He parked in front of the building and donned a pair of black sunglasses, while I stepped out of the car and under the scorching desert sun. I was used to heat after living in Southern California, but this was brutal. Another sports car pulled up behind us and stopped on a dime, and then Zel and Gadreel jumped out. Zel was wearing her battle leather and had weapons strapped to her, and she glared at everything like even the sun offended her. Gadreel grinned and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair as he checked out the place, like he was a tourist on vacation.
“We have company today,” I noted.
A muscle flexed in Lucifer’s jaw. “You were attacked last night. I want you protected at all times from now on.”
My breath caught. “Attacked? I thought it was an accident.”
“We’re looking into it now.” He gestured at his two cronies as they approached. “I believe you’ve met Azazel and Gadreel, two of my most loyal Fallen.”
“Are they demons too?” I asked, lowering my voice.
“Not exactly.” Lucifer wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I stiffened, while he led me into a shady area. “Fallen were originally angels, as I was, but they followed me into Hell and became…something else. Not exactly demons, but not angels anymore either.”
I swallowed, absorbing this new information so casually spoken as if we were discussing the weather. “Do they have wings too?”
“They do, but mine are bigger.” He lowered his shades to give me a naughty wink. “And in case you’re wondering, yes, wing size does correspond directly with other body parts.”
A startled laugh escaped me at that, and my guard relaxed a little. I couldn’t help it. The man was just too damn charming. Not to mention that when I was around him, I felt like I knew him on some deep level. But…how?
A thin, attractive man walked out of the building carrying two helmets, and bowed his head to Lucifer. “My lord, everything is ready.”
“Brilliant.” He waved a hand at me. “Just the helmet for the lady today.”
The man before us raised his eyebrows and glanced at me with thinly veiled curiosity. “She knows?”
“She’s under my protection,” Lucifer said with a hint of a growl in his voice.
“Of course, my lord.” He offered me the helmet and then backed away in a half-bow. “I’ll get the keys.”
After the man had left, Lucifer leaned closer to me. “Another of my demons. A cheetah shifter.”
“A what now?”
“Shifters are another type of demon. They can transform into animals.” He gestured for me to follow, and we walked around the side of the building, where a row of sports cars awaited us. Gleaming, beautiful, aerodynamic cars in bright colors from lime green to hot pink. Some of them looked like they were right off a NASCAR racing track, with huge spoilers and stickers all over them, while others would be right at home in Lucifer’s garage next to his silver Aston Martin.
"Are we going to drive them?" I asked, as Lucifer pulled the helmet over my head. I'd have helmet hair for the rest of the day, but my excitement overcame any apprehension at the realization of what we were about to do.
“We are,” he said, as he led me to the first car, the lime green Lamborghini. He wouldn’t let anyone else but him buckle me into the passenger seat, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Before I knew it, we were off, while Gadreel and Zel watched from the sidelines under a canopy.
Lucifer raced to breakneck speeds like a pro in seconds, zipping us around the track. The force of the acceleration threw me back in my seat and took my breath away, but I hated to admit how much it thrilled me too.
“You’ve done this before,” I said through the helmet’s speaker, but I’d forgotten he hadn’t put one on. It didn’t matter, though. Lucifer heard me over the engine and shot me a wicked grin. Then he went even faster.
I screamed, except it wasn’t out of fear this time but exhilaration, like when you’re on a roller-coaster and go down a steep drop. Even though I held on for dear life, I couldn’t remember a time I’d had so much fun. Excessive speed had always made me nervous since the car accident, but Lucifer had a way of making me feel safe. Like he was in complete control, and nothing could hurt me when he was by my side.
As we finished the circuit and slowed to a halt, Lucifer looked over at me and let out a throaty laugh. It was so sexy it made me melt a little into my seat.
“You liked that, did you?” he asked.
“More than I expected.”
He helped me out of the elaborate safety system and took my hand, lifting me out of the car. His touch sent an unexpected thrill through me as he pulled me close against him. He lingered there, nearly holding me, drawing me in even though his eyes were hidden behind his shades. “I knew you would.”
