Sloth

by L-J Baker

  "I'm fine." Luc brushed her off and returned his tissue wad to his nose. "I guess Azrael told you to come nurse me."

  "He just said you needed the first aid kit as he dragged that mage by. She had blood on her face, so I assumed things got dirty in here." Harley glanced around the room, then at Luc's shirt not quite buttoned all the way.

  "Oh, they got a little dirty." Luc held back a laugh.

  Harley threw the first aid kit at him and glared. "You didn't seriously screw that girl before you slapped cuffs on her, did you?"

  "What makes you think I didn't cuff her first?" Luc winked. Harley wasn't amused.

  "Even for you, Lucifer--"

  "Hey it wasn't my fault. She climbed in my lap." Luc opened the first aid kit and rummaged around. Without finding anything useful, he closed it and tossed it on the desk.

  "What happened to not sleeping with other girls until this game was over?" Harley assumed her typical hand-on-hip position to judge him.

  "Does it really count? Nothing is happening with Talia, plus the month with her is, for all intents and purposes, over. Until we pick the next girl, what harm can it cause to have a little fun?"

  Harley just stared at him for a long moment. He was glad he hadn't told her that he'd went to see Ronnie before the month with Talia begun. Then she'd be really pissed.

  "If you're not going to take this seriously, Lucifer, I'm not sure I should be wasting my time." She turned to leave, but Luc grabbed her arm.

  "I'm sorry." He mostly meant it. "It wasn't planned. After weeks with no sex, you know I get impulsive."

  She glared a moment longer, then her face softened. "You're sure things are complete with Talia?"

  "I am."

  "I'll start doing my research for the next sin then."

  "Lust, right?" Luc was ready for that one. More than ready, really.

  "Yes, lover boy. You'll get your lust girl." Harley smirked. "I might even have a few ideas."

  "Harley," Luc released her arm and frowned. "I know you've been giving me certain types of girls, and while I've loved helping them, and I've learned a lot about myself in the process, can we please just pick someone stress-free?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about." She kept her expression blank and Luc almost believed that she didn't know exactly what she was doing when she picked the girls.

  Except he knew better.

  "You're too intelligent of a woman to play dumb, Harley Saxon," Luc said and raised one brow. "There is too much shit going on around here for me to split my focus between all of that, plus not only getting to know the women, but helping them with their lives."

  Harley opened her mouth to speak, but Luc cut her off before she could start. "Don't get me wrong, you were right to pair me with each of the girls you did. I have no regrets about any of them so far. It's just that the time it takes up can be better spent. There has to be a girl who fits the sin lust, is a possible mate for me, and has her shit together."

  She smiled. It was the kind of smile that told Luc he had everything all wrong and she was amused with his assessment of the whole thing. It was irritating.

  "Oh Lucifer, even after all your many years of existence, you still don't see the big picture, do you?"

  "What are you talking about?" Luc folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the back of a chair.

  "It's cute how you think you're the one helping those girls. I mean, you've helped, but that's just been a bonus." She laughed and patted the side of his face, before slipping past him out of the room.

  Sometimes, Luc kind of wanted to strangle Harley, just a little.

  ***

  Oz did a walk-through of the club, Luc's office, and his apartment. The whole time, he was making mental notes, mumbling under his breath in a language even Luc didn't understand, and shaking his head. Luc, Harley, and Jason followed behind, remaining quiet the entire time, as Oz requested. Once they were finished, they gathered in Luc's apartment to discuss his findings, as well as where to go from there.

  "Aivah did a better job than I expected," Oz said. "She must have studied up since the last time I saw her."

  "Is that bad?" Jason asked, stepping forward to be a part of the conversation. The guy was working hard to fill George's shoes after his death last month. Luc wasn't sure he would ever be able to manage it, but he had to admit, he was doing a pretty good job.

  "It does complicate things." Oz directed his answer to Luc, clearly snubbing Jason, but the guy took it like a champ and paid close attention to everything Oz had to say.

