Keeping Lily: A Dark Romance

by Izzy Sweet

  Damn. I blink up at Lucifer, feeling utterly conflicted. On one hand I don’t want to be given away, but on the other it stings the ego a bit to hear I’m not worth five million dollars.

  I snort though as Marshall goes to his hands and knees, kneeling in front of Lucifer to beg for mercy.

  “Please,” Marshall begs, reaching out and grabbing Lucifer’s leg.

  I’d pity him and try to help the poor bastard if he didn’t just try to trade me away in his place.

  “There has to be something else I can give you…” Marshall sobs.

  Lucifer makes a face of disgust and looks down at Marshall like he’s a bug he’d like to step on.

  “Anything,” Marshall wails as Lucifer kicks at him. “Anything.”

  I sit back on my heels and watch Marshall beg while taking the kick, wondering how all of this happened.

  Lucifer’s head lifts and his eyes lock on me. His features are still, utterly calm, but there’s something dark stirring in the depths of his icy irises.

  “Anything?” Lucifer queries.

  “Yes, anything!” Marshall nods his head with sudden enthusiasm.

  “I’ll accept your offer,” Lucifer grins at me. “If you give her to me permanently, and throw in your children.”

  “No, no! You can’t!” I scream and I’m off the bed in an instant.

  Marshall yelps and scuttles back until he’s hiding behind Lucifer’s legs.

  Lucifer between us, blocking me, my hands clench into fists and I pant, trying to control the rush of rage that has flooded my head. I swear if Marshall offers this… this… inhuman monster my children, I’ll strangle him with my bare hands.

  Lucifer smirks down at me as if he finds all of this amusing. I bristle under that smirk but suddenly feel self-conscious standing so close to him. He’s tall, with at least a foot on me, and I feel puny now standing in front of him.

  “Well? Do we have a deal, Marshall?”

  Marshall continues to use Lucifer as a shield like the coward he is. He pokes his head out only long enough to peek at me. “Yes!”

  “No!” I screech and lunge forward, reaching around Lucifer to grab Marshall.

  Marshall squeaks and stumbles backwards, just out of my reach.

  Lucifer grabs me by the arms, stopping my forward lunge and hauls me back. Chuckling, he pins my arms to my sides and I screech and struggle, trying to escape his grasp.

  “We’re done here, Marshall. I suggest you leave now before I change my mind…”

  “Leave? Why do I have to leave? This is my house!” Marshall protests.

  Head tipping back, I glare up at Lucifer and continue to struggle. Damn, he’s stronger than he looks, though it is hard to tell just how built he is under that suit he’s wearing.

  Once again Lucifer looks me directly in the eyes, staring into me as if he can see inside me. “Not tonight.”

  “But… but…” Marshall starts to sputter.

  Lucifer’s face hardens, his features as cold and harsh as the blizzard swirling in his irises. “Simon, remove him.”

  “No. No! I’ll go!” Marshall says, panicked, and though I can’t see what’s going on due to the huge body blocking my view, I can hear a great deal of shuffling going on behind Lucifer.

  Marshall grunts loudly and then there’s a thump. “Hey! I’m going, I’m going!”

  The bedroom door opens and then slams shut.

  I jerk in Lucifer’s arms in surprise but then feel all the fight go out of me. No matter how much I squirm, no matter how much I try to free myself from his grasp, I can’t escape him. If anything I feel like all my struggles have only tightened the grip he has on me.

  Head dropping forward, I quiet my panting so I can listen to Marshall stomping and continuing to throw a tantrum about being removed from his own home.

  After a minute Lucifer sighs and I feel his grip loosen a little. “James, assist Simon. If Marshall wakes the children, feel free to make him regret it.”

  “Yes, boss,” the second shadow answers and I don’t even hear him as he walks out. I only know he’s gone by the sound of the closing door.

  A moment later there’s some muffled arguing coming from the hallway then all goes quiet.

