Gadreel looked stricken as he leaned forward as if to comfort me. “I’m sorry. Did Lucifer not tell you about this?”
I shook my head. “No, he’s been very sparse with details about my past lives so far.”
He rested a hand on my shoulder and offered me a weak smile. “I’m sure he would have told you this eventually. He’s been very busy lately with the attacks and all that.”
“What’s going on here?” Lucifer’s dark voice made me jump.
Gadreel jerked his hand back as if he’d been burned. I took in our shifted positions as I’d moved closer to listen to his story. Our knees nearly touched, and we both sat on the edges of our seats. Too close.
“Gadreel was just telling me about how he knew me in a previous life,” I said, as I scooted back in my seat again.
Lucifer stood in the doorway, and he took my breath away with how handsome he was, even doing absolutely nothing except filling out a black three-piece suit. “Is that so?”
I gestured toward my pile of books on the floor. “I’ve been reading up on angels and demons and mythology all day, but I still had so many questions. Gadreel was kind enough to share what he knew.”
Lucifer crossed the room and bent down before me, sliding a hand behind my neck as he kissed me hard. Then his dark gaze shifted to Gadreel. “You’re dismissed.”
His kiss left me breathless, and he spoke in a low, threatening voice, but I couldn’t figure out why. There was no reason for him to be jealous. I didn’t have any feelings for Gadreel. That was even more obvious after such a hot kiss like that.
Gadreel brushed past us, back stiff, and strode from the room.
“That was rude,” I said to Lucifer, crossing my arms. Days ago, I would never have spoken to him that way. Now? I’d lost all my fear of him. “Gadreel guarded me all day per your orders, and was just answering my questions.”
Lucifer considered me with his fierce gaze, but then bowed his head slightly. “I suppose I overreacted. When I came in and saw you two like that…” His face darkened again, his hands clenching into fists at his side. “I always suspected Gadreel had feelings for you when you were Lenore, though you claimed you were only friends. But everyone loved Lenore. Entire poems were written about you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about that life?”
He reached up to touch my face as he gazed at me with sadness in his eyes. “That was your most recent life before this one, and sometimes the pain of losing you is still strong. It’s hard for me to speak of it, though I’d planned to tell you eventually. I’ll tell you about all of your lives, if we have time. There’s simply a lot of them to get through.”
I nodded, leaning into his light touch. “I guess that makes sense. I’m just eager to learn.”
“You always have been.” He hit me with a devastating smile, then stepped back. “Come.”
He led me across the room to one of the bookshelves, and his shadowy wings erupted from his back. With one powerful stroke, he lifted off his feet and hovered at a top shelf I hadn’t reached yet. He grabbed a small black book and lowered to the ground, his wings disappearing behind him.
He offered me the book, bound in black. “This was yours.”
I carefully took the tiny book, which was old but well preserved. Collected Works of Edgar Allen Poe. On the title page there was an inscription that read, “For my muse, my Lenore.” Underneath it was Poe’s signature.
I quickly looked up at Lucifer. “Is this real?”
“Oh yes. I’ve looked after that book for a long time for you.”
“Holy shit. I’m the Lenore. In The Raven?” I turned the pages to find The Raven and read the poem to myself, then repeated one line out loud. “A rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore, quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore.’”
Lucifer’s lips quirked up. “He wrote another poem about you too, simply titled Lenore. Poe was quite obsessed with you.”
“Wow.” I flipped the pages, which cracked with age as I turned them, and found the other poem.
“Hannah, please trust me on this. I plan to tell you about Lenore and all your other lives, but I know from past experience it’s better to introduce these things gradually, or otherwise it becomes quite overwhelming for you. Coping with past lives and being fated mates with the devil is a lot to ask of any woman.” He leaned forward and cupped my cheek. “Even one as extraordinary as you.”
It was overwhelming, but I had this urgent need to know too. I shook my head and closed the book. “I want to remember so badly. I often have these vivid dreams, and I always thought it was because I read so many books and had such a strong imagination, but now I’m wondering if it could be glimpses of my past lives.”
“It’s possible. I’m surprised you haven’t remembered more by now, or at least remembered me, but more should come in time.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now, we have two more nights of sin, and tonight’s is lust. Oh, you should see what I have planned.”
I held up a hand, as an idea hit me. “Hang on. You’ve picked the activities every night so far, but now it’s my turn.”
He blinked at me, cocking his head. “Your turn?”
“For days I’ve done everything you wanted, and yes, it’s been pretty incredible, but tonight we’re going to do what I want for a change.”
“You don’t even know what I have planned.” His fingers trailed down my neck, brushing the top of my chest like a tease. “Trust me, you’ll like it.”
I sucked in a breath and tried to control my desire. “I’m sure I would, but I need a break from this lifestyle. A little sense of normality amid all the madness of the last few days. Please.”
“Very well, I’ll allow you to choose tonight’s activities.” He sounded skeptical, and I sensed it was because it was hard for him to give up control after many lifetimes of being king.
I lifted on my toes and gave him a quick kiss. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll both be naked by the end of the night.”