“How?”
“I’m the devil, darling. Give me a little credit.” He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to my wrist, like he did the other night, and everything inside me turned to hot, molten lava.
He’s the devil, a voice whispered in my head.
Yeah, but he’s really freaking hot too, a louder voice said back.
Okay, so I was probably losing my mind, but wouldn’t anyone in this situation?
We drove around the track in three other cars, testing each one out, and it was easy to lose myself in the speed and the adrenaline. Every time I glanced over at Lucifer he flashed me a smile, like he knew just how much I was enjoying myself. Like this, he was just Lucas Ifer again, a man with too much money and too many toys.
When we got out of the fourth car, Lucifer asked, “Would you like to drive one?”
“Really?” My pulse raced as I looked up at him. “You have no idea how much I’d like to drive one. Or maybe you do.”
He chuckled softly. “Then choose your car.”
I went with the hot pink Ferrari, not because it was pink, but because it was a freaking Ferrari. I’d probably never get another chance to drive one of those, and I wasn’t missing out on that. Once again, Lucifer strapped me inside, and gave me a brief rundown of everything I needed to know. Nervous energy raced through me, and I almost talked myself out of doing it, but then Lucifer got in the passenger side of the car and nodded at me. I couldn’t back out now.
I gripped the wheel, shifted gears, and put my foot to the pedal. The car shot forward, too slowly at first, but soon I grew more confident and kicked it up a notch. Pure adrenaline raced through my veins and exhilaration ripped a laugh from my lips as the car zoomed around the track, hugging the road like nothing I’d ever experienced before. My poor beat-up Honda could never compare to this.
Lucifer let me take lap after lap until a man's voice told me to come in over the intercom. I was low on fuel. When I stopped, I let out a long breath as the excitement faded away. Then I practically tumbled out of the car, halfway pulled out by Lucifer, while my body still felt like it was moving at hundreds of miles an hour.
As Lucifer helped steady me in his arms, I looked up at him with a smile. “I felt like I was flying.”
Something dark crossed Lucifer’s face at those words and he glanced away. Maybe it was rude to reference flying to the guy who could grow his own pair of wings at will. Or was it something else?
While I chugged water in the shade, Gadreel and Zel took a turn on the track, opting to go at the same time so they could race. Standing back, I watched in delight as Zel kicked Gadreel’s ass, but then let out a startled cry as something—no, someone—dropped from the sky at breakneck speed. I jumped back as charcoal gray wings filled my vision as another of Lucifer’s henchmen landed hard in front of us. Sam, I remembered. The one who was investigating Brandy’s disappearance.
He’d obviously flown here in a hurry. Sweat gleamed on his shaved head as his dark wings tucked behind him and then disappeared completely. Whoa. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that.
“What is it, Samael?” Lucifer stepped forward, while Zel and Gadreel leaped out of their cars and rushed over.
“I foun
d them,” Sam said.
Now that the shock of seeing another winged man was over, I rushed forward, my heart pounding, scared to ask the question that sprang to my lips. “Is Brandy alive?”
Sam drew himself up and nodded. “Yes. And Asmodeus too.”
A huge wave of relief washed over me, so strong my knees nearly gave out. Alive. Alive! Thank god she was alive. Although maybe I should be thanking Lucifer, since he’d done this, at least indirectly. I closed my eyes as the dread of worrying she was dead lifted from me.
“Where?” Lucifer asked.
“They’re being held captive at an abandoned motel out in the desert,” Sam said. “By demons. Shifters, I believe.”
And just like that, the worry was back. “Is she hurt? Why did they take her?”
Sam turned his dark gaze back to me. “We haven’t determined that yet.”
“Well done.” Lucifer clasped Sam on the shoulder with something like affection. “I knew you’d find them. We’ll mount the rescue tonight. Samael and Gadreel, you’re with me. Azazel, stay with Hannah and make sure she’s safe.”
Zel and Gadreel glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. “You’ll be leading the attack, my lord?” Zel asked, obviously surprised.
