Lucifer’s crimson eyes brightened when Shay’s figure appeared at the border of Hell, a flicker of light against the encroaching shadows. His wings shifted slightly, a subtle sign of the restless energy that had pgued him during their absence.

  He stood straighter, his imposing frame tense with anticipation. The faint scent of divinity wafted toward him, mingled with something uniquely Shay. It struck him like a fme, igniting a hunger that had simmered for too long.

  “Well met, angel,” he greeted, his voice smooth but carrying an edge of something raw. His gaze raked over them, taking in every detail, from the faint flush on their cheeks to the nervous flutter of their wings. “For I grow restless, yearning for your company once more.”

  Shay’s steps faltered as their gaze met his, the weight of his presence overwhelming. Their heart thundered against their ribs, a mixture of trepidation and yearning. The sight of him, as imposing and radiant as ever, struck them anew; his presence radiated power, his form both regal and dangerous. Yet beneath the allure, there was a warmth that beckoned them.

  “Well met, beautiful Lucifer,” they managed, their voice trembling, though they tried to mask it with a bow of their head in respect.

  When they looked back up, the intensity of his glowing ruby gaze held them captive. Swallowing hard, they added, “I longed for your company too,” they admitted, their voice soft but steady. “But...”

  Their words trailed off, their expression darkening with guilt. “But I’m afraid I bring bad news.”

  Lucifer’s grin faded, repced by a flicker of concern. He stepped forward, his rge frame casting a protective shadow over them. Gently, he lifted their chin with two fingers, forcing their eyes to meet his.

  The heat of his touch seeped into their skin, grounding them. His voice dropped to a low, intimate rumble. “Tell me, angel. What burden do you carry that casts such shadows in your eyes?”

  Shay’s breath hitched as his words enveloped them like a shield. Shay opened their mouth to respond, but the words refused to come. They closed their eyes and pressed his hand to their cheek.

  His touch steadied, and they savored the contrast between his heat and their cool skin. The contrast was both jarring and comforting, a reminder of how deeply their worlds differed yet fit together.

  “How much I craved your warmth, my prince,” they whispered, their voice breaking under the weight of their emotions.

  Lucifer’s thumb brushed against their temple, and his voice dropped further, tinged with a quiet yearning. “Did you know, my beautiful angel,” he murmured, his gaze piercing, “that in your absence, a century passed in this wretched pce?”

  Lucifer’s gaze darkened slightly, something unreadable fshing behind his crimson eyes. “Time in Hell does not move as it does in Heaven,” he murmured, tilting their chin up to meet his stare. “Down here, moments stretch into eternities. A single heartbeat can feel like an age.”

  Shay’s chest tightened. The weight of his words settled over them like unseen chains. “Then... how long have I truly been gone?”

  Lucifer’s grip on their waist tightened, his voice a quiet rasp. “A century.”

  Shay froze, their heart pounding as the words sank in. “A century?” they whispered, their voice barely audible. Their wings trembled at the realization. “But I… I’ve only been gone for days...”

  His lips curled into a bitter smile. “That is the nature of Hell, my angel. Time bends and twists here, mocking hope and magnifying despair. For me, it has been an eternity of waiting. Waiting to hear your voice again, to see your face.”

  One hand slid into their hair, his fingers tangling gently as he pulled them closer. Their breaths mingled, the space between them charged with an unspoken promise. “Kiss me, Shay,” he commanded softly, his eyes bzing with a fierce, possessive hunger. “Let me drown in your essence and forget, if only for a moment, the sorrows that pgue us both.”

  Shay’s heart stuttered as his words unraveled them. Their lips brushed his, tentative at first, but the moment he responded, it was consuming. His mouth cimed theirs with a fervor that left no room for hesitation.

  His heat enveloped them, devouring their cool serenity like a wildfire spreading through untouched woods. Shay melted into him, their arms resting against his chest as his purr vibrated against their palms.

  The kiss deepened, his tongue exploring their mouth with an intoxicating dominance. Heat surged through Shay, growing unbearable as it threatened to ignite them from within. Reluctantly, they pulled back, gasping for air as tears pricked their eyes.

