Guards rushed forward, shoving Lucifer away from Vega. Lucifer’s eyes went wide as he realized the ninja servant wasn’t attacking him anymore. He aimed his assault at Vega. She crackled with electricity. Elric leapt away from her. The guards had the man pinned to the floor in seconds.
“Idiot.” She held her scepter, smacking it menacingly against her palm. Her smile was wicked. “Did you truly think you could get away with this?” Little arcs of light flashed over the scepter.
Lucifer stumbled backward, simultaneously horrified that he had almost been caught and relieved he hadn’t been. The tables buzzed with chatter. He focused on shielding himself.
“That weeds out one more untrustworthy servant,” Vega said.
Lucifer turned away from the sight of servants crowding around the royal family.
A man clapped him on the back. “You just danced with the Raven Queen. That took balls.”
Lucifer didn’t look to see whom he had impressed. He stalked off toward his table. He had almost had that blasted ruby, and he had failed. People murmured about what they’d just witnessed with wide-eyed shock.
“That’s the third attempt this week. I wonder what court is behind it this time,” someone said.
Lucifer didn’t care who Vega’s enemies were—so long as they didn’t steal the ruby before he did.
The journey to the table stretched out into an eternity, faces leering at him along the way. Pain and pleasure thundered in Lucifer’s ears, a tide of crashing waves that made it difficult to hear.
The crowd swelled closer to the royal family, obscuring the commotion on the other side of the room from view. At least with more guests crowding on the other side of the room, fewer pressed near Lucifer. Their magic and the sensations in their bodies didn’t overwhelm his affinity.
Once he reached the table, it was a relief to sit. He took calming breaths, focusing inward on his affinity. It sputtered and flashed in confusion.
Abigail crossed her arms. “What were you doing?”
“Nothing.” If anyone would know he’d been up to no good, he suspected it would be Abigail. The old Abigail had always known when he’d been planning mischief.
She poked his trousers where it had torn. “If you were trying to make me jealous, it worked.”
Her fingers were cool against the heat of his skin. It was pleasant. Confusing. He didn’t want to feel anything right now. He shifted back from her.
“I wasn’t trying to make you jealous.” He couldn’t very well tell her his original plan had been to steal from Vega. Nor could he tell her he still might need to dance with Vega again to succeed.
“Why else would you dance with her, then?” she demanded. “You don’t even like Queen Vega.”
“I don’t dislike her.” He just found her formidable, mysterious, and cunning.
They sat in silence. He found it easier to control the hot-cold, pleasure-pain jumble of other people’s sensations wanting to needle under his skin. The orchestra started playing another song, this time louder than before. The third course hadn’t been served, but people rose to dance. Mostly it was young people.
A giggling young lady came up to him with her friends. “Lucifer Thatch, will you marry me?”
He laughed uncomfortably. “That’s very . . . forward.”
“She means, dance with her,” Her friend tittered. “Not marry her.”
“Oh. That’s probably more appropriate,” he said.
Abigail recrossed her arms and turned away from him, sulking. That was fine. He didn’t want to spend time with a spoiled brat anyway. She wasn’t his Abigail, just a girl who looked exactly like her with a sliver of her soul. Every time he looked at her, he was filled with heartache and misery.
He was done being her toy.
He stood and bowed to the young lady who had approached him. “Certainly. I’ll dance with you.”
Abigail stood. “But you’re signed up to dance with me for the first dance.”
Lucifer made a point of taking out his dance card and examining it. “So I am.” He tore his dance card in half and threw it behind him. “Now you’re free to spend all your time with Godric or whoever you choose.”
“You’re a knave!” Her face flushed pink between her freckles.
She was so adorable he had to look away before he fell in love with her all over again.
“You’re a muttonhead,” he said, and took the arm of the young lady who wished to ravish him.
He smiled, but it felt like a lie on his lips, like everything else he’d experienced in this court.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Are We Having a Ball Yet?