“Yes, I’ll be handling this personally.” Lucifer cast me a quick look. “I swore I’d bring Brandy back, and I always keep my promises.”
I stepped toward him. “I want to come too.”
Lucifer removed his sunglasses and pocketed them. “Though I applaud your bravery, I can’t allow you to do that. It isn’t safe. You’re human, after all.”
Gadreel nodded. “Let the demons do the devil’s work.”
I shot him a defiant look. “None of you would even know about this if I hadn’t brought it to your attention.”
“And we thank you for that, but there’s nothing more you can do.” Lucifer rested his hands on my shoulders and pinned me with his intense stare. “Trust me, Hannah. I will handle this with all haste, and soon you’ll have your friend back. I will not fail you.”
I swallowed and stamped down my stubborn determination. Though it pained me not to go with them, I knew they were right. What could I do against demons? A few hours ago I didn’t even know they existed, and it’s not like I was a fighter or anything. I ran a flower shop, for fuck’s sake, and he was the devil. There was no comparison.
And for some reason, I did trust him. It made no sense, but every fiber of my being told me he was telling the truth, and that he would bring Brandy back safely.
I nodded mutely and stepped back. Lucifer reached up to cup my cheek, gazing into my eyes, as his large black wings extended behind him with a rush of wind. Samael’s charcoal wings snapped out next, followed by Gadreel’s pale gray ones. Without further word, the three of them launched into the sky, blocking out the sun with great flaps of their large wings.
Zel watched them go, her mouth tight. “Come with me. I’ll take you back to The Celestial.”
But I wouldn’t budge. Not until their dark forms were just pinpricks against the bright blue sky, vanishing in the distance and leaving me with only a heavy dose of fear and worry. And not just for Brandy either…but for Lucifer too.
10
Lucifer
The ground shook under my feet as I landed outside the motel and cracks formed in the cement, fanning out into the hard-packed earth of the surrounding area. Dust kicked up around me as the wind whirled, the elements in tune with my barely constrained anger.
Dozens of my Fallen soldiers landed behind me, many of them carrying Lilim—incubi and succubi—in their arms. The lust demons had volunteered as soon as they’d learned one of their own was being held captive. Asmodeus was well-loved among his kind for running the strip clubs many of them used to feed safely, and they were incensed by his kidnapping. Though many of them were strong fighters, their race didn’t have wings, and thus they were relying on my Fallen for covert transport tonight.
We were in the middle of nowhere Nevada, far enough off the main highway that no one would see us. Dim lights were on inside the motel, but otherwise it looked truly abandoned, with broken windows, peeling paint, and a sign hanging on for dear life proclaiming it the Desert Paradise Motel. An empty, cracked swimming pool sat in the middle of the courtyard, half-filled with tumbleweeds. But I knew the place wasn’t as empty as it seemed.
The October night air was lovely and cool, and I breathed in the darkness, my closest companion for centuries now. Though I’d once been a soldier of the light, I was truly the Lord of the Night now. I drank in the power of darkness, letting it fill me with strength.
With Gadreel on my left and Samael on my right, I stalked toward the run-down motel with fury burning inside my veins. One of my most loyal demons was being held there, along with Hannah’s best friend. They had better be fucking alive, or there would be hell to pay.
Oh, who was I kidding? There was already hell to pay, and the devil was here to collect his due.
Before I reached the door to the motel lobby, it flew open and two men ran out and began shooting at us. Guns, really? How pedestrian. I raised a hand and enveloped the bullets in darkness, fading them into the night before they could hit me or the fighters behind me.
The two men then let out a roar as their bodies grew and changed, growing fur and claws. Bear shifters. Demons of passion and wrath, who should be loyal to me.
They charged forward, and other demonic bears, wolves, and even hellhounds emerged from the motel’s various doors, crawling through windows, jumping through rotten walls, and leaping off the roof. My Fallen angels and Lilim immediately charged into the fray before any of the shifters could get near me, and I growled at the sight of demons fighting demons.