  "In what way?" Luc asked, settling into his favorite chair, while Oz sat on the couch with Harley.

  "First of all, with her far enough away from here, her sigils are useless. Anything that was being broadcasted has stopped."

  "That's a good thing, right?" Jason asked, and again, Oz ignored him personally, but responded to Luc.

  "It is good, because you can feel free to say or do as you please here. However, she did manage to put some protection spells on the place, which prevent anyone from stopping your brother from entering."

  "Can you reverse them?" Harley sat forward and rested her forearms on her thighs.

  "I can," he said, clearly having no issues talking to Harley. "But it will take time. I need to not only reverse what she's done, but cast my own to keep him out."

  "Maybe we don't want to keep him out. We might be able to use this whole mess to our advantage," Luc let the wheels in his mind turn, coming up with a plan as they went.

  "What do you mean?" Oz asked. "I thought the whole point was to keep your brother out of here, so he couldn't break into your safe?"

  "So did I," Jason said, taking a seat on the arm of the couch.

  "It was," Luc said. "But, my brother is smart, and determined. He's not going to give up just because we did some spells and found a way to lock him out for now. He will find a way in, and when he does, all Hell breaks loose. Literally."

  "So you just want to let him in now?" Oz stared at Luc with his hands folded in his lap. Unless you looked close enough to see the guy's white knuckles, you might think he was completely calm.

  "No," Luc said. "I want to lure him in. If we can bring the fight to Michael, maybe we can get the upper hand for once."

  "Lucifer," Harley said, sitting straight up. "You've battled Michael before and lost. He's had a lot of time to think this whole thing through before we even knew what was going on. No one knows better than you do, how important what's in that safe is. Are you sure you want to bring this shit storm down right here, where you-know-what is vulnerable?"

  It was a risk.

  A serious one.

  But Luc had to try. If he kept on the defensive, all he would accomplish would be to keep pushing Michael back. And that was best case scenario. She was right. He'd fought Michael before, and he'd lost. If that happened here, if Michael spilled his blood, the tablet would likely end up in Michael's hands. That was the last thing Luc wanted, but it might also be his best plan.

  "No, I don't want to do that, but I think I have to."

  "Can I ask what it is that you have in that safe?" Oz looked from Luc to Harley.

  "It's something very dangerous," Luc said. "Something that would probably end most peaceful life on this planet. I won't go into details, but it's in your best interest to make sure this doesn't fail." Luc made sure he stressed that last part so Oz understood the gravity of the situation.

  "Can't you move the item to a more secure place, or at least a place your brother doesn't know about?" Jason asked.

  "I've given every possible scenario a lot of thought," Luc said, addressing Jason. The guy might be new, but he was head of security and he should be part of this conversation, regardless of whatever it was the mage seemed to have against him. "And I don't believe that it's safer anywhere else right now. I also don't think it's wise to move it while there's such a high threat level."

  "I agree," Oz said. "Whatever it is, your brother has had much difficulty tryi
ng to get at it. Moving it now only makes it easier for him to get access. The problem is, that this is a business, a club, and there are hundreds of people in and out of here every single day. It's not easy to secure the whole place, while still allowing humans, as well as others, in. So, like I said, it's complicated."

  "Is there anything we can do to make it less complicated?" Luc crossed his legs at the ankles and tried to remain relaxed.

  "You could convince Aivah to switch sides," Oz said.

  Harley snorted, but Luc ignored her. He'd hear more about that from her, but now wasn't the time.

  "What good would that do?" Luc asked.

  "If she cooperates, it will be easier to take down her wards. Also, she had to have some of your brother's blood to complete her spells. If she has more, and it's likely she does, then it would greatly improve the chances of our work being successful. Blood of your enemy is powerful in our magic."

  Luc didn't like the thought of his blood being used against him, but he pushed that thought from his mind for now.

