“You’re more sensitive than most,” he murmurs, his voice low and thoughtful, edged with just a twinge of humor. “I’ve never seen a human react so strongly before.”
“You know I’m no human.”
“You are,” he says, “Though you see things most can’t. You eat, sleep, breathe and bleed like a human.”
I grit my teeth. The more he speaks, the more desire I have for him. It’s both disconcerting and magical.
Again, as though he can sense my every emotion, taste it on the tip of his tongue, his smile widens, and he gets to his feet. He’s taller than I expect him to be, towering a good head over me even from the distance. Like a mountain. Or If mountains had the capability to take your breath away, leave you weak in the knees and wet in the middle.
His black hair brushes the nape of his neck, slicked away from his face perfectly, though I’m sure he’s never had to touch it before in his life. Does he even have a life?
It doesn’t matter, comes a betraying thought.
The closer he comes to me, the harder it is to control myself. And the harder it is to keep myself from admitting that he is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life. A twist of humor lights his face now, playing around his firm, kissable lips and sparking his black pupils with something else I can’t put my finger on.
“Whatever the hell it is you’re doing,” I manage to push out. “Stop it. Now.”
“Demanding,” he says on a chuckle. “Especially knowing who I am.”
“What you are,” I say, shocked to the core that what he is, is beautiful. Ridiculously so. I don’t want to notice it, but there’s no way not to. Romance novels feature the perfect specimen with jaws as sharp as a cliff’s edge, with eyes deeper than the ocean and… he manages to blow everything upwards and sideways. If there ever was a definition of perfect, he would be it. The realization is as intriguing as it is terrifying.
“Technicalities,” he says and I have a sneaking suspicion he wants to laugh, but instead he waves his left hand. Suddenly, the pressure on my chest lifts and whatever spell he casted on me disappears.
Lucifer lowers his hands and tucks them into his pockets. It’s only then that I realize he’s in a fitted black suit. Like everything else about him, this also seems deliberate.
“It isn’t a spell,” he tells me, voice still tainted with wicked humor. “My presence causes that effect on humans. Though, you seem to have been more heavily affected than most, which I find quite interesting…for lack of wanting to use a more derogative word.”
I don’t find anything interesting about it, save for the fact that it has managed to stir me to such rage I can hardly contain it. My limbs tremble from the force of it, my fingers itching to grab my sword, but common sense wins out. The King of Demons won’t be an easy foe and definitely won’t go down easy. Attacking out of anger is only going to get me killed.
It doesn’t make it any better that he can obviously read my mind.
“Yes, I can,” he butts in. “I’m not surprised that they’re just as interesting.”
“Get the fuck out of my head.”
He shrugs one shoulder, an elegant movement that somehow showcases the power behind the man. Damn it, Melody, the thing. “I can’t help it if your thoughts are so loud you’re basically shouting them at me.”
“You’re the fucking king of the demons. I’m sure you know how to keep out of a mere human’s head.”
“Such a potty mouth.” Laughter rings in his voice though he doesn’t show it. He needs to step away from me. The anger is beginning to mix with something else I don’t care to define.
He does step away from me, clearly amused. I keep myself rigid against the wall because if I move, there’s no telling what I’ll do. Throw myself at him no doubt, although whether in desire or anger I’m not sure.
“Tell me,” he purrs, “what is a lonely hunter doing in this apartment? I know you lot like to walk in pairs, at least.”
What is he doing here? The question should have hit me a long time ago, but with all the other things going on, I guess I was a little too preoccupied. I eye him warily now, something I should have been doing from the start. I’m a hunter, for God’s sake. What the hell is wrong with me?
I keep my face straight as I say, “What are you doing here? This is my apartment.”
“Is it now?” He looks around thoughtfully. “You live like a pig.”
Indignation has me jutting my chin out. “That’s my business. Are you here for me?”
“No,” he shakes his head, “Just looking around.”
“Inside my apartment?”
“You should really close the door properly behind you.”
I thought I did. I’m usually careful that way.
I cross my arms and look him dead in the eye. And regret it instantly. The look in his eyes, the intensity of it, has that heat pooling in my stomach again.
I shove it aside as best as I can. “I don’t believe you. Why are you really here?”
That amusement flares on his face. “That’s not the business of a hunter.”
He’s right. As much as we task ourselves with hunting demons, the affairs of Lucifer are outside of our scope. He transcends all things evil, resembling something of a god if you think about it. He’s basically untouchable. For now.
But I want to press the topic. Need to. Because it’s too much of a coincidence that he happens to show up here when Natalia’s gone missing.
“Ah, I know who you are now,” he says suddenly. “The leader’s daughter. You’re here to find your friend, aren’t you?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What do you know about that?”
“So much more than you if your thoughts are any true indication. Which they usually are.” He steps away, looking very much at home despite his put together appearance amongst the mess. “Another interesting aspect.”
“What are you going on about?”
“Your friend is missing, is she not? As well as several other hunters. That’s why you’re here, aren’t you? To find out what happened to her.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
He grins at me and the brilliance of it nearly knocks me off my feet. “We have similar goals, Melody Black.”
