Satan's Queen

5

Jacob couldn't be right. It was too far fetched. He had to be lying.

Lucifer looked up at the sky as he leaned on the rail of his balcony. Could He really be watching him? Was this truly all an elaborate plot to get Lucifer back? Did God truly love him that much?

'Not a chance.'

And yet ... it always concerned him that he'd never been able to read Kaitlyn's thoughts. Out of all the billions of souls, she was the only one. And it put him at a disadvantage—how was that simply a coincidence?

It unnerved him. Ever since he'd claimed her, he wondered where such a powerful force had arisen from. Thinking on it now, the only answer he could come up with was God Himself.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the railing. 'There must be something ... something else out there that I don't know about.'

But, surely, you would know? Surely, if there was a being as powerful as yourself, you would have known about it—and destroyed it.

He stepped back from the railing.

He's always loved you, came Jacob's voice. Throughout the millennia. Even as you hated Him. He loves you enough that He constructed this whole scheme to open your heart to Him once more.

Throughout the millennia ...

Through Kaitlyn ...

Once upon a time he thought it impossible to love a human. And yet, here he was doing just that. No matter how much he wanted to kill her, needed to kill her, or hurt her or maim her, he couldn't do it.

Throughout the millennia ...

Could he be so arrogant to think he could outwit God? His creator? He was arrogant. God had the foresight that he did not possess. That he could never possess.

Had he been a fool this whole time?

He looked above. 'You made me a fool. I am a fool because of you! Manipulator. Liar. Schemer. And they call me the Great Deceiver!'

He whipped around his arm with a snarl. With a loud crack! the stone railing broke free. Lucifer watched it tumble into the flames. More cracks began to appear beneath his feet, jagged and deep. They ripped their way towards the castle.

Furious tears spilled down his cheeks as he looked into the swirling sky. 'I hate you. I hate you. You abandoned me and now you humiliate me. What kind of father are you?'

The balcony shuddered. Smoke poured out of an erupting volcano. Hot lava followed, spilling down its blackened sides, causing a landslip that brought down half the mountain, making the castle shudder again.

He fell to his knees. He suddenly felt hot. So hot. So many emotions were welling up inside him. Impossible emotions. Emotions that infuriated him. The volcano's side blew apart. Black rock and fiery debris rained down upon him. He hardly noticed.

'I hate you,' he spat. 'I hate you.'

The balcony shuddered a third time. Now the floor was breaking apart, the jagged cracks turning to chasms. Lucifer felt himself slide as the balcony dipped. Pulling himself to his feet, he flung out his wings as it collapsed beneath him, big chunks falling into the flames below.

For the first time in his ancient life it was hard to fly. It seemed to sap the energy right out of him. It was like he was trying to tunnel his way through oil. But he kept going, inching his way to his castle. He landed in front of the doors—and stopped. What was he going to do? Where was he going to go?