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LAUDON'S POV

Hours have passed since Laudon escorted Maggie back to her home on Edreial, and still, he has yet to recover from the conversation that they had in Lucifer's office.

Not only is his mother still alive and his father been deemed untrustworthy, but Laudon is not at all the full-blooded demon that he once thought he was. He is instead a halfling; half-angel, half-demon. This is a defect that his kind will never be able to accept.

Additionally, Laudon's lifespan has been cut short by a curse set upon him by God, his mortal enemy. A curse for which there may be no cure. A curse that is not mentioned in any of Lucifer's writings, giving Laudon the impression that his father knows nothing about it.

As if that is not enough to have Laudon hit rock bottom, the curse had been triggered because of him meeting his soulmate. Out of everything that has been revealed to him, knowing that someone out there has imprinted on his soul is what continues to linger at the top of his overcrowded mind. Having only been around a handful of women during his lifetime, there are two with whom he has managed to form genuine connections with.

Lila and Maggie.

One he has known for years; the other he has recently met. One of them must be his soulmate. Given the intricate details of his curse, specifically the part about time, Laudon knows exactly who it is.

"I am done waiting for you to tell me what has been going on around here." Lila bursts into Laudon's office unannounced, a hard scowl on her face. "I know you are keeping something important from me, and as a prominent member of your inner circle, I demand to know what and why." Lila slams the door shut, then crosses her arms over her chest. "You may begin speaking."

Laudon can only laugh at the raging redhead. He is too mentally and emotionally exhausted to entertain Lila's insubordination. And knowing her, she would somehow find a way to end up enjoying whatever punishment he gave.

"You've been by my side for how many years now? And still, you cannot remember to knock before entering a place that you haven't been called to. Honestly, Lila, you're exhausting."

"I could say the exact same thing about you, darling." Lila takes the seat in front of Laudon's desk, her black eyes scanning the mess that sits atop it. "What is all this?"

"Just a few stolen goods from my father's office," Laudon casually replies. "I found out that he has been lying to me about one too many things, so I broke into his office to get some answers."

"Did you find any?"

"Yes."

"What do they entail?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Have you already told Zul about whatever has been going on?"

"Yes, but he doesn't know the full story."

"If whatever you told him is important enough for him to know, then I deserve to know it as well."

Laudon sighs, sitting back in his chair while studying Lila. "You'll look at me differently after I tell you what I've discovered. That makes me feel uneasy, makes me wonder how much the truth will damage our relationship."

"Laudon, you're scaring me again..." Lila's stony expression slowly morphs into one that exhibits fear and concern. She stands from her seat to move behind Laudon's desk, resting against the edge of it while holding one of his hands in hers. "Nothing you say will ever be enough to cause me to turn against you. I speak that as your lover, not as your subordinate."

Laudon softens at her words. "You truly mean that?"

"I stood before your father, my creator, and vowed to die for you, Laudon. Of course, I mean it." Lila smiles, squeezing his hand. "Now tell me whatever it is that you think I couldn't handle before."

"Okay. I'll tell you..."

Until this moment, only Myrlande, Zul, and Maggie know about Laudon being a halfling. He reveals just a portion of his truth to Lila because he trusts her, and selfishly, because there is a part of him that does not want to lose her. What he does not reveal to Lila, however, is his soulmate's curse, Maggie's deity predicament, and his conflicting feelings towards both women.

For the time being, Laudon thinks, not all secrets need to be told.

"It has been rumored that angels are exceptional lovers," Lila speaks after a moment of silence passes. "With you being a halfling, I suppose that explains how you're so damn good at sex."

Laudon chuckles. "After all that I said... you choose to point out how I'm good in bed?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood, handsome." Lila smirks before getting serious. "Perhaps when your father returns, you can find out more about this war that he is planning to wage against God on behalf of your mother. I have never been one to turn down a fight, but I must confess that I am not looking forward to being called to the frontlines to battle it out against a mob of savage angels."

"I'm still unsure of how I'll react to seeing him once he returns," Laudon says. "I want to deck him across the face for having lied to me about so many things, but I also want to assist him however I can to help free my mother."

Laudon glances towards the mountain of books scattered across his desk, letters and scrolls mixed in with them.

"According to these texts, halflings aren't as weak as everyone assumes. Demonic and angelic power flows within me. I can continue to live a balanced life without having one power destroy the other, or..."

"Whatever you are about to say, I urge you not to say it."

"Or I can completely purge my demonic powers and become a full-blooded angel. Doing this will allow me to infiltrate Heaven and rescue my mother."

"Laudon, what you are suggesting right now... it is a fucking suicide mission. Do you really believe that your father would ever allow such a thing to happen? You know the law. If you become a full-blooded angel, you will no longer be able to reside in Hell."

Laudon shrugs his shoulders. "What does it fucking matter? For as long as I live down here, my life will forever remain in danger if it ever gets out that I'm a halfling. And it's not as if I ever desired to be the Prince of Hell... it's a title that was forced upon me without my consent."

"You would seriously give up your position for a mother you have never met?"

"Yes, I would."

"Laudon, darling..."

"Angels cannot lie, remember? At the moment, I trust her more than I trust anyone else."

"Damn. Your father really pissed you off, huh?"

"You have no idea," Laudon mutters. "Everything that I have found out about my mother, everything that she has said about me... I believe it all to be true. The visions that I've had of her, though we were unable to speak, I could feel that she meant me no harm. I think she desperately wants to have a relationship with me, and I know in my heart that she would never betray me in the ways that my father has done. I cannot give up on her, so I will do whatever it takes to free her from her prison and then punish the monster that put her there."

Lila says nothing, only nods. The tone of Laudon's voice is enough to let her know that his mind is made up, and not even she has the power to change it.

"However you choose to proceed, I will be there right behind you."

"Thank you for taking all this in so well," Laudon replies. "I wish Zul were as compliant. Instead of doing what I ask of him, he continually goes behind my back and further fucks things up."

"Sounds like Zul," Lila says. "Where is he anyway? It is rare for him to go this long without making an appearance when usually he can be found stuck up your ass." Lila jokes. Laudon playfully rolls his eyes. "Or... does him being gone have something to do with the blood all over on your clothes? I have been dying to ask who it belongs to."

"Zul," Laudon answers. "Luckily for him, he's still alive."

"Dare I ask what he did to get you so upset?"

"I'd rather not get into it right now."

"Fair enough." Lila pushes off the desk to stand behind Laudon's chair. She begins to massage his stiff shoulders, hoping to relax him. "You have gone through a lot in such a short amount of time, my darling. If you'd like to take a break and unwind, I have a packet of Sarachne in my room that I can go fetch for you..."

"That might not be such a bad idea." Laudon sighs, closing his eyes. "I've been too wired to sleep, and too on edge to fully relax. I wonder if that's the reason why my mother hasn't reached out to me lately. I'm usually not as distracted whenever the visions occur."

"Shall we experiment with your theory then?"

"Yeah. Let's do that."

. . .

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