by Rue Volley
“Excuse me if I’m doubtful, but the man doesn’t exactly have a reputation for understanding things and being sympathetic.” What are you hiding Mom?
“No, but I never said he had been.”
“You’re painting a very ugly and disturbing picture Mom. Care to clarify?” She stepped back from the stove and turned to face her mother.
“We have a very confusing, multi-faceted relationship. It gets heated and explosive, but we won’t let that spill over to you.”
“You sound like you’re going to be telling me you ran into a door knob soon.” The thought of anyone hurting her mom mentally or physically enraged her
“No. Nothing like that, I promise.”
She frowned. It didn’t sound right. The explanation was flimsier than a coffee filter, but she had to be careful. Alienating her mother now would close a door she wanted to keep open. “If you’re sure.”
“Positive.” Her mother met her stare.
“Okay then.” Heavenleigh returned her attention to the oatmeal bubbling up. Finding a bowl, and brown sugar she dished the food into a bowl, and sprinkled the top with sugar. A million questions swirled around in her head. What did they agree? Why did it make her look so tired? An image popped in her head that made her stomach rumble in protest. Then again, maybe I really don’t want to know because it’ll scar me for life. She grabbed some fresh cut strawberries, added them to the bowl, snagged a bottle of water, and set them in front of her mom.
“Do you have questions?” her mother asked around bites of food
“They can wait. Bottom line, I blew up, and I’m not mad. Truce?”
“Yes. I don’t like it when we’re at odds.”
“Me either, Mom.” Finishing up the dishes she sat down on the stool beside her
The details could wait. It was clear now her mother needed her. The gate, the prophecy, and everything that went with it could take a back seat. She wasn’t naïve enough to think her Father was ready to turn over a new leaf after a lifetime of debauchery. So she’d stay on her guard and infiltrate him from the inside, playing him while he attempted to play her. Maybe this was the reason she’d been created, to stop him… permanently. He’d always be there to suck in lost souls, but without her arrogance he’d be contained… right? I need to get my hands on that prophecy, looks like we’re about to become one big dysfunctional family.
Running With the Devil
The Purgatory Series - Book 3
Shyla Colt
©Text Copyright 2014 Felicia Fox
Dedication
To Dean, Sam, Bobby, and Cas. Who are always down to ride and stay up as late as I need. For my bestie, M, Thank you for being on Team Colt before anyone else thought it was cool. To The Marine, baby without you I could not do this. For the man upstairs, thank you for everything.
Chapter One
Layla stared at the jeweled lingerie laid across the bed. The bra left nothing to the imagination. The belt would hang around her hips, nothing but a bit of decoration for the living blow up doll. Still, her nipples were hard, her breasts were heavy, and her pussy was wet. That’s what she hated most about her captivity. She liked it— no loved it. Ashamed, she lowered her head, and walked over to the massive, dark wood, four poster bed with black satin sheets. The Red canopy was the only splash of color in the large room full of sleek dark furniture from an era long gone. Figures he’d go with the gothic theme. She shed the black towel she’d donned, and began to carefully decorate her body with the pieces that could fund a handful of people’s living expenses for the rest of their lives. Only the best for my toy. She could practically hear the words in her mind. The belittling stung. There was a time when I was his everything
He’d wooed her with the legendary skills humans assigned to Lucifer, and then over the years slowly forgot. The great deceiver gained his reputation. He discovered what you wanted, and sold it to you, leaving the life of damnation in small print. It should disgust her, and make her hate him as it did her kin. But Lucifer had above all, always been her friend. He had a humility to him that the others lacked. Perhaps that was why he fell in the end. Not because he was too different and horrified, or even jealous of the attention they garnered from his father. But because he was too similar, and saw all the things he hated most about himself reflected in these beings that weren’t held to their strict code of conduct. When he left, her heart had died. But she’d continued, because that was what a soldier did. People often forgot Angels were warriors for God
“Don’t keep me waiting, Night. You know how much I hate that.” Lucien’s voice came from the living room, yanking her away from her reveries
There was no time for self-evaluation these days. Between the bar and her new position catering to Lucien’s every whim, she barely slept. And I’d do it all over to keep Heavenleigh safe. Her daughter meant everything to her, even if her baby girl was still pissed about the secrets withheld over the past sixty years. How did you tell your daughter her father was Lucifer? Especially, when all you wanted do was kept her hidden from him?
She quickly slipped her feet into the Swarovski crystal covered four-inch, Christian Louboutin pumps. Her heels clicked over the marble tile as she exited. The lights were dim, and the fire in the massive gray stone fireplace cast shadows over his handsome features. Even with his face schooled in an uncaring expression he made her heart race. She stopped a few feet from him.
“There’s my jewel of darkness.” He slowly gave her a once over
Her body smoldered everywhere his eyes touched
“I still can’t decide if I like you better clothed or in your natural state. Spin for me.”
Turning slowly, she was careful to keep her expression blank. The only way to keep her sanity was distancing herself mentally. He seemed to live for the moment she let something slip. He held her emotions up to the light like a shiny treasure to be brought to the darkness and destroyed while he laughed
“I think you forgot something, wife.” He rolled the word over his tongue turning it into something distasteful
“This was everything you had set out.” She licked her lips. Displeasing him was never a good idea.
