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beelzebuddy-catan · 1 year ago

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The Not Entirely Human-Human Exchange Student pt.6

Summary: Nobody knows how they'll act in an impossible situation, not even Cass. As she learns more about the brother's history, one thing becomes clear: the image Lucifer's presenting is nothing like the one being revealed. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death and violence Spoilers: Through Lesson 6 and Lilith's status Characters: Cass (OC), Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo, Beel, Lilith, and Simeon. Notes: I just want to thank everyone for their reblogs, replies, and tags! This isn't my main blog, so I can't reply from this account but it brings me so much joy seeing and rereading them. Previous Part • Next Part

She held the door slightly open, blocking Luke from Beel’s eyeline as he approached her. “Hey, you know how we’ve been having a super good time bunking together?”

“Not really?” Beel asked, tilting his head to the side. “Have we been having a super good time?”

“Answer faster next time, damn,” Cass muttered. “I have an idea to make it twice as fun.”

Beel’s face lit up. “Cheeseburgers?”

“Yeah, I guess we could get some cheeseburgers?” Beel smiled, eyes glazing over as he started thinking about food. He walked forward blindly entering his room. “Wait, Beel!”

Beel nearly ran Luke over in his hungry state. Luke screeched, darting out of the way at the last second. The sound was enough to knock some sense into Beel. His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure out why Luke was in his room.

“Wahoo!” Cass fake cheered, but it did little to dispel the tension. “Twice as fun sleepover!”

The first thing Cass felt when she woke up that morning was safe. In his sleep, Beel had put his arm around her, pulling her closer. At 7’2, he easily dwarfed her. Being surrounded by so many people taller than her, she didn’t think about it very often anymore. With just of the two of them, it was hard to ignore.

She slipped out of his embrace, not wanting to wake him. Part of her morning routine, when she was able to get enough sleep, was to spend time in the library reviewing course material. More times than not, Satan was already in there.

The first few days, he’d ignored her completely. Gradually, he started engaging more and would even bring his own materials to study. Despite her expectations, he was always happy to help answer her questions. Perhaps he was excited to share his knowledge just as Levi was when sharing his interests.

With his help, Cass had been advancing through the material at an incredible rate. She was almost able to keep up in classes with the others and even maintained an average grade comparable to Levi’s. After finding out Diavolo had requested she be graded more leniently, she demanded they hold her to the same standards. Even when he relented and expected a drop in her grades, her average continued to climb.

She stepped out of the library to stretch her legs. Hushed voices floated through the hall. Despite Lucifer’s warning, Cass wasn’t going to stop investigating the mysteries surrounding the brothers. She followed the voices, staying hidden when she was able to make out what they were saying.

“I haven’t heard from him, I’m worried.”

“The life of an exchange student is busy.”

“Why can’t he come home? I’ll go in his place. He doesn’t even want to be there.”

“I’m not having this conversation again. This exchange program is the first step of Diavolo’s goal for the three realms. I won’t let anyone stand in the way of that goal. Do you understand?”

His question was met with silence. The implication weighed heavy in the air. Lucifer would make sure that anyone who opposed Diavolo wouldn’t survive. Something about that didn’t sit right with Cass. Would he really take that stance if it meant taking it against his brothers?

“Answer me this, who would choose to side with, Belphegor or me?”

Another question met with silence. Before Cass could think about it for too long, she felt a hand cover her mouth. Whoever had snuck up, pulled her away gently. Once they were in another room and the door was closed, Mammon let her go.

“Didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping.” Mammon shrugged. “I’m not surprised that Beel couldn’t manage to answer Lucifer.”

“What happened? Why is he so confident in Diavolo’s decision?”

“I don’t entirely know. After we fell from grace, he changed. None of us know what happened, but he pledged loyalty to Lord Diavolo. Ever since, he puts Diavolo’s desires first, no matter what. Even if he doesn’t agree with it.”

For pride itself to give up that much, Diavolo must have done something that would have been met with dissent it would have made it impossible for the brothers to be in the position they were now. Lucifer must have pledged loyalty as a deal. But the only thing Lucifer would do that for, was his family. Yet, making that deal could lead to him turning his back on them.

“Belphie wasn’t a fan of the program from the beginning. He would have fought Diavolo every step of the way. Lucifer selected him as one of the exchange students without listening to anyone else. I tried to get him to reconsider or at least talk about it with Belphie. In the end, it didn’t matter.”

