※ Eliana's POV ※

The first thing I did when I returned from Hell was to call my dad. I had missed him very much, and I had to hear his voice.

I broke down crying like a little child when I heard his sleepy, rough voice on the phone. After catching up with him, I told him that I wanted to come to Athens to see him but he refused because of my classes.

He told me that he would come over to Thessaloniki, after an important meeting that he had on Friday.

It's been three weeks since I returned home.

I have to admit that it was hard to adjust at first. And it was even harder to leave my house. I kept jumping whenever I heard a sound, I kept avoiding people in the streets and the university, and I always looked over my shoulder. Even when I was home alone.

I was afraid of the shadows, of sounds, of people. Basically, of everything. My own damn shadow terrified me.

Sometimes I would get lost in my own thoughts, thinking that maybe this is a dream or that Lucifer built an alternate reality of my life, so he can keep me in Hell. Then I would scowl at myself for even thinking like that. And Kara would tell me that if she was in Hell, she would feel it.

Now that I mentioned Kara, I and her really started to bond. We talked about lots of things since she already knew everything in my life. She told me about her past, about my mom, and how she would summon her when I was asleep to talk to her without me knowing.

We discussed about Lucifer, Hades, Diagon, Cerberus, the souls, the levels of Hell... basically everything that I wanted to know.

Or needed to know.

She told me that Lucifer, just like every other angel, was supposed to receive a mate as a gift from God. All the other angels though had another angel for their mate. And in case that you haven't noticed, I don't have wings.

Kara told me about a prophecy that was about Lucifer's curse to never receive a soulmate. That he was the fallen one, the evil one, the mateless one. It was said that God cast him out of Heaven for all eternity and threw him in the pits of Hell to deal with the evil souls of Earth. After that he swore to never give him a soulmate, to never let him be happy again.

Lucifer found out about the prophecy and became so furious at God, that he shut the gates of Hell, keeping souls from entering. Eventually, God had to intervene so he sent over a few angels to open the gates.

Lucifer took them as hostages and put them in cages, demanding to speak to God. And so God showed himself in the gates of Hell, knocking on Hell's door.

And this was the last time that Lucifer and God ever spoke. That was the last time Lucifer saw him. And everyone else as well.

He freed the angels, opened the gates, and resumed his job like nothing ever happened.

The story shocked me greatly and although it did answer some of my questions, it surfaced some new ones. Like why am I, a human, his mate? What did they talk about? What did God say? Why did Lucifer receive a mate even though the prophecy said otherwise?

All those questions and others swirled around in my mind, coming and going daily.

A day never passed by without my mind drifting to Lucifer. Sometimes I would catch myself thinking back at all those horrible things he did to me and the only thing I felt was hatred towards him. Some other times I would catch myself reminiscing the few adequate moments we had together, and I could feel my heart sting and the back of my head burn.

There was a moment when I thought that I had felt him. I felt his powerful aura in the library, at the university. It was faint but it was there.

Kara sensed it too.

And although I should have felt like I was being watched by the Devil, the only thing I felt was a warm, burning feeling engulfing my heart. And I felt protected. It was as if a protective veil dropped on my body, shielding me from the world.

When I sensed him I felt prickles on my skin and I was tempted to call him through our link.

But I didn't.

In fact, there were moments where I felt so lonely and miserable like my heart was breaking into tiny pieces. My heart would clench tightly inside my chest and a knot would form itself on my stomach. I felt as if the only thing that would fix me was Lucifer.

Despite all those lonely moments, I never reached out. I had begged him to return me home and he did. We said our goodbyes and he left to continue his life without me.

And I was fine with that.

Or at least I tried to be.

All things aside, there was something good that happened while I was too busy trying to escape from the Devil's claws.

Christine and Elliot were finally and officially together. In fact, this had been going on for about a month but they wanted to keep it a secret until it was more than a simple fling. I remember when Elliot first came into our lives, Christine had fallen head over heels for him. But he was incredibly and annoyingly oblivious.

