Evermore (Devil's ʻĀnela) [ON HOLD]

XII

Lucifer was sitting in a chair in his penthouse. Maze was throwing knives at him.

"Well?" Maze asked.

Lucifer looked down at his chest. "No. Not a scratch. Right, well, that rules out iron. Try the copper." He bent down to pick up the knife.

Maze seized the opportunity to throw the copper knife and glass shattered. "Oops."

Lucifer looked up at her as she said, "You know exactly what's causing your vulnerability. Chloe Decker and Leilani Iosua are the ones I should be throwing knives at. Who knows what they're hiding."

"Yes, they seem to be the two things that can hurt me, but there may be other things as well. The deputy and detective may simply be cogs in a bigger machine. This is called being thorough."

"More like in denial. Because if you really thought that I could hurt you with these, you wouldn't let me throw them at you."

"Very funny. Demon daggers forged in Hell don't count. We all know how those prick. And speaking of, how's my brother?"

"Three weeks of a whole lot of this? How do you think he's doing?"

"You're not going steady, Maze. You're getting close to him for a reason. Don't forget it. I haven't. And I don't think Amenadiel is the one weaponizing Lani and Chloe."

"You don't think?"

"Game's too dangerous to be guessing. I think it's time to send my brother back to high Heaven. Forcibly, if necessary."

Maze shouted and threw a demon knife into the wall.

Lucifer laughed, stubbing his toe against the wall. "See, there is something else. It seems Italian marble is also a threat, so--" the doors opened. "Oh. Detective? Deputy? What a surprise."

"Where have you been?" Chloe asked.

"Ah, you two know me, busy, busy. No rest for the wicked."

"Right. 'Cause deviant foreplay is so time-consuming. Want to watch?"

Lani pursed her lips. "I've been calling you for three weeks. We both have. Why are you avoiding me?"

"Well, I do have a business to run, Deputy. I can't play Good Cops/Handsome Devil all the time."

"We've got a case that we can't do without you."

"Really?" Lucifer asked brightly before stammering. "What's so special about it?"

"You just have to see for yourself," Chloe told him.

On their way to the crime scene, Chloe said, "We don't know a lot yet, but we found the victim's purse in a dumpster behind the theater. Her name's Rose Davis. She's 19 and-- What are you doing back there?"

"Just listening to your boring facts."

Lani rolled her eyes. "She's a freshman at Pasadena City College, lives in Arca--"

"Yeah, excuse me, Detective, Deputy, I'm not hearing any reasons to why you two need me on this case."

Chloe frowned at him. "I don't know how you can hear anything; you're standing five feet away from us. Get over here."

"You two sound phlegmy. I don't want to get sick."

"Really? Let's go."

The crowd chanted repeatedly, "Satan is here, but God is near."

The street preacher noticed Lucifer. "You. Evil is here. Evil is here."

"Friend of yours?" Lani wondered.