! He's the DEVIL!"

Lucien shakes his head at me. "That's just his job, not who he his. I have performed the welcoming ceremony in Hell millions of times. Are you afraid of me?"

Ok, the 'welcoming ceremony'? I can only imagine what that is, and it gives me shivers, but I never thought of being the Devil as his father's job. He exists because there was a need for the Devil to exist. I can meet a man who has to execute Divine orders and punish people who do not deserve grace in their afterlife, right? I feel my heart rate decrease, and when I tell myself I'll be meeting him tomorrow night, I don't feel that rush of adrenaline I had before. "The fact that being the Devil is your father's job makes my perspective on this so much better Lucien, thank you."

He smiles a smile that I can feel all the way into my toes. "So you're not worried anymore?"

"Well, certainly not as much as I was a moment ago. I'm still nervous just because he's your Dad, but I think I've got the Devil thing under control...somewhat," I admit.

"Well, you're half way there then." He's quiet for a moment, looking like he's trying to decide whether he wants to tell me something. I see him nod once to himself, then he looks at me and says quietly, "If you're still having trouble dealing with who my Dad is when you meet him tomorrow night, think about this: he cried in my arms yesterday. Does that make him seem less...devilish?"

What? The Devil cries? "Why was he crying?" I want to know.

"We were talking about my Mom for the first time in centuries, and it came down to what I told you before. Leaving us was her choice, no matter if we agree with her decision or not. I told him we would be fine because we made it this far, and I apologized for being such an enormous ass most of my life."

Okay...that clinched it. I can handle a man who cries over his lost love. I smile at Lucien and say, "Somehow that makes him seem as human as my Dad, he cried a lot when my Mom died too." I sit there for a minute, thinking. "Thank you for bringing me here and explaining this to me. You always seem to know the right thing to do."

He quirks his lips at me. "Not always," he says, "but I'm trying. Ready to go back?"

I nod vigorously. "If it means flying in your arms again, you don't need to ask twice. That was amazing!"