Abigail sat with Hattie and Godric as Lucifer danced. He wasn’t nearly as good at dancing as he had been when he’d danced with Vega, but none of the young ladies complained. When Abigail wasn’t watching him, she danced with Godric, glaring at Lucifer the entire time.
Lucifer pretended he didn’t notice. Godric didn’t smile. He kept glancing at Lucifer and then to his sister and family. Lucifer supposed he shouldn’t revel in Godric’s discomfort or Abigail’s anger, but part of him was glad for it.
He’d always been the one chasing after her. Now he had other things to focus on. One of them was stealing the ruby. And he had promised Baba he would enjoy himself. The other task he’d said he would accomplish was restoring Abigail’s soul. He hadn’t even attempted to evaluate what was inside her.
Lucifer asked Hattie to dance two songs in a row, even though he knew her brother had saved every other dance for her.
“You’re using me to make Abby jealous, aren’t you?” she asked during their second song.
She was a surprisingly good dancer.
He cleared his throat self-consciously. “Am I that obvious?”
She rubbed at one of her false eyelashes, and it fell away, revealing an eye without any lashes at all. “I might not be able to see, but I’m not blind.”
“Does that mean you’re going to refuse me if I ask you to dance again after this song?” he asked.
“I don’t get asked to dance often by anyone other than my brother, so . . . I might use you to my advantage too.” She patted his arm. “Just remember, I’m not the one who’s going to end up with a broken heart at the end of the evening.”
“Do you mean Abigail or me?” His heart was already broken. He wouldn’t think about it. He couldn’t.
After several more dances, Elric took him by the arm and introduced him to noble families. Lucifer pretended to be thrilled to meet them. He could see why Elric was the one to do this and not his brother. He was well connected and knew everyone. He was also far friendlier and social than Felix.
Elric guided him to another table. “I believe I introduced you to all the families who requested to make your acquaintance. And now I leave you where you began.” He turned Lucifer around.
Abigail stood there. She clenched her fists.
Elric leaned in closer. “Dance with her.”
Lucifer shook his head.
“Talk to her. You’re breaking my heart.” Elric shoved him toward her.
Lucifer ground his heels into the floor and crossed his arms. His words came out in a heated rush. “I’m just a filthy incubus who has sex with lots of women, and I’m incapable of being chaste and faithful. I doubt Abby would want to dance with someone like that.”
“That isn’t what I said,” she said through clenched teeth. “And it isn’t what I meant.”
“Oh bother. Teenage love. Why must it always be so dramatic?” Elric asked. “Can’t you just find a quiet alcove to kiss and make up?”
“No,” they both said at once.
They both burst into laughter. At least they agreed on that.
“If only I’d been born into a family of cupids instead of muses.” Elric wrung his hands, anxiety bubbling off of him. “I don’t suppose you’re going to thank me for helping you dance with my wife earlier. It would make my life much
easier. And yours.”
Lucifer did want to thank Elric for the dance assistance earlier, but he didn’t dare do so. If he did and showed gratitude, he would owe Elric a boon. The king would probably make him dance with Abigail.
Elric looked to Abigail. “Do you remember the one time I told you that you owed me for not telling Clarissa about your secret?”
She flashed a tight smile. “I remember.”
“Now is your opportunity to pay off your debt.” He waved a hand at Lucifer. “I will not be satisfied until I see genuine smiles coming from the both of you. That means you need to make up. And if you need to make up because you insulted Lucy earlier over something he can’t help . . . that’s on you.” Elric placed a hand on her back, guiding her forward.
Abigail strode closer to Lucifer. He edged back.
“I’m not going to hit you,” she said. “That’s more of Kelsie’s tactic, not mine.”
“Oh.” He supposed Kelsie, Baba’s other apprentice, had conditioned him to expect a punch rather than a caress.
Abigail slid her hand over his. “I think the real reason you’re mad at me is because I don’t want to tell you what happened the day with the unicorns.”
