Free Soul Conquered by Lisa Gail Green Page B

no
choices. I am not some lowly creature. I am His firstborn! I am an Archangel.
Now back to you, Noah, and the plan.”
    Time to practice my manipulation skills. “Wow.
Sometimes it’s just hard to believe this is really happening. To me.” I sit on
the couch like I haven’t noticed his usurpation of my throne, like I’m in my
rightful place, literally beneath the bastard. He’s made it crystal clear that
he thinks he’s better than humans like me. But despite his real feelings, he
keeps trying to placate me, which convinces me more than ever that I’m a threat
to him.
    He leans down like a benevolent father. The kind I
doubt actually exists. “I know it’s a lot to take in. You are still human. I
have to remember that. But you’re also the One I’ve been waiting for, Noah. You
must understand how excited that makes me.”
    I look up with a big dopey grin of my own. “Of course!
I just don’t want to blow it for you. So let’s go over the whole thing again,
if you don’t mind.” Of course you don’t. You’ve been driving me crazy, drilling
the first part into me for weeks.
    Lucifer begins droning on about Emily’s position as scapegoat
and my industrious rocket-ride through the ranks. I nod and smile, even ask a
few questions for clarification here and there. Finally, he gets to the part
where I rule the world after I’ve taken control of the UN. But that’s where he
stops.
    “Then what?” I ask. If I trust my Sunday school days—the
few that I paid attention in—Hell doesn’t win in the end. Obviously
Lucifer doesn’t buy that part, so what does he expect?
    He blinks. “Then you rule the world. What more do you
want?”
    “You want more than Hell, right?” I toss the question
back at him.
    Blue fire flares in his eyes, but only for a moment
before his face is as calm and benevolent as before. “I want what’s rightfully
mine.”
    “Which is what?” I press, spreading my arms across the
back of the sofa like I’m hanging with some dude from school. I know he wants
Heaven. But why? He doesn’t answer right away, so I give a little. “See, I want
more than just to rule. I want respect. I want others to appreciate me. Is it
the same for you?”
    Lucifer cocks his head, appraising me, and I wait it
out.
    “In a way,” he says, finally. “To put it in human
terms. When we are done here on Earth, I expect an apology of sorts from the beings
who doubted me. I belong up there.” He points vaguely upward. “At least free to
move back and forth. To make up for that and to acknowledge I’ve been right all
along, I expect a token. But that’s not for you to concern yourself with.”
    I nod again. So Lucifer thinks The Big Dude Upstairs
is going to apologize and offer a makeup gift. Personally, I think he’s
deluded. Then again, I don’t really understand it all. Maybe he knows what he’s
talking about. I mean, he has come this far. And if he does somehow get to go
back to Heaven, does that mean there’ll be an opening in Hell after I die? Even
part-time? Maybe I’ll inherit the crown, so to speak, and then I can make some
changes to the torture-for-all-eternity bullshit.
    The more I learn about Lucifer, the more possibilities
I see for my future.

Chapter 10
    Grace
     
    I exit the elevator with Randy
and follow him past the big tiger, which eyes me with distrust. I think about how
hard it must be to always be on display like that with no privacy, then realize
I’m not much different when it comes to Lucifer. But those thoughts are pushed
from my mind when I round the corner and walk through the glass doors.
    The casino is unlike any place I’ve ever experienced.
I mean, sure, I’ve seen casinos on TV, but the reality is so much more
dizzying. The chaos envelops me the moment the doors whoosh open. A cloud
of smoke. Colors, designs, and lights. The movement of hundreds of people, like
a swarm of ants. The array of sounds—from music and chatter to dings and
bells—are all just a bit