Remu finally pulled her hand away from the ring and sighed, frustrated.
"Just as I thought. I can't crack the secret behind this thing," she muttered, folding her arms. "That leaves us with one option—my mom. She might be able to help."
Lucifer raised a brow.
"But I know you won't want to part with the ring," Remu added, glancing at it again. "So… I'll cast a daylight spell on you temporarily while I take it to her—"
Lucifer cut her off with a scoff. "What do you take me for? Hell no. You're not taking this ring."
He took a step closer, his voice firm. "You want answers? Then take me to your mother. I'm not letting this out of my sight. And considering how even you couldn't figure it out, I'm guessing none of your kind can recreate it."
He smirked. "So right now? I'm the only lead you have. That makes me valuable. Set the meeting."
Lucifer had already pieced it together. They wanted to reverse-engineer the ring. Probably to mass produce it—give vampires more freedom, get more power, maybe even make money off it.
And he? He was the key.
"If I'd known your mom was this important, I'd have skipped the daughter and gone straight to the boss," he said with a smug grin.
Remu clicked her tongue. "Tch. You think it's that easy to get an audience with my mom?"
Then she felt another poke on her belly.
Her eyes twitched. "For the love of—stop that!"
Lucifer's grin widened as a cheeky thought hit him.
"Don't get so worked up. One day, you'll be begging for it… screaming my name so loud, the whole world'll hear."
Remu's eyes widened. A faint blush crept to her cheeks as she quickly turned her head away.
With a snap of her fingers, clothes materialized on Lucifer's body.
Lucifer looked down at the outfit, unimpressed. "You could've done this earlier but chose to stare? Huh… didn't know you were that thirsty."
"It's not like I was looking, idiot," Remu snapped. "And shut up. That's the only outfit you're getting."
He scowled at the style. "This isn't even my taste."
"Then go shop for yourself, drama queen," she hissed. "Anyway, I'll talk to my mom. She's been dying to see this ring. You might get summoned soon, so stay alert."
With a wave of her hand, a glowing portal opened behind her.
She stepped into it without another word.
Lucifer watched her go, licking his lips with a smirk. "Feisty… I like that."
Then—vamp speed—he vanished from the rooftop in a blur.
A flash of black mist, and Lucifer appeared in Anita's dorm room.
She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, tapping her foot against the wooden floor, clearly restless. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up, and she jumped to her feet.
"Wait—does this mean I can walk in the sun now?" she asked excitedly, eyes wide.
"Whoa, easy," Lucifer chuckled, pulling two blood bags from behind his coat. "Not yet. But here—figured you'd be starving."
Anita blinked, surprised, then smiled as she took the bags. "Thanks…"
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I'm working on the daylight ring. It's taking time, but we're getting there. Just be patient, okay? You'll feel the sun again soon."
Anita nodded, her smile dimming a little. "Yeah… I trust you."
She punctured one of the blood bags and drank slowly. Her fangs peeked out as the red liquid slid down her throat. Lucifer looked around the room, eyes scanning the fairy lights, books, and posters. He noticed a few photos taped to the wall—one of Anita and her roommate laughing at a beach.
"Speaking of," he said with a smirk, "how haven't you torn your roommate's throat open yet?"
Anita gave a weak laugh, wiping her mouth. "I almost did."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow.
She leaned back on the wall. "Maybe 'cause I fed at the club last night... plus your little 'control' lecture helped. But if she'd walked in here a minute ago? Yeah. I'd have drained her dry."
She stared at the empty blood bag in her hands for a second.
"God, listen to me," she whispered. "I'm talking about killing like it's just… normal."
Lucifer stepped closer, his voice calm. "It is normal. For us. You're not human anymore. You'll get used to it."
Anita looked up at him—conflicted, but slowly accepting it.
Then Lucifer's phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and saw the caller ID. Remu.
He sighed. "Speak of the witch."
He answered. "Yo."
Remu's voice came through, irritated as always. "We've got a problem."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "What now?"
"My mom agreed to meet. She's curious about the ring," Remu said. "But she's also suspicious. If you show up without a gift or proper manners, she might just rip your heart out before you say 'hello.'"
Lucifer grinned. "Sounds like a warm welcome."
Remu groaned. "I'm serious. She doesn't play. So clean up your attitude, wear something nice, and try not to be annoying for once."
Lucifer glanced down at his clothes. "Tch. I am the gift."
"I'm hanging up."
Click.
Lucifer slid the phone into his pocket.
"Well," he muttered, turning to Anita, "looks like I'm meeting the queen witch herself."
"You gonna be okay?" Anita asked, still sipping from the second bag.
Lucifer smirked. "She should be the one worrying."
And with that, he vanished in a blur again, leaving only a faint wisp of shadow behind.
Later in the evening
Lucifer stepped out of the sleek black car and stared at the towering gate of the Lunar Mansion. The place hadn't changed a bit.
"You wait here, Zane," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "I won't be long. Be back before you even miss me."
Zane gave a silent nod from the driver's seat.
Lucifer adjusted his collar and walked toward the gate. It creaked open on its own, like the house already knew who was coming. Typical witch stuff.
He walked the stone path with calm, confident steps. The mansion loomed over him like a sleeping giant. He remembered this place from childhood—he'd only been here once or twice, but it had left a mark.
Lucifer reached the main door and pushed it open without knocking.
And there she was.
Greta Bloom.
Standing at the end of the grand hallway, bathed in soft moonlight filtering through stained glass. Elegant. Intimidating. Power dripping from her like perfume.