surprise. "For the first time in over a millennium, I’m learning something new about you. I never realized you liked cars."
Serah glanced at the one parked near them. "That’s my favorite car. It’s a 1966 Pontiac GTO convertible, cherry red."
Samuel scrunched up his nose. "Looks orange to me."
"That’s because it’s in bad shape," Serah said. "It’s beautiful when it’s taken care of."
"So, huh , there’s one problem with this whole thing."
"What’s that?"
"I’ve been told women are terrible drivers."
Rolling her eyes, Serah shoved him hard, knocking him off the side of the cliff. He dropped a few feet, plummeting toward the ground, but he expanded his wings and flew right back up to her. He retook his seat with a laugh, playfully nudging her.
"The rock star and the race car driver," he said. "We make quite the pair."
She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against his shoulder. "We do."
"You weren’t entirely right a while ago, you know. Sure, humans have endless options, but their lives are just as written as ours. Just look at Nicholas and Samantha. We know everything they’ll do from today until the day they die. Nicholas will work in a factory, and Samantha will be a teacher’s assistant. They’ll have one kid, a little girl named Nicole. The moment I shoved them together, their future was determined, and the only way it’ll ever change is if one of us changes it for them. Us , Ser."
"But they chose those lives," Serah said. "We just happen to know what they’ll choose."
"Yeah, we know," he said. "That’s the point. There are no surprises when it comes to mortals. We’re the ones who surprise God. We’re the ones who divert from his path. Say what you will about Lucifer, but one thing is undeniable: he was the first to defy destiny. And being the first to do anything takes guts."
"Can I ask you something?"
Serah turned over a nine, not at all surprised when Lucifer flipped over a queen.
He sighed, sliding the cards onto the bottom of his pile. "How many times do I have to say it? You have to win to get answers."
"It’s not about that stuff," she said, playing a king. Lucifer played a two. Serah smiled as she grabbed the cards. "It’s about this place . . . about you."
Curious eyes regarded her from across the room as Lucifer twirled his finger, overturning a seven. "What?"
"You said you feel everything everyone else feels," she said, playing a three. "You said it was agonizing, that being down here was torment, that empathy was a curse. You said—"
"I know what I said," he ground out through clenched teeth. "Is there a question in there somewhere? Because I didn’t hear one."
"How is it so quiet?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "Quiet?"
"Yes. I guess I expected more from the place. The underworld is supposed to be, well, hellish ."
Lucifer said nothing. He quietly flipped over his card, regarding her with impatience as he waited for her to play hers. Silence ensued as they played a few hands, card after card going straight to him. He twirled his finger nonchalantly, flipping over an ace, as Serah’s hand hovered over her last card.
They both knew it was a Jack. They both knew he’d won.
The room around them shook, violently vibrating as the ground beneath Serah’s feet fractured in two, instantly swallowing the table and chairs. The moment the floor opened up, horrifying shrieks and cries of anguish spilled from the crack, blood-curdling screams piercing the air. Raging fire spilled out of the hole as the walls around them crumbled. Panicked, Serah’s eyes darted around as her wings expanded in defense. She soared from the ground, hovering above the flames as they consumed the room and everything in it. Lucifer remained in his marble chair, untouched by the blaze. His wings had erupted from his back, massive black shields blending in with the sudden cloud of thick smoke filling the room.
Serah covered her ears with her hands, trying to block out the uproar, but it only
Serah glanced at the one parked near them. "That’s my favorite car. It’s a 1966 Pontiac GTO convertible, cherry red."
Samuel scrunched up his nose. "Looks orange to me."
"That’s because it’s in bad shape," Serah said. "It’s beautiful when it’s taken care of."
"So, huh , there’s one problem with this whole thing."
"What’s that?"
"I’ve been told women are terrible drivers."
Rolling her eyes, Serah shoved him hard, knocking him off the side of the cliff. He dropped a few feet, plummeting toward the ground, but he expanded his wings and flew right back up to her. He retook his seat with a laugh, playfully nudging her.
"The rock star and the race car driver," he said. "We make quite the pair."
She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against his shoulder. "We do."
"You weren’t entirely right a while ago, you know. Sure, humans have endless options, but their lives are just as written as ours. Just look at Nicholas and Samantha. We know everything they’ll do from today until the day they die. Nicholas will work in a factory, and Samantha will be a teacher’s assistant. They’ll have one kid, a little girl named Nicole. The moment I shoved them together, their future was determined, and the only way it’ll ever change is if one of us changes it for them. Us , Ser."
"But they chose those lives," Serah said. "We just happen to know what they’ll choose."
"Yeah, we know," he said. "That’s the point. There are no surprises when it comes to mortals. We’re the ones who surprise God. We’re the ones who divert from his path. Say what you will about Lucifer, but one thing is undeniable: he was the first to defy destiny. And being the first to do anything takes guts."
"Can I ask you something?"
Serah turned over a nine, not at all surprised when Lucifer flipped over a queen.
He sighed, sliding the cards onto the bottom of his pile. "How many times do I have to say it? You have to win to get answers."
"It’s not about that stuff," she said, playing a king. Lucifer played a two. Serah smiled as she grabbed the cards. "It’s about this place . . . about you."
Curious eyes regarded her from across the room as Lucifer twirled his finger, overturning a seven. "What?"
"You said you feel everything everyone else feels," she said, playing a three. "You said it was agonizing, that being down here was torment, that empathy was a curse. You said—"
"I know what I said," he ground out through clenched teeth. "Is there a question in there somewhere? Because I didn’t hear one."
"How is it so quiet?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "Quiet?"
"Yes. I guess I expected more from the place. The underworld is supposed to be, well, hellish ."
Lucifer said nothing. He quietly flipped over his card, regarding her with impatience as he waited for her to play hers. Silence ensued as they played a few hands, card after card going straight to him. He twirled his finger nonchalantly, flipping over an ace, as Serah’s hand hovered over her last card.
They both knew it was a Jack. They both knew he’d won.
The room around them shook, violently vibrating as the ground beneath Serah’s feet fractured in two, instantly swallowing the table and chairs. The moment the floor opened up, horrifying shrieks and cries of anguish spilled from the crack, blood-curdling screams piercing the air. Raging fire spilled out of the hole as the walls around them crumbled. Panicked, Serah’s eyes darted around as her wings expanded in defense. She soared from the ground, hovering above the flames as they consumed the room and everything in it. Lucifer remained in his marble chair, untouched by the blaze. His wings had erupted from his back, massive black shields blending in with the sudden cloud of thick smoke filling the room.
Serah covered her ears with her hands, trying to block out the uproar, but it only
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