by Melody Rose
She was absolutely stunning tonight. Her pink dress hugged her curves perfectly, and her eyes kept drawing me in. I found myself wanting to touch her, to tuck her hair back, caress her face, follow the curves of her body. I loved listening to her voice as she spoke, as genuine excitement and wonder flowed through her stories.
I couldn’t tell you what my meal tasted like. Hell, I was only vaguely aware of what I had even ordered. None of it mattered. When we finished the meal and were ready to leave, Evelyn paused and looked up at me.
“Where to now?” she asked with an adventurous smile on her face.
“Well, we are in the heart of New York City.” I gestured around at the oversized windows that revealed Rockefeller Center. “We can go anywhere.”
“I’d love to walk around and see the sights a bit,” Evelyn replied, looking out at the throngs of people bustling by.
Without saying a word, I held my hand out to her. She looked a bit surprised but took my hand, and I led her out to the busy street outside the restaurant.
We walked along Rockefeller Center, Evelyn’s head swiveling around in every which direction.
“Wait,” she said, stopping short. “Is that where the ice rink usually is, and the tree? I recognize the gold statue.”
I placed my hand around her waist, guiding her to the side and out of the way of the fast-paced commuters. I overheard one guy mutter some expletives about ignorant tourists as he tripped himself up trying to pass us.
“That’s Prometheus,” I replied, gesturing toward the statue. “And yes, this is it. All those photo ops. You’re standing in it.”
“So cool!” she gushed, taking it all in. I was simply watching her, glad that I was able to give this to her.
Music started playing in the distance, and I saw her ears perk up. She looked at me, a question dancing behind her eyes.
“Want to check it out?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Let’s do it!” she exclaimed with a mischievous grin, and we were off in the direction of the music.
We walked silently, hand in hand, our ears guiding us in the right direction. When we finally located the source of the music, it was a small group of street performers with a large crowd around them.
“I always had a soft spot for jazz music,” Evelyn crowed as she broke off and peered around a few shoulders to get a better look.
One band member was finishing up his saxophone solo to a round of applause, and the band went back into their groove. I walked past Evelyn, slipping my hand in hers as I went, pulling her into the clearing between the band and the crowd.
“What are you doing?!” She giggled as I spun her in a circle and pulled her close.
“In my day, we called it dancing,” I murmured into her ear as we swayed with the music.
“In your day, huh?” she teased, and then relaxed into my arms and let the music guide our movements.
It seemed like that was all the invitation the crowd needed, and several couples joined us on our makeshift dance floor. Despite the crowd, it felt as if Evelyn and I were the only ones there, a protective bubble isolating us from the rest of the world. I’d experienced a lot in my time, but this single moment, this felt right.
The song ended, and the crowd erupted in applause. Evelyn pulled back just enough so she could look up into my eyes. Her one hand was behind my neck, and it worked its way into my hair. I felt a tingle down my spine as she pulled herself in closer. I pulled her in by the waist to close the gap, my lips brushing against hers as the rest of the world seemed to melt away. When I pulled back, her eyes remained closed for a second or two longer.
She slowly opened her eyes up and smiled. “I think I’ve seen enough of New York for one night,” she said huskily. “Where to now?”
“Well,” I said, a smile growing across my face, “My bar is always fully stocked, but I’ve never had occasion to sit and chat with anyone at it. As a matter of fact, I just had Abbadon haul in some bar stools for me. Would you like to be my first guest?”
“That sounds perfect,” she said, her grin growing wider.
“Well then, let’s go,” I announced, and I reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, keeping contact to transport us back to Hell in that position.
Back in my throne room, I noticed that Cerberus had been brought out to his play yard as I had requested, freeing the room up for the two of us. I finished tucking Evelyn’s hair back before pulling out the nearest bar stool for her to sit at.
I walked behind the bar and took a deep breath. This was a new position for me, one where I was serving someone as opposed to being served myself.
“Well, this is different,” I said aloud. “What would you like?”
“I’d love to stick with wine, if you don’t mind,” Evelyn said.
“Wine, it is.” I walked over to the wine cooler, pulled out a bottle of cabernet, and grabbed a couple of wine glasses on my way back to where Evelyn was patiently waiting. I wondered if she would school me on the flavors of this bottle as well.
“I am definitely a fan of your enormous wine goblets, by the way,” she said, speaking casually. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was comfortable here.
“They are deceptively large,” I said. “Before you know it, you’ve downed half of a bottle without even trying.”
I poured us each a glass and slid hers over to her.
“Enjoy,” I said as our glasses clinked together.
I walked back around the bar to sit next to her, decidedly closer than I had originally intended, but I decided to stay where I was. She didn’t shy away, and we sat there in a comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying the flavor of the wine.
“I taste cherries,” I teased, hoping I was at least close.
“Yes, and vanilla!” she said excitedly. “Is this a Cabernet Sauvignon?”
I picked up the bottle to double-check. “Yep,” I replied with a grin. “You are good, I’ll give you that.”
Evelyn laughed. “So, I have a question that’s been bugging me for a while.” She crossed her legs, brushing against mine as she did so.
