※ Eliana's POV ※

"Hello, Lucifer" The angel sighed sadly as he looked at my mate. I was gripping onto Lucifer's broad shoulders, feeling the tension on his muscles and a wave of sadness hit me out of nowhere, coming directly from him.

As I turned my head to look at him, I felt my body being lifted and moved. In a second my butt was on the soft mattress and I was standing there dumbfounded. Lucifer was now on his feet with his pants secured around his waist and his naked chest rising and falling as the sweat looked like glitter on his skin.

After a few seconds of unbearable tension inside the small room, Lucifer dashed forward and lunged at Gabriel. I screeched and stood up to stop the Devil from shredding the angel into pieces but I froze when I saw what they did.

Lucifer was holding Gabriel's head with his hands and his forehead fell on the crook of his neck, just above his collarbone. The angel's hand curled around Lucifer's shoulders and squeezed.

I was in complete and utter shock as I stared at the bizarre sight in front of me. This strange, emotional act of submissiveness coming from the Devil was mind-blowing and I was frozen in my place, unable to fathom what was happening in front of me.

"Why?" Lucifer demanded, taking in a few rough breaths. His voice was pained and strained, and my heart broke as I listened to him. Why what?

"I had to, Lucy. You knew that I had to" Gabriel spoke up calmly and stroked my mate's hair. My eyes became slits as I looked at them, my jealousy burning bright inside me.

Lucifer rose from his position and straightened his back, letting his arms fall by his sides. His naked back was facing me and his body tensed visibly.

"You had a choic-"

"You of all people should know that it wasn't really a cho-"

"You left me, "Lucifer grunted and silence fell.

The two celestial beings were having extremely tense eye contact, while I stood behind Lucifer, looking like a deer caught in headlights. I was staring at them, absorbing every piece of information and trying to put them together.

All I can say for sure is that Gabriel is no longer an enemy. Or at least not the enemy that I thought he might be.

"What would you do?" Lucifer's back tensed even more and his body stiffened as those words left the angel's mouth. Gabriel's eyes found mine and Lucifer slowly turned towards me. I followed his eyes until they reached mine and shined brightly like rubies. My eyebrows furrowed and I was stunned by the emotion that his eyes held right at that moment.

So much pain...

He moved towards me and raised his arms, cupping my cheeks softly. I craned my neck, never breaking our eye contact as he looked intently at me. He stroked my cheekbone with his thumb and I melted into his touch.

"I think we both know that you would have done the same. So please, Lucifer... don't make me feel bad for choosing my mate" Gabriel said and his voice faltered in the end. Lucifer's gaze darkened as he continued to look at me. He lowered his hands, letting them fall by his side. Suddenly, his angry and hurt expression fell into an apathetic one, he straightened his back and I could almost see the wall that he started building again after the previous one was torn down by his memories.

"Where are we?" Lucifer asked as he turned to look at the sad angel again. Gabriel had that look that someone has when they haven't done anything wrong but they feel guilty about it nevertheless. His shiny white eyebrows were furrowed and his foxy blue eyes looked like clear glass.

"Lucifer, don't change the subject. I'm not done talkin-" Gabriel protested and took a confident step closer to us. Lucifer stood in front of me, shielding my body from Gabriel. I placed my palm on my mate's waist and peeked from the side of his right arm.

I was incredibly tired from my lack of sleep and the emotional rollercoasters, but I was too curious to find out what happened between the angel and the Devil.

"Well, I'm done" Lucifer spat out, interrupting Gabriel's protest. I saw Lucifer's fist clench tightly as he looked down on the angel.

"Oh well, good for you. I'm not. It's about time that we sorted this situation out. You need to under-"

"I don't need to do anything. I'm done talking to you now" Lucifer said and looked down on me, moving to hug my body and ushering me forward.

"No," Gabriel said with tight lips and a numb expression. With a quick swiss of his hands, an icy white substance flew out of his palms, and in a matter of seconds, I went flying back. I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the impact but instead, I bounced on the soft mattress of the bed.

