Infernal God (Claimed By Lucifer Book 3) by Elizabeth Briggs (summer reads TXT) 📕

My love for Hannah grew as I watched her amazing body bring forth the life we’d created together. Even this was a sacrifice of sorts—volunteering her body for our love. I'd lived thousands of years and seen many amazing things in that time, but this was the most incredible and unbelievable, the way life continued.

“One more push!” Marcus’s voice was calm and soothing, and he was probably easing Hannah’s pain as he guided our daughter into the world. Still, I saw her tense up and it made my protective side come out.

"Are you sure you've done this before?" I asked Marcus. I knew he was a great healer, Archangel Raphael's son even, but did he really know how to deliver a baby?

Marcus rolled his eyes and ignored me. I scowled and considered threatening him and everyone he loved if he didn't get this baby out immediately, but then Hannah's eyes met mine and I forced myself to be calm. Deep breaths. I swept Hannah’s hair away from her forehead and let her grip my hand. I couldn’t do anything else but be with her. In this role, being the Demon King was essentially useless.

Suddenly Hannah let out a guttural roar and a wave of power released from her. A heavy gust of air rushed through the room, sending medical supplies flying. Light and darkness burst out of Hannah all at once, and bright green plants suddenly grew up around us, before immediately withering and dying. Through it all, Hannah drained the life of everyone around us as she cried out, and though my powers as War protected me from the brunt of it, I saw Marcus stagger and grip the edge of the bed, his body weak.

"Hannah!" I cupped her chin, forcing her to look at me. "You must control your powers!"

She blinked at me and then the soul-sucking feeling of her draining our life force died off. She drew in a deep breath as she regained control of herself. "Sorry!"

I pressed a kiss to her forehead as she relaxed a little and the room returned to normal. Marcus recovered quickly and got back to work, and soon a thin cry pierced the air as our daughter was brought into the world. Hannah's eyes widened as the baby girl was placed on her bare chest, allowing her to connect immediately with this beautiful, wrinkled, sticky creature that was our baby. I wedged myself onto a thin sliver of bed beside Hannah, wrapping an arm around her as I gazed upon both of them with love.

While Marcus healed Hannah up, she cradled our daughter, and I cradled her, stroking her hair. No words were needed as we shared a moment of quiet, calm love.

"Take the baby, Lucifer,” she eventually murmured.

Suddenly I was accepting our daughter into my arms, and I held her against my chest and smiled down at her. She seemed to look at me with recognition, and a small pink arm waved from inside her blanket as I settled her in the crook of my arm.

“Perfect.” The word came out as a whisper, and I barely saw Hannah’s smile widen before I refocused all of my attention on the child in my arms. I stroked her cheek with the very tip of my finger, careful of the new, fragile skin. “Just beautiful.”

Love surged through me, and my chest tightened. The sound that came from my mouth could have been the start of a laugh or a choked sob, and I didn’t care if neither was the expected reaction from the Demon King on the birth of his only daughter.

I kissed the baby’s little red face and reached for Hannah’s hand. My amazing mate had done it again. I was truly the luckiest immortal in the world.

“What are you going to call her?” Marcus asked.

"Funny enough, we haven't discussed that." I perched on the first chair I found and gazed at my daughter's little face, her beautiful blue eyes, and I offered my finger for her to grasp. I glanced at Hannah, and she smiled as she moved her gaze from me to our daughter and back again.

“How about Aurora?” she asked softly. “After your mother.”

My chest tightened as I looked into my daughter’s eyes again, the color of the sky at dawn. "Yes, that's perfect."

"I'll let you come up with the middle name," Hannah said, as she leaned back and closed her eyes, no doubt exhausted from everything her body had just gone through.

I considered various names for some time. Since Hannah has chosen to honor a member of my family, I thought it only fitting we do the same for her. "How would you feel about Jophiel?”

Tears gleamed in Hannah’s eyes as she smiled at me. “I think Jo would approve.”

Marcus and his assistant—who I'd barely even noticed was here this whole time—finished cleaning up, and left us alone for some privacy, saying they would return to check on us shortly. I handed the baby back to Hannah, and she began attempting to breastfeed.

"She's powerful," I said quietly, as I watched them. "I can feel it, even here. The perfect blend of both of us."

"With a little bit of Elder God thrown in for good measure," Hannah said with a laugh.

"Do you think Famine changed her?" I asked.

"No, not at all. But my becoming Famine changed Aurora too, since we were still connected." Hannah sighed a little. “Famine said she wanted to be a mother again, and I sensed she would never hurt this baby. If anything, she made sure Aurora was protected during the transition. I had no love for Famine, but I appreciated that."

I smoothed a hand over my daughter's fuzzy head. No one like her had ever been brought into existence before. Half angel, half Fallen, with a touch of Elder God. I already knew she would be destined for greatness. Of course, we first had to get through the toddler years. Or worse, the teenage years. Somehow I had a feeling she wouldn't make