Lust

by L-J Baker

  Gabe poured another glass and drank it down too. The guy was worse than Az. Luc was going to have to order more whiskey before this week was up.

  "What happens when you do fall in love with her? Or with a different one?"

  "I'm hoping that this will be done by then and Michael will be securely locked away."

  "And the next enemy?"

  "What are you saying? I shouldn't find love because people may hold a grudge against me? I never asked for any of this. It wasn't my idea to have me in charge of Hell, or the tablet. You know damn well that Father would have gotten over his anger with me and things would have been fine. That was all Michael then. It's all him now. Why am I always the one paying the price?"

  Gabriel put his arm around Luc and pulled him against his side. It was an awkward show of brotherly love, but Luc wasn't thrilled with it.

  "I am sorry, brother. I never agreed with what Michael did. I supported him because of our relationship, but I know it was wrong. I would probably be supporting him now, if he wasn't so far lost. His actions back then condemned you to this fate, and that wasn't right. But his actions now may condemn billions and I can't stand behind that."

  "I'm not really sure how to take that." Luc shrugged Gabe off and finished off his drink. "But I'm glad to have you on my side this time."

  8

  Anna woke up and stretched. She looked around to get her bearings. The room was dark and she wondered just how long she'd slept. Too long obviously. She had work to do. She wasn't there for amazing sex, day drinking, and naps. She had an article to write, and to do that, she needed to follow through. This opportunity was too important to waste it with momentary pleasure.

  Even if that pleasure was astounding.

  Luc had covered her with a blanket and left her a note saying he'd be around the club doing work. He was thoughtful. She had to give him that.

  She slipped her shoes back on and drank down half the water he'd left her with, then went to find him. Hopefully he was still doing work, so she could salvage at least an hour or two for the day. She crept by a couple security guards in the hall and made her way out to the main area of the place. The club was already getting busy and she had to wander around a bit to find him.

  Luc was in a corner, arguing with some guy. It was calm and civil, but she could feel his irritation from there. The connection she felt with him wasn't anything she ever felt before. It was like they shared some energy, and it allowed her to feel him, for lack of better words.

  Not that she planned on mentioning that to him.

  It would make her sound like a nut job.

  She waited a moment, then walked over. Both men stopped talking the instant they noticed her.

  "Annalee, I see you've woken up. You look refreshed." Luc welcomed her in and put his arm around her. "This is my brother, Gabriel. Gabe, this is Anna."

  Gabe nodded. "Nice to meet you, Anna. I hope someone has warned you about this devil."

  "I can't imagine anything I'd need to be warned about. Luc is one of the sweetest guys I've met since I moved here."

  Gabe laughed. "That's… well, I'm glad you two are hitting it off. Sometime soon, we should all get together, have dinner or something. Lucifer is an excellent cook."

  Luc shot his brother an odd look, then nodded. "I am, and we should. Maybe in a couple weeks."

  "Good. Then I'll be off." Gabe bowed his head at Anna and walked off.

  "Everything okay?" she asked Luc, shrugging out from under his arm to face him.

  "Of course. Why wouldn't it be okay?"

  "It looked like you two were arguing."

  "Just sibling stuff. Nothing you need to worry about. Feeling better?"

  "Actually, yeah, quite a bit. Sorry I flaked on you and fell asleep. I'm not doing a very professional job here, am I?"

  "Oh, I'd say you were doing an excellent job, but I do apologize. I know you have a story to write and I didn't do much to help that."

  "I'd say we can share the blame on that."

  "There's a show here tonight, magic I think. Why don't you see if your roommates are free and you can all come enjoy it? It will give you more of an idea what goes on around here, and if you want, you can follow me around on anything important. Or you can just enjoy the show with your friends. Whichever you like."

  "That sounds great. I know Destiny is actually off tonight, so as long as Georgia is up for it, we'll probably be there."

  "Perfect. Why don't you take off and see to that then. I think it's time for me to take a nap of my own."

