Raise Hell

by Briana Michaels

  If she let go, he’d never see her again.

  Why did that disturb him so much?

  Because she was kind to you when no other was, he thought.

  They all called him an animal and treated him as such. Eve treated him like… not an equal, but perhaps something close to it. Why was she locked in the cell with him? What test was Michael giving her? And for what purpose?

  Lucifer was not a fool. Eve didn’t volunteer to be in there. She wanted out with every passing moment. And that pissed Lucifer off, too.

  Why would she want to escape him? He didn’t bite her. Didn’t harm a hair on her head. He’d saved her from drinking that water by kicking it away and spilling it that first night. He also warned her about the tainted food.

  And when she slept, he guarded her. Watched over her as she regained her strength – as dwindling as it had become since she hadn’t had a bite of food nor drop of water since she’d entered his cage.

  He saw the way the Angels watched the two of them together. They were waiting for something. Lucifer didn’t like it. Call him whatever you wish, but watching the other males rake their gazes over her did nothing good inside Lucifer. He wanted to gouge their eyes out and that made no sense. To feel protective was natural. To feel so possessive was… he didn’t know what.

  Lucifer froze in front of a bush and sniffed the plant. He’d smelled this scent on the breath of an Angel before. Squinting his eyes, he inspected the bush and ripped off one of the fruits. Carrying the large berry in his mouth, he prowled ever closer to the direction of the sssuussshhhing sound.

  They crested a hill and down below was a—

  “The ocean is so lovely is it not, Lucy?”

  Lucy. Why did it feel good to be called that? “Mmmph.” He couldn’t talk with the fruit in his mouth. Instead, he yanked his leash and crawled faster towards the water. His wings scraped along the path, snagging his feathers. He was too big for this tight, well-trodden trail.

  “This is called the Lashing Beaches,” Eve announced once they made it down to the water.

  Lucifer was so hot, the instant his fist hit the water, his hand sizzled. Then steam rose past his wrist and traveled up his arms. The coolness felt so incredible, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he sighed. Crawling until his knees were in the water too, Lucifer wanted nothing more than to go as deep as he could get and enjoy the reprieve from all he’d suffered.

  The chain around his neck fell down along his spine with a noticeable weight. He turned to look behind him and saw Eve had let go of the leash. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. What was she up to? Why had she let go of him?

  “Go,” she smiled. “Swim. Have fun.”

  Lucifer scanned the area for threats. It was instinct to do so. When he sensed no danger, he crawled in and let the waves splash his face, chest and thighs. Deeper, deeper, deeper, the water was as serene as Eve’s eyes.

  He tried to not make the comparison but it was hard not to. He’d been staring at her for six days straight. Memorizing her. Scenting her. Studying her body language.

  Spitting out the fruit along the shoreline, he went deep enough to stand on his legs and stretch to his full height. Only his upper chest was exposed to the night sky.

  And to Eve.

  Keeping his gaze locked on her, Lucifer descended into the water until he was completely submerged. The currents rocked his body. The saltwater soothed his aches. Running his hands over his head, arms, and chest, he held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut, and imagined this was enough to wash away the pain. It wasn’t, but…

  He rose out of the water, sucking back a groan when the air blew across his wet skin. Slowly rising out of the ocean, he slicked his hair back and went for the fruit he’d left on the beach.

  Digging his thumbs into the pineapple he broke it apart and peeled away a small section of juicy yellow flesh. The instant the fruit hit his tongue Lucifer groaned. His teeth bit down and he ate each piece faster than the last. Putting a little space between himself and anyone who might snatch his meal away from him, Lucifer stepped back into the ocean.

  Vaguely aware that he was being watched, he didn’t care enough to behave. He devoured half the fruit, desperate for something to be in his belly. Wiping the juice off his chin with the back of his hand, he looked directly at Eve and marched out of the water. His chain dragged along the ocean floor and he walked out of the water holding the other half of the fruit to her. “Eat.”

  Eve’s eyes grew wide as he stepped closer.