  The guilt hit Shay like a physical blow, their chest tightening painfully. “I didn’t know...” they breathed, their voice cracking. “I—Lucifer, I didn’t mean to leave you for so long...”

  Lucifer stared at the tears trailing down their cheeks, a pang of unfamiliar tenderness tightening his chest. He caught each droplet on his thumb with a reverence that contrasted with his intensity.

  “Fear not, my angel,” he murmured, his voice a soothing rumble. “For in your presence, even the darkest corners of my realm feel less foreboding. You bring light to my shadowed world.”

  His gaze darkened with protectiveness as he traced the curve of their cheek with his thumb. “No harm shall come to you while you walk among the damned. I swear it upon my immortal soul.”

  Shay’s eyes shimmered with fresh tears, but they looked away, ashamed of their failure. Their guilt weighed heavier now, their wings drooping under its unseen burden. “I wish I were all of that,” they whispered. “I do not fear you, my precious prince, for I know the gentleness of your heart. But…”

  Tenderly, Lucifer lifted their face and asked, his voice filled with knowing sadness, “Tell me—what news brings you back to me with such a heavy heart?”

  Their voice faltered, and they shook their head, tears falling freely now. “Lucifer...” They hesitated, their voice trembling as they struggled to find the right words. “I… I failed you.”

  The demon king’s hand tightened slightly against their cheek, his cws grazing their skin—not in anger, but in an unconscious attempt to ground himself. “Speak,” he urged, his voice low and steady. “Whatever it is, I will bear it.”

  “I tried to plead your case. I begged for them to see your heart, your goodness. But God...” Their voice broke on the word, their tears spilling freely. “He wouldn’t even let me finish. The others warned me to stop. They said I was polluting Heaven with your name.”

  As Shay’s trembling words reached his ears, Lucifer’s cws tightened briefly against their cheek, a faint crackle of fire sparking along his fingertips. His tail snapped sharply behind him, the movement a barely restrained outlet for his fury.

  His crimson eyes burned brighter momentarily, his voice a low growl. “So this is Heaven’s mercy,” he spat, the words ced with bitter venom. But then his gaze softened as it settled on their tear-streaked face.

  His fingers brushed away the angel’s tears. “Of course they would,” he said, his voice a growl ced with bitterness.

  “To them, I am not a being—I am a warning. A symbol of disobedience, stripped of context or purpose. They dare not acknowledge me for what I am, for what I was.”

  Lucifer’s lips curled into a grim smile. His expression softened slightly though the anger lingered just beneath the surface. He brushed a tear from their cheek, his touch uncharacteristically tender. “Do not let their dismissal break you. Heaven’s judgment is not absolute, no matter what they cim.”

  Shay’s thoughts churned as they struggled to reconcile the reality before them with the teachings of Heaven.

  How had it come to this?

  They had spoken his name—which should have been unutterable in Heaven, cursed and forbidden. Yet it hadn’t felt wrong. It had felt... necessary.

  Am I becoming like him? A rebel against the light? Or is he... more than the darkness they warned me about?

  Their gaze lingered on him, this figure of contradictions—radiant even in shadow, tender despite his power, a bringer of fire and warmth in a realm of cold despair.

  Lucifer... the light-bringer. Was that not his true name?

  The thought struck them like a revetion, an unraveling of the very fabric of their understanding.

  If he is light, then why cast him as darkness? If he is fire, why let him burn alone?

  “No,” Shay countered fiercely, their wings fring slightly in defiance of his words. “That’s not all you are.” Their voice cracked, but the resolve in their eyes only deepened, bzing brighter against the shadows of despair. “You have a heart, Lucifer—a heart that deserves to be seen and healed.”

  Their hand lifted, trembling as it cupped his cheek. Their touch was cool, steadying, as though anchoring both of them to a truth that refused to be erased. “I don’t care what they say. I’ll find a way to make them understand. You don’t deserve this. Not you.”

  A shadow flickered behind them, unseen by mortal eyes—a whisper, cold and omnipotent, slithered through the air. Heaven was watching.