As much as she wanted to ask him more, she knew there were likely only two people who could answer the questions she had. She doubted that Diavolo or Lucifer would be willing to do that though. Everything she learned here was like finding a new way out of the maze only to hit another dead end.

“Why did you fall?”

“We-”

“Why did you fall?” Cass interrupted.

He looked startled, as if he’d never been asked that. “Because Lucifer did. I planned on following him no matter what his decision was.” He paused, as if remembering that time. “I still would.”

---

“Lilith, I know you’re here!” Cass stormed into the construction zone that was her former room.

After talking with Mammon, she decided to confront Lilith. She needed to know what the hell happened that led to the brother’s falling. She’d convinced Lucifer she wasn’t feeling well and needed to stay home. Since he had a council meeting, Levi had gone to classes, and she had the house to herself.

“Coming in hot,” Lilith laughed as she appeared, sitting on a pile of debris.

“What lead to the Celestial war?”

Lilith froze, surprised by the question. Cass tossed the book about the Celestial War she’d found in the library on the ground at her feet. All she could find was that the brothers rebelled and when they lost, they were banished. After falling, Diavolo accepted them as denizens of the Devildom.

“You’re at the heart of it aren’t you?” Lilith started to speak, but Cass continued. “I don’t want to hear that you can’t tell me. I know something you did started this.”

“I didn’t know what would happen.” Her voice wavered as her head dropped, unable to look Cass in the eyes. “I never asked them to take my side. I, I just want them to be happy.”

Even as Lilith recounted the events that led to the war, Cass felt more confused than ever. The six brothers had been willing to give up everything they knew, everything they were for each other and Lilith. So, why was Belphie currently locked in a closet while they all harbored secrets.

“I don’t know what happened between Lucifer and Diavolo. I don’t remember anything after I was hit until I woke up in the human world.”

“Knowing what happened, would you do it again? Give the person you loved the fig from the Celestial Realm?”

Lilith looked up, more tears threatening to fall. She didn’t have to give Cass an answer, she already knew. “Am I a bad person?”

“No.”

“I’m the reason they’re here. I’m the reason Belphie is stuck up there and why -”

“No, you’re not. You may have opened the door, but they walked through it, and your dad or God or whatever you call him, locked it behind them. There are consequences to every decision. If you choose to focus on the bad, you stop seeing the good. I’m assuming there were some pretty good things that came from your choice, or you wouldn’t make it again.”

Lilith’s expression softened and she gave Cass a slight smile. She remembered what Mammon had said right before she made a pact with Levi. I’m so sick of people I care about blaming themselves when it’s not their fault.

“Cass?” Cass turned to Lilith, not realizing she had zoned out. “I think you should be careful around Belphie. I can’t really explain it, but he seems different down here. Not in the same way as the rest of them.”

“What do you mean?”

“When he was an angel, Belphie loved humans. He’s the reason I started sneaking down to the Human Realm.”

“But Beel and Mammon said he was against the exchange program. Why would he be against the idea if he-”

Cass’s question was cut off by a door slamming and someone yelling her name. By the time she looked back at the pile Lilith had been perched on, the ghost was gone. Thankfully, she’d taken the book Cass had brought with her when she vanished.

Cass rushed from the room, not sure how she’d explain why she was hanging out in the rubble when she was supposed to be ill. She collided with Levi as she rounded the corner to the entry way. Were it not for the quick reflexes that demons seemed to have, she would have fallen.

“Woah, are you okay?”

“Sorry, yeah, you scared me.” Levi let go once she found her footing. “What are you doing home?”

“Lucifer made me come back to check that you were feeling alright.”

Despite the annoyed tone, Levi looked surprisingly peaceful. It was obvious Lucifer hadn’t asked Levi to check on Cass because he was actually worried about how she felt. Lucifer had asked Levi because he knew he’d need a break from everyone at RAD by this point in the day. Yet another piece that didn’t fit into the picture Lucifer presented.

“I’m doing a lot better, thanks,” she lied. “When do you have to get back to class? Want to play a few rounds of Devil Kart before you go back?”

“I have time.” Levi lit up at the question. He grabbed her arm, pulling her along as he rushed to his room. She glanced back at the empty door hoping Lilith wouldn't shut back down and keep hiding secrets.

