Val nodded. “It’s true. There’s apparently paperwork and everything.”
Lucifer laughed and it sent chills down Val’s spine. “Pride? Is that what they told you?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And what about him?” Lucifer nodded toward Nathaniel.
“What about him?”
“He has aided you instead of tempting you. That doesn’t happen, either. Yet another sign that you are special. For others like Alexa who were slightly drawn to the goodness they found in a fallen one, much as a moth is drawn to a flame, I considered it a passing fancy. I allowed her the slight indiscretion since her other work was exemplary, but Nathaniel.” He clucked his tongue. “A failure from the moment he was originally brought to me. I should never have given him the many chances he’s squandered.”
Val felt cold at his words. “Please don’t hurt him.”
A cold grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I grow tired of this foolishness.” He turned to the two fighting demons, brought his hands together and then pulled them apart. The demons went flying in opposite directions.
“Cool,” Reggie observed, though he’d taken more than a few steps back from Val and Hell’s head honcho.
“Now,” Lucifer turned his glare back to Val, though his smile remained, “you should know
I’m very displeased with you. You threw away my key. Do you know how long I’ve been looking for that thing? Very annoying.” His gaze shifted. “Oh, look. Here comes my pathetic excuse for a son.”
Julian stormed toward them, but skidded to a halt when he saw who was there. “Daddy?” he squeaked.
Nathaniel glanced uneasily at Lucifer, but slid a protective arm around Val’s shoulders.
“What’s going on here?” he asked stiffly.
“What’s going on is that you’ve been a naughty little demon,” Lucifer said. “And you, too, Julian.”
Julian shifted his feet nervously. “But aren’t demons supposed to be naughty?”
“Well, yes. Of course they are. But not when they do it behind my back.” Lucifer turned to
Val and the flames blazed even brighter in his eyes. “Now, I believe we were discussing my key?”
Val swallowed hard. “You know, until just the other day I always thought the key was a myth. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be true. Weird, huh?”
Lucifer nodded. “A myth, you say? Sort of like the small piece of Heaven that allegedly fell off and dropped to the earthly realm?”
“Yeah, like that.”
“That happens to be true, too.”
Her eyes widened and she moved closer to Nathaniel’s tense body. “Really?”
“Yes, I find it hard to believe you don’t already know it to be a fact.” Lucifer glanced around at the motel. “Since we’re currently standing right in the middle of it. Can’t you feel it? Its purity and goodness makes my skin crawl. Perhaps it is for the best I didn’t pop back to
Heaven to say hello to my old . . . friends. Though, the look on their holier-than-thou faces would have been well worth the visit. Yes, the Paradise Inn. Do you get the sad attempt at an in-joke some angel with nothing better to do thought of? In Paradise? This is a place I have never paid any heed to, since it is but a useless piece of Heaven. But still, it’s mildly irritating.”
Val glanced at the rickety plastic furniture, the snow- covered pool, the run-down rooms, the flaking paint. “I don’t believe you.”
Lucifer sighed. “Tell me, why did you come here after your fall?”
“Because the address was written on a piece of paper,” Val said, as if that explained everything. Then frowned. “In the wallet Heaven provided with the cash and the birth certificate to help me get started.”
“Coincidence?” Lucifer smiled. “I think not. There’s no such thing as coincidence. Tell her, Barlow.”
Val’s mouth dropped open as she saw Bartholomew Barlow walk briskly and with purpose over to stand next to Lucifer.
“Hello, Valerie, my dear.”
She brought a trembling hand to her mouth. “But . . . but that police officer told me you were dead.”
He smiled. “Oh, I am. As a doornail. But I can’t leave until I finish up a bit of business.”
She felt her eyes fill with tears of joy to see him again. “I was so worried. I tried to do what I could to get the key. And I did. I brought it back, but you weren’t here. Mr. Barlow, I screwed up. Big time. It’s all my fault.”
He shook his head. “No, you did just fine. You passed with flying colors.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The test. To find a worthy successor for me.”
Val felt so confused. “What are you talking about? A successor for what?”
Barlow glanced warily at the original fallen angel. “What Lucifer told you is correct. The
Paradise Inn is a very small piece of Heaven. Too small to do any damage by its shift to the earthly realm, but it requires a guardian. And for fifty years that guardian has been me. People are drawn here for a reason, because they need to be here, just like you. Even without that slip of paper, I have faith that you would have found your way eventually. I have helped the travelers who seek shelter here find whatever answers they seek. It’s my job, and it’s a very important one. But now my time is at an end. The inn will only accept a human guardian and since humans have naturally limited lifespans, it was time for the next guardian to arrive.”
“Me?” she squeaked and glanced at Nathaniel who looked very surprised by this news. But not as surprised as she was.
“Yes. You were chosen because you displayed the necessary assets to become a human.
Curiosity, love, fascination. An interest in all things shown during your interactions with the humans you helped guide into Heaven. Plus, I believe you were Angel of the Month not so long ago. It is a great honor to be chosen, Valerie. You should be very proud.”
“But that’s a deadly sin,” Reggie piped up.
Barlow smiled at him. “It depends how the pride is displayed, and it is not always a fault but an asset. Val was chosen specifically and I have great faith that she will do an excellent job as guardian of the Paradise Inn.”
Val was trying to process everything he was saying. “So are you trying to tell me that the whole thing was just a test? The key and everything I’ve been through?”
He shook his head, then smiled to show a spray of wrinkles around his kindly eyes. “No.
Though it certainly helped establish your desire to do the right thing—the selfless thing—
even at high cost to yourself. Had you gone through the doorway it would have stayed open for Julian to follow. Only by throwing away your one chance to return to Heaven—the key itself—were you able to close it with no harm done.”