  "Yeah, I don't think that's going to be possible." Maybe with any other female on the planet, but not Aivah. Not after the other day when he'd last seen her.

  Oz looked around the room at each face. He even settled on Jason for a brief moment, the pressed his lips together in a straight line. "Lucifer, I am going to need for you to try. This job is difficult enough, and while you tell me it's basically a life or death situation, I also really want my sister back. I don't want to fail, so you need to do your part."

  He wasn't wrong. Luc had to at least try, and he would, but the chances of Aivah forgiving him for the way he'd treated her, were slim. Although she should have been more grateful for the immense pleasure he'd given her, pleasure that she basically asked for.

  He would leave that part out when he spoke to her.

  "Of course I'll try. All I'm saying is that she is likely holding a grudge and I'm not optimistic that she will come around."

  "That's an understatement," Harley said with a huff. "You'll be lucky if you come away with your face in one piece."

  Luc absently rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was a faint bruise, but he doubted Oz would notice. He wasn't about to explain that he'd had his nose broken by the tiny woman. At the time, it had amused him, but he did have a reputation to uphold.

  Once again, Oz glanced at Jason, who shrugged. "I haven't personally spoken with her yet, but I'm told she was flipping out like a wild animal. So, I'm not sure what went down here in order for you to cuff her and get her to me, but I honestly don't care. Fix it and get her on our side." Oz stood and waited for Luc to as well.

  "I'll be by as soon as I can." Luc held out a hand and Oz paused before taking it. It was easy to tell that the mage was low on social skills. He was a thousand times better than Aivah, but still not good enough to pass without notice.

  "Don't waste time. I need to get to work on this immediately. I'll be in and out over the next few days. I'll let you know when there is significant progress."

  "You can keep Az or Harley posted on that and they can update me unless I'm around." Luc looked at Jason, who stood to follow them to the door. "You can also give updates to Jason. He is the head of security, in case you didn't know."

  "I'll deal with you or Azrael when I have more information." Oz kept his eyes on Luc, still ignoring Jason. "Unless your bartender is the only other one around."

  "Bartender." Harley snorted.

  "Harley is more family, than employee. Treat her as such." Luc's voice was stern. He might tolerate whatever issue the mage had with Jason, but he wouldn't look down on Harley without backlash.

  "I apologize," Oz said and gave Harley a slight head bow. "Also," he said, turning back to Luc. "It would be helpful to have a few drops of your blood for the spells."

  "That will not be possible," Luc said and tensed. "I will do what I can to assist you in your work, but giving my blood is non-negotiable."

  Oz nodded and left.

  Luc was grateful that he didn't try to argue the issue. Not that it would have changed anything, because it wouldn't have. Luc's blood was far too valuable these days. Not only was it the key to using the Hell Tablet, but it could play a role in opening the safe to get at the tablet. This wasn't information he spread around. In fact, he was pretty sure only Az knew both of those things.

  Besides their father, of course.

  He wasn't sure if Michael knew how to activate the Hell Tablet, but he was positive that he didn't know it was the key to opening the safe as well. Knowing Michael, he had more information than anyone gave him credit for, and if he didn't know already, he would likely figure it out at some point. When that happened, Luc was sure the battle would come to a head.

  He just hoped he would be ready when that time came.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Aivah was dressed in what looked like a burlap sack dress, huddled in a corner of a cage. She was carving symbols into the cement floor with the back of a spoon. He'd been assured that she wouldn't be able to use any sort of magic there, but it still made Luc uneasy.

  She didn't pick up on him coming in. He was glad for the extra few moments before she looked up and noticed he was there. After that, all hell would break loose. The way she'd looked at him the last time he saw her, with her hands cuffed, and her hair still a wild mess from their time together, was like a rabid animal. A small part of him found it sexy and he wanted to pull her back, go for a round two, except for the fact that she just might bite off his dick.