---

<< My Son: I need your help!!

<< My Son: Can you come outside?

<< My Son: I’m already at the House of Lamentation.

Cass barely had time to breathe after Levi left before she started receiving texts from Luke. Was there any being in all three realms that didn’t need her help? As soon as she opened the front doors, Luke ran in under her outstretched arm. He looked equal parts angry and unsettled as he frantically searched the room.

“Are you okay?”

“You have to let me stay here with you!” He grasped her arm with a surprising amount of strength.

“Woah, okay, did something happen?”

“I can’t go back to Purgatory Hall right now. Please let me stay in your room.”

“Luke, you know I would let you stay with me in a heartbeat, but I don’t exactly have a room right now.”

He gave her a skeptical look, so she showed him to the wreckage of Beel’s outburst. He examined the room, muttering complaints about demons under his breath. Cass leaned against the door frame, letting him process everything however he needed to.

“I can ask Lucifer if it’s okay if you sleep on the couch.” Luke let out a noise of disgust as he turned to her, appalled at the suggestion. “Or I can ask Beel if you can stay in his room too. That’s my current living situation.”

“They’re making you stay in a room with a demon? This whole exchange program is ridiculous. How can they bring a defenseless human here and make them live with demons? Obviously, you’re getting taken advantage of, I mean, two pacts?!”

“Well, I do have some agency,” Cass interjected.

Luke didn’t seem to notice though. He continued ranting about the program and how much he hated demons. Without being too obvious, Cass started leading him towards Beel’s room. If he didn’t want people to know he was here, standing in the middle of the hall wouldn’t be the best plan.

The second her hand grabbed the doorknob, the front door slammed open. Luke yelped before pushing her into Beel’s room. Even on the second floor, she could hear when each of the brothers entered the house.

Beel was so hungry, the sound of his stomach growling activated Cass’s flight or fight response. As he usually was after a council meeting, Satan was aggravated. Cass had learned to tell how angry he was based on the strength of his steps. The quickened thumps were barely covered by Levi and Mammon’s arguing.

The two always fought more when Levi wasn’t able to have enough time to recharge away from people. More often than not, their arguments were about Mammon owing Levi money. Though, Cass couldn’t quite figure out why he still lent Mammon money all the time.

If Levi and Mammon weren’t fighting, odds were that Asmo and Mammon were at each other’s throats. There was something pure about the way they fought with Mammon. Something very human about it, unlike how Satan would fight with Lucifer at times.

Asmo’s voice faintly drifted from the entry as he mumbled to himself about needing to redo his nails. Once it was clear the brothers had gone their separate ways, the front door shut with a thud and a soft sigh that could only be Lucifer.

She held the door slightly open, blocking Luke from Beel’s eyeline as he approached her. “Hey, you know how we’ve been having a super good time bunking together?”

“Not really?” Beel asked, tilting his head to the side. “Have we been having a super good time?”

“Answer faster next time, damn,” Cass muttered. “I have an idea to make it twice as fun.”

Beel’s face lit up. “Cheeseburgers?”

“Yeah, I guess we could get some cheeseburgers?” Beel smiled, eyes glazing over as he started thinking about food. He walked forward blindly entering his room. “Wait, Beel!”

“Wahoo!” Cass fake cheered, but it did little to dispel the tension. “Twice as fun sleepover!”

---

“It’s horrible. He never listens to me. I tried to warn him about always having tea with Lord Diavolo and he still goes over there. Worse yet, he said I should ask Barbatos to help with my baking. As if I would ever do that. The idea of even speaking to a demon face to face is repulsive.”

Cass glanced at Beel at the comment. Not that he usually let things get to him, but he did look somewhat dejected at the word. “Luke.” Luke’s head jerked in her direction, as if he’d forgotten they were in the room. “You’re being cruel. I respect that you’re allowed to have your own opinions and beliefs, but I don’t have to respect what those are or let you say them.”

“I -” he opened and closed his mouth a few times before letting his head fall.

“I’m not saying that to make you feel bad, but I just want you to think about it for a second. How would you feel if someone said those things about angels while you were standing right in front of them.”

Luke glanced at Beel nervously but didn’t speak. knelt on the ground to address him at eye level. “I know you may not like Simeon befriending demons, but that’s his choice to make. You have to let him make it, just like he lets you choose how your relationship with demons is. He only suggested you talk to Barbatos. He didn’t force you to or try to guilt you into meeting with him.”

