The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,161

them.

"Well, you don't have to be alone anymore," I told her. "In truth, it's kinda nice to know there's another girl around. Yeah, maybe you have four feet, a tail, and a rather impressive set of wings, but you're kind of the only other eternal female I know of."

But I cannot be your boyfriend, God said.

"No, but you can be my friend." I added a little bit of sugar, grabbed some milk from the fridge, and poured in a dollop of that, then picked up my cup and made my way into the dining room. The whole time, I was thinking this through, and warming up to the idea more than I expected. "You'll have to listen to me ramble on about my guys, but I have no problem hearing about your creations. I mean, you're God. You made all of this. I could spend hours talking to you about how it happened."

She pushed off from the side of my head and fluttered her way over to the table. I wouldn’t know where to begin, she admitted.

"The part that makes you excited," I said. "Like, I still can't believe that last night happened. You know that's the first time I've been with all of them at once? I had it in my head that there'd be something wrong with it. That, I don't know, we'd hate each other, or I'd screw it up, or people would think worse of me for it. And then this morning, I just can't stop smiling."

Because they make you happy, God said. Demons were supposed to be the selfish ones, but instead they ended up being the most generous creatures I've ever made. They realized that if they help each other, then when they fell unconscious, the others might just help them in return. I made them to represent chaos, and they do, but not in the way I expected.

"So angels are supposed to be order?"

Yes. They have also taught me that order can be evil. Just because things are controlled and regulated does not necessarily make them safe. While rules can be good, it seems they can also become a weapon. They draw lines that become dangerous to step outside of. They limit creativity, self-expression, and generosity. It seems that order is much easier to abuse than chaos ever could be.

"That actually makes a lot of sense," I admitted. "So I have to ask, is anything in the Bible actually true?"

I have never read it, God explained. I listened when the words were spread through stories, but that was long before humans had the printed things like they do now. In all that time, words have changed, and so have the various interpretations of them.

"Did you influence it all?"

Of course. God folded her wings, proving they could collapse against her back if she worked hard enough, and then curled her tail around her body and laid down. I influence everything. The idea of religion came from angels, but awareness of me existed long before that. All the angels did was break those who could sense my existence into various groups so that some called me Allah, others called me God, and still others made up new names. People once believed I slept coiled in the center of the world, wrapped around the roots of a tree, or up in the clouds. The details of me do not matter. I will still be me regardless of whether or not anyone else believes.

I lifted my cup and took a sip, thinking that over. "So I guess it's kind of the same for me? I'm supposed to be the Devil, which is supposed to be evil, but I don't feel like a bad person."

Good and bad do not exist, she told me again. Those words can be equated to like and dislike. They are statements of opinion and nothing else. Sure, some people will fear you. Plenty of people fear me, and I'm supposed to be good.

"Yeah, but you’re a dragon," I teased.

Only on Vesdar. Here, for the longest time, I was a sheep. A lamb, actually. On Tyrnigg, I've been both a firebird and a griffin.

"What about Angelis and Daemin?" I asked.

I did not visit those in a corporeal form. God let out a heavy sigh for such a tiny little creature. I cannot hide there, but I also do not need a body to exist. I certainly didn't have one before I created all of this. It is also easier to watch them if they