Halo Of Horns

TWO

Children grow fast.

For a man who had spent the last two centuries in shadows, time had always been on his side. Lucifer had more than enough of it to spare and he would have never noticed if a few hundred years went missing.

Until now.

Now he relished every second he had with his little Irina because as the hours and days passed, she would soon no longer be so little.

For a while, he had an infant, barely capable of lifting her head. Her beautiful sapphire eyes absorbing the entirety of the world around her. She would reach out to him for everything she needed and the fallen angel took so much joy in giving her the world. He constantly held her in his arms, her face pressed into his shoulder, or kept her in her cradle, which he moved along with him to wherever he may go.

A bassinet in his office, beside his throne, in his chambers, and even in the dining hall. He would stop at nothing to ensure she was constantly looked after. Besides, the smile on her face made all the effort feel like nothing.

Azazel however, avoided the child, and for the first year or so, he had no trouble. He would remain in his chambers until he knew that he would not have to interact with Lucifer and in turn the squealing baby. Of course, this wasn't a foolproof plan and more often than he would like, he was standing beside her cradle, watching her while her father could not.

His instincts wanted to guard her with his very soul but the heart inside him, the one that he had given to the humans above, was black and cold. He was convinced this desire was residue from his time serving the heavens and would have to be ignored. She would be just like them. Perhaps not now, but all humans were the same. Ungrateful, vengeful, and weak.

One day, when she was about six months old, Azazel accidentally entered the dining hall at the wrong moment. With no time to escape he had been asked to look over the child while Lucifer took care of an issue at the gate.

It wasn't a difficult task but it was far from a pleasant one.

He looked down upon the creature, her eyes so full of innocence. She regarded him with curiosity and despite the little time they had spent together, appeared to trust him. She reached out her chubby arms to him, her fingers curling in and out as she beckoned for him to hold her.

His nose crinkled and he snarled with disgust at the act, compassion completely lost to him. The flash of his fangs and the hungry growl that echoed throughout the cavernous room frightened Irina. Her whole body shook and a wail escaped her lips, calling out for any sort of comfort.

Azazel's eyes darted around and he took a step back, not sure what to do in this situation. Typically she was a tranquil child, despite her nonsensical babbling, but he had never heard her cry like this before.

Beneath his crimson jacket, his chest ached like someone had stabbed a fire poker directly through his sternum. Every time she took a breath, just to cry again, twisted the dagger and cut him deeper.

"Don't scare her." Lucifer scolded as he hurried back into the dining hall, his typically pristine hair disheveled, falling around his horns in unruly curls. His suit was also not very well tailored and altogether his appearance had taken a drastic downward turn, "I asked you for one thing brother and that was to watch over her while I was away."

"And I did." Azazel responded, his lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw ticking, "She is still alive."

Lucifer carefully lifted Irina into his arms, a relieved smile grabbing his lips as he silenced her cries, "I know what you are thinking."

Azazel watched them, his hand on the back of one of the dark oak chairs, tapping his claws impatiently, "I have thought a thousand thoughts to fill a thousand lifetimes, I'm sure you're not wrong to assume you know what is inside my mind."