Luke stayed silent for a moment longer, taking in Cass’s words. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Beelzebub.”

“Oh, um, that’s alright. If you still want to, you can stay in my room with Cass.” Beel pulled something from the side table next to him and handed it to look. Luke gave it a caution look, glancing at Beel and then Cass. “It’s not weird or anything, it’s just Hibiscus Pomegranate juice. Sweets calm me down when I’m upset sometimes.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Beel’s face grew somber as he answered Luke with a sincerity that made Cass nervous. “You once gave me cake.”

Cass blinked. Did he just say Luke gave him cake? She knew he was always pretty serious when it came to food, but this seemed over the top. He had said it like Luke asked him to swear on his life. Luke’s shocked expression matched her own.

“What?”

“You gave me a cake once and this is how I can say thank you.”

“You’re right Luke, I don’t think staying in a room with a demon as devious and ghastly as Beel is safe.” Luke scrunched up his face, trying not to say something rude again. “Wait, why can’t you stay at Purgatory Hall anyways? It’s not like Simeon would kick you out for not visiting the castle with him?”

“Because he doesn’t care at all! I could disappear and he wouldn’t bat an eye.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re jealous, aren’t you?” Beel asked, head tiling to the side as he assessed Luke.

“What, I, OF COURSE NOT,” Luke snapped, his face burning red with embarrassment. “I’m worried about him being corrupted. What would Michael think? When he refused to listen, I told him our friendship was over and strode right out of the dorm. I can’t just go crawling back.”

After Luke calmed down enough, he thanked Beel for letting him stay. Beel and Cass had to remind him several times to keep it down as Beel hadn’t checked with Lucifer that it was okay. Were it her room, Cass wouldn’t have cared if Lucifer knew or not, but Beel was adamant they had to keep it between them.

Keeping him hidden that night wasn’t difficult, especially because Lilith was able to give her a heads up if Lucifer was leaving his study. Bringing him dinner wasn’t too much harder. The challenge for that was making sure Beel didn’t eat everything on the walk from the kitchen or before Luke had anything.

The next morning, Luke still wasn’t ready to be around anyone, so Cass let him know she’d cover for him and promised to come back as soon as possible when classes let out. Fortunately, she was able to leave early as Diavolo had cancelled a meeting for the exchange students due to Luke’s absence.

After reminding Luke that he couldn’t just wander the halls, regardless of if the brothers were at class or not, she gave him some snacks she’d bought on the way back. Despite his grumbling about being bored, he didn’t seem to mind staying and watching a movie with Cass.

It was late when Beel returned. He barged into the room right as Luke finally fell asleep. He’d been nodding off for the last twenty minutes, head falling and snapping back up as he forced himself to stay awake. Lucky for them, he was drowsy enough that he didn’t audibly react to Beel’s entrance.

“You have to hide. Lucifer’s doing a surprise inspection.”

“A what?” Luke and Cass asked at the same time.

“You know, when Lucifer checks our rooms?” Beel looked at Cass, equally confused by her reaction.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Aren’t you like thousands of years old? Why do you have room checks?”

“We didn’t used to but then everyone kept causing trouble, so now Lucifer does random checks.” Luke, who had been searching for a hiding spot started crawling under the bed. “No, that’s too obvious. Once he found a witch disguised as a spider in Asmo’s room.”

“Well, where’s not obvious?”

Before Beel had time to answer, there were two knocks on the door. He opened the closet door and shoved Luke inside. The door latched the same moment Lucifer entered. Cass took a sip of her tea, trying to act natural.

“Evening, Lucifer, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I’m just here to do a room check.”

“Seems like a bit of an invasion of privacy, but it’s your home.”

Lucifer’s gaze didn’t waver, not that it mattered. Cass had become accustomed to the icy stare and was hardly phased by it. She turned her attention to the movie that was still playing, hoping to convince him that things were normal, but she never knew. She still couldn’t read him.

“Care to share why everyone seems to believe you’re hiding a dog in your room, Beel?” Beel shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. “Cass?”

Cass pretended to think about it, eyes not leaving the screen. “I mean, it could be so many reasons. First thing that comes to mind, they’re jealous of my funky fresh dance moves.” Even without seeing his face, she could tell he was getting angrier.

“Open your closet door, Beel.”

