by Holly Hunt
Lucifer looked surprised. "What makes you say that?"
I laughed. "Well for one thing, you can't die easily."
Lucifer shook his head at me, finishing his lasagna. "I think it's time you went to bed. You're getting sillier by the minute."
I frowned at him, finishing my own lasagna. "I am not."
Lucifer smiled at me, taking my plate with a kiss on the cheek. "I'll put Jayce to bed, then carry you in and let you sleep with your bastard cat."
Jayce finished and leaned back, yawning so much that I could almost see down her throat. Lucifer laughed and took her plate, putting it in the kitchen.
"Thanks for dinner, Lucifer," she mumbled, her eyes flickering closed. "It was delicious."
I smiled at Lucifer. "Yeah, thanks." I yawned too, moving to drag my suddenly-tired carcass into my bedroom.
"Oh, no." Lucifer smiled, pushing me gently back down on the couch. "I don't want your cat yelling at me for letting you collapse in the doorway and leaving him trapped in the bathroom all day."
"I can get to my room well enough on my own!" I protested, ignoring his kiss on the cheek.
He laughed, boisterously, suddenly looking stunning. I sank into a puddle of warm happiness as he carried Jayce to her new room.
Thirteen
Lucifer Morningstar
I carried Jayce carefully, trying not to wake her up. The woman was delicate, there was no doubt about that. I could see the bruises across her neck and along her jaw in the weak light as I tucked her into bed, pulling the covers up over her. The bruises didn't stand out as much as they would have had she had light skin like Clarissa, but it was easy enough to see them. She must have been beaten very badly, judging from the black and dark purple bruises on her neck and face.
I shut the door, heading into Clarissa's bedroom to let Aspen out of his confinement. He sniffed disgustedly at me and shot out of the bedroom, making no other sound. I assumed he was going to find himself a hidey-hole to sleep in for the rest of the night.
"The couch is mine," I muttered after the ginger tom. He flicked his tail at the corner to say he'd heard, and vanished into the living room.
I followed him. Clarissa was still where I'd left her when I'd carried Jayce off to her room. I didn't hesitate, scooping Clarissa up in my arms. She seemed to wake up as I rounded the corner into her bedroom, looping her arms around my neck.
I placed Clarissa on her double bed, kissing her on the forehead and turning to leave. I underestimated how much she'd sobered, however, as she took advantage of my lack of attention. She grabbed my hand and pulled me down onto the bed, straddling my hips.
"Clarissa," I asked gently, looking carefully up at her,
"what're you doing?"
She ignored me, splaying her hands across my shoulders. Her touch almost burned on my skin, warming me and bringing my long-repressed ardor back to life. With a couple of quick flicks of her wrists, she had my hands held securely above my head with one hand, and was kissing me along my neck.
"Clarissa," I said, fighting the desire under my skin, "be sensible. You've had a lot to drink—" I could smell the sweet taste of honeycomb. Lust was filling the room, and I couldn't tell if it was hers or mine.
"I had one glass," she growled, then kissed me. "I only drank orange juice after that." By the taste of her mouth, I knew she was lying.
The growling made me shiver, and I found myself hungrily returning her kisses. Her free hand was lowering to my belt, and I fought the desire again.
"What about who I am? Don't you fear for your eternal soul, or—"
She kissed me again. I had my hands on her chest, trying to hold her at bay as she smiled down at me.
"I've cursed using God's name, lied, stole, idolized my cat, worked through Sundays, cursed my parents, cheated on someone when I was completely smashed, lied about my neighbor's restraining order to police and envied Missus Dymin's collection of books. The only commandment I haven't broken is murder, and not for lack of trying." She smiled down at me as I rolled my eyes. "I'm not getting into Heaven by a long shot."
"Heaven isn't about the commandments, it's about your work ethic—"
"And mine is really bad," she smiled, taking one of my hands from her chest and kissing the palm, working her way down to my elbow as I squirmed beneath her. "I slack off from work whenever I can."
"Clarissa, please—" I panted as she got to my elbow, distracting me with her tongue as she undid my belt.
She took my incomplete sentence as encouragement. I fought her, trying to sit up, but she used her weight to keep me pressed to the bed.
"Clarissa," I groaned as her lips reached my collarbone, "stop. I don't want to take you because you've been drinking—"
She laughed, sitting above me and holding my hands above my head with both of hers. "You've been looking gorgeous all night," she growled, making me shiver again, "and when I finally get the chance to show you how much I lust for you, you want me to stop."
She shifted her grip on my hands to securely hold them in one of hers, running her free hand up my side. I was panting, and she was barely breathing any faster than normal. It wasn't fair. I wanted to make her pant after me...to pant with desire for me, as I was for her...
"Clarissa," I whimpered, looking up at her with helplessness in my eyes. For someone of my skill and power, I felt so powerless under her hands, under her gaze, under her warm body, smooth and soft. Luscious...