  As if she sensed his presence, she looked up at once, staring into him with her death glare. She dropped the spoon and lunged for the cage bars, grabbing onto them tightly, as he stepped closer. This time, he knew better than to get too close to her. The only sound that came out of her could best be described as a snarl, complete with lip curl. It almost made Luc chuckle, but he held it back. He needed her help, and insulting her, or teasing her, wasn't the way to get it.

  "I hope they're treating you well," Luc said, unsure of where to start with her. Az would have done better.

  "Why are you here?" She growled, pacing the cell as Luc walked along the outside.

  "I thought we could talk."

  "I do not think I wish to talk to you anymore." She balled her fists at her sides. Luc imagined she was going over all the spells she'd like to use on him in her mind.

  "Well, then you can listen." Luc stopped pacing and looked right at her. "I don't know why you chose to work with Michael, but I'd like to think it was because you were either misinformed, or manipulated."

  She stared at him with her lips pressed into a hard line.

  "Michael isn't the good guy here," Luc continued. "I get it, I'm the outcast of the family, bad reputation, associated with Hell. I understand why people think I'm the bad one, but I'm not."

  "Of course not," she scoffed. "You are an angel."

  "I am. People forget that, but it's true. Do you even know what you're fighting for here? Did Michael tell you what he wanted from me?"

  "Yes." She narrowed her eyes.

  Luc grabbed a chair, dragged it over, and sat facing her. "Aivah, I don't know what he told you, but I'm sure he lied. Even my father doesn't approve of what Michael is doing."

  "Then he can stop him." She rolled her eyes.

  "It doesn't work like that. My father," Luc took in a deep breath and let it out slow. "Refuses to get involved with that sort of thing. He prefers to sit back and watch how things play out."

  "Convenient."

  "It's shitty, but that's how he is."

  "I do not care about your family squabbles, Lucifer," she said in her small mouse voice. "I am here because of you, so stop trying to convince me you are not bad."

  "That's not really fair, now is it?"

  She glared at him.

  "Aivah, you came into my home, my business, under false pretenses. You set me up with your sigils and your spells. You were basically trying to hand me over on a silver platter to Michael. How can
you blame me for fighting back?"

  She continued to glare.

  "Okay, I get it. I slept with you, then had you thrown in a cage. It wasn't the best way to go about it, I'll admit that, but I wasn't planning on it going down like that either. You climbed in my lap and I lost a bit of rational thought. We both had fun though. You made the decision to take it there. It's not like I forced you, or coerced you. You loved every minute of it."

  Aivah snorted and started pacing the cage again.

  But she didn't deny it.

  "Look, I know you don't like me."

  She laughed.

  "Okay, maybe you even hate me, but you're basing that on misinformation and one bad choice, that wasn't only my fault."

  She stopped pacing and went to the bars, as close to him as she could get. Her lips parted, as if she was going to say something, but then changed her mind.

  "I'm going to be very honest with you here for a moment. The reason Michael wants into my safe is to steal something that will change the world. And not in a good way."

  "Yes, because you stole it, and clearly should not be trusted with it."

  "Is that what he told you?"

  She nodded.

  It would figure that Michael would say something like that. He always did try to make Luc out to be much worse than he ever was. It was something their father should have straightened out long ago, but never did.

  "That's all bullshit. I know you're going to believe what you want, but none of that is true. My father entrusted me with that item from the start. It's the kind of thing that has no right ever being used. It shouldn't even exist in my opinion. But just so you know, Michael isn't trying to protect it, or get it back. It was always with me and it's always been safe. If my brother gets it," Luc stood and walked closer to the cage. "He will destroy this world."

  Luc needed her to hear him, to believe what he was saying, but she was filled with rage and hate. She wouldn't trust him even if he hadn't taken advantage of her lowered guard to cuff her after sex. She believed Michael because he was good and Luc was bad.

  "Michael told me he thinks you may actually believe your lies. I think he is correct." She turned away from Luc and sat on her small bed.