The vampire realm
The portal closed behind them.
Lucifer stepped into the throne room of the Vampire Realm with the crystal in one hand and the vial around his neck. The golden shards pulsed in rhythm, two pieces of the same soul reaching for each other across the space between his palms.
Damaris limped beside him, his wounds freshly bandaged, his golden eyes fixed on the fragments. Dera had stayed behind in New Earth. She needed time to recover from the possession, to rebuild her connection to the Authority without Adam's ghost lurking in its corners.
The throne room was empty when they arrived.
Lucifer preferred it that way.
He walked to the center of the hall and placed the crystal on the floor. Then he opened the vial and tipped out the first fragment. It floated above the crystal, golden and eager, drawn to its missing half.
"The Crimson Grimoire," he said.
The shadows in the corner answered.
