"Probably for the best." Lucifer began unwrapping the baby. "It looks quite dusty inside. I'll be back in a few minutes."
I pulled a blanket out of the diaper bag and set it down, then put Aurora on top of it and began feeding her one of those fruit and veggie pouches that were so convenient. Another thing I wished I'd had in the old days. She devoured it immediately, and I gave her some water, then searched around in the bag for something else to feed her.
Suddenly a growl ripped through the air behind me. I leaped to my feet in front of Aurora, my wings flaring out, with light in one hand and darkness in the other. A three-headed hellhound the size of a horse stood before us, its black fur radiating darkness and its eyes glowing red. Drool dripped from the long, sharp fangs on each of the heads, and sharp claws pawed at the ground as if it might charge us.
"Cerberus, no!" Lucifer cried out, from where he'd appeared in the entrance to the palace.
The hellhound paused, and then launched itself at Lucifer, wagging its tail. Three long tongues came out and covered Lucifer, who held up his hands to defend himself. Aurora giggled and squealed and I made my magic vanish, my shoulders relaxing. Cerberus had been our pet and guardian while in Hell, and it seemed he was still protecting the palace after all these years.
"Down!" Lucifer said, and Cerberus sat and looked up at his master, tail still dancing. Now that the hellhound realized there was no threat to the palace, his demeanor had changed entirely.
"Did you know he was here?" I asked.
Lucifer rubbed Cerberus's many heads. "Yes, he and all of the other hellhounds stayed here when the demons left for Earth. We couldn't exactly bring them along, after all."
"No, I suppose not." I held out a hand and approached him slowly. "Cerberus, it's me. Eve. Persephone. Lenore."
Cerberus tilted his heads, seemingly curious as he examined me. One of his noses sniffed my hand, then he bounced forward, three tongues ready to lick me. I gave him a hug, rubbing the thick fur along his neck.
"It's good to see you too," I said. "Want to meet our newest member of the family?"
Cerberus peered at Aurora next with three big doggy grins, and she giggled and reached for him with both arms. He laid a long lick up her cheek, and she laughed even harder.
"I feel so bad that he's been here all this time." I smoothed a hand along the hellhound's back. “Think he’d like to come home with us?”
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “A three-headed dog in California?”
“He’d be the perfect guardian and playmate for Aurora." Three pairs of eyes on my child who seemed determined to fly before she could walk sounded perfect at the moment. If we tasked Cerberus with keeping her safe, he' would do everything he could to protect her. "As long as he stays at the estate, it should be fine."
"I can't argue with that." Lucifer patted Cerberus on the back. "Do you want to come back with us, old boy? We could use your help defending a new palace."
Cerberus let out a bark and wagged his tail harder, and I guessed that meant yes.
"It's settled then," Lucifer said.
I began packing up all of Aurora's things, eager to leave this forlorn place. "Did you get the key to Void?"
"Yes, I did." Lucifer held up a small velvet drawstring bag, then tucked it into a pocket. "Let's go home."
I glanced back at the palace that had once been our home. Perhaps one day it would be again. But for the moment, our place was on Earth.
28
Hannah
Cerberus nudged Aurora across the floor, butt-scooting her along with one of his noses, and her peals of laughter rang out around the nursery. Even Zel smiled at the close bond that had developed between them.
Lucifer wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me closer. He nuzzled a kiss to my neck. “Think anyone would notice if we took an hour for ourselves?”
I lifted an eyebrow as I grinned. “A whole hour? What a luxury that would be."
He laughed and kissed my neck again, but then his phone rang, and he cursed under his breath. “It's Samael.”
I nodded, my smile dropping immediately. It had been a week since we'd gotten back from Hell, and there had been no news about Lilith's whereabouts. “You’d better get it then.”
Lucifer huffed out a sigh as he answered. "Hello, Samael. Everything all right?" He paused and his eyes landed on me. "Yes, she's here."
I turned to Zel, worry already nagging at my gut. "Could you watch Aurora while we take this?"
"Of course," Zel said.
Lucifer and I headed out of the nursery and into our bedroom, shutting the door behind us. I sat on the edge of the bed as Lucifer tapped his phone and said, "Okay, we're ready."
"We have an emergency here in Vegas," Samael's deep voice said from the phone's speaker. "Pestilence has been freed and we're under attack."
"What?" I asked, jumping to my feet again.
"How?" Lucifer asked.
"Our cameras show it was Theo who released him," Samael said.
Theo? I gripped Lucifer’s forearm. No, that made no sense. Theo had been my guard for months. I trusted him with my life. He'd helped me become Famine, and he'd been there when we sealed Pestilence inside. Why would he free Pestilence now?
"Are you sure it was him?" I asked, my voice trembling a little.
"We're sure." Samael spoke on a sigh, the words almost an apology. "We need your help. Pestilence is attacking The Celestial as we speak. Our people managed to evacuate it as best we could, but I fear he's going to spread his plague to everyone in Las Vegas within a few hours."
"We'll be there in an hour," Lucifer said, before hanging up. It wasn't even a question of