“No.” Though, that did ring true.
The day the unicorns had revealed she was no longer a virgin had been the start of this mess, but that was only part of the problem. Lucifer’s chest tightened every time he thought about how she had been secretive about it. He’d only caught a glimpse of the truth through divining, and he still didn’t know if what he’d seen had been Godric forcing himself on her or taking advantage of her—or consoling her after someone else had.
Now that he’d witnessed her interacting with Godric, he wished she had told him how she’d felt about Godric sooner. Lucifer felt like a fool for fawning over her. She had another life he hadn’t known about. One he couldn’t be part of.
“Can we please talk about this in the garden like two mature adults?” She frowned at Elric. “Alone.”
“Yes,” Lucifer said. “Let’s talk.”
“I believe Clarissa said she didn’t want you leaving the party with a young gentleman.” A mischievous smile slid across Elric’s lips. “But I won’t tell if you don’t.”
Lucifer had often thought about how living with Clarissa was better for Abigail because it was safer. He’d never considered how much everyone here cared about her. The valet might have been crabby and snotty with her, but he’d been caring in his way. Elric had been nothing but fatherly and doting. Everyone here seemed to take care of her and to care about her. They provided so much more than Lucifer ever had.
It was one more way Lucifer could see his abilities were insufficient for her.
Abigail linked her arm through his and guided him toward a balcony. Lucifer didn’t know what was more frightening, the idea of stealing the Ruby of Divine Wisdom from Queen Vega or talking about his feelings.
CHAPTER NINE
Heartbreak Hotel
Lucifer’s belly somersaulted with trepidation. He couldn’t explain why. He’d never felt uneasy around the old Abigail. But everything about tonight had gone wrong so far. He didn’t want more heartbreak.
The balcony was lit with candles and lanterns nestled among plants outside. The cool air was a relief after the stuffiness of the ballroom. A gentle breeze scented with roses and lilacs wafted toward them. Abigail pushed back a curtain of moss hanging from an arbor and guided him down to a garden terrace. She knew her way around the castle.
“I’m going to take you to my favorite tree,” she said.
“An oak?” Her affinity.
“Of course.”
She led him to a path through hedges of rhododendron. As their footsteps crunched over pea gravel, the lights along the path lifted before settling down again. The balmy garden was decorated with fireflies. Music drifted from the ballroom behind them, but the melody was more peaceful without the buzz of people so near. It was easier to breathe out here. Lucifer’s muscles relaxed. His affinity didn’t feel like it was twisting into knots. He didn’t have to work as hard to protect himself.
The quiet rumble of male voices spoke nearby. Apparently they weren’t the only ones who had retreated to the garden. Lucifer ducked under an arbor of clematis. He found himself in a moonlit sanctuary. Benches were arranged in a circle on a tile surface. One man sat on a swing that hung from an oak tree. Another man lounged on a bench in a hot-pink suit that was bright enough to glow in the dark.
Abigail halted abruptly. “Oh bother. I thought we’d be alone.”
Lucifer stumbled into her, nearly bowling her over. He caught her arm to keep her from falling.
The man on the bench sat up. “Is that Abigail Lawrence?”
“Her true name is Abigail MacQuillan,” Lucifer said. He supposed none of these people knew better. They only knew her since she’d married Adam, her Morty husband. Most had only known her as a widow.
“Lucy, this is Mr. Khaba.” She waved a hand at the figure in the shadows. “He’s the principal at Womby’s School for Wayward Witches. And this is Yoshi. He’s a gardener and my Amni Plandai teacher.”
The other man stepped off the swing and strode forward to greet them. His dark hair was full of living plants, flowers nestled among moss, and ferns. He wore clothes, though they were as much made out of leaves as fabric.
Lucifer thought he had met them both over a year before, but at that time he’d been too preoccupied with finding Abigail and rescuing her to pay either man much attention.
