Devil
himself."
Clarissa was quiet as I sat back down the end of the bed, dwelling on my memories of Sera. I could feel a tear falling down my cheek. I swiped at it with my left hand, and stopped. The tear bounced light like nothing I had seen before, fascinating me. With a snort of contempt for myself— I was acting as though I'd never shed a tear before—I shook it off. I huffed and folded my arms, looking off to the side, remembering.
"Lucifer, if—if there was no Battle for Heaven, then why would God throw—?"
"Because I refused to do one small, little thing that would have destroyed my entire extended family," I growled, and Clarissa trembled. I stood up, pacing the end of the bed, trying to work off the anger, the hatred, the past. "God told me to destroy my family, split them in half, and I refused to do it."
"What—what was it?"
I stopped, looking at the woman, sizing her up. I stood there watching her long enough that she opened her mouth to ask me something else. In for a nickel, in for a dime..."She asked me to sleep with Her," I lied, watching Clarissa. Well, it's half of the truth...
"Her?"
"God is not always a man," I said, sinking down onto the end of the bed again, facing away from her. "He—or She—can swap genders as often as He—or She—wants."
"So—so He turned into a She and tried to—to seduce you?" Clarissa sounded confused. "Why?"
"I don't know." I put my head in my hands. "I've puzzled over Her actions for five thousand years, and I still can't see why She wanted it!"
"Why didn't you do it?"
"I had a wife!" I shouted, shooting to my feet and pacing again. "If I'd slept with Him—Her—God, I would have committed adultery, and I would have Fallen to Earth anyway!" I stopped pacing turning to look at Clarissa, a real tear in my eye. "I didn't want to destroy my family like that. I love—loved my wife. Why would I want to sleep with God when I had Sera?"
"So—so who was thrown from Heaven? If there was no Battle, no armies and no losers, then who was thrown from Heaven?"
I could tell she was changing the subject, but I let her. "Can't you guess?" I asked, bitter. I sank down on the side of the bed, rubbing at my arms. "She threw out the male Grigori, splitting my family Herself. All the Demons named through the ages are, one way or another, related to Sera, part of the extended Grigori family."
Clarissa's eyes widened. "That's not fair!"
I laughed bitterly, folding my arms and sitting against a wall, drawing my knees up to my chest. "Of course it isn't. God makes Her own rules, ones that change without a second's notice. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks, or how fair it is."
"How can you say that?" Clarissa asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "God is supposed to be the epitome of justice, moderation and fairness!"
"Clarissa, look around you! How much of the world is fair? Animals kill each other, humans kill each other, innocents are slaughtered by the thousands, children are dying, an entire continent has been in famine for the last six hundred years, and no one cares! If God were fair, then Her world would be fair! Mankind would be fair. Made in God's image, remember?"
Clarissa sank back, unfolding her arms and fear flashing across her face. I calmed myself again.
"I'm sorry. I have a very bad temper when it comes to talking about my former life." I tried to relax. "I've never been a fan of injustice. Please, continue asking your questions. Please don't be afraid of me."
She swallowed, trying visibly to relax. "So, you really do have the wings and the tail? I mean, I saw them, but I don't believe I saw them."
I nodded. "Do you want to see them properly?" I asked her, smiling. "I don't have horns, though.
himself."
Clarissa was quiet as I sat back down the end of the bed, dwelling on my memories of Sera. I could feel a tear falling down my cheek. I swiped at it with my left hand, and stopped. The tear bounced light like nothing I had seen before, fascinating me. With a snort of contempt for myself— I was acting as though I'd never shed a tear before—I shook it off. I huffed and folded my arms, looking off to the side, remembering.
"Lucifer, if—if there was no Battle for Heaven, then why would God throw—?"
"Because I refused to do one small, little thing that would have destroyed my entire extended family," I growled, and Clarissa trembled. I stood up, pacing the end of the bed, trying to work off the anger, the hatred, the past. "God told me to destroy my family, split them in half, and I refused to do it."
"What—what was it?"
I stopped, looking at the woman, sizing her up. I stood there watching her long enough that she opened her mouth to ask me something else. In for a nickel, in for a dime..."She asked me to sleep with Her," I lied, watching Clarissa. Well, it's half of the truth...
"Her?"
"God is not always a man," I said, sinking down onto the end of the bed again, facing away from her. "He—or She—can swap genders as often as He—or She—wants."
"So—so He turned into a She and tried to—to seduce you?" Clarissa sounded confused. "Why?"
"I don't know." I put my head in my hands. "I've puzzled over Her actions for five thousand years, and I still can't see why She wanted it!"
"Why didn't you do it?"
"I had a wife!" I shouted, shooting to my feet and pacing again. "If I'd slept with Him—Her—God, I would have committed adultery, and I would have Fallen to Earth anyway!" I stopped pacing turning to look at Clarissa, a real tear in my eye. "I didn't want to destroy my family like that. I love—loved my wife. Why would I want to sleep with God when I had Sera?"
"So—so who was thrown from Heaven? If there was no Battle, no armies and no losers, then who was thrown from Heaven?"
I could tell she was changing the subject, but I let her. "Can't you guess?" I asked, bitter. I sank down on the side of the bed, rubbing at my arms. "She threw out the male Grigori, splitting my family Herself. All the Demons named through the ages are, one way or another, related to Sera, part of the extended Grigori family."
Clarissa's eyes widened. "That's not fair!"
I laughed bitterly, folding my arms and sitting against a wall, drawing my knees up to my chest. "Of course it isn't. God makes Her own rules, ones that change without a second's notice. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks, or how fair it is."
"How can you say that?" Clarissa asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "God is supposed to be the epitome of justice, moderation and fairness!"
"Clarissa, look around you! How much of the world is fair? Animals kill each other, humans kill each other, innocents are slaughtered by the thousands, children are dying, an entire continent has been in famine for the last six hundred years, and no one cares! If God were fair, then Her world would be fair! Mankind would be fair. Made in God's image, remember?"
Clarissa sank back, unfolding her arms and fear flashing across her face. I calmed myself again.
"I'm sorry. I have a very bad temper when it comes to talking about my former life." I tried to relax. "I've never been a fan of injustice. Please, continue asking your questions. Please don't be afraid of me."
She swallowed, trying visibly to relax. "So, you really do have the wings and the tail? I mean, I saw them, but I don't believe I saw them."
I nodded. "Do you want to see them properly?" I asked her, smiling. "I don't have horns, though.
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