“Please, have a seat,” I muttered. It didn’t matter how hot this guy was; he could have at least asked before taking a seat at the table.
His lips twitched as he regarded me. “You have the most amazing eyes.”
I snorted at his comment and grabbed my purse, preparing to move. “First, you just sit down at my table without checking to make sure I’m okay with you joining me. That I can accept. We’re in a public place, and I don’t own this table. The line about my eyes? That’s too much. Maybe you should head back over to the woman who’s shooting daggers at me.”
Before I could get to my feet, he was across the table and at my side. “Don’t go. Let’s start over. I’m out of practice with this sort of thing.”
I should leave. Unlike Persephone, I wasn’t interested in having any adventures. Still, what harm could there be in spending a little time with him? There was no denying he was nice to look at. Besides, it would make Persephone happy if I flirted a little.
Relaxing back into my seat, I waited for him to say something.
“May I join you?” he asked with a smirk that somehow looked more endearing than irritating.
“Sure,” I replied with a shrug.
“You don’t seem thrilled with the prospect,” he stated as he took the seat to my left, much too close to my side. “For the record, I wasn’t giving you some line. Your eyes truly are an extraordinary shade of green. They practically glow, especially when you’re angry.”
“We should probably start over,” I began. “It seems we’re both out of practice with this whole socializing thing.”
“That is an excellent idea,” he agreed. “Where should we start?”
“How about our names?” I suggested, extending a hand. “I’m Beatrice.”
Chapter 3
Lucifer
I blinked twice at the realization that this woman with the incredible eyes and refreshing attitude had no idea who I was. She had to be some kind of werewolf. Many didn’t recognize me, something I found refreshing. She wasn’t just a werewolf. Based on her unnaturally green eyes, I’d guess there was some demon blood in her, too.
If I told her who I was, there was a good chance she’d stop talking to me. She’d certainly be more reserved, and I didn’t want that. This was what I’d been hoping for—to meet a woman who didn’t know who I was. My intense physical reaction to Beatrice had brought me to her table. Now, I wanted to find out if there was more to her than just my attraction. I wanted to get to know her.
Taking her delicate hand in mine, I introduced myself. “I’m Dev.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Dev,” she replied. “Are you enjoying The Cauldron?”
“I am beginning to enjoy myself,” I replied. “You don’t seem to be having much fun, Beatrice.”
“You just got to my table,” she argued. “How do you know I wasn’t having a blast drinking my sparkling pink whatever this is?” She gestured to the drink in question.
“Was I mistaken?” I asked.
“No,” she admitted with a laugh. “Clubs aren’t my thing. Sparkly pink drinks aren’t my thing, and I don’t like being around people. Most people are assholes. That sounded awful, didn’t it?” There was no shame in her voice, and it was obvious she didn’t care if it sounded awful.
“It did,” I replied. “Would you think less of me if I agreed with you?”
“Nope,” she said with a shake of her head. “I respect a man who isn’t fooled by the mask most people in our world wear.”
“You’re too young to be this burdened,” I told her.
“Burdened?” she asked with a snort. “I’d hardly call myself burdened. Jaded is probably a better word to describe me. Why do you think I’m too young? For all you know, I could be hundreds of years old.”
I chuckled at her response. While most couldn’t judge a werewolf’s age by looking at them, I was fairly good at it. If this little wolf was older than thirty, I’d be shocked. “Are you going to claim to be an old werewolf?”
“Actually, I’m a witch,” she corrected me.
Her response threw me. The club’s powerful spell made it difficult to identify the species of the other patrons. Some were obvious. Many demons didn’t look human without the cloak of magic. I was still betting Beatrice was part demon. How could a witch with demon blood not recognize me?
“That wouldn’t have been my first guess,” I admitted.
“Because of my eyes?” she asked.
“Yes,” I murmured. “They are amazing.”
Beatrice looked down at her hands, seeming uncomfortable with my praise. I wasn’t having that. Reaching out, I placed two fingers under her chin and pressed up until she met my eyes. Even with the dampening spell, I felt the power zinging between us, sliding along my now aching cock. If her parted lips and the shudder that ran through her body were any indication, Beatrice was having a similar reaction to my touch.
“I’m a shapeshifting witch,” she blurted out before adding, “The lowest in the witch hierarchy.”
With my fingers still on her chin, I reached up to brush my thumb across her lower lip. “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I murmured.
Beatrice was the first shapeshifting witch I’d met. They were an intriguing group. “You’re clearly not a witch,” she remarked, turning her head to the side to get away from my fingers.
I let my hand fall to the table before responding. “What makes you say that?”