I could hear Aspen cursing and muttering disgustedly in Cat as he shifted out in the living room. I ignored him, focusing on Clarissa, who was running her other hand up my side.
Clarissa grinned, leaning down close to me. "You're mine, Lucifer," she growled, her body melting against mine. I knew she could feel what she was doing to me, and was enjoying it. "And I want you now."
Well, sod it, I thought, lifting my head to capture her lips in a kiss. She had plenty of chances to back out.
Clarissa smiled, happy to have me participating. She let my hands go, no longer needing to pin me to keep me on the bed, and ran her hands up and down my sides, resting them above my shoulders.
My newly-freed hands found their way to her ass, pulling her up closer to me. She laughed, starting to suck at my neck. I retaliated by rolling her over, pinning her to the bed.
She smiled up at me, half a sneer on her face. Somehow, she slipped one hand out of my grip and used it to pull my shirt down my arm. With a wide grin, I set about undoing the buttons of the shirt she was wearing. I used a snap of my fingers to remove her bra, kissing along her jaw line.
"That's cheating!" she laughed, removing my belt from
my jeans.
"I didn't realize there were rules," I said quietly. I could hear the huskiness in my voice, and I felt her shiver beneath me.
Clarissa tumbled me again, only leaning on me this time. She undid my jeans as she kissed me, and I grabbed her ass, my other hand going to her bare chest.
Clarissa gasped, catching her balance. She'd undone my jeans, and I slipped my legs out of them, throwing them on the floor. I pulled her on top of me, undoing her pants.
"Mmm, Lucifer," she groaned, hovering over me. "That feels good."
That was all the encouragement I needed. I finished undoing her pants and started to remove them. She giggled and rolled off me, removing them herself. I took the opportunity to pin her back to the bed. Neither of us was wearing underwear, and she was starting to pant as heavily as I was.
She grinned, pulling me back down for another kiss. Somehow, she got me on my back again, lying along my body. She smirked down at me as I pulled her closer.
"Do you still think this is a bad idea?" she asked huskily.
"Yeah," I panted, kissing along her neck. "But you're the boss. I'll do whatever you want."
I heard her breath become shallower, heard her breathe faster. It encouraged me, and I wrapped one leg around her, holding her closer to me.
"Let me go, Lucifer," she whispered in my ear, almost a low g
rowl.
I didn't want to do it, but I did. I relaxed my leg, taking my arm from around her waist and the hand from her throat. She sat up, straddling me, and positioned me beneath her. With a smile, she placed my hands on her hips. She leaned forward, running her lips along my jaw and I impulsively thrust upwards. She gasped, making me thrust again. Her groans were Heaven, her gasps Paradise. I'd forgotten how good sex was.
"Damn," she groaned, and I felt the skin under my fingernails give way.
I could feel blood trickling down my fingers, and I pulled my hands away from her hips, worried that I'd hurt her with the claws I'd unwittingly released, my wings cramped beneath me. I started to apologize, but she interrupted me with a kiss.
She moved her hips above me, and I felt my eyes roll in my sockets, my grip tightening on her hips again. I put my wings away, groaning as my tail went with them. The corner of it sliced the back of my thigh, and I could feel it healing already. The momentary pain curiously added to my pleasure as Clarissa kissed along my neck, her body pressed against me as much as she could in her position.
I hadn't had sex in almost two thousand years—I was proud of myself for lasting as long as I had already. Her simple hip movements were sending barbs of pleasure I hadn't experienced in millennia through my body. I didn't know how much longer I could last if she kept going.
I ran my hands up and down her thighs as she kissed along my neck, panting. I whimpered when she laughed, and I toppled her over so I was on top of her, pressing her into the bed with each thrust.
Clarissa fought me, to get back on top, but I wouldn't allow it. She was growling rather than screaming, so I knew she was just trying to claim dominance. I held her hands above her head with one arm, lining myself up and thrusting again.
Clarissa gasped, her back arching to meet me as I thrust, kissing her neck and sucking at her chest. She laughed, lifting her hips to meet my thrusts, groaning with pleasure. I smiled, thrusting faster. She was panting heavily, but I knew I was going to climax before she was.
I thrust my tongue into her mouth as I climaxed, and she wrapped her legs around me, pulling me closer. She managed to pull an arm free and pulled my body closer to her, her nails digging into my back. Clarissa arched her back to meet my body, panting, groaning and growling in my ear. I kissed along her jaw as her breathing hitched, sucking and gently biting her neck.
She groaned, and for a second I was afraid that my canine teeth—sharper than a human's—had punctured the skin. I wondered what she'd say to a vampire-like bite on the side of her neck, but changed thought immediately. She wouldn't like that. No sane person would want one of those.
Clarissa's legs relaxed around me, and I gently extracted myself from her hold, lying down beside her. She turned her head to look at me, my arm around her waist as I lay on my side. She smiled, and I yawned. A second later, she copied me, grinning.
"You're not going to work today," I growled, trying to be sexy as I pulled her closer to me. "I'm not going to let you go."
