Dealing with Devils (Book 2 in the Road to Salvation Series)

CHAPTER 16

Katie slid to the edge of her seat and glanced from Lucifer to Josh and back again. She searched their faces, looking for deception. She wasn't exactly sure why, though. Maybe because the story seemed so far-fetched and unbelievable. Was the story true? Why hadn't she heard it before? Surely he couldn't be serious. There was no way Katie was this person (creature?) from the creation of humanity. From before the creation of humanity. It didn't seem possible. She felt the lines in her forehead grow deeper as she attempted to process the information. Numerous questions ran through her mind, but she didn't know which one to ask first.

It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Katie was a no one—just a normal teenager. This Lilith was a legend. It was unfathomable to think that the two of them would cross paths . . . ever. And yet, with everything she had seen since learning about demons, this could be true. What motive would Lucifer have in lying to her? What would it gain him? Still, the news needed some time to sink in.

Lucifer cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "It's a lot to take in. Give it a few days. Come back to it later." He stood. "I have other matters to attend to, so . . ." He gestured toward the tunnel.

Was he really just dismissing her like that after dropping such a huge bomb? She wanted to protest and ask if he was really, truly being serious, but she knew better than to question the Devil's orders. Numbly, Katie stood from her seat and headed for the tunnel like she was floating in a dream. Her brain was still trying to process the information she had just received. She still couldn't believe she was who Lucifer said she was. It wasn't possible.

"You all right?" Josh's voice brought her out of her thoughts and back to Hell.

"I . . . I . . ." She stared at him. "Did you know about this?"

He shrugged one shoulder and opened a portal. Really? He was going to act like that? Katie didn't think so. He wasn't getting out of answering her questions. The pair stepped through into her room. The light closed behind them. She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her.

"Did you know about who I supposedly am?" She asked the question slowly to ensure he didn't misunderstand.

Josh sighed and sat on her bed. "Yes. I did."

Of course he did. But why hadn't he said anything? Would she have believed him if he had told her? She tried to imagine different scenarios of him telling her who she was. The main one that popped into her mind was their time on the beach—the time she thought she caught a glimpse of his true feelings for her. How would she have reacted if he had said something then? There was no way to be certain, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't have believed it. She may have even laughed at him. Having Lucifer tell her gave it a bit more credibility, but it was still difficult to fathom.

Katie's thoughts drifted to other conversations she'd had with Josh and remarks he made that she found confusing and odd. Her being Lilith explained why he kept making those comments about her humanity. Things were starting to make sense. Sort of. There was still more she needed to know. Katie swallowed thickly.

"Is that why you came looking for me?"

He nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He threw his hands in the air and then slapped them on his thighs. "Because I wasn't sure at first if it was true. I wasn't sure until after our first trip to The Pit. After the way Braden reacted, and then Lucifer, I knew you were important." He stood and cupped her cheek in his hand. "Even more so than I already knew you were."

Katie stared at him through narrowed eyes. She wasn't angry with him, just suspicious. He had told her when they first met that he had come looking specifically for her, and she had to assume it was because he had some inkling of who she was. But did he really have his doubts? She did. After all, he had threatened to torture her to get to Wes. Would he have done that if he was convinced of who she was? Probably not. Perhaps he was telling the truth. It was hard to tell, and his defensiveness told her he wasn't overly excited to talk about it. But Katie didn't care. This wasn't about him; it was her life that was being turned upside down—again.