“Lucifer isn’t looking after me?” Emma stared up at him.
“No, witchling.” He smiled to reassure her. “I’m going to find your mother.”
“Good.” She nodded.
“Yes, good.” Bianca threw him a vicious look.
Raphael stood in the doorway. He glanced at Lucifer, Emma, and then the duffel bag and shook his head. “Words escape me.”
“Let’s keep it that way.” Lucifer shoulder checked him on the way past.
Emma stared at Raphael. “An angel,” she breathed.
“Snap!” Raphael grinned at her. “That’s exactly what I thought when I saw you.”
Charming fucker was Raphael, and a decent counterbalance. They were one of the few archangel and hell prince pairings that got on well.
“Your eyes,” Emma whispered. “Look like gold.”
“And yours look like velvety chestnuts.” Raphael winked.
Giggling, Emma wrinkled her nose. “That’s weird.”
“I’m weird.” Raphael chuckled and took the duffel from Lucifer.
Yep, Lucifer had lucked out with Raphael. Unlike Wrath and Ramiel, who were one breath away from fighting every time they met, he and Raphael were happy in each other’s company.
In all honesty, that probably had more to do with Raphael being such a reasonable and humble sort who strove for peace and harmony, than him.
Lucifer shot Raphael a look that said he would explain later, and his archangel nodded. That there was why they got on. “Emma and Ethan have had a difficult night,” he said.
“Then they’re in the right place.” Raphael smiled and led the way up the stairs to the living quarters. “I’m Raphael,” he said to Emma.
“The archangel?” she whispered.
Raphael blushed. “You’ve heard of me?”
“Duh!” Emma snorted. “Everyone’s heard of you.”
“Now you’ve done it.” Lucifer carried her up the stairs. “He’s going to think he’s all that.”
Emma almost smiled, and Lucifer took that as a win.
Shade appeared at the top of the stairs and took all of them in. He turned his head and called, “Eddie, we have visitors.”
“Oh, crap,” Bianca murmured.
Lucifer had questions. Did Eddie have issues with Bianca? He didn’t like that. He would have to make it clear that the only being of power who had issues with Bianca was him.
“Visitors?” Eddie’s voice drew closer. “Who would arrive at this—” She stopped next to Shade and stared. “Oh!”
Lucifer stepped past Eddie and Shade into the small kitchen. He needed an expert in children.
Dee was making tea, while Daniel sat at the table eating charred cookies. They gaped at him.
He was getting tired of that reaction. Admittedly, the sweats were something he’d never worn, and he didn’t usually have that much to do with children. Also, playing porter was a new experience. However, they could stop gawping at him as if they’d never seen the like. Just because something wasn’t the norm for him, didn’t mean it never happened. “My friend, Emma, here was had a difficult night.”
“Oh dear.” Dee approached them. “Hi, Emma. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had a difficult night.”
“My mother is gone,” Emma said, her arms tightening around his neck. “Lucifer said he didn’t know where she was, but that he would look for her. He told me that there would be angels here and people who could look out for me while he looked for my mother.”
“Well, you’ve seen an angel,” Dee said giving him a hard look. “And if Lucifer said he would look for your mother, then that’s exactly what he’s going to do.”
Hadn’t he already promised Emma as much? The humans he encountered lately were getting far too accustomed to making demands of him. “Emma is a witch, like her mother,” he said.
“Right.” Dee smiled at Emma. “Then it’s a very good thing we like witches around here.”
Daniel stood. “Would you and your brother like to lie down in my room? It sounds like you’ve had the sort of night that you would need to lie down after.”
Emma stiffened.
“You can go with him.” Lucifer hated the tension in her small body. No child should ever feel that way.
Emma’s brown eyes locked on him. “Where will you be?”
“Right here.” He pointed to the kitchen. “I need to tell these people what happened, and we need to make some plans.”
Emma mulled that over. “Plans about Ethan and me?”
“Yes, and other stuff that I’m not going to get into with you.”
“Because I’m a kid?”
She’d hit the nail on the head. “Yup.”
Emma gave that some thought. “Okay, then.” She held up one dimpled finger. “But don’t leave without telling me, and if your plans are about Ethan and me, then I want to know.”
“That’s fair.” He put her on the ground. “Daniel will show you where you and Ethan can sleep.”
“Are you hungry?” Dee took Ethan from Bianca. “I can bring you a snack?”
Emma eyed the cookies on the table. “Those?”
“No.” Dee chuckled. “I think we can find you something else.”
“No, thank you.” Emma frowned at the cookies. “Ethan has already brushed his teeth, and he shouldn’t have cookies before bed.” She gave Dee an adult look. “The sugar gets him all hopped up.”
“No snack then.” Dee motioned for her to follow Daniel.
