"He had minor injuries, but otherwise…I think he's just heartbroken?" He could feel the vibration of Bee's voice when his head lay on her chest.
"Heartbroken? Seriously? We all thought they hated each other." Angel Dust said, shuffling and Husk shushed Angel.
"We couldn't stop Eve, but we just got word that Charlie's fine. Squirreled her away for safekeeping." Good that Charlie was safe, but Eve needed to be captured and finished off or locked away to the point she could never escape.
But nothing could be done for Alastor…Tears slipped down his face, and he curled closer to Bee who wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"I should have known something was wrong, something he couldn't tell me. But I never guessed that he would sacrifice himself like that…That he would have to." It tore at Alastor's death; he wanted to scream and beg someone to give him back the sadistic deer. They might not have been in love, but they had grown close the moment Alastor had shared all he could about his deal.
Alastor had begun to trust him, and he'd relaxed because Alastor had truly cared about Charlie in his way. Which had only endeared him to the demon. It wasn't often that he found anyone willing to listen to him rant, who took delight in his ducks and their dangerous tricks. Who had stories that enthralled him right back?
"Lucifer." He finally looked up to see Ozzie looking down at him and he wanted to spill his guts to the other demon. But that was too soon, it was all too soon, and he didn't think he could handle saying anything without bursting into tears for losing something that could have been.
"She'll be gunning for you again; we need to regroup and deal with her." Lucifer sighed and nodded.
"Round the others up, we'll meet at the Palace." Ozzie and Bee nodded, and he rose allowing Bee up so she could gather her people. He turned to Angel and Husk; their frightened looks were all he needed.
"Charlie could use some company don't you think?" Angel stepped forward with a trembling lip.
"Everyone's in danger here, we have to stick together." True, Eve was out for blood. Would she attack them again? He needed to make sure Charlie's efforts weren't in vain, needed to make sure that no one else was taken from them as Alastor had been.
"Round everyone up, we'll head to the palace and figure out how to get you all to Charlie." Bee sighed and patted his shoulder.
"She's there. As is Lilith." Shit, Lilith was a problem if she was working with Eve what killed him? Take the kingdom? Lilith could have done that on her own considering she had far more followers and the other sins for the most part liked her better.
"Well, I suppose it was time to have a chat with my former wife." He sighed and opened a portal moving into it and waiting for everyone else to come through before closing it. As much as he needed to talk, he didn't want to. Lilith had been oh so good at manipulation and he was weak against her.
"Dad!" Charlie was instantly at his side as he walked into the throne room. Lilith standing at a distance from them.
"You hurt! What happened? I didn't even was just so focused on…" She glanced back at Lilith before looking at him. Charlie had always loved her mother, loved him too but Lilith had abandoned him and taught Charlie to be wary of him, his distance hadn't made anything better.
"Charlie…" He laid a hand on her shoulder; Alastor had meant a lot to her too. She looked confused and looked at the others as they filed in. Angel looked upset, Husk a bit guilty, and her eyes returned to him.
"Charlie, Alastor…He's gone." Her mouth dropped, eyes tearing up and he pulled her to him.
"That can't be! How could he have?" She sobbed and he sank with her to the floor. Wishing there was anything he could do to stop her suffering and stop his own.
"Eve had him in a deal that he couldn't escape…He died trying to help." If Alastor hadn't been taken out Bee, Ozzie, and Levi wouldn't have been able to come to his aid if he'd needed it. Vaggie came to their side pulling Charlie away from him and he looked up at another presence. Lilith looked down on him, but he wasn't going to play her game, he was done being led around.
"Are you alright?" He scoffed at her words, eyes intent on her features. He'd loved her once, but that love was gone.
"Eve attacked us and said some interesting things about you." Shake things up, and keep her guessing.
"Eve is a maniac and says whatever she thinks will hurt the most." Sure, he'd believe that if Lilith hadn't been in the palace Charlie hadn't run off the way she had to get to Lilith.
"I think she was telling the truth, Lilith. I think both of you wanted me to be dead." She sneered at him, but he didn't think he was wrong, she was one of the most powerful demons in Hell aside from him, and yet. Yet he was in her way from ruling completely, but why did she change her mind after so long? What was her end goal, and why was she working with Eve?
None of this made sense after all he'd been dormant for too long and they hadn't moved on him then when it would have been easy to hurt him. He'd been alone and practically defenseless and now he'd been to the hotel and made connections with others. With Alastor particularly he would stop at nothing to end whatever plot they had.