“You aren’t trying to make your escape,” was her response.
My lips twitched. “I’m definitely not interested in escaping,” I assured her. “Witches are fools. Demons use power as a basis for where someone sits on their hierarchy.”
“Werewolves also do that,” she added.
I cocked my head to the side and considered what she’d said. Having spent enough time around werewolves who ended up trapped in the demon realm, I understood how complex their power structure was. “It’s harder to tell with werewolves. People assume submissive wolves all fall at the lower end of the pack hierarchy.”
“They don’t?” she asked. “I honestly don’t know many werewolves, but I’ve heard that stronger wolves rank higher in the pack.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “Submissive doesn’t always mean weak.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said thoughtfully. “So, you aren’t a warlock because you’re still here with a shapeshifter. You also seem to look down on the Council of Witches.”
“I wouldn’t say I look down on them,” I hedged. Insulting her kind wasn’t a good start to convincing Beatrice to spend more time with me, even if I suspected she wasn’t fond of her council.
“That was my subtle hint for you to tell me what you are,” she pointed out.
“Why does it matter?” I asked.
“I want to make sure you aren’t interested in devouring my soul,” she said with a teasing grin.
“Your soul isn’t what I’d like to devour,” I uttered. Her magnificent green eyes glowed even brighter. Clearing my throat, I reminded myself I wanted more than one night with Beatrice. I wanted to get to know her, to see if she was the one for me. A woman hadn’t sparked my interest this way in more than a century. “If I tell you what I am, will it change your opinion of me?”
“No, but I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to tell me,” she replied.
“I hold a high-ranking position,” I began cautiously, not sure how much to tell her.
“And you’re afraid I’ve heard of you?” she asked.
She’d definitely heard of me, but that’s not how I replied. “It’s likely you’ve heard of me.”
“All right,” she agreed. “If you won’t tell me what you are, tell me something else about you. I don’t want to be the only one sharing.”
“I have a daughter,” I told her, deciding to start with the most important aspect of my life. “She’s grown and no longer lives at home.”
“I’ll bet you’re still an overprotective f
ather,” she said with a grin.
“Overprotective?” I asked. “I’m not sure it’s possible to be too protective of those you love.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she agreed. “Besides, it’s better to be overprotective than neglectful.” I was about to ask her if she was speaking from experience when she spoke again. “No kids for me. I’m not sure I’m mother material.”
“You can never tell,” I insisted. “I never expected to take to parenting, but I raised my daughter alone.”
“What about her mother?” Beatrice asked.
“She didn’t have any interest in being involved,” I explained. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Purple,” she replied. “Yours?”
“Green.” My response surprised me. When I’d arrived at the club, my favorite color had been blue.
“What next, Dev?” she asked with a laugh. “Are you going to ask me if I’m a cat or dog person?”
“Can I have a word with you, Dev?” Rainer interrupted.
Beatrice looked between us.
“Hello, Beatrice,” Rainer greeted her.
“You know Rainer?” she asked me after giving him a tight smile and a nod.
“Yes, we’ve been friends for years,” I replied. “Can you give me a minute?”
She nodded. With any luck, she wouldn’t make a run for it as soon as I left the table. Rainer obviously made her skittish.
As soon as we stepped out of the club to talk, I asked, “How do you know Beatrice?”
“While I was on vacation, I helped out with a little matter involving her brother,” Rainer began. “He’s currently tucked away in the demon realm where he belongs.”
“He’s a warlock,” I pointed out. “How did he end up in the demon realm?”
“For stealing your SUV,” Rainer replied.
“Then, I guess he does fall under my authority,” I mused. While I didn’t answer to the Council of Witches, we had certain agreements. One of them involved me only imprisoning witches who’d wronged me. “This complicates matters.”
“Yes, it does, Dev,” he replied with a smirk. “What is going on with you and the little witch?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I began thoughtfully. “She doesn’t have any idea who I am. I’d like to see where things go. There’s something about her that I’m drawn to.”
“Beatrice is an unusual witch,” Rainer remarked.
“Yes, she is,” I agreed. “What did you need to talk to me about?”
“There’s been an attempted prison break in the fourth region,” Rainer explained. “Xavier and Hades dealt with it, but I figured you’d want to hear about it immediately.”
“Why didn’t they call me?” I asked.
“They did,” Rainer replied. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
I pulled out my phone to make sure it was working. Somehow, I’d missed five messages. “I guess I didn’t feel it vibrate because of the music. Why do people come to these places?”
“To meet people,” he replied. “Just like you. What should I tell Xavier to do with the prisoners involved in the attempted prison break?”