  She almost wanted to suggest she go with him, help tire him out some more, but she wanted to make sure she could walk tonight. She actually felt better than she expected, but there was only so many times she could push her luck and have it work out in her favor. Sex with Luc was already the universe smiling down on her. She just didn't have that much karma racked up.

  "Okay, get some rest," she said. "But later…" She winked and spun around to leave. Before she could get away, he grabbed her arm, pulled her against him, and kissed her with everything he had. It left her wobbly on her feet and he kept his hands on her hips to steady her.

  "I'm gonna hold you to that," he said, then let her go and walked toward the back stairs.

  "Be careful what you wish for, Anna," she said out loud to her self.

  You just might get it.

  Luc couldn't sleep. He tried, but Gabe's words kept playing over in his mind. It didn't help that the asshole also wanted a nap and was peacefully sleeping in Luc's bed, while Luc was scrunched onto his sofa. So after laying there for an hour, doing nothing more than rethinking all the decisions he'd made over the last several months, he got up, and decided to go see Cupid.

  It probably wasn't the best idea, but he had to try.

  As soon as he walked in the warehouse that the group of mages he'd worked with called home, he could feel the chatter. He might not be able to actually decipher their thoughts, the way he could with humans, but he could pick up on the bits and pieces that came through as a jumbled mess.

  Oz walked out and met him before he got halfway through the room. "Lucifer, nice to see you. Is there something I can do for you?"

  Luc didn't expect him to just allow him to wander freely, but he gave off a vibe that he was hiding something. Then again, the mages often did. It was one of the reasons most others didn't trust them, whether it was justified, or not.

  "I'd like to see Cupid."

  Oz nodded and led him in back where they kept prisoners. They had to walk past Aivah, the mage that Luc slept with before having brought there. She had done the right thing in the end and helped them, but she was still holding a grudge, evidenced by the glares she was giving him. It was probably a very good thing that she couldn't use any magic in there.

  Cupid was in a corner, reading a book, like nothing was wrong in the world. He looked up and smiled when he saw Luc. "Hello, cousin. How are things?"

  "Adapting to the situation as usual, I see." Luc pulled over a chair and took a seat outside the cage.

  "You know me." Cupid put the book down and walked to the bars to stand in front of Luc.

  "I thought I did," Luc said and Cupid frowned.

  "I never wanted things to turn out the way they did. I am sorry for that."

  "Instead, you would have rather carried out your own plan to 'take me down a notch' I'm pretty sure were your exact words?"

  "I was angry, and it was wrong, I know that. But we are where we are. It's where we go from here that matters. Don't you think?"

  "You sound like a fortune cookie." Luc rolled his eyes and crossed one leg over the other.

  "I'm sitting behind bars, so I have the time to be insightful."

  "How are you liking it in there anyway?" Luc glanced at his watch and looked around, avoiding making eye contact with Cupid.

  "The mages can snap up any food they want. As far as prisons go, this one isn't half bad."

  "That's because I haven't decided what to do with you y
et. Once I do, things will be quite different for you."

  "Don't hold a grudge, Lucifer. There was once a time you were the outcast."

  "Because I challenged my father's rules, not because I actively tried to help destroy the world and an entire species."

  "To be fair, I didn't know what I was getting myself into."

  "I'm not in the mood to be fair, Cupid. Sit down and shut up."

  Cupid did as Luc said.

  "You've had some time here to think about your part in all of this. Have you thought of anything that might assist us in taking my psychopath brother down?"

  Cupid was quiet for a long while. Luc was patient. He would wait it out because he could tell Cupid was wrestling with something on a deep level. When he made his decision, Luc was ready to hear it.

  "There might be something, but it's not anything I'm comfortable being a part of."

  "How comfortable are you with the idea of finding yourself in one of these cages, down in Hell?"

  Cupid sighed dramatically, then tossed his blond hair behind him. "Fine, but I need you to promise me you won't hurt her."