“Go on,” I urged, one eyebrow raised.
“What happens to demons and angels when they die?” she said, and before I could get a word in edgewise, she just kept going. “And human souls? If you get shot, what happens to you? I mean, obviously, Heaven and Hell are out of the equation.”
I laughed out loud. “Evelyn,” I said, and I noticed her eyes soften as I said her name, “I have asked that same question. It got me nowhere.”
“What do you mean?” she asked incredulously.
“Well,” I said, shifting my position so that I could lean in a bit closer to her. “You have probably wondered what happens to you when you die, at least before you met me, correct?”
“Sure,” Evelyn responded.
“No one gets a straight answer,” I continued. “You know that. Well, apparently, the same rules apply to us. I’ve asked God that exact question.”
“Wait… God is real?” Evelyn’s eyes went wide for a second before resuming their previous state. “I mean, of course, God is real, why wouldn’t he be, if all of you are real. I guess I just hadn’t given it that much thought.”
“Yeah, he’s definitely real.” I chuckled. “Dad and I haven’t been on the best of terms for a while, but I had asked him that question at one point.”
“What did he say?” Evelyn asked, shifting forward in her seat in anticipation.
I cleared my throat, preparing to make the best impression of Dad that I could. “Ahh, Lucifer, that is the question,” I said in a deep pretentious voice.
She was silent for a moment, and I knew she was waiting for the rest of the answer. When it didn’t come, her eyes widened.
“Wait, that’s it?!” she exclaimed. “That can’t be it.”
“Pretty much,” I responded. “I asked him on another occasion, and he said all answers will be revealed when it is their time. It’s all very frustratin
gly cryptic.”
“That’s wildly disappointing,” she said, laughing. “What a letdown!”
“I know!” I exclaimed. We both started laughing, our wine glasses forgotten on the bar.
As our laughter died down, Evelyn’s hand landed on my knee. At that point, it felt like the room became incredibly still, and that was all I could focus on. I looked into her eyes and saw the same passion I had been feeling reflected back at me, and I knew that we were thinking the same thing.
37
Evelyn
Of all of his features, Lucifer’s eyes were the first thing I’d noticed. I thought back to that first day and remembered feeling as if I were looking into the dark pit of his soul.
Now, here I was, under entirely different circumstances, this much closer to diving in. I felt myself instinctively lean toward him. I could feel the energy vibrating between us, and based on the look in his eyes, I knew he could feel it too.
I was acutely aware of the way the fabric of his pants felt beneath my fingers, the only layer between me and his bare skin. I slid my hand up further as I leaned in closer.
“Aren’t you afraid of what being with me would mean for you?” I asked softly.
“Not the most pressing thing on my mind currently,” Lucifer muttered, a slight growl to his voice as he shifted closer to me and raised his hand to my cheek.
He leaned in, pulled me closer, and pressed his lips against mine. I felt a shock run through me, every cell electrified at that moment. I allowed myself to slip off the barstool and took the two steps necessary to get closer to him, so I could feel our bodies pressed against each other. His hands slid down to my waist, holding it there, and then pulling me back gently. The kiss broke, and I looked up at him questioningly, unsure why he pulled the needle off the record.
“Come with me,” he said, his voice still husky. He took my hand and guided me out of the room and into the hall. We walked hand-in-hand in silence at first until my wits came back to me.
“Where are you taking me?” I inquired, a bit taken aback by the sudden change in scenery.
Lucifer cleared his throat. “Somewhere in my mind, I had imagined our time at the bar taking a bit longer than it did.”
He stopped and turned to face me. “I don’t want to risk any… interruptions.” He then kept walking, me trailing a few steps behind him, and his eyes stayed on mine for a moment longer.
We reached a glossy black door, and he grasped onto the doorknob with his free hand, swinging it open while pulling me close with the hand that was holding mine. I fell into him, and we tumbled into the room, while he kicked the door shut behind us with his foot. I couldn’t help giggling at this straight-out-of-a-romance-movie stunt he just pulled. We bumped up against his leather couch, and then he pushed me backward, guiding me into his bedroom.
The Devil’s bedroom is not something that ever came up as a topic in religion class, but if I had to guess, I would have been pretty spot-on. The black sofa, black satin bed sheets, dark clothes in the closet, minimalistic decor, even the muffins with the red… hopefully fruits… in them, all were unsurprising to me. I barely even noticed the details. Even my unspoken question about the muffin faded into the backdrop of my mind as Lucifer pushed me down onto his bed.
As he hurriedly unbuttoned his suit jacket and ripped it off, I had an out-of-body moment. Was I really going down this road with the King of Hell? I looked up into his eyes and saw a flash of fire as he flexed his muscles and stared down at me. The lights flickered, and his huge, glossy black wings unfurled and hung over us like a canopy, as he leaned over and braced himself with one arm on either side of me. I suddenly realized I was in way over my head, but I had already reached the point of no return. I took a deep breath, and grabbed him by the tie, pulling him down on top of me.