“So nice to meet you again.” Yoshi gave a slight bow as he shook Lucifer’s hand. His energy was similar to Coinneach’s and MacCoinneach’s, except there wasn’t as much darkness in the light of his magic. He was full Fae, unlike the valet and many of the other servants, who were Witchkin half-breeds.
Khaba sauntered into the moonlight, his suit so tight as it hugged his beefy frame that he looked like a hot-pink lollipop, a feast of eye candy meant for someone at the party—maybe Yoshi. Khaba shook Lucifer’s hand, a jolt of electricity rushing up Lucifer’s arm.
Lucifer pulled his hand back.
Khaba smiled, but his dark eyes were somber. “The ever-elusive Lucifer Thatch. So nice of you to finally make an appearance.” His accent might have been Middle Eastern, but he looked more like an Egyptian pharaoh than someone who had lived in Central Asia. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to ever visit our Abby.”
Our Abby? Did everyone here think she belonged to them?
“You stop!” Abigail said, giving Khaba a playful shove. “Lucy couldn’t help staying away. He’s an apprentice.”
Lucifer wasn’t sure what Khaba was. He thought he remembered him being djinn, but he was also a Red affinity. The old Abigail had never trusted him on his account of being Fae, yet he sensed no apprehension in her now. She was perfectly at peace with these people. Perhaps she didn’t know enough not to be trusting. If Lucifer gave her the pieces of missing soul, she might know when to be wary and when not to.
Yoshi circled an arm around Abigail’s shoulder, his gesture protective. “What are you doing out here? You should be enjoying the party.”
Abigail gestured at the tree. “I wanted to show Lucy my favorite place.”
“Ah. Is our little flower going to change into a tree for him?” Yoshi tilted his head to the side, his tone teasing.
Abigail laughed. It was a full throaty sound of delight, unlike the giggling girls that had annoyed Lucifer inside. “Maybe another time.”
Lucifer stood there feeling out of place among these strangers who obviously knew Abigail so well. Perhaps more than he did.
Abigail cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, we would like privacy.”
“I believe we were here first, darling.” Khaba flamboyantly gestured toward the shadows. “You go off and find yourself another corner for seducing men in the garden.”
Yoshi leaned down and kissed her forehead. “
We’ll leave you. Just call if you need anything. The trees will tell me if you speak my name. They always do.” He linked arms with Khaba, the two of them starting off, but Yoshi paused. “Promise to behave, Abby. The trees will tell me if you tie this young man up with vines and use plant magic to suspend him from their boughs.” His eyebrow lifted, a warning in his eyes.
Abigail turned her face away. “That boy deserved it. He said freckles are ugly.”
Lucifer laughed. “Freckles are adorable, especially yours.”
“Do not encourage.” Yoshi shook his head at Lucifer, disapproval in his expression before his face relaxed into calm as he looked to her again. “We do not use our magic to harm others, even if they hurt our feelings. Please remember that.”
“I didn’t mean to break his arm,” she mumbled.
Lucifer blinked. She had broken a boy’s arm for teasing her? Perhaps it had been an accident. Or it might be her lack of soul turning her into a monster. She looked sweet and innocent, but he couldn’t tell if she truly was without examining her on a spiritual plane.
Khaba and Yoshi left them.
It was the first time that night Lucifer had been alone with her long enough to evaluate her soul. He had been hoping for a chance to use his affinity and gauge her progress. Baba hadn’t told him what to do if it had grown warped or deformed. He’d only learned how to put the soul in and use the blanket to keep it in her body.
A clock somewhere in the distance gonged. It was only eleven. He had plenty of time before morning. Talking to Abigail was more important at the moment than deciding how to proceed with her soul. She wasn’t likely to talk to him at all about her soul unless they made up first.
Abigail took a seat on the wooden board of the swing under the oak. She scooted to one side and patted the wood.
He tried to squish himself beside her, but he was too big. He stood up again. “You like the swing?”
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