  "I'll need to know what you're talking about first."

  "Michael has a mate."

  Luc stood up and squared his shoulders. This was the first he'd heard of any such thing. He didn't even think Michael was interested in that sort of thing.

  "Human?"

  Cupid nodded, but kept his head turned away. "He plans to kill her, send her to heaven himself, then bring her back after the world is barren, to start over. Like they're some sort of second wave Adam and Eve."

  "And she's okay with that?"

  "To be honest, I'm not sure she knows what his plans are. I can't even be sure she's a willing participant in the relationship."

  "What does that mean?" Luc reached through the bars and grabbed Cupid by his shirt.

  "I got the impression that he was using angel powers on her, or maybe even magic, or both. Love is what I do, regardless of what you think of me, and I didn't feel that there. Not from her."

  "You actually met her?" Luc loosened his grip on Cupid, but didn't let go.

  "He originally came to me to make her fall in love. I explained I couldn't do that."

  "Isn't that exactly what you do?"

  "No." Cupid yanked free of Luc. "I help compatible people find one another. I nudge, but I don't force people to love one another. That's just rude, Lucifer."

  "Whatever. So when you wouldn't help?"

  "It's not that I wouldn't, but I wouldn't even if I could. It's that I couldn't. He was angry, but he didn't bring it up again. The next time I saw her, they were in love. I didn't mention it."

  "And you think this helps me how?"

  "What do you think Michael would do if you found your soul mate right now? Don't you think he would use her to get the tablet?"

  Of course he would. Luc already knew Michael would stoop to that level, but did he want to do what Michael would do?

  "Look," Cupid said. "I'm not saying to hurt her. You don't have to be a crazy monster like your brother. But if you were to somehow acquire her—"

  "She's a person, Cupid. Not an object. She shouldn't be used that way."

  "No, she shouldn't, but if Michael somehow forced her to think she's in love with him, wouldn't it be better to get her away from him? He doesn't have pure motives for her either."

  "He is definitely planning on using the tablet. He told Gabriel he was."

  "I figured as much. You have to stop him, Lucifer."

  "What's her name?"

  "Melanie."

  Luc paced the area in front of the cells. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He didn't want to tear apart Michael from his mate, if she might possibly really be that. But once he locked Michael up, they would be parted anyway. How would that be any better than what his father wanted to do to him?

  "Are you positive that she's not his true love?"

  "Not one hundred percent. If you can get her away from him, find out if she's been compelled, or had magic used on her, then I can let you know. I know it's pointless to ask you to trust me, but trust me. You know I don't want this world destroyed. This is my home, too."

  There was no benefit to Cupid to lie about any of this. Luc knew Cupid wouldn't want the tablet used. He did believe that the idiot didn't know what he was doing when he got involved, but that didn't mean he trusted him. But something had to be done. He needed this whole thing over with. He had to get Michael in that box so he could not only keep all of humanity safe, but so he could make sure the people he cared about were safe.

  And right now, the top priority was Anna.

  "This place is hot." Georgia spun around between her roommates and looked around.

  "So is the owner." Destiny elbowed Anna and yanked both girls toward the bar. "Where is he anyway? Tell me he's going to make an appearance?"

  Anna was sure he would, but she didn't want to share him with the girls. She almost wished she hadn't brought them, just so she could keep that one thing all to herself.

  "I'm sure he has work to do." She shrugged. "Maybe you'll see him later." Anna squeezed between some people and got Harley's attention.

  "Hey Annalee. What can I get for you?" Harley waved some guys away to make more room for Anna and her friends.

  "I'll have a tequila and ginger ale." Anna turned to her friends.

  "Oh me too," Georgia said, practically bouncing in place.

  "Beer," Destiny said and reached into her purse for some money.

  "Keep it honey, it's on the house." Harley went about making the drinks and seconds later, had a glass thrust at each of them.