They were very happy and they managed to balance their time together as a couple and our time together as a group perfectly.

Blake was his same goofy and flirty self, constantly teasing me and messing with the beloved couple.

Our gang.

I missed them all very much, I felt like I haven't seen them for over a century. However, although I ached to see them and spend time with them, at first I avoided bringing them to my house in case a certain Devil showed up and caused chaos.

As I said, adjusting to my normal life was very difficult and it took a lot of time. After all, I have been through Hell and back.

*

*

*

Today is Saturday, which means that today is the day my dad will come visit me and maybe stay with me for a few days.

I had gotten up early and cleaned the whole house, focusing mainly on dad's bedroom which hasn't been cleaned for a while now.

I took a quick shower and went to the grocery store to buy some ingredients and my dad's favorite orange juice. After that incident, we had agreed that he would stay away from any form of alcohol; And he did. Almost 7 years clean. And I couldn't be happier about it.

By the time my dad called, saying that he landed in Thessaloniki, a freshly made Carbonara was ready to be devoured by me and him.

I changed my sweats and put on a pair of washed-out jeans and my dad's favorite "Black Sabbath" t-shirt, and waited patiently for him to knock on my door.

I have missed him terribly and since my encounter with mom in Hell, I have this awful feeling in my gut that I want to get rid of. I think that seeing him would ease my worries.

Kara and I discussed this matter. We decided that telling my dad about mom would be no good for him. Mom's "death" was a long time ago, and although it still hurts him and me to this day, it is safer for him not to know anything about mom, Lucifer, or Hell.

I was sitting on the couch, my knee bouncing nervously while I waited. My eyes kept looking at the door, as I tried to relax and focus on the Tv in front of me.

I craved a cigarette badly but my dad didn't know that I smoked and I was actually trying to cut it out after all that happened in Hell.

I didn't know why I was so anxious to meet him. I felt restless. I have this knot in my stomach that is growing more and more with each passing minute.

Maybe it's because you know that you are hiding things from him, Kara said. When I didn't reply she continued. But we have already been through this Eliana, the best choice is to stay silent about everything. You'll realize it too when you face him. Just please, calm down, you are stressing me out.

She's right, I have to calm myself down.

I got up and moved to the kitchen, I opened the glass cupboard and took out a bottle of wine. I placed it on the counter and opened another cupboard to grab a glass, setting it down on the table.

I poured some wine in my glass and downed it in a second, leaning against the counter. I mentally sighed when the bittersweet taste of the red liquid flowed down my throat, burning me and making me cringe a little.

When I set down my glass, three knocks sounded from the living room.

A big smile plastered itself on my face as I jogged to the door, swinging it open without even looking through the peephole.

I spotted my dad standing in front of me with his arms extended, smiling down at me with his pearly whites and his cute dimples.

I quickly stepped forward, attacking him with so much force that he stepped back to support us.

We squeezed each other and giggled like small kids.

"Mou elleipses toso polu." I sighed into his chest and inhaled his scent that I came to crave. (I missed you so much)

"Kai emena mikro mou" He said and his sweet voice made me tear up. I tried to suppress the incredible urge to cry and stepped back to look up at his face. (Me too, little one)

Dad saw the stray tears that fell down my cheeks and he quickly brushed them away with his thumbs and we smiled at each other.

"Nice shirt kiddo" He spoke in English and pointed at his shirt that I was wearing.

"I knew that you'd like it." I smiled cheekily at him and grabbed his duffle bag from the ground, walking inside the house.

When my mom was still around, she had great difficulty speaking Greek, so me and dad were used to communicating in English, even when mom wasn't around. It became a habit, and we continued speaking in English even after mom's death. I grew up learning both languages, but mostly English because of mom. That's why I'm more used to speaking in English rather than Greek.

"Ahh it's good to be home," He said and jokingly inhaled soundly, laughing afterward. He rolled his suitcase inside and set it beside the duffle bag.