“It’s just dirty laundry, it probably –”

“It wasn’t a request.”

Beel nodded, opening the door. She was certain he wasn’t doing it on purpose, but it really felt like he was opening the door as slowly as possible, as if to create more tension, something the room definitely did not need. Lucifer inspected the shockingly Luke-less closet before narrowing his eyes.

“Told you,” Cass released the breath she’d holding. “But I don’t blame you. It’s hard to believe how good I am until you see it for yourself.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes before leaving without a word. Beel and Cass stared at each other in shock before approaching the closet. Beel moved some things around, but it was clear that Luke was no longer in there.

“What the fuck?” Cass slipped into the closet check for a secret door or something that could explain his disappearance.

“I don’t know. Wait, let me try something.” Cass turned around in time to see the door shut. She stood in the dark closet in disbelief. “Cass? Are you still there?” Beel’s voice was barely above a whisper. Fucking demons.

“No, Beel, I’m back in the human realm.” He opened the door with a discouraged face. “Sorry, it wasn’t that bad of an idea. It’s just, how did we lose an angel?”

---

Cass flew down the stairs into the entry way as Beel came in from the living room. They’d been searching for Luke, and trying not to alert Lucifer to their search, for the last four hours. They had searched every room multiple times and nothing.

“Is there somewhere else he could go?” Cass whispered. “A creepy basement? Dungeon? A gazebo?”

“No! We’ve searched every room.”

“Okay, okay, this is fine. This is fine. I mean, there’s a lot of angels, right?” Beel nodded. “They probably wouldn’t even notice Luke was gone, right?” Beel shook his head. “Maybe we can give them Alana.”

Cass sighed and started pacing as Beel talked to himself about what could have happened. Her messages weren’t going through, and calls weren’t connecting, so Luke hadn’t gone back to Purgatory Hall or anywhere else with service. Not to mention, she knew Luke wouldn’t have disappeared without a word.

“Wait a minute,” Cass whispered and, without explaining, started running towards the parlor.

Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? There was a scale model of the House of Lamentation in that room. She’d asked Lucifer about it when she first arrived. Apparently, it had been created as a dollhouse for the daughter of the family who originally lived in the house. If there was some room they hadn’t checked, it’d have to be there.

Cass skidded to a stop in front of the model, scanning over it as she tried to find a room or clue to Luke’s disappearance. There it was. A room she’d never seen before. It made sense where it was, right across from the attic currently holding Belphegor.

From the first time she followed his voice, she couldn’t figure out why there was nothing at the end of that hall. Turns out, it was because there was a hidden room. Well, two hidden rooms if she counted the now converted attic.

Without telling Beel why she was running around, she grabbed his arm and pulled him with her to the missing room. Supposedly, it was across from the attic. There wasn’t anything there though, no bookshelf, portrait, or fake wall.

There were slight differences in the wallpaper markings halfway up the wall. They were faint, the color difference between the markings and the rest of the wallpaper marginal at best. It was a quote in a foreign language. She mumbled the words under her breath, no idea what language she was reading.

“When the sun of morning graced the heavens, his light shone down upon this one, the eighth of the eight?”

“Cass, how can you read that?”

“What?” Cass looked at Beel, his face unreadable.

“That’s written in the language of angels.”

Cass didn’t answer, unsure how she could read it. She hadn’t even known what it was. “I have no idea. I mean, I don’t know if it actually says that.”

“Well, it’s not a perfect translation. It’s Morning Star, not sun of morning. That’s another name for Lucifer and eighth of the eight is –”

“Lilith.” They said her name at the same time. Beel’s eyes widened in surprise, not from the result of answering the riddle, but at Cass’s answer. He stared at her in wonder as a door materialized before them. Pushing it open, she said a silent prayer to whoever was listening that Luke was there

“This is,” Beel fell silent when they walked in.

While Luke was nowhere to be seen, Cass felt pulled into the room. Three large windows took up the entirety of the far wall. For the first time in her memory, she was seeing sunlight. Cass held her hand up, letting out a shaky laugh. It was so warm. She’d forgotten what sunlight was like. Heaven.

“This is Lilith’s room from the Celestial Realm. I don’t know how it’s here, but I know this is hers.”

Beel didn’t continue, his eyes glossing over as he took in his surroundings. This was the first time he was seeing anything of his sister’s since she died. The look on his face was the same one Lilith wore when she’d told Cass about falling.