  The seconds tick by. My panting slows as I catch my breath.

  All at once I am suddenly aware that I’m alone with this strange man.

  The air thickens.

  Slowly, I lift my head and peer up at him. He’s looking down at me so intensely I gasp.

  My gasp seems to amuse him, and a slow smile spreads across his lips.

  I stare at him in disbelief, my mind racing a mile a minute, trying to process everything that just happened. My mouth feels dry and my stomach is twisted. I want to believe this is a nightmare, that I’m still sleeping in my bed.

  My husband didn’t just trade me and our children away to save his own neck. He couldn’t… He wouldn’t…

  Yet the fingers tightening around my arms remind me that he did.

  I can’t let this happen. I can’t accept this. I have to protect my children. He cannot have them! I won’t let him hurt them.

  Gathering up every ounce of courage I have inside me, I lift my chin and say, “You can’t have us. We’re not objects you can own or trade away at whim. I am person, a person with rights, and I will not stand for this!”

  Lucifer’s eyes twinkle at me and it’s so condescending I just want to spit in his face.

  My anger only seems to amuse him even more. Head tipping back, he chuckles with mirth and just as I start to struggle again, he lifts me up.

  It only takes him two long strides and then he throws me.

  I go flying through the air and land on my bed with a grunt.

  He’s not far behind me, and quickly I get to my hands and knees, scooting back as he approaches.

  Long, strong fingers going to the bottom of his suit jacket. He begins to unbutton his jacket as he asks me, “Who’s going to stop me?”

  3

  Lucifer

  I don’t rush as I unbutton my suit jacket, there’s no need to hurry. I have started my claiming of this woman. There is no choice but to go with my wishes for her, rushing now would only cause unnecessary problems for us both.

  Standing before her as she kneels on the bed, I can’t help but smile as she looks up at me so defiantly.

  “I will!” she hisses at me.

  I know she doesn’t mean to look so sexual right now, I know she is trying desperately to cling to some hope she is in control somehow in her life. She isn’t.

  Pulling my coat off, I turn my back to her as I make my way over to the walk-in closet.

  Raising my hand to the last of my men at the door, I say, “You may go, Peter. Secure the house before you leave.”

  “Yes, sir,” he says as he closes the door on us.

  Opening the door to the closet, I turn on the light for a brief moment. Spotting suitable hangers, I grin to myself as I hear the rustling of the sheets on the bed.

  Stepping back out of the closet, I watch as Lily races towards the bedroom door.

  “I wouldn’t leave the room Lilith,” I say quietly.

  Her footsteps instantly halt as she comes within steps of the door. She, like all of those I have placed under my control, understands no matter how loud or quiet my voice is it must be obeyed.

  “Turn around.”

  “Why?”

  I hang my jacket on the first hanger then turn to the closet again. “Don’t mistake my words as a request, Lilith.”

  Placing the hangar on what is clearly her side, I walk back out into the bedroom.

  She is standing in the spot I left her in but facing me now.

  Her breath coming in deep sucks of air, she asks, “What are you going to do to my children? Are you some sort of pervert? A child mole…”

  Raising my hand, I stop her train of thought instantly. “No, neither my men nor I are in any way such disgusting, vile things. That is a death sentence in my c
ircle.”

  “Do you promise?” she asks and I can see the desperation in her eyes that I reassure her of that one fact.

  “Yes, they are my children as of now. I would never allow something to happen to them.”

  “You can’t just say something like that, people don’t just become yours at your word.”

  “They do in my world, Lilith. That is a reality you will need to face and soon. The quicker you come to terms with belonging to me, the quicker you will find happiness in surrender.”

  She doesn’t say anything; her mouth is open in shocked way.

  “Sit on the bed, Lilith.”

  She shakes slightly but moves towards the bed. Getting on to it, she does her best to hide all of those pale attributes I have been devouring with my eyes.