“Enough,” I bellowed, my voice bouncing off the surrounding mountains with a crack like thunder and echoing back to us. “Bow to me, your King.”
None of them backed down, and the fight continued all around me. I gestured for Samael to go inside and he charged forward with his sword raised, with a few angry, gorgeous Lilim at his heels. Gadreel fought a huge bear beside me, using his sword and shadow magic to subdue the beast. With a great slash, Gadreel rammed his sword through the bear’s chest, then wrapped darkness around his throat until the shifter slumped in defeat. Gadreel may have looked like a cheerful angel, but in battle he was truly ruthless, a rival for any bloodthirsty demon.
Other shifters foolishly tried to attack me. Their sharp claws and gnashing teeth glanced off my skin without leaving a mark. All of the anger I’d been trying to keep hidden, to protect Hannah from, spilled out of me at the complete disrespect for my power. Perhaps it was time for a reminder of who I was.
I gathered the night around me, spreading my wings wide, before I unleashed it. Like shadowy tentacles, my magic reached out and wrapped around each shifter outside the motel and carved jagged clefts right through them, ripping them apart limb from limb.
Did I need a small army at my back? No. I could destroy everyone here with the slightest thought. I’d simply hoped to avoid bloodshed, thinking that a show of force would cause the shifters to back down and hand over the captives. But that didn’t happen, and now I was really fucking pissed.
More shifters emerged from the motel, chased out by Samael and his Lilim warriors. A huge red fox decided to get brave, snapping at me. The same fucking fox shifter who’d been spying on me and Hannah while we’d been shopping.
As he leaped at me with sharp teeth, I clamped my fingers on the creature’s neck and used darkness to reach inside him and crush his heart and his lungs. Then I tossed his body to the ground as the remainder of his flesh shifted back to human form. He should have heeded my warning earlier.
I looked around at the continued fighting, my chest heaving as I battled the desire to burn each of the remaining shifters to ashes. Perhaps they’d surrender now.
None of them did.
I pushed my darkness outward. As soon as the remaining shifters saw more of the twisting
shadows swirling from me they ran, but they were too late. They’d forced my hand.
My darkness snaked around the throats of each of the rebellious little traitors, yanking them back. I sucked all the life out of them, drawing it back inside myself, their resistance only making me stronger.
Their lifeless bodies hit the ground and the battle was officially over. I turned toward the motel in time to see Samael emerge from the front doors with Asmodeus and a pretty Black woman. Her dark skin was dust-covered and there was evidence of blood congealing around small tears in her clothes, but her brown eyes still held a gleam of determination. This must be Brandy.
She was faring better than Asmodeus, by all appearances, and she held onto his arm, like she refused to be parted from his side. The incubus’s olive skin was covered in more dried blood and dirt, as were his ripped and torn clothes. His normally vibrant green eyes were dull and exhausted, and he stumbled forward along the dirt, leaning against Brandy for support while Samael looked on with a frown.
I took a handkerchief from my suit pocket and slowly wiped off my hands. “Tell me what happened.”
“They kidnapped us,” Brandy said, and I was surprised she answered first. A brave one, for sure. “They tortured him, trying to get him to talk about you, but he wouldn’t break.”
“Did you feed on her?” I asked Asmodeus. It would be understandable given the circumstances, but humans could only handle so much of an incubus’s attentions. I needed to know if he’d done any damage to Brandy before I returned her to Hannah.
“No, I didn’t,” Asmodeus said between clenched teeth. He obviously needed to feed, and was doing everything in his power to hold himself back.
“You heroic fool,” Brandy muttered, her eyes softening as she looked at him. “I told you it was all right.”
Heroic? Asmodeus? The incubus who ran my strip clubs and went through human women like candy? I nearly laughed, until I saw the way they looked at each other. With their gazes locked, something intense passed between them, like powerful longing. It must be a side effect of his powers. Asmodeus may have refrained from feeding on her, but the lust he inspired was impossible for humans to ignore.
Demon King (Claimed By Lucifer Book 1) Page 8