I chuckled and took a good look at him, scanning him like a robot.

My dad is much taller than me. I'm a solid 5'4 and he is approximately 6'0. He has broad shoulders and long, muscled hands that usually crash me when we hug. His hair is a mix of jet black and grey, which is beautifully combed into perfect waves. His face showed a few more wrinkles, but he still looked like a damn model.

Actually, my dad is a pretty handsome guy, I have to admit that. Christine used to call him a DILF, which is absolutely disgusting for me. But he does look like a high-class model for a very expensive suit brand.

"You've been hitting the gym more than usual?" I said teasingly to him and poked his belly, only to find that it is rock-hard. I gasped and looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"Well, I do own a hotel and I do have a gym inside it" He laughed and hugged me once more, squeezing me tightly and ruffling my hair. He kissed the top of my head while I squirmed and squealed in his arms, my face flat against his chest."I've missed you so so so much Eli"

"Ah mahssed you too pahpah" I muffled out, my mouth against his shirt. He laughed out loud and released me. I mockingly inhaled loudly, grasping my neck, and then laughed along with him.

"Come on, let's eaaaaat!" I yelled with a deep voice and rubbed my belly.

I was truly myself when it came to my dad. I acted as if no one was watching me, mostly to make him laugh and look at me with this adoring look of his. I missed him more than he could imagine and I don't know what I would without him.

We sat down at the table, we ate and we talked non-stop, catching up and laughing at each other's jokes. After two hours of endless chatter, we went to the couch and sat down to watch a movie.

December was closing in and the temperature in Thessaloniki started to drop. The living room was a little chilly so I decided to go turn on the heating of the house.

"I'll go upstairs to turn on the heating, do you want a blanket as well or are you okay?" I asked dad while standing up.

"I think that fuzzy grey blanket that you used to love would be great," He said and smiled at me warmly. I chuckled and nodded, walking away and heading towards the stairs.

I went to the first floor and turned towards the left where my room was, grabbing the blanket from my wardrobe and turning around to go turn the switch for the heating.

As I turned the switch, I heard the doorbell. I frowned and turned towards the stairs.

Christine said she would come over to say hi, but I didn't expect her this soon.

"Eli, are we expecting someone?" My dad whisper-yelled from the bottom of the stairs. I started walking down the staircase slowly, and with furrowed brows, I moved my head from side to side.

He frowned too and went to open the door, I went to the couch and placed the blanket down, hearing the door open.

With this warm feeling that I feel since dad arrived, I failed to notice the tingling sensation on the back of my head as I heard my dad speak up.

"Hello, may I help you?" He said, clearly confused, his voice now serious and business-like.

As soon as I turned around to see who was at the door, my whole world came crashing down on my shoulders.

"Oh! Hello sir! You must be Eli's father. Luciano, nice to meet you!" He smiled broadly, looking down at my father and extending his strong hand for a handshake.

My father frowned slightly and shook his hand with a firm hold.

I, on the other hand, was gaping at the door like a fish, rooted on my spot beside the couch, and a clear expression of absolute terror and shock was plastered on my face.

As I looked deeply into his gorgeous blue eyes and watched him smiling wholeheartedly at me, I felt my heart drop to my stomach and I simply forgot how to breathe.

"Well, come on in... ah, what's your name again?" My dad said innocently as he opened the door more, waiting for Lucifer to step inside my house.

Damn the Greek hospitality!

He just let the Devil inside our home.

Lucifer stepped inside, the door closing behind him with a small thud. As his face turned away from my dad, his broad smile dropped and morphed into an unsatisfied thin line. If I could guess, I'd say that he's irritated by the fact that my dad doesn't know his name. Egocentric bastard.

"Ahh... Luciano" Lucifer said a second later, turning towards my dad and smiling again, showing his pearly whites.

"Christos," My dad said curtly, nodding a little and shoving his hands inside his pockets. He didn't like him and it was obvious.