I was rewarded with a sensual grin. “Now that sounds more like it.”
20
Lucifer
“Here we are,” Hannah said, as a bell jingled above our heads.
I guessed she’d pushed a door open, but I couldn’t see because she’d instructed me to keep my eyes closed, in a voice that said she meant it.
“You can open your eyes now.”
She nudged my arm, but… Fuck, did I have to? I was deliberately keeping my eyes shut against the fear they might fall out once I opened them and saw wherever she’d brought me. If the stench of stale beer and too much cheap cooking grease—not to mention the undertones of puke and piss—were anything to go by, I definitely wanted to keep my eyes closed. Very firmly closed. Perhaps with a padlock.
I tried to grin, but it came out more like a grimace. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
“Yep, this is it.”
I took a deep breath, even though the alcohol in the air was so strong just inhaling it burned my throat, and opened my eyes. I looked around in apprehension. We were in some sort of seedy dive bar, the sort of place I would never visit on my own. The interior had neon lights that flickered and blinked, although due to short circuit rather than design. Far too many pool tables took up valuable seating space and an entire side wall was devoted to old slot machines, many with dark, cracked screens. Ripped vinyl seating seemed to be the order of the day along with dated plastic tables where the top coating was lifting and scorched.
An enormous man in dirty jeans and a leather vest—and nothing else—stumbled past us, and I glanced down at my Armani suit, feeling rather overdressed for the locale.
This was where she’d brought me? And they said I was a torturer.
“Is this truly what you chose for lust?” I couldn’t hold the question in any longer as I tried not to look as horrified as I felt. Of all the places in Las Vegas we could have gone to, she’d picked this dingy old bar?
Hannah laughed, and seeing her eyes sparkle
with mischief was almost enough to make up for this wretched place. “Come on, let’s go order some food and drinks.”
She led me to the bar, and I admired her in those tight black jeans and that draping top, both of which came from her new wardrobe, though she didn’t stand out in this place like I did. I wouldn’t have chosen to spend any moment of my immortal life with these other human specimens, but if this made Hannah happy, so be it.
She hopped onto one of the red barstools, and I took the one beside her. I nearly rested my elbow on the bar and barely contained my yelp as I yanked away from the surface. More than one layer of dirt and grease graced the dark wood. Enough that my jacket sleeve might have never recovered from such close contact.
“What are we doing in here when you don’t even drink?” I asked Hannah.
“I found this place on one of those lists of ‘best food in Vegas off The Strip.’” She shrugged as she flipped open a laminated menu with peeling edges. “I thought it’d be fun to do something different. Take you out of your element for a change and see what happened.”
A crusty old bartender ambled over, acknowledging people left and right as he approached us. He made a pretense of wiping the bar with a stained rag. “What’ll it be?”
“Four chili dogs with everything on them. Fries and onion rings.” She paused and I stared at her in horror as she described six different ways to cause a heart attack. Not that I could have one, of course, but I worried about her own mortality. “And a root beer.”
“What’ll you have to drink?” The bartender tapped his fingers on the bar while I considered which wine would taste best with fried foods.
“Malbec?”
He stared at me, his face blank.
“You don’t have wine, do you?” Instead of horror, I only felt resignation. I glanced behind him at the various bottles and waved a hand. “Just bring me some of the house beer, whatever that is.”
At Hannah’s giggle, I swung my attention back to her while the bartender walked away to get our drinks. I straightened my suit and asked, “Does this amuse you?”
“Very much so. It’s a nice reversal, seeing you so out of place.” She raised her eyebrows and gave my suit a once-over with a grin, although the hand she skimmed down my thigh spoke much more of appreciation than amusement. “This is how I always feel around you, with your fancy penthouse and gourmet foods and private helicopters. Tonight I wanted to see what Lucifer was like without all the money, luxury, and power.”
I leaned close and brushed my lips across her ear. “You can take away the money and luxury, but power? Oh, I still have plenty of that, darling.”
Her eyes flared with desire as I sat back, just as the bartender set two drinks in front of us. I picked up my plastic cup and took a sip. It tasted thin and watered down but wasn’t completely undrinkable.
“Besides, I have a hard time believing you’d ever eat here if it wasn’t to torment me,” I added, once he’d left again.
“Probably not.” She glanced around and wrinkled her nose. “But it’s closer to the kinds of places I’d normally eat at than anywhere you’d take us.”
“Then I shall endeavor to enjoy slumming it with you, as the mortals say.”
She burst out laughing at that, and the sound of it made all of this worthwhile. I’d do anything she asked if it brought out that kind of reaction. Damn, how I’d missed being with her. She’d always loved to challenge me, and it was wonderful to see she felt comfortable enough already to do it now. Her fear of me had vanished, and though she may not remember me yet, she knew me on some deep, subconscious level.
Her laughter trailed off as the bartender plopped two grease-spattered plates of chili dogs and fries in front of us. Eating this meal without getting it all over ourselves was going to need a miracle.
Well, challenge accepted.
With my gaze meeting hers, I picked up the chili dog and took an enormous bite. Flavor and heat exploded in my mouth, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Then I set the food down and grabbed a napkin from the smudged chrome holder and carefully wiped grease off my fingers. “Your turn.”