My name rolls off his tongue with such ease it has my toes curling in response.
I struggle to keep my face neutral, if not a little disbelieving. “You’re here to find Natalia and the other hunters? I find that hard to believe.”
“Yes, but they aren’t the only objects of my search. I want to find whatever it is that took them.”
“Why? What does that matter to you?”
“Because, Melody, whatever it is that took them has plans for not only the demon race but the human one as well. And if it isn’t stopped, the world as we know it will cease to exist.”
9
“You must be shitting me.”
Amusement flickers across his face as his black eyes regard me carefully. I don’t care, and I definitely don’t try to linger on the sliver of unease his disconcerting eyes causes in me. He should really stop looking at me like that. It isn’t pairing well with my already tender sensibilities right now.
If he heard that particular thought, he doesn’t make it obvious. “No,” he says, his lips twitching. “I am most certainly not shitting you. What I said is quite real and quite serious.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. You demons don’t care about the human race. Our destruction is a job well done to you assholes.”
“Oh, but on the contrary, if there exists something that will threaten our lives as well as yours, I’m sure we will be inclined to stop it. Hence, why I’m here.”
I eye him warily. He really could be bullshitting me. But at the same time, if he isn’t, then this is much more serious than I thought. And Natalia’s disappearance isn’t just a mission gone wrong.
Something pangs in my chest at that prospect. I clench my fist, trying not to focus on it, trying not to decipher
what the feeling is. Feelings never do me well. It’s better to remain focused than to be driven by emotions that might very well be my downfall. And, in this case, Natalia’s.
I open my mouth, to ask a question or not, I have absolutely no clue. I don’t really get that far, but before I’m forced to think of something sensible to say, the door opens. I look at Lucifer, and then around the room, in search of a place to hide. But everything happens so quickly and slowly all at the same time and I find that my feet haven’t moved an inch before a man walks into the room. His broad shoulders are barely able to squeeze past the narrow doorframe. He shuffles into the room, not even looking twice at the messy surroundings and stands by the door with his hands clasped before him.
He’s incredibly handsome, the width of his shoulders and the bulge of his muscles showcasing the power and strength hidden behind the serious face he wears. His clothes barely fit him, snug against his skin and the buzz cut he wears somehow accentuates his strong jawline and sharp, but not hollow, cheekbones. He doesn’t even look at me, only gives Lucifer a curt nod. And I know I’m supposed to feel fear, but somehow it isn’t fear that I feel – not instantly, at least.
A second man follows behind him. He is smaller, slimmer, though he is by no means tiny. Especially not when compared to me. His legs are long, nearly model like and he ducks into the apartment with his beautifully carved features scrunched with revulsion as he takes in the mess. He looks disgustingly at the floor, the ceiling then, his eyes – as black as the others – lands on me. “You’re the human that lives here? Do you humans not know the meaning of cleanliness?”
His voice is smooth and lilted, like a cultured aristocrat. I want to answer him, but I’m buffeted to silence by the force of the demonic power the two newcomers bring into the room. With theirs adding to the already weighted blanket of power Lucifer exudes, the air in the room grows so stifling it’s a struggle to breathe.
The beautiful demon looks me up and down, his face filled with distaste. “Is she dumb? Is this one of the stupid ones?”
“How about I send my sword down your throat and we’ll see which one of us is the dumb one?”
His face lights with surprise. And then a smile and if there ever was darkness in this room, the show of his teeth manages to erase it. Stepping toward me, just slightly, he succeeds in pushing all the air from my lungs. I don’t even try to suck it back in, it’s not like I can’t fight when I’m breathless. “Will you please? I’ve been itching for a proper fight for weeks. You hunters are beginning to lose your touch.”
“Be careful what you wish for, demon. You just might find yourself impaled on the other end of this blade of mine.”
Another smile and another breath lost. “I would like to see you try.”
A glimmer of that wrath rushes through me. I nearly draw my weapon, spurred on by the wicked excitement in his black eyes, rimmed by doubt in my abilities, but Lucifer does something that has my hand stilling.
He doesn’t move, but the power he emits grows stronger, so strong it weighs down on my chest until I’m barely breathing. A black haze falls over my vision but even so, I can see the demon, also clearly affected by whatever it is Lucifer is doing if the way he’s hunched over, his features pained, is any indication.
A second later, it’s over and I’m left panting. The demon straightens but I see a layer of sweat on his face, still wincing.
I whirl on Lucifer. “What the hell was that?”
His brow raises delicately. “You felt that?”
“Of course, I felt that! Shouldn’t I have?”
“No, actually. That was aimed at Merlidon. Brotus here didn’t feel a thing, but you did.” Curiosity lights his eyes. “I wonder why that is.”
He’s right. Brotus, who I’m assuming is the large one by the door with the unmoving features, is clearly unbothered by what Lucifer did. He doesn’t look at anything but the wall directly ahead of him. Merlidon, on the other hand, still hasn’t recovered.