  “Eat,” he said more angrily. He wanted to protect her. Provide for her. Show her the kindness she’d shown him. Shoving the pineapple into her face he growled, “Eat.”

  He didn’t miss the tremble in her hand as she obeyed and took the fruit from him. Eve tried to break apart the sections of pineapple, but didn’t have the strength. Her body had depleted too much.

  Damn.

  “Here,” the chain around his neck clanking in the process when he grabbed the pineapple from her. Breaking it into smaller hunks, the juice flowed down his hands and forearms as he passed her each piece. She gobbled up the first one and closed her eyes while she chewed. Then she did the same as he had earlier and turned gluttonous.

  Chomping down on every hunk he fed her, Eve slurped and groaned and swallowed every offering.

  Then the feast was gone. “I have nothing left to give,” his voice was deep and gravelly.

  “I do,” she smiled. Pulling up her tunic, she pulled out two smaller fruits. “I stuffed these oranges into the waist of my pants.”

  “Where did you find them?” His mouth watered at the thought of an orange. He’d be a liar to say he hadn’t dreamt of what they might taste like. He could smell the fresh brightness of that fruit on other Angels from time to time.

  “I stole them from Michael’s chambers.”

  Lucifer backed away immediately.

  “Relax, Luce. They’re not going to be tainted. They were in his stash. He’s not going to taint his own food.”

  “You cannot know this for certain.”

  “He gave me water after he’d drank some of it. If the water was safe, then his food is too.”

  Lucifer’s fury caused flames to drip from his fingertips and splash to the sand. “What else did you share with him, Eve?”

  Her blue eyes latched onto his and she started peeling that damned orange. The scent was intoxicating.

  Not the orange…. Eve.

  For the love of all things holy, Eve’s scent had coated Lucifer’s insides over the past six days. She was a garden of exotic flowers. The kind that he only caught whiffs of when the wind blew just right and he could stretch enough to catch it from the tiny window of his cage wall. Sweet and heady, fresh and lush, Eve was a garden and Lucifer’s natural instinct was to roll around in her scent and get it all over him.

  So, he stayed the fuck away.

  He couldn’t trust her. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

  “See the stars?” she continued to peel the skin off the orange. The citrus blended perfectly with her incredible scent too.

  Fuuuuck.

  Lucifer curled his wings tighter around his body. All he could do was tuck and shield himself from this onslaught of emotions and sensations. The heavy twin weights between his legs felt swollen and his shaft grew larger and harder by the second. He didn’t know if it was a sign of weakness or not, but didn’t want her to see it.

  “That one there,” she pointed at the sky, “That is called the Evening Star. I was named Eve because I came to be in the evening. Right under that star.”

  “I call it the Morning Star,” Lucifer kept his tone soft. “It is the last to shine before the sun burns the night away.”

  Eve smiled and held out the whole orange. “Things don’t always have to be one way or another I suppose.”

  “We cannot eat that.”

  “I’m starving and I’m sharing, Lucy. Trust me. It’s safe.” She wiggled it in temptation at him.

  “It�
�s not safe,” Gabriel said from the hill where the grass turned to sand.

  Lucifer growled at him. Then growled louder as Gabriel and Uriel crested the hill and came closer. Stepping between Eve and the two Angel guards, Lucifer fanned his wings out and rose to his full height – a natural reaction when an animal protected what was his.

  Uriel was the first to rake his gaze down Lucifer’s body. “Holy merciful creator,” he whispered in awe.

  Gabriel wasn’t as impressed. He kept his eyes locked on Lucifer and his hand over the hilt of his sword. “Don’t you fucking move, Lucifer.” His tone was clipped, “Eve, don’t eat that orange and grab that fucking leash.”

  She dropped the orange like it burned her and it rolled across the sand. “Gabriel,” she warned, “don’t come at him in a threatening way like that.”

  “Female, you aren’t getting the full view like we are. The only threat is him.” Gabe unsheathed his sword, preparing to use it if necessary.

  Lucifer barked angrily and flared his wings out even more to keep Eve behind him.

  “Warriors,” her tone was authoritative again, “weapons down and eyes on me.”

