Something Wicked

could be so deceiving.

“Because you’re close to the action. Also because we have a few things in common.”

Her eyebrows went up. “I find that hard to believe.”

He absently made patterns in the sand. “You’ve recently been dealing with a curse. I’ve been dealing with one for an eternity. You have a powerful darkness inside you that you shouldn’t use. So do I.”

She let that sink in. “Hold on. You’re concerned that you have a darkness inside you that you shouldn’t use.”

“That’s what I said.”

She just stared at him blankly. “I find that hard to wrap my head around.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He met her gaze, and he looked so incredibly human. “Many people confuse me with Satan. I don’t doubt that you would, too.”

A shiver coursed down her spine at the other recognizable horror movie name. “Are you trying to say he’s the real prince of darkness and you’ve just gotten a bad reputation because of him?”

“Not exactly.” He was silent so long she wasn’t sure he’d say anything else. And then, “Satan is who I become when I use my dark powers. He’s who you should really be afraid of. Satan is my curse, part of my punishment — the one I received when I was cast out of Heaven. And with your help I can destroy him once and for all.”

Eden just gaped at him. It was a look she figured she’d perfected today.

Lucas stood up and paced to the waterline before turning and coming back. “And you’re the one who gets to know the truth. Don’t you feel lucky?” He grinned, but it was strained. “All of this time, thousands of years, I’ve been cursed to remain in Hell. Cursed with an inner darkness that keeps me from redemption.”

More gaping on Eden’s part. “You want to be redeemed?”

“More than anything. I was cast out of Heaven because I refused to kneel before humans.” His face shadowed with disgust. “Insects. Powerless, ungrateful, and dirty, destroying the gift of this world from the moment they were created. And I’m supposed to love them unconditionally?” His lips thinned. “I tried to accept my punishment and make the best of it, but I never have. I want to go back to my home. But the curse works like an anchor, trapping me in Hell.”

“But you’re here.” She looked around the beach, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. It wasn’t easy. “I touched you in the hallway of my apartment. You’re real.”

“I’ve found a way to enter the human world, but. .” He trailed off.

“But what?”

“But when I’m there, I’m not exactly the same as I am in Hell.”

She studied him carefully and warily, trying to sense something in him, but there was still nothing. That alone helped clue her in to what was really going on here. After a moment, she gasped. “Wait a minute. Are you. . human here? I don’t sense anything more from you because there’s nothing more to sense, is there?”

It was as if the answer came to her head directly from Alex Trebek himself.

He raised pale brown eyes to hers, and she could see the shock and immediate distrust. She’d figured out his little secret too quickly. “You sensed that, did you?”

Eden just nodded, waiting for him to deny it.

He didn’t. “It’s why I try to stay here as little as possible. It would be very embarrassing if I got hit by a bus while crossing the street.”

“What would happen then?” she asked, trying to reconcile everything she was learning from him and failing miserably.

“Straight back to Hell on a one-way ticket. Unable to summon the energy to leave again for decades. It’s an imperfect science, but it’s the only way. In the human world I have to be human.”

“Why?”

“My strong distaste for them might lead me to lay waste to everyone I see.”

“You’d do that?”

“If I used enough of my power and Satan came out to play, it’s very possible.”

“You make it sound like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

“Because that’s very much what it’s like for me.”

“So. . Lucifer. . or Lucas,” she began, “is your nice side—”

“Nice might be a bit of an exaggeration.”

“And Satan is the truly evil one.”

“With my curse in place, I represent the darkness in either of my guises. But you wouldn’t want to meet Satan. I’m not quite as good of a conversationalist when he’s in control.” He cocked his head to the side. “You’re the first I’ve chosen to have this conversation with in a very, very long time. You should feel very honored.”

Honored was one thing she didn’t feel at the moment. Eden crossed her arms tightly in front of her. “I need to get back. Darrak will wonder where I’ve gone.”

“Time isn’t an issue here, but there’s no reason to draw this out. I’ve told you what I want from you. The weapon Theo will acquire today may have the power to kill me. But I want to use it to kill Satan instead. If I can destroy my darkness, maybe my light can finally be restored.”

She considered this for an uneasy moment. “You really think Heaven’s going to welcome you back with open arms after all this time?”

His jaw clenched. “I’ve learned my lesson. There’s no reason for them to continue to torture me by ignoring my existence. So will you do this for me? Watch Theo and bring me the weapon when I ask?”

“I don’t know.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, if what you’re saying is true, you’re Lucifer. And Satan. And that’s just way too much for me to absorb during one day at the beach.”

“You’re saying you don’t trust me.”

“That pretty much sums it up.”

“But you trust Darrak?” he challenged. “He’s an archdemon. At his essence, he’s nothing but hellfire. I created him to be a servant to me.”

She swallowed hard. “A lot of people come from humble beginnings.”

His expression was tense. “Say you’ll agree to help me. To work for me.”

“Work for Lucifer.”

“Yes.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “You need an answer right now?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then my answer is no. I. . I can’t do it. I can’t work for you. My soul is in enough jeopardy as it is.” She touched her amulet. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

“I see.”

She expected him to get angry with her, but he didn’t. Was he really going to take no for an answer? She really hoped so. “You’ll find someone else to help you.”

“There is no one else.” He went quiet for a moment, his expression shadowed. “I have your mother’s soul, you know.”

A breath caught in Eden’s throat. “What did you say?”

“Your mother, Caroline Riley. She died recently. She was a borderline case — her eternal fate was undecided but recently tipped in my favor when I chose to claim her as. . insurance.”

“She’s in Hell.” Her mouth was dry.

“Her soul is mine,” Lucas said. “She was a horrible mother to you. She had terrible taste in men. Even your father, an angel.”

She inhaled sharply. “You know about him?”

“Of course I do. I also know that he turned his back the moment the human world was out of sight, and he put you and your mother out of his mind. There aren’t many angels who will give up Heaven for a mortal life.”

“Don’t hurt her,” Eden said, her voice barely audible. He was right. Her mother had been a crappy one. Negligent and emotionally distant. But she didn’t deserve an eternity in Hell for her sins.

“As soon as I let her out of my protective custody, there’s no saying what torment she’ll face. But, like I said,