Lute ran her fingers over her angelic spear. It still had golden blood on it from her fight with Vaggie. And from her arm, which was healing slowly and painfully.
Lute shifted in her hospital bed, trying to get comfortable. It was nearly impossible, considering the jolt of pain that accompanied her every breath. When she had returned to heaven with the surviving exorcists, Saint Peter had almost passed out seeing her gaping wound. Sera sent her to the hospital immediately, telling her to "get rest", whatever that was.
She couldn't do it. Despite being more tired than she had ever been in her life. It didn't feel right for her to fall asleep knowing that when she woke up, Adam wouldn't be there. Tears welled in Lute's eyes as she thought of the day she had spent with him at the beach. He was so excited to show her the picture-perfect sun and sand, and all Lute had done was make it awkward.
Quit it, She told herself sternly, wiping at her eyes. Crying is for pussies. Adam had told her that. Besides, he didn't care about me anyway. I was nothing more than his soldier. And who can blame him? I could never measure up to Eve. Or even Lilith.
Lute glanced out the window to where Lilith was still sunbathing on the beach, her hair flowing with the wind. I told her to go down to Hell and shut down the Hotel. Why is she still here? Lute thought angrily. She started to get up, but a burst of pain from her shoulder reminded her that she was supposed to be resting. She lay back down reluctantly.
Lute fidgeted with her spear, still unable to sleep. At the bottom, engraved in the steel, was her name, "LUTE". She smiled, running her hands over the word. She remembered when Adam was naming the exorcists. He had decided on "Vagina" for Vaggie, but when he came to Lute, he immediately said, "Oh, you are a bad bitch. You're gonna be my right-hand man, er woman.."
Adam had called her "Lute" because "Lieutenant" was too long for him to say. And Lute loved her name because it always reminded her of how important she was to Adam. It made her feel so special.
And now, who was she? Was she still Lute? What was the point of having an angelic spear if Adam wasn't there to see her use it? I'll keep doing what's right. Lute thought to herself determinedly. I'll avenge him, and I'll slaughter every demon who gets in my way. That's what he would've wanted.
Filled with new motivation, Lute got out of bed, ignoring the pain this time. She slammed open the door and headed for the beach, intending to find Lilith and make her go back to Hell, only to find that she wasn't there. The beach was empty.
Lute stood there for a moment, confused, before turning on her heel and heading for Sera's office. She'll help me put an end to this.
She walked through the streets of Heaven briskly, ignoring the people who gawked at her. Most of them didn't know about the exterminations, so it was quite a shock for them to see an angel missing an arm.
Lute made it to the building, opened the door, and walked down the hall, ignoring the secretary who called, "Ma'am, you need an appointment." She made it to Sera's office and entered without knocking.
"Sera, you've got to do something - oh."
Lilith was there, sitting across from Sera's desk, looking confused. Sera nodded at Lute. "Lieutenant. Come, sit down."
Lute hesitated, then sat down in the chair next to Lilith. Her eyes darted around the office awkwardly, taking in the photos of Emily and other members of Heaven's Supreme Court. Sera cleared her throat, reminding Lute of why she was there. "Sera, you have to do something about the demons." She said firmly. "We need to show them that they can't get away with this."
Sera sighed. "Lute, the last thing we need is another war. Not only are half of our soldiers dead, but the citizens are starting to find out about the exterminations." Lute started to speak, but Sera held up a hand to stop her. "Not to mention, it will be much harder to defend our actions now that a sinner has been redeemed."
Silence filled the room as Lute tried to process what she had been told. "Your Highness, there is a demon in Heaven?" She growled. "Where are they? I'll take care of them right away, Ma'am."
"No! No, just..." Sera ran a hand through her hair, looking stressed. "You can't hurt him, and you can't tell anyone about him. Just let us take care of it. Lilith, would you mind enlightening me about your deal?"
Lute's eyes snapped to Lilith, who leaned forward. "Of course. I made a deal with a sinner seven years ago. I gave him as much power as he wanted, as long as he did what I asked of him. He was happy to oblige. When I received a call from my daughter, Charlie-" Lute's anger spiked when she heard the princess's name. "-saying that she was starting a hotel, I knew that it would put her and others in danger. I called the sinner and told him to protect the hotel." Lilith paused for a moment, looking guilty. "I thought he knew that allowing Charlie to rebel against Heaven put all of us in danger. But apparently not."
Sera nodded solemnly. "I understand. However, she is your daughter, therefore you must be the one to shut down this nonsense."
Ha. Lute thought smugly as Lilith's face fell. Take that, bitch.
The Queen of Hell scratched her nose, using her middle finger. Sera bristled, but before she could say anything, Lilith spoke. "Yes. I'll leave as soon as I can. Just...give me a few days to prepare." She stood abruptly, and left, her long blonde hair swaying behind her. The door closed with a thud.
Lute fidgeted in her seat. She had wanted to talk privately with Sera, but now it was just...awkward. "I...are you sure we can let a demon live in Heaven?"
"Love thy neighbor as thy self, Lieutenant." Sera recited dutifully. Lute stared at her. Sera looked down at her desk, not meeting Lute's eye, and started filling out some paperwork. "You're dismissed."