Triggered, I looked towards the two celestial beings that took the majority of the space inside the small cabin. I was now on the side of the scene and I had a clear look at their faces; not a very pleasant sight.

Lucifer was wrapped with that white, icy substance that was coming out of Gabriel's palms. The angel had straightened up and looked more hurt than angered. Although his actions said otherwise.

"I know you have been avoiding me. I have reached out many times, so don't you dare turn this on me!" Gabriel said, his eyes turning icy as he looked at my mate. I stood up and looked from a somewhat safe distance. I glanced at my mate and what I saw either turned me on or scared the shit out of me; I couldn't figure out which one it was.

Lucifer had a cynical expression on his face. His eyes were drowned in a black abyss as he glared at Gabriel, his lips had morphed into a devilish smirk and his aura had darkened around him. The white substance started turning grey, the icy foam turning into pitch-black smoke.

"You think that you are still stronger than me, brother?" Lucifer's demonic voice boomed loudly and hit the walls of the small room. The familiar smoke around Lucifer grew bigger every second, consuming the empty space. Everything was foggy except Lucifer's eyes that looked like two black orbs shining in the darkness. The contrast was magnetic. Gabriel was the only source of light inside the room, as the dark fog covered the windows.

"Lucifer" I chipped in with a controlled calm voice, worried that he might explode and lash out on the poor angel. I cautiously stepped closer towards him, putting my hands in front of my body in defense.

Glancing at Gabriel's surprised and scared face, I understood that he knew what was coming.

"Does this look like the Garden to you? Do I look like I'm still a fucking kid? Like all those times that you were far stronger than me and you saved me from our cruel brothers? Huh?" His voice turned wicked and rough, anger and sadness pouring out of his mouth. I approached him slowly as I saw his horns piercing through his flesh. "Well, guess what Gabe!"

Venom.

Lucifer's words were laced with pure, unfiltered venom.

"I'm not a fucking kid anymore. I'm much more powerful than you and our brothers. I, the rebel, the outcast, God's fucking disappointment, am the strongest being in the universe and nobody can take that away from me. Not God. Not you. Not the stupid witches that gave it their best." Lucifer was grinning like a madman at the end of his speech. His voice was unrecognizable; rough and distorted. The way he talked sent shivers up and down my spine as I took another two steps towards him.

He was hovering in the middle of the room, the black smoke complimenting him in the darkest and most wicked way possible. He looked like the ultimate Alpha. His authority could have the proudest and most powerful people in the world, kneel down and kiss his feet. He was the King.

"Luce" I whispered at him once I was beside him, but he seemed to be oblivious of anything happening around him. He raised and stretched his hands, creating more of that black substance in his palms.

I quickly glanced at Gabriel who was in a state of shock as he looked at the Devil, getting ready to unleash his wrath upon him. Gabriel doubled over and cringed in pain before he fell down on his knees.

I noticed that Lucifer was about to attack the poor angel as he collected the smoke, ready to send it flying towards Gabriel. Any sane person would flee right this second, but not me. I have to stop this madness.

Without even thinking it twice, I stretched my hands above my head and quickly grabbed Lucifer's right wrist, bringing it down and pressing my fingers against his mark.

Lucifer widened his eyes in shock as a jolt of electricity passed through his whole body. He was brought out of his trance and his eyes shone bright red again, the black dissolving as he turned to look at me.

I smiled sadly at him and started whispering his name over and over again, telling him to calm down as I stroked his palm, brushing my fingers over his mark.

He looked intently at me as he lowered his body, taking in deep breaths as he calmed down. When his feet touched the ground, he swayed a little to the side and I immediately wrapped my arms tightly around his torso.

Of course, I wouldn't be able to hold him up for long, so I guided him towards the bed and made him sit down. The smoke around us started dissolving and light washed the small room again. I cast a quick glance on Gabriel as I stepped in between Lucifer's legs.

Gabriel was still kneeling down looking at me in pure curiosity and bewilderment. He slowly stood up, never taking his eyes off of us. Lucifer leaned in, placing his ear on top of my left breast as he wrapped his strong arms around my waist.