“I didn’t save her. I watched her wing get pierced by an arrow. I watched her fall to her death. I didn’t save her.”

“Beel?” Her heart broke at the regret, the sorrow, the sheer hopelessness of his voice.

“I couldn’t save them both. They aimed at Belphie and Lilith at the same time. I could only get to one of them. Belphie’s eyes met mine and I shielded him from the attack without a second thought. I didn’t save her. I couldn’t save her!

“Everyone always says that I did nothing wrong, that I couldn’t help it. But, none of them were there. They didn’t see her. I did. I’ll never forget the look of despair when she fell. Belphie won’t ever say it, but I think he blames me for choosing him. He wanted me to save her, and I didn’t.”

Cass wouldn’t have spoken if she had wanted to, knowing nothing she said mattered at the moment. Once again, the words Mammon had whispered came to mind. I’m so sick of people I care about blaming themselves when it’s not their fault.

“What would you have done?” Beel asked. “Who would you have saved?”

“I don’t know. I can’t even pretend to imagine what you went through. I can’t know how I would react. I’m so, so sorry that you do know,” she paused, debating to add the last part that had come to her mind. “And I’m sorry that you have to carry that knowledge with you.”

Lilith had asked her to save them, but the closer she got to the brothers, the less possible it seemed. Yet, the closer she got, the more she wanted to do just that. How do you help someone when you don’t even know how they’re hurt?

Her phone rang before either of them said another word. She had several texts from Mammon telling her to get to the underground tomb as soon as possible. Underground tomb? Why hadn’t Beel mentioned that when she asked if there was anywhere else to look? Had he looked there?

She put the call on speaker. “Mammon?”

“About time ya answered! Luke’s down here and I think Lucifer might try killin’ him.”

---

Cass and Beel burst through the door to the tomb, rushing to Luke’s side. Lucifer towered over his shaking form. He was backed against one of the stone pillars, clutching an old leather book. The same black wings that had once brought her safety and comfort were striking fear in the angel.

“Do you have any idea what it is you’re holding?” The question came out like venom.

“No-o. I, it, it was on that coffin and,” Luke’s voice trembled as he pointed at a stone coffin. A stone sculpture of roses with a place to place the book sat on the lid.

“It’s a grimoire,” Beel explained as Mammon tried calming Lucifer down. “You can use them to control a demon even without a pact.”

“Is it one of ours?” Levi asked. “I didn’t even know Lucifer kept them down here.”

“I didn’t know what it was!” Luke yelled. “I don’t even know how I got here. I was in Beel’s room and sudd–”

The dark aura Cass felt when she’d first arrived grew. It was overtaking the entire tomb now. “BEELZEBUB?” Lucifer’s voice sounded more like a growl at that point. “Is it true you allowed this angel access to the House of Lamentation. This angel who plotted to steal that grimoire?”

As seemed to be the norm, Cass moved without thinking. No one even processed that she was moving in time to try and stop her from nearing Lucifer. She stopped, putting herself in his path to Luke. As she stood before Lucifer, on the brink of transforming completely, she wondered if this was how a young Nestor or David felt as they faced their giants.

“This is between Beelzebub, Luke, and me. Step aside if you don’t want to die, human.”

“No.”

Cass didn’t break eye contact. The air around Lucifer was turning darker, threatening to encircle her, then, it vanished. It was as if a wall had been put between them. Except this time, she knew what it was. The same content feeling she’d gotten in Lilith’s room when seeing the light.

That’s when Cass realized the reason the brothers seemed worse when they weren’t at the House of Lamentation. It was Lilith. She was bound to the house and couldn’t help when Cass was away. From her first day, Lilith had been protecting her. She was Cass’s divine aid.

“How insolent can you be? Are you really willing to risk your life to defend a demon and an angel?” Cass didn’t falter. “Then choose one.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?” She could tell the others were saying something but could only imagine what they were saying. All of her energy was put into standing her ground and keeping her head high “You are nothing more than some lowly human. I was merely entertaining you, there is no third option. As if I’d give you that control.”

“I’m not choosing between them. Could you live with yourself with either choice? Do you think your brothers would ever forgive you for murdering Beel? Or would you rather kill Luke and ruin Diavolo’s precious exchange program? How do you think you would fare disappointing the being that is able to keep Pride Incarnate subservient?”