in shock. He was lying on his back, hands lifted before him. His claws were out, and he dragged them across the space before him as if against a barrier. Because there was a barrier. A transparent box surrounded him like the ghost of a casket, glowing and pulsing every time he drew his claws over the inside of its lid.
“Holy fuck,” I whispered. “The Devil's having a nightmare.”
Lucien screamed again and beat at the invisible coffin. There, in that realm of magic, his dream had seeped into reality. He'd brought his old prison to life and trapped himself in it. My first thought was to find a way to use this against him, but then he screamed again—pitifully. His eyes were closed, but I knew that he saw the inside of his cage. Either that or...
I peered around at the soft light that filled the room. It was just a faint glow, no more than you'd get with a night light—which is exactly what it was. I'd never thought about it—how Lucien kept a light on through the night. But now, looking at him writhing through his nightmare, I knew there was a reason. The Devil was afraid of the dark.
He'd spent hundreds of years in that box, tormented by the heat of the Lake of Fire, unable to free himself from the chains that bound him. All he'd been able to do was claw at his cage. But he hadn't let it break him. Lucifer had stilled his raging thoughts and waited. He bided his time until he regained enough strength to send out a cry for help. To use his gift for persuasion to convince someone to release him. And it had worked. Raphael brought me to the Lake of Fire, and I had freed Lucifer. But even now, he was still trapped. In his mind and heart, Lucien was still in that box. Not just Lucien, Lucifer suffered too. And I couldn't stand to leave him there. Neither of them.
I climbed back onto the bed and moved up beside him. Lucien thrashed, his upper arms held against his sides as if bound, and dragged his claws against the invisible lid. I reached out and touched something solid and warm. I pushed but couldn't get through it. How did I help him when I couldn't reach him?
“Lucien?” I called.
Lucien started sobbing. “I made you. I gave you life. All of you. How could you do this to me?”
“Lucien,” I whispered, laying my hands over his, a thin strip of magic separating us. “Lucien, wake up!”
He moaned and started to weep. “Don't leave me in the dark. Not the dark.”
My anger disappeared in light of his pitiful pain and my heart broke for him. “Oh, sweetheart,” I murmured as I cried with him. “I'm here. You're not alone. Lucifer! Honey, wake up.” I pounded on the lid, but he couldn't hear me.
“Please don't leave me here,” his crying subsided into a whimper. “Please.”
“Breathe. Just breathe, baby.” I blinked. That was it. I needed a song to soothe him. A lullaby to drive away a nightmare.
I started singing softly of other people's woes. Of tears and winter and longing for more. The lyrics of “Breathe” by Anna Nalick came to me as if they'd been waiting in my heart. I sang and stroked the air above Lucien, my voice catching on my tears. With surprise, I felt Spellsong rise and tingle through me. Asleep and tortured by his past, Lucien wasn't repressing my magic. I shivered with relief as it filled me, feeling stronger than I had in days.
And then I got to the chorus. I told Lucien through song that the past was gone and he could only move forward. That he was wasting life on fear. That I was with him and all he had to do was take a calming breath and wake up. I sang sweetly even when he screamed. I pushed at him with magic and love. I coaxed him with truth, urging him to just turn around and walk into the light; it was right there waiting for him. I was right there. Finally, the Devil took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
I fell onto his chest as the nightmare dispersed, and Lucien's arms went around me. He clutched me tightly, bending his head over mine, and his tears dripped over my forehead.
“Elaria,” he said brokenly. “Elaria. Elaria,” he kept murmuring it like a prayer.
“I'm right here.” I slid my arms around