  Lucifer didn’t move. With caution, he watched Uriel smack Gabriel’s chest and they shared a look. Then Lucifer saw them both relax a little, and… well what do you know, they were suffering from the same plight as he was. Their pants were straining to hold back their hard shafts.

  Uriel actually readjusted his with a grunt. “I’m not sure us being here is a good idea anymore.”

  “We stay until sunrise,” Eve commanded from behind Lucifer. “Lucy, please relax. No one’s going to hurt you.”

  It’s not me I’m worried about, he wanted to say. But he respected her wishes and relaxed his wings and body enough to not look quite so menacing. Short of pissing circles around her, Lucifer had no idea what else to do to mark his territory.

  In six days, he’d grown attached to the female and he didn’t like the idea of others getting too close to her.

  What if they hurt her? What if they took her away?

  What would he be willing to do to get her back?

  Lucifer’s heart dropped to the sand when he felt the slight pull of his leash. Eve had grabbed it, just like Gabriel told her to. Damnit.

  He tried to tell himself it didn’t matter. That he wasn’t going to run. And he couldn’t take flight, either. Michael always kept his fucking wings clipped.

  The fight in his soul petered out. One pineapple and a dip in the ocean wasn’t going to be enough to rejuvenate him. And nothing about this “walk” gave him hope.

  “Look,” Gabe broke the silence and stepped forward, “I keep thinking about what you said, Eve. Earlier, about free will.”

  “And obligations,” she practically hissed.

  “Yeah,” Gabriel ran his hand through his short cut hair, “I want to help you.”

  “We, asshole.” Uriel punched Gabriel in the arm, “We want to help.”

  “Yeah, we,” Gabriel grumbled. “And Constantine’s in with us, too.”

  “Honestly,” Uriel dropped his voice and looked around like they might be caught, “we’ve been working on a way to get out, too.”

  Eve stepped out from Lucifer’s shadow and tilted her head up as she stared at the three Angels, one by one. She swallowed and nodded her head. “Who else?”

  “Just the five of us,” Gabriel’s tone was deep and quiet. “That’s all we can do… for now, I think.”

  She relaxed. “Good.”

  Wait, Lucifer was missing something. “What’s good?”

  Gabriel stepped even closer and held his hand out to Lucifer, “We’re going to help you, too. Which means we’re not going to be so fucking obedient anymore.”

  Lucifer stared at Gabriel’s outstretched hand and fought the urge to smack it away. Next, his gaze slowly sailed over to Eve who stood with her hands on her hips and a broad smile on her face. “Well, big boy? You want out of that prison or what?”

  “How?” he had to clear his throat so he’d not sound so fragile, “Why would you help me now?”

  It was Eve who answered, “You’re an Angel, Lucifer. No Angel should be locked in darkness just for existing. Michael’s threatened by you, I’m sure of it.”

  “And we’re tired of Michael calling the shots all the time,” Uriel added. “He’s gotten so much worse with all the prophecies too.”

  Eve’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “What prophecies?”

  Gabriel relaxed his stance, “Ever since that shit started with the souls being created and human energy getting tied to the Divine, Michael’s been up to his ass in devising ways to stop it.”

  Eve turned pale, “Stop what, exactly?”

  “Souls over running the world. Tainting everything that’s still pure.”

  Eve’s wings curled around the edges and Lucifer fought the urge to reach out and comfort her. If she was scared, he’d find a way to reassure her that she was safe with him. He’d protect her from anything. Including these so-called souls deemed a threat.

  Why he felt so fucking protective of her made no sense. It was foolish and naïve. Furious at his piss poor weakness, Lucifer shook his head to rattle his brain back in order.

  “What say you, Lucy?” Gabriel still had his hand stretched out towards him. “We together or not?”

  Lucifer stared at Gabe’s hand again. He needed to decide: Smack it away, or grab it.

  The mere thought of anyone risking their lives to save Lucifer made him sick. He wasn’t sure he was worthy of that kind of sacrifice. But Eve was. “Take her,” he said. “Only her.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without you,” Eve crossed her arms over her chest and glared. Fuck he hated how much he loved her glare. Her face got all hard and serious and something in him relaxed. Melted.

