Signed & Sealed

{E i g h t}

"Oh good, your awake-" the familiar sound of Lucifer's voice rang in my ears and rattled my trembling nerves. Sitting up on the uncomfortable cushions of a sofa, I look around to find that I am no longer at my brother's apartment, and this is nothing close to my house back in Savannah. As I glance around the lavish living area, I notice that the glass wall opens into an outdoor patio that overlooks the city. The tall metal buildings clearly in view from where we are, but not close enough to be neighbors. "Where am I?" I groan and rub my head that starts to pound with an oncoming headache.

Lucifer sits across from me in a cozy leather chair that all but swallows his tall frame. With his dark hair still wet and freshly wrinkled with curls, he looks different than I remembered him being the last time I saw him. Lucifer dressed in a black suit, with the top buttons of his white undershirt left open and spurts of dark curls beamed into view from his chest. The idea of running my fingers through those smaller curls, against his bare chest ran through my mind and warmed my cheeks with embarassement. "One of my many homes, however, this one, in particular, is above Envy," Lucifer informed me.

Envy, isn't that the name of that prestigious night club in Atlanta? So we haven't left the city yet, good. That meant I could still get away from here and find Benjamin and Noah. Only I have nothing on me, no wallet, no cellphone, nada. "Why am I here?" After asking the question, memories began to flood my mind, reminding me of why I blacked out in the first place. Lucifer's face morphed into something unnatural, and I knew he was not human, but what is he? The devil? Like the real one? There is no chance I am going insane; people don't clinically plead sanity in a single night.

So how am I supposed to explain the sight he revealed to me, those glowing red eyes that tore through my soul, and the evil that engulfed his entire aura. Without a doubt, Lucifer is not to be trusted, and yet I made a deal with him. An agreement to save my brother's life, which means I sold my soul to the devil to protect my brother. Now I am sitting in one of his homes like he suggested, but why? Why aren't we in hell? "That's a good question. One that I cannot answer at this moment. I have a business to attend, but I wanted to wait until you woke before I left," he explained and rose from his chair to pad towards the in-home wall bar where he kept hundreds of stocked bottles filled with the alcohol of every type.

As I stood up to follow him, I realized my cast is gone, and so is the pain which I had in my ribs. Without a cast to heal, how would it fix itself? Except that question went out the window the moment, I put pressure on my foot and realized that my leg was no longer broken. "Whoa!" I exclaimed with a surprise, and Lucifer chuckled at my response while sipping at the glass of bourbon he poured for himself.

"Yes, well, you are under my protection, and I couldn't allow you to hurt for long. To make good on your end of our bargain, I needed you well enough to walk and move around." Lucifer shrugged as if my broken bones healing were no big deal.

"How did you do it? I'm pretty new to your world. I don't understand," he nodded at my statement with agreeance.

"I called in a favor, my dear brother Raphael came to the rescue," Lucifer mentioned his brother, and said a name I have heard before in school. Like when we learned about Greek gods, the angels, and demons of heaven and hell, and the angels who were worshipped as well like Gabriel, Micheal, Uriel, Samael, Raphael, et cetera. Only Samael is the first name for Lucifer before he was cast down to rule hell, and even then my details were fuzzy. I had no idea of what or how things happened in history — only some minor details here and there, which I learned through various nay-sayers. Since my parents were extremely holy Christians who could do no wrong if it went against the lord, they taught me many things.

"Like- one of the archangels?" I inquired.

"Are you familiar with them?"

"Uh, not really. So Raphael fixed me? That was a favor to you?"

"Your of little use to me when I have to carry you around or wait for your limp, so yes it is a favor he owed me," Lucifer explained as if anything he said makes any sense to me.

Offering me a glass with bourbon, I gladly accepted it and downed it within seconds. The burn of alcohol going down my throat served as a painful reminder that I am human, and yet it seems Lucifer is the opposite. "So what are your plans for me? You saved my brother, made a deal with me, and yet I have no idea what I am intended to repay you with," I tried to get an answer, some form of inclination as to what he planned for me.

"Ah, well, you will find out soon enough. As I said, I have a business to attend to, and I called on a keeper of mine to watch after you through the day. She should be here shortly."

"A keeper? Like a babysitter? I am grown enough not to need one of those-" I argued, but Lucifer shook his head and cut me off.

"No, you might be a grown woman, but I need insurance that you won't run. I have far too much on our little deal," he huffed.

"Which is- what?" I tried to bargain again but nothing. Lucifer fixed himself more drink, then offered some to me which I accepted gladly. I needed more than a few drinks to ease my mental state, and yet I couldn't believe how well I am handling this situation. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I felt Noah die in my clutch, and now he lives, and Lucifer revealing himself, then my wounds healing like they never existed.

A knock at the door broke our conversation, and suddenly Lucifer jumped from his seat to answer. I didn't move though. Instead, I kept glued to my place, lost in thought. Am I losing my mind? There are too many thoughts running through my head, and yet I still can't believe it, why? Is there a reason why Lucifer found me that night to spark up his deal with or was it a luck of the draw-type of situation?

"Ms. Theodore?" A feminine voice sounded from behind, so I turned, but I was not expecting the sight before me.

A woman, who looked to be around my age, somewhere in her mid-twenties, with a short blonde Bob that cupped her petite jawline frame stood waiting on my response. With shining brown eyes surrounded with light make-up, her facial profile seemed familiar in a way, but not enough to say I recognized her from anywhere. She is wearing a leather jacket over a white blouse, and a pair of black jeans that shape to the form of her legs. "Yes?"

"Hello, I'm Harper. Lucifer says you need some decent clothes, so I figured maybe we could go shopping?" She sounded polite enough, but the twitch of her eyelid as she spoke told me the false persona wouldn't last much longer.

"I would rather not, thank you, though. If I could go grab some things from my house, I-" Harper cut me off, just like Lucifer seems to enjoy doing. "That wasn't an option, let's go," she demanded with a quick change of attitude. Shaking my head, I rose from the chair at the bar where he and I shared a drink only moments ago, to follow after my babysitter.