“Damn, Lucifer, you really need to stop doing that,” he wheezes. He straightens, tugging on his fitted suit, though nothing is out of place.
“You need to stop picking on the human. She’s the Guild leader’s daughter.”
Merlidon isn’t impressed by that in the slightest. “So? Since when do you care about hunters?”
“I don’t, usually,” Lucifer says with another elegant shrug. “But this one will prove useful to us, I think. Until I’m sure, I don’t want you messing with her.”
“Thanks,” I spit, “But I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, I’m sure you can. But where we can avoid trouble, let’s. I think that’ll make things much easier.”
I don’t like the way he’s talking. As if he already has plans that include me. No matter what it is he has to say, I have no intentions of shackling myself to the likes of a demon. No matter if it is the King himself.
Another shadow of humor passes over his face. He withdraws one hand from his pockets and points it to the newcomers. “I should introduce you guys. Melody Black, these are my two high commanders: Brotus and Merlidon. Men, this is Melody Black, a friend of the human we seek.”
High commanders? I can see as much in the unmoving statue by the door. He has warrior written over his massive muscles and hard-set face. As for Merlidon, the title isn’t far off, either. There was a hidden power beneath his slim berth, like a coiled animal waiting to be unleashed. Watching him, I’m a little grateful Lucifer had stepped in when he did. He definitely won’t be an easy foe, either. Despite the fact that he is currently fixing his hair in a tiny compact mirror he pulled from his pocket.
“Mind my language,” I say, slivers of annoyance creeping up my spine, “But can you get the fuck back on topic? You said whoever took my friend had plans to wipe the world out. What did you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said, little one.” I grit my teeth. “But if you require more information, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. That is, after all, the purpose of our visit to this apartment.”
“So why do you think whatever has taken my friend is behind this impending destruction?”
“Because whoever it is began with the demons first.” He eyes me carefully. “How much do you know about demons?”
“More than you things are worth.”
At that, Merlidon snorts, snarling evilly. “Just let me snap her neck, Lucifer. That’s all I ask.”
“Relax, Merlidon. She’s a hunter. She was raised to hate demons.”
True, but that isn’t all. “I know what you creatures are. You live off the vitality of humans because you lack your own. I don’t only hate you because I was raised to, I hate you because I know the horrors you creatures cause.”
“Do you blame a lion for eating a gazelle?”
“That’s not the same and you know it.”
“Only because you don’t want to admit to yourself that you are the gazelle. But,” he waves me off. Somehow, the slight movement accentuates the power he possesses and something quivers inside me. I shove it aside before it can gain any traction. Or worse, before the King of Demons reads my thoughts again. “That isn’t of any importance right now. You should know then, that demons have no life force. Unlike living things, they are borne through death and chaos and are inherently made from the energy they omit.”
“Death and chaos emit energy?”
“Everything emits energy, little one. Even things you wouldn’t expect.”
I blow air out my nose in frustration. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“With every birth, there is a death. With every negative, there exists a positive. Thus, with every being that emits energy, there exists a means by which they can be depleted.”
“This is all a theory, of course,” Merlidon jumps in, his voice laced with irritation. “It hasn’t been proven.”
“Yet,” Lucifer interjects calmly. “Which is why we’re here.”
“So,” I frown, trying to piece everyth
ing they said together in my head. “You think that whatever is taking humans and demons are trying to rid the world of its energy? To do what, exactly?”
“More precisely, there is something out there taking the energy that runs demons, and the life essence within humans, to do something, of which I’m not entirely sure. In simpler terms, one is of darkness, the other is of light. Complete opposites, and what do we know about those?”
“They attract,” I respond instantly. At the slow curl of his lips, I bristle. Why am I coming off as an eager pupil?
“Exactly. And, once enough of each is gathered, if you put them together they will create a void that rids the world as we know it of all life and consciousness.”
“Which still doesn’t explain why you care so much about this. Demons aren’t alive, and they definitely don’t have a conscience.”
“But we can’t survive without a proper food source. Much like the lion would without the gazelle.”
The analogy pisses me the hell off and I know he knows it. I can see it in his eyes, the mirth that deepens despite the seriousness of the conversation. “The lion doesn’t only depend on the gazelle for food. I’m sure you don’t need humans to survive.”
“Ah, and therein lies the problem with my comparison. Humans are, in fact, what we survive off. The only thing we survive off. It will affect us way beyond just a few missing demons.”
The way he says it tells me everything I need to know. He only cares about self-preservation. Missing demons be damned. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.
Is that what the demon meant when it said it didn’t want to die?
“I doubt anyone else knows of this,” Lucifer says, cutting into my thoughts. “But they are aware that their deaths have been just that lately, deaths. They are caught within the Purgatory before they can be reborn, their energy stolen. That might be why they have been steering clear of hunters.”
And why everything has been so silent lately. It isn’t because we’ve been cutting down on their numbers, but because they didn’t want to be seen anymore. They’re in hiding.
Hunting Darkness: Hunting her Lovers (Demon Hunter Book 1) Page 6