  That something was most likely his common sense.

  “All or none, Lucifer. You in or not?” Eve tipped her head to the side and waited for his answer.

  He stared at Gabriel’s outstretched hand again. For the first time ever, he truly looked at Gabe. His muscle. His scars. His band that marked him a warrior. His knuckles were bruised and torn. His palm was rough from wielding weapons. Gabriel was a strong male. But was he a good male?

  Only one way to find out.

  Sucking in a lungful of air, Lucifer took a leap of faith for the first time ever and shook Gabriel’s hand. It was surprising how well they fit together - Their grips equal. Firm. Solid.

  “This isn’t going to be easy,” Gabriel warned.

  “Nothing worth having ever is,” Eve said. “But this will be worth it. I can feel it.” She ran her hand down Lucifer’s left wing and smiled up at him, “Lucy is worth it.”

  “And so are you,” Gabriel said under his breath so Eve hadn’t caught it.

  But Lucifer had.

  Chapter 6

  Gabriel returned to his chambers after they locked Lucifer and Eve back in their cage at sunrise. The look on Lucifer’s face while getting shackled back to the floor made Gabe’s balls tuck in tight. He’d never seen such hate and loathing in another’s eyes before.

  Saying sorry would have been a waste of breath. Lucifer didn’t want apologies, he wanted freedom. And Gabriel didn’t blame him at all. Lucifer had been shackled the minute he showed up in the courtyard – freshly created and burning with flames no other Angel had the power to summon. They weren’t just orange and yellow, they were every color.

  Lucifer was a threat to Michael from that moment on.

  A bad omen.

  Everything from Lucifer’s hair, to his skin, to his massive black wings, was nothing but proof that he was darkness and danger. For so long, Michael had searched for the dark one - The Angel prophesized to take Michael out of divine grace.

  Michael was convinced he’d found the one.

  They all had in the beginning. Gabriel wouldn’t deny he feared Lucifer when they first found him. If there was an Angel powerful enough to cast another of his kind ou
t of divinity – kill him out right with nothing left to save - who’s to say that same powerful Angel would stop at just Michael?

  Would such a deadly creature force all the Angels to fall from grace, one by one, and wipe out the entire Divine population?

  That’s why a warrior’s job was so important. The Brotherhood protected even their own kind.

  If Angels became extinct, it stood to reason the world would die too. It wasn’t just Michael’s life hanging in the balance, it was everyone’s. That fear was real and spread like wildfire in the brotherhood.

  Meanwhile, Michael turned from a level-headed warrior of his race, to a heartless monster in the process of hunting that threat down.

  Gabriel knew damned well what Lucifer felt like in that cage and in those chains. He’d been in a holding cell once as well. The day that prophecy was announced, Michael gathered every Angel that has a splash of darkness on them – either their skin, their wings, or their hair, and tossed them in holding cells.

  It took Gabe months to prove he wasn’t a threat to Michael. And he was quick to jump on the chance to pledge his fealty. He still bore the scars from that day on the Lashing Beaches. Seven lashes that cut to the bone. Seven days left out in the sun. Seven hours held down in water.

  He rose from that torture a survivor and a new warrior. He was reaccepted into the brotherhood, but even now he felt the gazes of fair-haired Angels boring into his back when they trained in the fields or bathed in the falls. He wasn’t trusted, for no other reason than his hair and wings were the shade of crow wings.

  Constantine had a very similar experience, but wasn’t left in the cells nearly as long as Gabriel had been. Perhaps his size wasn’t as impressive, though Con was fucking huge now. Or maybe Michael saw something in Con and wanted to keep him close.

  Constantine acted as the scribe for the brotherhood. Always jotting down their stories, their findings and lessons learned. He kept his mouth shut. His temper was always level. Gabriel often wondered if the Angel even had an emotion at all, because he sure as shit never showed any.

  Perhaps that cold indifference saved him from being tortured for too long.