“Wings, I want to see them, now.” His jaw clenched
Her throat grew tight. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t acknowledge that part of herself if she could help it. It brought up too many painful memories, and amplified everything. Living with one foot in heaven and one foot on the Earth was a precarious balance. One didn’t simply cease to be an Angel. They just got cut off from the main source.
“L-Lu.” Her lower lip trembled. She’d been so strong, never complaining, swallowing so much pride she felt like an ocean rested in her belly. The king of hell exploited weakness, and cared nothing for pleas unless you could offer him something worth bargaining for
“I’m sorry?” He leaned forward resting his forearms on his thighs. “I couldn’t quite make out what you said.” His eyes gleamed with what she recognized as triumph. He loved to win
“L-Lucifer, please.” She lowered her head. His given named spilled from her lips before she could stop it
He stood from his chair, and her stomach twisted into knots. Silent, and expressions less he came to stand in front of her. “Say it again.” His voice was low and raspy
“Please.” Her shoulder shook with sobs she could barely keep in check
“No,” he said, placing his hand on the left side of her face. “My given name.”
“Lucifer.” Her voice warbled
He rushed forward, and she tensed. His lips crashed onto hers, and she sank her fingers into his thick, soft, black hair. His lips bruised, punished, and stole the strength from her limbs. Her knees buckled. He pressed his large hand to the small of her back, taking her weight as he continued to devour her mouth. Rivers of excitement ran between her legs and onto her upper thighs. The silk material of his shirt teased her stiff nipples. Her head swam. His scent surrounded her, dark and decadent, like a piece of death by chocolate mixed w
ith espresso beans. Sinful, tempting, and exhilarating, he hit her bloodstream like caffeine, and she came to life. Moaning she dropped the wall between them that had protected her mauled heart
The intense heat from his body sank into her and for a moment they were just two people who loved deeply. His hand slid down to cup her ass. She opened her legs wider to line up their pelvis’. His bulge pressed against her cleft, and she gasped. Sparks of electricity arched between them. His wings burst from his back. The whispery rustle of feathers filled the room. Tears pooled in her eyes. He pulled away from her. His eyes swirled like golden mercury. The shock that painted the planes of his face told her the wings expansion hadn’t been intentional
“Why did you ruin what we had?” He gripped her hair in his fist, and pulled it tight. “Fuck.” He shoved her away and strode from the room, with his wings tucked close to his body. They were beautiful
She longed to caress the beautiful glossy black plumage. But she knew better. Unsure what to do next she stood rooted to the spot with her heart threatening to burst through her ribs and fly out of her chest. That had been the first glimmer of genuine want she’d seen in his eyes. Is this what’s buried beneath the contempt and the need to hurt me? On a good day, Lu was a complexity. Like a Rubik’s cube it took the right twists and turns to decipher his code and see into his heart, as dark as it might be, it did exist. And then I shattered his trust, and all but pushed him further into damnation. Guilt ate at her belly like a ravenous shark. I did this, and I have to fix it. How do you fix the king of hell? Shaken she wrapped her arms around her waist and sank to the floor, allowing the tears she’d held back to flow
Her chest and her eyeballs ached by the time she finished. Swiping the saline away with the back of her hand, she gained her feet. Lucien hadn’t returned. It was safe to call it a night. Tottering on her heels, she moved to the bedroom and stripped down. Bereft and dejected she returned to her club clothes, black jeans, and a Purgatory T-shirt. Depressed and drained she went to the only person who knew all her secrets. With a thought, she took herself to the sleek loft in New York. She lifted her hand to knock. The door opened
“You know I hate it when you do that,” Layla said as she walked in
“Just once I’d like to be engaged in something shocking when you show up,” Death said drolly as he offered her a glass of whiskey and cola. No Frou Frou drinks for them
“This your way of asking for a hook up?” Layla said, accepting the tumbler
“No.” He rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, I can pick up my own women.”
“Right.” She shook her head and took a sip of her drink. “That’s why I never see you with any women?”
“Well, you don’t bring them home with you if you don’t plan on having them around.”
“Wow, D, really?” Layla laughed
“When you’re as old as I am you become very practical.”
“Oh, is that what they’re calling it these days?” She circled her glass, melting the ice to give her mind something to focus on.
“Not that I don’t love our banter, but I can tell by your face it’s not why you’re here. Tell me, what did Lucifer do this time? I don’t like this arrangement of yours. Too one-sided, and even without knowing the details which I’m sure would keep me up at night. I can see it’s eating you from the inside out.” He tossed back his drink and set it on the kitchen bar. “Come, tell Death all about it.”
“I swear you border on creepy more and more with every century that passes,” she mumbled, walking into his open arms
He wrapped his lanky limbs around her, and she inhaled the spicy musk that reminded her of the rum and coke he drank by the glassful
“It’s complicated.”