She smiled as I buried my face in her brown hair. "I don't want you to."
I closed my eyes, settling down to sleep with a smile. She shifted next to me so she could lie with one arm around my waist, the other's fingers entwined with mine. I pulled the covers up around Clarissa, tucking her in. I could hear Aspen snuffling in the kitchen, licking the plates clean, but I ignored his dark and disgusted mutterings.
After a second's hesitation, I released my wings and tail, ignoring the claws growing on my fingers and toes. I stretched one wing over us, shielding us from the dawn light creeping through the window.
"Good night, Lucifer," Clarissa sighed, turning her head toward me.
"Good morning," I said with a grin. I kissed the side of her neck, then drifted off to sleep.
Fourteen
Aspen Grigori
I had my head buried under a couple of cushions, trying as hard as I could to block out the sounds coming from Clarissa's room. I heard Lucifer arguing against Clarissa, trying to dissuade her from sleeping with him. My grudging respect of the Devil went up a couple of notches as I heard him tell her to stop, not because he didn't want to, but because he knew she'd been drinking and didn't want her to regret their coupling in the morning.
Then I heard him give in and the groans and gasps begin.
Eugh. Humans and sex...I shuddered and covered my ears as hard as I could, hoping to block out the noise.
The sounds died down a little later. I gingerly pulled my head out from under the cushions, listening. There was no sound coming from Clarissa's room, apart from the occasional rustle of the covers as she or Lucifer moved. Happy that they were finally asleep, I jumped down off the couch and went to see if those disgusting noises had woken Jayce.
The door was shut.
This won't do, I thought, scratching at the door and yelling. Clarissa was a heavy sleeper, I knew that much, and I couldn't care less if I woke Lucifer up. The bastard deserved to miss a few nights' sleep, at the least.
Jayce crept to the door, opening it with a frown. She was still half-asleep, and I curled around her legs, alerting her to the fact that I was there. She smiled, picking me up, and headed back to bed with me. Jayce lay back down, patting my ginger fur. I purred and rubbed my head along her arm.
You know, I said, recognizing the scent of Lucifer's magic on her chocolate skin, your bruises look a lot better this morning.
"They feel better," she muttered. She looked almost asleep. I figured that that would be why she had yet to realize I was talking to her.
Lucifer is a dab hand with his healing magic, I said grudgingly, watching her carefully. She was half-awake, cuddling the pillow with her eyes shut.
Jayce frowned, rolling over to bury her face in the pillow. "G'n back t'sl'p," she grumbled.
I laughed, climbing in under the covers with her. I purred against her neck. Come on, jump out of bed and grab me some food.
She ignored me, her breathing gradually slowing.
~ * ~
That was the last I heard from the three of them all day. I slept on Jayce's bed and the couch—I wasn't going near Clarissa's room with Lucifer in there—occasionally snacking on the leftover cat food from yesterday and licking at the remains of the lasagna on the plates.
However, when the sun had set and I was out of food, I decided that it was time the three of them got up.
Jayce! I called from the door. She had the pillow over her head again, but I could tell she heard me when she stopped breathing to listen. It's past sunset. Time to get up.
Jayce groaned, throwing the pillow at me. I yowled and ran from the room, but I could hear Jayce moving around in her room. I stopped in the doorway to Clarissa's room to wait for Jayce to follow me, and sat watching Lucifer and Clarissa sleep.
Clarissa was being shielded from the dying rays of sunset by Lucifer's wing. I couldn't hear either of them snoring, but they were breathing deeply. For a second, I didn't want to wake them.
Then I wanted to sink my claws into Lucifer's bare back.
Clarissa claimed I was jealous of the red-skinned Demon, or that I hated him. While neither were false, they weren't exactly true, either. I resented Lucifer far more than I envied or hated him. I hadn't told Clarissa the full story when it came to Lucifer and my family. I knew that, and so did she. She'd said as much to Jayce last night.
Lucifer did my family a favor before he got Sera killed. It was Lucifer who fought with God against His treatment of our family, the Grigori. It was either my luck or God's sick sense of humor that had me living with Sera's replacement, forced to watch as Lucifer wooed another woman out from under my protection, probably to her doom at God's hands. Again.
I resented Lucifer because he'd had the power to attack God to protect our family—as much as I hated to say I was related to him, even by marriage. Lucifer had succeeded where I failed, saving our family in some form. The Demons who now inhabited Hell were part of the Grigori family, whether they'd married into it,
or were born part of it themselves.
"Sweet Heaven, I thought it was all just a really bad dream!"
Jayce had appeared behind me. I looked up at her to see her bug-eyed, staring at the sleeping pair with her mouth open. With a grin, I climbed up on the bed, wriggling my way under Lucifer's wing to yowl loudly in Clarissa's ear.
Lucifer opened his eyes, glaring at me. Clarissa pushed me away as she rolled away from Lucifer, frowning in her sleep.
Get up, you idiots, I said with glee. Jayce is going to fry you both. I want to watch the fun.