"I guess someone can," Gabriel said and I frowned at him. Lucifer coughed twice and whispered my name. I mouthed 'go' at the angel and he nodded absentmindedly, seeming to be lost in thought. He turned around and exited the cabin, mumbling something about a prophecy.

I focused on my mate again, who was ready to pass out on top of me.

"Lucifer, come on, let's lay down, yeah?" I whispered to him as I stroked his black locks, brushing my fingers through them. I tried to untangle his arms from around me but he only tightened his grip.

"Stay" He hummed in a weak, rasped voice. I guess this whole thing drained him because he seemed weak and dead tired. The fact that he was tortured in a burning cell for years didn't help his situation, and he was far from healed. He needed time and rest.

"I won't leave you, Lucifer. But you need to lay down, you're...tired" I carefully chose the last word, in order not to trigger him. I brought my hands down on his shoulders and massaged them a little, trying to ease the tension that had built there.

Lucifer grunted and with a swift movement, he picked me up and placed me on top of him as he laid down on the bed. His head hit the soft pillow and I placed mine on his chest. Warmth spread throughout my whole body as our bodies intertwined, and I placed a soft kiss on his left pectoral.

I heard him sigh in bliss and I sensed his tense body relax underneath my touch. He shifted a little and moved me around until we were both comfortable. I inhaled his scent softly, relaxing my mind immediately.

My heart was skipping beats every now and then, my mark burned and continuous tingles made me shiver. This felt so nice. I felt as if I was secure and safe. It felt like home.

As I laid with Lucifer and I kept drifting in and out of consciousness, Gabriel's words kept ringing inside my mind.

"I guess someone can"

Can? Can do what?

Lucifer's last words were that he was the strongest being in the universe and that nobody could take that away from him. But Gabriel said... that someone can. Did he mean me? But how could I be or ever become more powerful than Lucifer himself?

And what about that prophecy that both Gabriel and Dante were talking about before Lucifer came. What prophecy? What does it have to do with me?

And what the hell happened between Lucifer and Gabriel all those years ago? Lucifer really seemed to care about Gabriel, and when he left, it broke him.

So many questions had surfaced after the recent events. So many things have been happening and I, once again, felt overwhelmed.

However, I didn't have the chance to think about it for a long while, because I haven't slept in what felt like an eternity, and sleep took over my senses, putting my mind to rest.

*

*

*

I woke up feeling like I was floating in between the clouds. My body felt as light as ever and I actually woke up stress-free and well-rested.

I inhaled deeply as I moved around. I rubbed my face with my palm and slowly opened my eyes. My heart filled with warmth as I acknowledged the sleeping beauty underneath me.

His eyelids were shut, his long and dark eyelashes falling on his cheeks. His breaths were steady and his face relaxed. He shifted on the bed and tightened his arm around me, as he moved on his side, bringing me with him. I giggled softly as he brought my chest flat against his, placing my head on top of his bicep.

I sat there and stared at his beautiful face as he fell back to his deep sleep, his arms relaxing against me. As my brain started waking up, I became more aware of the things around me.

I was still on the bed inside the small, wooden cabin. Lucifer's smell was drowning every other smell of the room or the nature around us, but I wasn't complaining. In the distance, I could hear birds chirping and singing, the leaves shaking as the breeze hit the trees and a small shuffling sound.

I focused on the sound; I could hear the sound of something metallic hitting something light and I realized that it was a gardening tool digging in the dirt. I frowned as all the other sounds around me were pushed back and I could hear this one as if I was right beside it. My ears prickled as I caught the thin sound of someone's light, steady breaths.

Woah, that's new. Is it one of my powers, now that I am a phoenix?

I was pulled out of my thoughts as a nagging sensation in my bladder indicated that I had to get up and use the toilet.

I sighed and focused on getting out of Lucifer's embrace without waking him up. I carefully raised his arm that had me trapped and very, very slowly placed it on his side. I raised my head from his bicep and scooted away from him.