I was still shocked, looking at the scene unfold in front of me. The back of my head was burning and tingling violently, making me slightly dizzy and I was trying desperately not to show the fear that had consumed me.

Lucifer is back. He is inside my own damn home, beside my dad who doesn't know anything about that walking, egocentric, arrogant danger that just violated my safe space.

I saw him slowly walking towards me, looking me up and down. I couldn't move, I couldn't react. I just remained numb in front of him as he approached and stopped a step away, his intoxicating smell engulfing me.

Fire, wood, and whiskey.

"Hey baby," He said like it was the easiest thing in the world, like he said it a thousand times. I raised my wide eyes to look at his own, calm and contemplating ones.

"I missed you," He said loud enough so my dad could hear it.

Is this real? Am I dreaming? What game is he playing?

His sweet expression fell as quickly as it came and as he raised his hand to cup my right cheek, he whispered with his authoritative voice. "Play along, Eli"

In a second his lips came crashing down on mine and I felt like my head just exploded. The butterflies in my stomach turned to fucking dinosaurs, stomping down on my guts and my heart started beating like a ticking-time-bomb.

As soon as his lips touched mine, my eyes fluttered close and the world disappeared. My dad no longer on my mind. The amount of satisfaction and need that resurfaced from his burning lips consumed my whole body and mind as I unconsciously kissed him back. Softly and tenderly.

What seemed like a soft peck on the lips to my dad, to me it resembled the most passionate and warming kiss that I have ever received in my life.

I heard Lucifer inhale deeply as he pulled back slowly. I opened my eyes and looked up at his wonderful, chiseled face. We were staring at each other's eyes, not caring about anything at the moment.

I heard my dad cough twice in a very fake and awkward manner and I was pulled back from my haze. I took a step back and looked at my dad, who was looking at me expectantly.

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Kara, what do I do now?

Now now, no need to ask her. I've got this.

My eyes snapped at his face as soon as I heard his voice inside my mind.

Lucifer smiled broadly again and spun around to look at my dad, who was standing by the door with his arms crossed.

"Sir, Eliana has told me a lot of things about you!" Lucifer said cheerfully.

What is happening? Who is this? Because he's definitely not the Lucifer I know! What is he doing here? Why now?

So many questions were running around in my head, and I felt the world spinning around me. I felt nauseous and dizzy, my legs trembled and I still wasn't able to utter a single word.

I just looked at the scene unfold in front of my eyes, glued to my spot, mouth agape and eyes wide. My dad had noticed my behavior and frowned thoughtfully. Oh, he definitely doesn't like him.

"But she hasn't said a word about you." My dad said and glared at Lucifer.

Lucifer pouted, looking hurt, and turned to look at me.

"Eli baby! We talked about this..." He sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder as I looked at him, terror and confusion clear on my face. He turned towards my dad again and slipped a hand around my waist, bringing our bodies closer. As soon as they touched, I felt a million tingles blow up like fireworks and I guess it was too much for me. I started seeing black and white spots in front of me, and I blinked numerous times as I placed my hand on Lucifer's chest to support my weight.

Okay Eli, get your shit together! Wake up from this haze that you're in and do something about your dad! He is ready to attack Lucifer and we know that won't end well!

I heard Kara's serious voice snap me out of my trance and shock, as I acknowledged what was happening before my eyes for the first time.

She's right. I have to do something because my dad is smart and he can sense that something is wrong. But what do I say? What the fuck am I supposed to do with Lucifer in my living room?

"Me and Eliana have been dating for quite some time now. I think we're about to celebrate our first year together in three days. Isn't that right, baby?" Lucifer spoke up before I could and looked down at me with such a sweet and convincing expression, that I almost bought it. My heart sure did because it skipped three beats.

I don't even know how I managed it but I woke up in a span of a second and turned towards my worried dad, who was ready to lash out and kick Lucifer's ass.