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I turned to Jagger, and my brother looked about as thrilled as I felt, but he sensed Lucifer losing patience as well. Jagger dipped his head, giving me his agreement.

Something occurred to me, and I decided to push for one more favor. “We will stay as long as you need us to train them, my lord, but when we go back, can you return us to the same time as we left?”

Lucifer grinned. “Yeah, War, that I can do.”

And just like that, the ice melted. Lucifer got what he wanted and that’s what mattered.

We stood to leave, and I opened the door. Jagger walked out, then Lucifer spoke again. “Your female, she’s the witch, yes? Willow?”

I turned back. “Yes.”

“She’s a worthy female.”

Jagger gave me a nod and headed to our quarters, and I moved back into Lucifer’s rooms. “She is.” He’d met my dove or at least seen her fight. She’d been there when he took Hell back.

“You’ll have many strong sons with her, I have a feeling.” He winked. “A few daughters as well, I’d wager.”

The organ pumping in my chest seemed to swell and grow warm. “I hope so.”

“I appreciate your sacrifice, War. I know it’ll be hard to be parted from her, but I will forever be in your debt.”

The king of Hell didn’t say that shit lightly, and I wasn’t going to let it pass. “Then may I ask for another favor?”

“It seems I’m in a good mood. Ask.”

“Our mates are mortal, is it possible…”

“You want them to have immortality as well?”

“Yes, and our children, not just our sons but daughters as well.”

“Done,” he said as if it were nothing, as if he hadn’t just given my brothers and me an eternity of happiness.

“Just one more thing?” Yeah, I was totally fucking pushing it, but I had to try. “Willow’s sisters, she wouldn’t want to be parted from them, and one of them is sick…”

“Yeah, you are fucking pushing it,” he said like he was reading my mind, and he more than likely was. “But why not. Only if they find mates, though. Both parties will be granted eternal life, if that’s what they want. As for the one who’s sick, her fate is already set. I can’t meddle there. The fates are vindictive bitches and would focus their evil bidding on me. I’m not down with that. I’m not saying she won’t live a happy life mated for eternity, but yeah.” He gave me a wince. “Don’t bet on that one.”

Fuck. “Thank you,” I said and took a step back, ready to leave because Lucifer’s patience would run out sooner rather than later.

“I reward loyalty, War. And you and me, we go back a long fucking way. I created you, you’re one of my children, and I consider you a friend.” He tilted his head to the side again, studying me. “Which is why I know there’s something else. Now’s your chance. Ask it.”

Lucifer was definitely in my head. I knew it because there was a question that had been occupying my mind since I first saw Willow, and it was obviously loud enough that the king of Hell couldn’t ignore it. “I don’t have a soul, right? So can a soulless animal like me…” Fuck, this was hard. “Can we…are we capable of love? Of feeling it, expressing it?”

Lucifer scooped up his cat again, and she smooched his face. “No being spawned in Hell has a soul, brother, and that includes my own grandson, Zenon. The difference between you and him is he doesn’t know it.” A small smile curled his lips, flashing straight white teeth. “And no one has loved another the way Z loves his Mia, and don’t get me started on Zephyr, my great grandson. No child has ever had a more devoted father.”

“So I can, I can give that to Willow?”

“You and your brothers were created full-grown, not raised up. You didn’t have the same familial connections as humans or shifters, or whatever the fuck else, to begin with. But you became your own family, over time. Yes, I gave you the ability to sense emotions, Warrick, but the reason you understand them is because you are capable of them yourself.” He stroked his cat, looking down at her with adoration in his eyes. “Even those of us with the blackest of hearts are capable of love, if given the right motivation.”

I left a short time later, and it was like a fucking light had been switched on.

I was capable of love.

Yeah, I fucking was.

Because it suddenly became so fucking obvious. I loved my dove with everything in me.

And I was going to work day and night to get back to her.