“Haven’t you two always been?” He rested his chin on her shoulders. A throw back to her old life, D was the one constant she had left
“Yes, but that was before you added a healthy dose of hate, and yes I know he’s justified feeling that way… But it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”
“You’re trembling.” He pulled back and peered down at her. “What happened tonight?”
“I saw the Angel beneath the monster that’s spiraled out of control.”
His grip tightened on her forearms. “Speak plainly.”
“His wings came out, and his eyes glowed, and no, I don’t mean red, D. They were golden.”
“What did you do before that happened?”
She cleared her throat. “We made out.”
“I’m not surprised. You hold his heart. Perhaps, you always did. I’ve known you from the moment you were created. You would never leave your sworn duty for anything other than love.”
“We’re not able to feel that.” She shook her head
D paused. “Are you so sure?”
“You know we aren’t built that way.”
“And yet, here you are, along with many others. Who are we to say what your father had planned? He’s not the type to lay all his cards on the table to anyone. Not even, me.”
She wondered once again what he was
“Don’t ask questions you know I can’t answer.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“I know. That’s why I count you as my best friend. It’s been a long time since I allowed myself to get so close to another person. I cherish our friendship.”
“Speaking of, Heavenleigh’s birthday is coming up. We’re going to do what I’m sure will be a disastrous family style party. Please come.”
“When you pitch such a wonderful event to me, how could I say no?”
“She’s still upset with me. It’s not something I’m used to. How can he be down there and still retain that much Angel juice?” Layla said bringing their conversation back to the subject
“We do not simply cease to be what we are because we make atrocious decisions over and over. At the core, he will always be an Angel, though fallen.”
“Do you think he can be redeemed?” Layla whispered.
“Don’t be the woman who tries to fix someone,” D said
“I’m not. I’m just trying to understand.”
“Let’s put it this way. Who would take his place? He has a way of doing things, a sort of, honor about him. Who’s to say the person who’d rise next would be so bearable? The phrase better the devil you know came from somewhere.”
“You’ve got tombs of information running around inside your head.”
“Why do you think I always have a drink in my hand?” D said
Layla laughed. “Thank you.”
“For what?” He released her forearms and stepped back
“Always being here when I need you.”
“I think of myself as your non guardian Angel. The world would be a far duller place without you.”
“Love you too, D.”
“Good, now, have you decided to return your spleen and get some backbone? Cause this new version of you is watered down, and never going to get what you truly want.”
“We made a deal, D. I’m kind over a barrel right now.”
“I’m the creator of loopholes. We’ve got planning to do.”
* * *
Fury made him tremble as he strode through his kingdom. He fed of the chaos and rage, letting it flow through his veins. She’d breached his defenses, and the results had been horrific. It’d be eons since he’d last been in touch with that part of himself. Balance was necessary to keep this place running. He couldn’t afford to grow a conscious suddenly. A sneer peeled back the corner of his lips. He didn’t want it either. Someone had to be here to police the filthy hairless apes that created so much pain and suffering during their lives. The good and evil kept a balance. He’d wanted to change that until he met Heavenleigh. Now he couldn’t imagine the world. Down here I reign supreme. Up there, what was to keep them from banding together and trying to eject me from the throne? The fact that he was questioning himself brought his anger back to Night
She was his weakness, the one soft spot
on his underbelly that could get him into trouble. I should let her go. The thought of watching her walk out again had the fire pits next to him exploding. Never, she stays at my side where she belongs. He was two people by nature. The man who once was, and the new man who existed in no world, but the one he’d forged with his own hands. Both pieces of him agreed on Night. Now to show her I’m still completely in control. He blinked back into their room, sat on the edge of the bed and called her. She appeared flustered, and dressed in her work clothing. There was something different about her. He wanted to ask her where she’d been, but refused to give her the pleasure of his query
“Don’t think for one minute you have the upper hand in this situation.”
“I didn’t say that.”
He ignored her protest. “Come here.”
She walked over to him
He spread his legs. “Get down on your knees.” She knelt before him, and he glanced down at her
Her eyes were alive again. The guarded brown pools she’d presented for the past few months were gone. His cock twitched in his pants. He wanted to affect her more than the few moments before and after her climax. He’d crawl inside her and live if he could, even though every moment would be complete torture. At this point, he loved her as much as he hated her
“Undo my pants and put me in your mouth. You have the wickedest lips I’ve ever had the pleasure of filling.”
Her eyes flickered with desire and anger
He smirked
“I’m sure you didn’t think I was a nun, did you?” She massaged his bulge, and paused to unbutton the top of his pants and slowly pulled down his zipper. He sprang free, and she palmed him, stroking him to full length. She circled his head with her tongue, pausing to dip the tip into his slit. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
Chill bumps broke out on over his flesh. She made him cold. No small feat. “Sure what’s wise?” he asked as he wound his fingers in her thick hair, marveling at the red streaks. She’d change drastically over the past sixty years. No longer his innocent Queen to keep sheltered in a tower. This version of Night had sass, grit, and attitude that turned him on as much as it infuriated him. Since they’d made their deal, she’d kept that portion of herself hidden. He wanted it back. He fisted her hair and guided her to take more