I felt the weight of his chest on mine as I wrapped my arms around him, running my hands across the rippling muscles on his back. His wings came from his shoulder blades, and the silky feathers felt cool in contrast to the heat emanating from his body. His lips pressed against mine and his hand ran down the length of my side, hiking up the edge of my dress and sliding all the way up my thigh. My pulse quickened, and my breath caught. I ran my fingers up behind his head, grasping his hair in my hand, pulling it taut. The sensations running through my body caused my back to arch, and I took a deep breath, calming myself down just enough to start yanking off his tie.
I then furiously went to work on his shirt buttons, working my way down to his beltline. I grabbed his belt buckle, pulling his hips closer as I ran my free hand up his incredibly muscular chest. I worked my hand around his neck and back up through his hair, which was exactly as soft as I’d imagined it would be. I used that leverage to pull him closer to me, but he took his free hand, grabbed my wrist, and yanked it down, pinning my arm above my head. With his other hand still up my skirt, I opted to work his belt loose with one hand, and with a little help from him, within seconds, he was inside of me and taking my breath away.
It felt as if nothing existed in the world outside of the little cocoon created by his wings, and my every nerve ending was tingling. Lucifer looked me in the eyes as he thrust himself forward, causing me to cry out.
“Oh, God!” I shouted.
His wings folded in instantaneously, and he pulled out, propping himself over me on the bed. He looked at me in disdain.
“Could you, like, not bring my Dad into this?” he asked.
“Uhh…” I said intelligently. Talk about new learning experiences. “I’m sorry? I’ll do my best.”
Lucifer’s eyes darkened.
“I promise it will never happen again. Come back to me, please.” I propped myself up with one arm, looping the other behind his neck to bring me closer to his face. Slowly, his wings unfurled as I kissed my way down his neck and across his collarbone, easing him back down onto the bed as I went.
I had no concept of time, but afterward, he collapsed on top of me, and I felt both completely relaxed and fully alive all at once. I definitely did not trust my legs to support me, so I stayed there in his bed. He breathed into my neck, kissing his way up to my face, his eyes softer and kinder than I’d ever seen them. He kissed me firmly on the lips, and then collapsed over on one side of me, wrapping an arm around my waist and kicking the sheet over us. I knew it would take me a while to fall asleep, but I was okay with that, as I laid there absorbing the entire evening, and watching the dim lighting reflect off his glossy black feathers.
38
Lucifer
I woke up to the feel of Evelyn’s naked body pressed up against mine. She was fast asleep, her curls haphazardly spread across the pillow, a faint smile across her face. I stayed in that position for a while, inhaling the coconut scent of her hair, enjoying the warmth of her body beneath the cool sheets.
Last night was incredibly gratifying on so many levels. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be with Evelyn. I began to wonder what that would look like practically. I was sure she wanted to go back home, and I knew Hell wasn’t her favorite place. Knowing that a serious discussion lurked around the corner, I wanted to stay in this little bubble of perfection for just a short while longer.
Evelyn stirred, shifting herself closer, and I wrapped my arms around her, welcoming her closeness. She rolled over to look into my eyes.
“Good morning,” she mumbled, her voice still coated in sleep.
“Good morning,” I replied with a smile. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby,” she giggled. She looked at me with a faint smile. “You?”
“Never better.” I leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. “I’m going to have Asmodeus bring your things back home.”
Evelyn propped herself up onto her elbows and looked down at me, holding the sheet over her chest with one arm.
“Why?” she asked suspiciously, her brows slightly furrowed.
I laughed. “It’s not what you think,” I said. “I know you’ve been making the bes
t of a bad situation down here, and now that we know the truth, I realize there’s no need for you to stay. I mean, unless you want to stay, but I know you don’t like it here. I’ve avoided saying anything to you because, if I’m being honest, I didn’t want you to leave. You deserve your freedom to go home, though.”
She was thoughtful for a moment before answering. “What if I don’t want to leave?” she asked, so low it was almost a whisper. She seemed like a different person at this moment, timid and hesitant to cross the boundary that the question threatened to cross.
I had been so convinced that she would want to leave that I hadn’t anticipated this question.
“You… you don’t want to leave?” I clarified, looking up at her.
“No,” she said softly, her tone implying it should have been obvious to me. “No, I… well, as sappy as this sounds, I want to be here. With you.”
I froze for a moment, processing what she’d just said. I didn’t feel I had an appropriate response to that, so instead, I simply wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her down to me, locking my lips onto hers.
When she pulled herself up to look back down at me, she was smiling.
“Please don’t take that the wrong way,” she said, her voice stronger and sounding much more like the Evelyn I was used to. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I’m just saying… I got comfortable here, is all. I like it here.”
I smiled up at her. “You can stay here for as long as you’d like. Actually, I’d love it if you did. I, umm…” I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and saw her smile grow. “I think we’re just getting started here.”
“I agree,” she replied, and she inched closer, resting her head on my chest.
We laid there for a while, enjoying the perfection of this moment until I heard her stomach growl. I chuckled.
“Hungry, are we?” I asked.
“Starving!” I heard her proclaim from beneath my chin.