Dazed, Cassie staggered back to her apartment with the same sluggishness as a zombie in an old black and white movie. It had taken her nearly five minutes of blankly staring at the counter in her shop before she finally found the strength to slip off the stool and stumble back upstairs.
Wiping her eyes to dry the last remnants of tears born of loss and exhaustion, Cassie fumbled with the doorknob a couple of times before finally pushing it open. Standing in the archway, she gazed at the sight before her, stunned. The enchantment Lucifer had used to repair her shop had apparently extended through the floors, restoring everything damaged during the altercation between Charlie and her father.
Peering at the side table by the closet door, she noticed that all the photo frames containing the various photos she'd taken of them on that one night out had returned to their original position.
However, when her eyes reached the final frame, it did not contain the photo Kevin had taken with him. A new wave of misery struck her, and Cassie choked up again. It was another cruel reminder that her sister was gone forever.
Oh, Kevin. I hope you found her in time! Realizing she didn't know who to pray to anymore—the Goddesses? God? Lucifer?—Cassie felt utterly lost.
Taking a shuddering breath, she shuffled into the kitchen, grabbed a coffee cup from the dish rack, opened a cupboard, and took the first tea bag she saw. She drew hot water from the sink, filled the cup, and placed it in the microwave. So what if it wasn't the proper way to brew tea; she simply needed warmth in her hands, something to hold onto while the world spun apart around her.
When the microwave dinged at the end of its cycle, she pulled the door open, carefully eased the hot cup out, and set it on the kitchen table. She dropped the tea bag in with a plop and moved over to the table, pulled her chair out, and fell into the seat with a heavy sigh. Fishing up the string, she dabbed it up and down, steeping it a few times before her hand stilled, energy spent. Staring at the cup and the rising steam, her mind drifted away again.
The tea was left abandoned.
The revelation that she had been Charlie's master all this time explained so much, and Lucifer's exposition of events left a clear vision in her mind about everything. Searching her soul, Cassie could still feel the remnants of their connection. What a fucking fool she had been to claim to be a witch and not even have the slightest idea she'd bound a demon to her! That she, Cassandra Elizabeth Collins, had been the master of the Princess of Hell!? Her resolve broke at the thought of her sister, and any hope of halting the fresh stream of tears was gone.
Time she couldn't count passed before the gentle creak of her front door caught her attention. Pulling her focus away from her now ice-cold tea, her aching eyes watched as Kevin entered the apartment, soaked to the bone, yet he stopped to stare with the same revelation she'd had when she saw the magic's blessing.
He sniffed, his lips twitching with the faintest hint of a smile that expressed gratitude for Lucifer's parting gift before he closed the door behind him and used it to slide down to the floor, yielding to the emotional wounds that left him empty. Eyes haunted and gazing into nothing, he simply breathed, chest rising and falling.
Cassie pushed herself up, legs wobbling from exhaustion, and struggled around the table. Before she could stop herself, she asked the question she already knew the answer to.
"Charlie?"
Glancing in her direction, Kevin swallowed and answered as plainly as if she'd just asked him the time of day.
"She's gone."
Wiping her nose, Cassie nodded. Her lips pressed into a sympathetic smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth, cheeks aching from the effort of restraining the dam of tears threatening to shatter. She took one step, then another, closing the gap between them before dropping to her knees in front of him. The siblings shared a meaningful look before she turned and sank into his arms, and together, they let the sorrow in their hearts show in their eyes.
Outside, the storm continued to rage. Lightning tore across the sky in jagged streaks, briefly illuminating the apartment, while thunder shook the windows and rain pounded the roof in relentless sheets.
It was as if the heavens were crying alongside them.
In Hell, just outside of the bustling hustle of the Pride Ring, stood the imposing mansion of the King and Queen of Hell, and their daughter, Princess Morningstar. It was a masterpiece of design, both intricate and simple in the same lines that defined its shape. But it was not the focus of the moment.
Inside, in Charlie's modestly small bedroom, Lucifer sat on the corner of her bed, eyes closed, and waited patiently. He had left Cassie's shop as the magical fire burst from the broken spell to avoid a long farewell with the young witch, for whom he had quickly grown to respect deeply. One day, she would become a powerful Wiccan, and perhaps then, he would reach out to her again.
The smile on his lips faded as he recalled what Charlie had revealed about the entity lurking in the depths of her soul: Seed.
It was so deeply embedded within her that even he, the King of Hell and the first fallen angel, could not remove it. This indicated that Seed originated from someone with power equal to his own… or, as he feared, greater than his. Only a few beings held such a stature above him: God, the original angels, the Seraphim.
And Roo.
He needed to speak to his wife, Lilith, as soon as possible.
As he reflected on this, the atmosphere shifted. Ripples radiated from the center of the room, producing a warbling throb that preceded the arrival of a soaked Charlie, who emerged at the epicenter. Her eyes flicked around the room, puzzlement etched on her face, until they landed on her father.
"Dad? What's going on? Why are you in my ro—"
Before she could finish her question, Lucifer snapped his fingers, silencing her. He knew she would be confused when she returned, so to help her ease back, he'd added a secondary piece of magic to the breaking spell. A simple trance spell that would allow him to put Charlie to bed peacefully.
Flicking his fingers again, he replaced her soaked jeans, jacket, and black T-shirt—which was ripped at the front—with her favorite red pajamas. She was now dry, her hair flowing loosely over her shoulders, though her alabaster face remained blank.
Standing, Lucifer pulled back the bed sheets and helped Charlie crawl into bed. Once she was settled, he tucked the blanket over her and kissed her forehead.
Recalling something Cassie had said to Charlie, he repeated those words to her: "Sleep, my precious daughter, and dream wonders. Let the love you felt for Kevin warm your soul, and let the woman you became with him guide your destiny."
Then he paused. Believing that the small piece of enchantment he'd left behind would someday help Kevin remember Charlie, even against Heaven's rules, he decided to do the same for her.
Infusing a touch of sorcery into his next phrase, he whispered softly to her ear, "And should you and Kevin ever meet again, may all your memories of him return to you."
Her lips curled into a smile, and she hummed softly to herself, rolling over to her side. Easing off the bed, he walked over to her gold vanity desk, where her Earth clothes now lay dry and neatly folded.
Scooping them up, he noticed the tip of the photograph Kevin had given her peeking out from the edge of her jeans pocket. Pulling it out, he examined it. His smile wavered as he traced his finger along the lines of her face, saw how genuinely happy she had been, and felt regret for the decision he had to make. There were moments when he truly detested Hell's rules.
Sighing, he slipped the photo into his breast pocket, tucked the clothes under his arm, and walked to the bedroom door. Opening it, he was about to step out when he heard her mumble.
"Mmm, Kevin," she cooed in her sleep.
Smiling warmly, he whispered as he gently closed the door. "Welcome home, princess."