The heavy, metallic roar of the SUV's engine faded into a rhythmic purr as Lucien drove away from the hospital. The King of Hell felt a ghost of a smile lingering on his lips—a sensation so alien, so terrifyingly human, that it felt like a crack in his eternal foundation. He didn't understand the warmth, but for the first time in millennia, he didn't want to analyze it. He simply wanted to feel it.
