The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,160

basket with grounds and put it all back in the coffee maker. Just as I was about to pour the water into the top, God landed on the corner of the machine.

"Don't let me get you wet," I warned.

The butterfly fluttered up to land on my hair instead, clinging to a spot just above my ear like some fanciful barrette. This seems to be a very important task for your legion, God said. I do not understand the necessity. She meant brewing coffee as soon as we woke up each morning.

"It's called an addiction," I explained. "Coffee has caffeine, and caffeine makes it easier to think at this hour."

If it is too early, then why are you awake?

"Because I have things to do," I told her. "Not all of us get to spend our time creating reality, you know."

The tiny little huffs had to be the dragon equivalent to a laugh. Unlike God's words, these were actually audible and not just in my mind. It made me smile to know that she had a sense of humor.

Sometimes, God said, I think that you living things work too hard to keep living and forget to spend time just being.

"Probably," I agreed. "Unfortunately, this little system you made resulted in all of us having things we must overcome in order to get what we want. That means working hard for it. And working takes time. For some of us, there's not a whole lot of that in life."

And now you don't have to worry about it, she pointed out. You will exist forever.

"Or at least until the sun explodes and takes this planet with it." I might not have been able to see the dragon on my hair, but I still found myself turning that way out of habit. "I figure eternity can only last as long as the environment, right?"

No. God didn't try to qualify that at all.

"When the planets are gone, are we just going to float out in space, unconscious?" I asked.

No, you will find another planet. Maybe another dimension, filled with more planes and new worlds on each one. Possibly, some species will develop the ability to move to another world, and you can all thrive there. And if you are on this world when the sun takes it, then you'll merely float in space, regenerating until the center of your being collides with another world and can grow there. That is what eternal means.

"So the absolute worst-case scenario is that when Earth is gone, we simply sleep forever? Fuck me," I breathed.

Correct. Then God made that laughing sound again. And I would think you would be tired of the fucking after last night.

I just leaned my head back and groaned. "That is wrong on so many levels. Just, no. You, God, are not supposed to make jokes about my sex life."

There are no jokes, she promised. I'm just happy that you're not lonely.

"So, I guess this means I'm not going to get a lecture about living in sin?" I asked.

No. The concepts of good and evil did not come from me. Those are nothing more than ways that sentients judge themselves. In my opinion, there is fair and unfair, caring and uncaring, or even generous and selfish. What you have with your mates is generous, and therefore good. It is also beautiful.

"Can we call them my boyfriends and not my mates?" I begged. "Because 'mates' makes me sound like some kind of livestock, and that's a little creepy. Especially coming from you."

Boyfriends then, God agreed. I'm just glad that you did not end up lonely. With the things you will one day be able to do, it would be easy for others to fear you. To see your… boyfriends so willing to be a part of this makes me happier than you can understand.

"Why?" I asked as I reached for a cup, the pot of coffee almost full.

I know what it is like to be lonely. That is not a punishment I would wish on anyone. Even death is easier.

Which was when I realized what she was saying. All this time, God had been lonely. Four and a half billion years - maybe longer - and her creations had completely forgotten about her. She had no friends, lovers, and certainly no family. No wonder she spent her time with the animals. They wouldn't judge her, trying to decide if she was crazy or not. They just accepted her for what she seemed to be - one of