  Her pale heavy breasts pushed high in her red frilly bra. Her panties hiding her pussy between her thighs. Her ass is briefly visible as she climbs into the bed and her little thong peeks out from the back.

  Grinning, I say, “I like that look on you.”

  Having had many women before, I’ve seen every way they can dress up their bodies and it has given me an appreciation for how a woman cares for herself. The one before me, the one I have claimed as mine, truly does keep herself in shape. I don’t see anything on her body that would ever suggest she has had children, except for the very faint lines on her hips. They look as if a cat reached up with both sets of claws and scratched her.

  “Are you going to rape me now?” she asks with those sensual lips pressing together in a thin line.

  “Hardly, I’ve had a very long night as it is.” I unfasten my belt and then say, “Now that I do think about it, though, you need to change the sheets and pillow cases.”

  At first she doesn’t move but then she says, “Lucifer, that’s what they call you, isn’t it? What kind of name is that?”

  “It’s what those who fear and respect me call me. For now, you will use the same name."

  I think the word for how she is staring at me would be incredulous.

  “There is no way I will ever—”

  Again, I raise my hand in a calming motion. “Let’s not be making vows or promises beyond the one already made tonight.”

  Rolling her eyes, she climbs back out of bed, her pale luscious thighs moving quickly past me as she darts into the closet.

  She could try to drag out the job or even try to escape right now, but to her credit she doesn’t. Moving back out of the closet, she walks to the bed where she places the linens on a chair beside it.

  The rattle of my phone buzzing in my pocket pulls me from watching the little pale angel flitter around the bed. I actually dread looking down at the phone I am pulling from my pocket.

  Taking my eyes off of her ethereal form seems like a sin.

  Growling quietly to myself, I swipe my phone open to accept the call from Simon. “Yes, Simon, what is it?”

  “I was calling to see if you were sure about this…”

  “Absolutely, Simon, is there anything else?”

  “Yeah, how do you plan on getting home in the morning?”

  I chuckle at that. “Thanks for thinking of me. Have Andrew on standby for me.”

  Swiping the phone call off, I walk to the nightstand beside the bed, pulling my keys from my pocket. I set them and the phone quietly down.

  “What exactly are you planning, Lucifer? This is crazy.”

  Her voice is rising just slightly as I turn to her, she is clearly not nearly as accepting of this situation as I am.

  That will change.

  She’s mine now, there is no doubt in my mind of that. The pictures simply did not do her justice.

  My eyes travel slowly up and then back down her body.

  Looking back up into her eyes, I show no shame for my actions. “No, this is not crazy. This is simply what it is now.”

  “What am I supposed to be, your slave now? What of my children?” she asks, throwing up her hands she twists about her, gesturing to the walls surrounding us. “What about the house? Where are we supposed to live? Here with him?”

  The way she says the word him shows the revulsion she must truly be feeling for her late husband. Well, I shouldn’t be thinking of him as late just yet…

  “No, you and our children will be coming home with me in the morning. There is no sense in disrupting their sleep tonight. Tomorrow will be soon enough to start their new lives.”

  Her eyes widen at me as she says quietly, “You are serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, Lilith, I am.”

  Slipping my fingers up to my tie, I quickly unknot the dark silver silk. Pulling it out, I set it on the dresser near the bed. Motioning for Lilith to come to me, I say, “Come. Help me get ready for bed.”

  She slowly comes around the bed. Her legs must feel like lead to her. Dreading what she must think will happen.

  She could not be more wrong. I don’t take women against their will, no, quite the opposite. I will have her begging me before I take her the way she desires deep down inside.

  Stepping to my side, she looks up at me. Her eyes are so green, so wounded and scared. I know she must have an inner strength to be able to make it this far.

  This is good, my woman will need to have a will of pure steel. She will only yield to me, only break to my desire.

  Taking her hands in mine, I lift them up to the buttons of the collar on my stiff white dress shirt. “Start here.”

  She works the buttons down slowly, each one her fingers trying to undo but always faltering.