I expected him to flinch or move in his sleep, or wake up and pull me back, but he didn't shift. His breath didn't even falter or change pace.

He must be so exhausted...

I stood up and tiptoed to the small bathroom inside the cabin, doing my business, washing up, and then exiting. Lucifer was still in the exact position as I left him, and I decided to take advantage of his deep slumber to go and talk with the guys.

Hey Kara, you there?

Always, she sighed.

As I stepped outside, the bright sunlight hit my face and warmth spread all over my body. I breathed in deeply as I continued walking, my bare feet hitting the soft grass.

Isn't it beautiful here?, I thought as I twirled around underneath the sun's hot rays. I looked around, taking in the beautiful scenery in front of me once again.

The small cabin that I came from was behind me, with a blooming garden beside it. In the opposite direction, a beautiful cottage house stood, surrounded by hundreds of tall trees. A huge forest laid behind it, stretching as far as the eye could go.

It's...okay, Kara said dismissively.

Just okay? It's magnificent. It's so calming, I replied and I smiled brightly as I looked down the green slopes, noticing a small lake in the end which I didn't notice before.

Making a mental note to go visit it later, I turned around and started walking towards the cottage house, where I was guessing that Dante and Gabriel would be.

I walked up to the porch and knocked twice on the wooden door. After a few seconds, the door creaked open on its own making me frown in confusion.

"Come in Eliana" I heard Dante's voice from afar, and I slowly stepped inside the house. "I'm in the kitchen! Second door to your right"

I followed his instructions and started walking towards the right side of the house. Right in front of the door, in the middle of the main room, there was a wooden staircase that twirled around in two directions.

On the left side, there were two closed doors, keeping me from seeing what's inside. On the right side of the house, there were three doors; two to the sidewalls and one down the corridor. The first door was made out of foggy glass and it was wide open; Inside stood two huge brown leather couches which were placed in a parallel way. In the middle of the wall stood a wide fireplace, made out of stones. In the far right corner stood a piece of wooden furniture that held a TV on top and on the other corner there was a tray with wheels, that had numerous glass bottles on top.

I walked by the living room and entered the second door, where Dante said he was.

The kitchen was small and very, very cute. Every cupboard was made out of wood. In the far corner stood a small table with two chairs, right in front of a huge window that looked at the landscape and the lake.

The smell of eggs hit my nostrils and I felt saliva building up inside my mouth. My stomach growled loudly as I turned to look at the tall man that stood on top of the stove.

"Good morning Eliana" Dante sighed happily as he shook the pan with the eggs. The crackling noise of the oil burning was a surprisingly pleasant one in my ears.

"Good morning" I whispered back at him, as I took in his appearance. Dante's chest and back were exposed to the world as it seemed that he forgot to put on a shirt today. I wasn't complaining though; this man was absolutely stunning from head to toe.

Don't get me wrong. I would never look at him in any sexual way and I wasn't sexually attracted to him. He simply was a beautiful sight to see and admire, as he stood there with his fiery red hair cascading down his back and his majestic skin that shone like the moonlight was trapped inside his body.

"How did you sleep? Was the bed big enough and comfortable for the both of you?" Dante's soothing voice sounded and pulled me out of my thoughts. I blushed furiously as I realized what he said and looked down at my feet.

"Um...yeah, it was just fine" I fumbled with my hands as I replied to him.

"Hmm, good to know," He said knowingly as he continued to fry the eggs. A comfortable silence fell between us as I had no idea what to say or do.

After a while, when Dante was done with cooking and started setting the table, I decided to break the silence.

"So...where's Gabriel?" I asked and glanced up at him as he set four dishes on the small wooden table.

"He's out taking care of the garden. Probably pulling out the wild roots from the tulip fields" He said and my ears prickled as I immediately thought back to the sound of digging that I heard from our cabin.

I wanted to learn everything about my powers and what it means to be a phoenix. About my healing powers, whether I had wings or not, why were my eyes orange, and what will change on my body. I needed to find out and I was so tired of being kept in the dark.