  "Thanks." Destiny winked and giggled. Anna wanted to push her aside and stop her from embarrassing herself.

  Georgia took the drink without a sound and immediately started sucking it down. They were probably going to be tucking her drunk ass into bed before the night was over.

  "Thanks for the drinks," Anna said to Harley when she handed her the drink.

  "You don't pay here. That's Luc, not me. He should be around in a bit, by the way."

  Anna nodded. She didn't get the impression Harley would charge her either way. She was always looking at her in strange ways. Anna didn't know what to make of it.

  "Hey," Harley called out and grabbed Anna's arm before she could get away. "Luc has you set up in the VIP section. You guys can go get comfortable. There's a girl up there that will get you whatever you need."

  There was no girl that could get Anna what she needed. What she needed was some more alone time with Luc. Hopefully she could get him up to his apartment before the night was up.

  Anna led her friends over to the VIP section and they were shown to a table reserved just for them. Their names were written on a card in fancy script that Georgia just had to take photos of to post online.

  "This is awesome." Destiny flopped down on the velvet seat. "Can you keep screwing this guy so we can always come here?"

  "Seriously, Des?" Georgia glared at their friend. "Don't embarrass her."

  "What? I'm not embarrassing her. No one can even hear me."

  A guy in the next table was smiling at Anna. It was one of those creepy smiles that said, if you're fucking him, can you do me too? He definitely heard Destiny.

  "When does the show start?" Georgia looked around, snapping photos at every angle.

  "At ten I think, so we have some time. We can—"

  "Ladies," Luc said, appearing in front of them. "Glad you could make it. I hope you're enjoying yourselves."

  "It's incredible." Destiny popped up and grabbed Luc's hand, forcing him into a handshake. "We met in the hall."

  Anna rolled her eyes.

  "Uh, yeah. I remember." Luc smiled. "Actress slash waitress."

  "You should come see the show when it opens. It's nothing like this place, but you might like it."

  "Sit down Destiny," Georgia said, pulling at Destiny's skirt. "You're gonna get drool on his expensive suit."

  Luc
stifled a laugh and leaned in to kiss Anna once Destiny let him go.

  "Hello beautiful," he said just loud enough for her friends to overhear. "I'm really glad you came." Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "And I can't wait to make you come. Again."

  "I can't wait either." Anna dragged her eyes down him, making sure he knew where her eyes most wanted to settle.

  "Would you like to shadow me while I go check on things for the show?"

  "I would—" Destiny started saying and Georgia kicked her.

  "Yes, of course." Luc extended a hand to Anna and she took it, jumping to her feet. "I'll be back."

  "I'll return her to you before the show starts. Just let Alexis know if you ladies need anything." Luc motioned in the direction of the supermodel that led them to their seats and whisked Anna away.

  She followed him behind the stage area and watched as he checked in on the magician and any staff that was working back there. It only took about fifteen minutes, but it was one more thing she could use when she finally sat down to write her article on him.

  After he finished, he walked her over to a dark dressing room, and led her inside. Without a word, or turning on a light, he pushed her against the door, and kissed her savagely. It was the raw, nothing-but-need, kind of kiss, that told of more to come.

  "I was thinking about you," he said once they pulled back to breathe.

  "Oh yeah?"

  "Yes."

  "What about me?"

  "Kissing you." He leaned in and kissed her again.

  "And biting you." He leaned in once more and nipped at her neck.

  "And touching you." He ran his hands down her body until he came to the hem of her skirt, then slipped under it, reaching into her panties, then dipped one finger into her, and coated it with her juices.

  "And tasting you." He brought his finger up to his mouth and licked her off of him. "Mmm." He kissed her again, sharing her taste with her. "I can't wait to press my face between your thighs and lick every bit of you." His voice was low, gravely, and it made her insane with need.

  "What's stopping you?" She was ready to push his face down there right now. Hell, with how much she wanted him, they could have done it right on the stage, and she wouldn't have cared.