She took a bite next, but her chili dog fell apart as she did, making a huge mess that tumbled down to her plate. She laughed as she tried to salvage it, and I handed her some fresh napkins. “Wow, that is good. Although I’m not sure it’s worth the, um, ambiance.”
“No food is worth this,” I muttered, as two people in the corner started yelling at each other in high-pitched voices, then suddenly leaped up and started making out over the table.
We kept eating anyway, dipping fries in the chili as we watched a lady in a pink tutu who couldn’t be a day less than ninety use one of the slot machines. At least we were never bored.
“What did you do today?” Hannah asked, as she grabbed an onion ring.
“I questioned the dragon we captured, but once again he proved resistant to my powers, which shouldn’t be possible.” I bit down hard on an onion ring, trying not to let my frustrations show. The fact that dragons were also turning against me and trying to kidnap—or worse—Hannah meant this truly was a larger conspiracy. One I’d need to deal with soon. Tomorrow, in fact, at the Devil’s Night ball.
“I nearly pissed my pants when I saw that thing,” Hannah said. “I can’t believe dragons are real.”
“They are, but there are very few of them left. It’s unheard of for so many to attack at once.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “What does that mean then?”
“That someone powerful is trying to undermine me.” I shrugged casually, even though my blood heated at the very idea. When she looked uncertain, I reached over and rested my hand on her knee. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll deal with it.”
She nodded slowly as she drank some of her root beer. “How many kinds of demons are there?”
“Six, or seven if you include the Fallen, although there’s some debate over whether they count as demons or not.”
Her eyes lit up. “One for each deadly sin?”
“Exactly, although the deadly sins were so named by angels. Still, they mostly fit. Pride for Fallen, naturally. Shifters are wrath, though their emotion is more like passion. Imps are envy, although they mainly thrive on attention.”
“You said last night that dragons were demons of greed.”
“Yes, it’s where the whole dragon hoarding stereotype comes from.”
She tilted her head as she considered. “Lilim are lust, obviously. What about gluttony and sloth?”
“Gargoyles, like the ones who attacked you the other night, are sloth. They can turn to stone and they feed on sleep.” I finished my food and used my napkin to wipe my hands. “As for gluttony, that would be vampires. They require blood to survive, just like in lore, and they’re very charming.”
“Glad I haven’t met any of those yet.” She gave my shoulder a playful shove. “I can’t possibly handle any more charm.”
We finished up our meal and I was surprised to find that in this dive bar with her I’d been having a great time. Even with the greasy chili dogs and weak beer. All I needed was Hannah by my side to feel complete, no matter the locale.
As we stepped outside I said, “Now that you’ve had your fun, let me take you to do one of the things I’d originally planned for tonight.”
Her brow furrowed. “No more private helicopters and thousand-dollar dresses, please.”
I held up my hands. “I promise I won’t spend a penny on this particular endeavor.”
She twisted her lips, like she was contemplating saying no, but then she nodded. “Okay. I suppose we can see the Mob Museum and the world’s largest slot machine some other time.”
“Wonderful.” I held out my hand and my blood pumped harder when her fingers wrapped around mine. Then I cloaked us in shadow so any stray gazes wouldn’t notice us before lifting Hannah in my arms and launching into the air. She tightened her grip around my neck, but not like she had with the dragons. She trusted me not to drop her.
My chest humming with pleasure, I took us higher and higher, holding Hannah so she could see the city beneath us. The hustle and bustle, the lights and the music, all of the chaos that was my home. We didn’t talk, just held each other as we flew over the city, enjoying the feel of being close as the cool night air bent around us.
Eventually, I landed on the top of the Stratosphere Tower, the tallest structure in the city and the perfect spot to lord over it like a king and queen gazing across their domain.
“Welcome to The Strat. Best view of the whole city.” I put my arm around Hannah’s shoulders and she leaned against me.
“It’s beautiful.” She turned to look up at me with those bright eyes that missed nothing. “But why do you live here and not in Hell?”
My chest tightened with long-repressed pain. “After thousands of years of war against the angels, Hell became uninhabitable. Heaven too. Our numbers were dwindling, and it was clear both our races would die off if something didn’t change. Archangel Michael and I met in private over many years, discussing how to negotiate peace between our kinds. In the end, we signed the Earth Accords and called a truce, then brought all the angels and demons to Earth, closing off Heaven and Hell permanently.”
Her eyebrows darted up. “The angels and demons were okay with that?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Hardly. Many were angry with us at the time. Hell, many are still angry. Archangel Michael even lost his life over it. But it was the only way to save our people, and I stand by the decision.”
Her hand found mine and she squeezed it. “I’m sure you did what was best. But…why Vegas?”
“About forty years ago, when I realized we couldn’t live in Hell anymore, I started building up Las Vegas to be a safe haven for demons, where they can feed on humans without harming them or exposing our kind to the world. Here, humans are allowed to indulge their sins, and demons can reap the benefits.”
Demon King (Claimed By Lucifer Book 1) Page 15