  I know if she would only look at her work she would find the task much easier, but she can’t. Our eyes are locked together. Her green emeralds so full of question, fear and resolve.

  Shaking her head as the last button comes undone, she tugs the shirt out of my waistband. Pulling it off my shoulders, she runs her hands down from my clavicles to my pecs then slowly, and perhaps just a tad bit longer than she meant to, across my abs.

  She drops to her knees as she assists me in removing first one dress shoe then the second, taking the socks with them. She pushes the shoes to the side of the bed.

  Standing back up, her face is emotionless as her fingers dig at my belt buckle. Unfastening it, she starts to pull the band out to unfasten the button when I put my hands on hers.

  “Get in bed, Lilith.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I have no desire to do anything beyond sleep tonight.”

  Pushing her back against the bed, I watch as she gratefully slides herself backwards, to her side of it.

  I finish what she started and undo my pants, sliding them down my legs. Stepping out, I folding them neatly and put them with my shirt on the chair near the bed.

  Standing there, I allow her to see her effect on me. Her eyes go wide. I turn away with a grin on my face.

  Turning off the lights in the room, I come back to the bed. Slowly sliding myself between the sheets and blanket, I settle myself as close to her as I am able. Turning on my side, I pull her close to me, her deliciously muscled ass against my cock.

  “Good night, Lilith.”

  Lily

  This is madness. I’m still struggling to wrap my mind around what just happened.

  I first fell asleep with my husband, Marshall, in our bed, and now I’m in the very same bed with a stranger.

  Lucifer’s arm tightens around my waist and he pulls me into him. He’s so warm, his body so inviting, it’s a struggle not to relax against him.

  Behind me, he’s calm and silent.

  In the dark I can’t see him, but I can certainly feel every inch of him.

  I’m painfully aware of the strong muscles curved around my body in a way that almost feels protective.

  He’s shirtless, and where his skin touches my skin it feels too good. My body likes touching him.

  I shouldn’t like this. I shouldn’t let him trick me into dropping my defenses.

  To this man holding me, I am his possession. An object he owns. Some
thing he believes he can control, someone he believes he can bend.

  But I’m only going along with this for the moment. Until I can figure out a way to get my children and myself safely out of this situation.

  I’ll endure anything, I’ll pretend to be anything to protect them. Even if it means giving the illusion of submission.

  Getting away will probably be an easier feat in the light of day. There will be more opportunities for help. More chances to make a break for it. If the children don’t attend school, it will be noticed. My friends and family will become suspicious if they don’t hear from me. We will be missed. There’s a way out of this, I just have to be patient.

  His scent envelopes me, spicy, warm and addictive.

  I can’t stop breathing him in, and I can’t stop the temperature of my blood from rising.

  There’s something wrong with me. I shouldn’t be getting turned on like this. Perhaps I’m already experiencing Stockholm Syndrome…

  I squeeze my thighs together and try not to think about how heavy my breasts feel as they rise and fall with every deep breath. Or how he was unashamed of the erection tenting his pants before he climbed into bed.

  Thank god he’s not forcing himself upon me, and thank god he’s promised not to hurt my children. Maybe I shouldn’t believe his promise but I get the impression when he says something he means it.

  I was tempted to put up more of a fight earlier but the look on his face made me think better of it. No, I’m better off biding my time for the moment.

  Besides the man holding me, there are at least three other men present in the house that I know of. I’m not foolish enough to think I’ll be able to wake Adam and Abigail and get past all of them.

  I could call the police but I know it will do no good. The more and more I come to terms with this, my new reality, my awful situation, the more and more I’m putting together the pieces.

  I’ve heard the name Lucifer before. He and his men are notorious for their criminal exploits and their viciousness.

  Every couple of weeks or so the news tends to run a story on them. There’s usually some horrible crime—a murder, a massacre, or someone important gone missing—and usually Lucifer or his men are suspected of being behind it, but the authorities can never prove it.