“Have the leaders brought to one of the interrogation rooms,” I told Rainer. “I’ll see if I can get to the bottom of this. There must be a larger plot. It’s the only explanation for so many problems in such a short period of time.”
“I agree,” Rainer said as he pulled out his phone to contact Xavier and Hades. “How long are we staying?”
Normally, I would have headed straight back to the demon realm, but the situation had been dealt with. I could delay interrogations until later. “We’ll head back in a couple of hours,” I replied.
Rainer studied me curiously. “Okay. I should warn you about one other matter regarding Beatrice.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Her roommate is named Persephone,” he replied.
“Don’t tell Hades,” I told him.
Rainer chuckled. “Do you honestly think I need that warning? Your cousin’s obsession with women named Persephone has been going on my entire life. I know how dangerous it can get.”
“Why is finding the right woman so complicated?” I asked Rainer. “As the most powerful fallen angel in Hell, I should be able to find someone to spend my eternity with.”
“You’re picky,” he replied. “Even if you find the right woman, it’s not exactly easy to convince her you belong together.”
Rainer was referring to his witch, Evangalina. They had bonded, but she refused to be with him. He’d resigned himself to the fact that she wouldn’t be part of his life again until they’d recently reconnected. Now, he was determined to have her with him. I suspected he was getting desperate enough to consider kidnapping.
“Evangalina will come around, my friend,” I assured him, clapping his back as we headed into the club.
Chapter 4
Beatrice
Persephone was glowing when she returned to the table. “Who was the man you were talking to?” she immediately asked.
“His name’s Dev,” I replied.
“Is he coming back?” she asked, looking around for him.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“He was really cute,” Persephone gushed.
Cute definitely wasn’t the right word for Dev. Raw. Sexy. Beautiful. Those words could describe him, but not cute. I never reacted this strongly to any man. My experience with men was minimal. Granted, that experience had all been with sex demons, so I was far from innocent. I’d tried an array of kinky things, few of them in a bedroom. It was no lie to say I had very little experience in bed. I suddenly found myself wondering if Dev was some sort of sex demon. That would explain my strong reaction to him.
“He’s friends with Rainer Vigil,” I told her.
“Then I guess he must be a demon,” Persephone mused. With many witches, they’d likely be writing him off as a bad choice for me, or telling me to go for it because a decent warlock wouldn’t consider tying himself to a shapeshifter. Persephone was different.
“Probably,” I agreed. “He’s not a warlock.”
“Oh!” Persephone exclaimed. “He’s coming back.”
I looked over my shoulder and watched Dev approach our table with Rainer by his side. They were a whole lot of hotness walking side by side. Rainer wasn’t handsome, but he exuded a lot of power, even with the dampening spell. I wasn’t sure how Evie managed to resist him. Then there was Dev. Holy hex! People moved out of their way as they stalked toward our table. Dev’s eyes were on me the entire time. His lips curled up ever so slightly in a knowing smirk. He knew the effect he had on me. It made me wonder if he was only looking to score, and if he was, did I mind?
“Sorry about having to leave you,” he told me as he took a seat beside me, much closer than before.
“No problem,” I told him, sounding remarkably unaffected. “This is my roommate, Persephone. Persephone, this is Dev. You’ve already met Rainer.”
“We were trying to decide if you’re a demon since you’re friends with Rainer,” Persephone began. “Now, I’m wondering if you’re a fallen angel. I already know Rainer is.”
“You do?” Rainer asked in surprise. Most witches only knew Rainer was a demon lord and a high-ranking warlock.
Persephone nodded. “Evie told me.”
“Did she now?” Rainer asked softly. “What else has Evangalina said about me?”
“I couldn’t tell you that,” she insisted with a shake of her head.
“Why not?” Rainer asked her.
“I don’t want to insult someone who helped save the lives of my friends, even if I am just repeating what someone else said,” she explained.
Dev laughed, a sound that startled those around us. “Your witch is still less than pleased with you.”
“It would seem so,” Rainer grumbled.
“It always seems like she’s trying too hard to convince others she’s not interested in you,” I interrupted. “Not that I kno
w her well, but that’s the impression I get.”
“I agree,” Persephone said with a nod.
“Listen to these ladies, Rainer,” Dev told him. “Evangalina may not like it, but she cares a great deal for you.” His eyes moved to me. “Dance with me, Beatrice.”
I shook my head and said, “I’m not much of a dancer.”
“All you need is a strong lead,” he assured me with an outstretched hand.
I only hesitated for a heartbeat before smiling and placing my hand in his. Why not dance with him?
Dev led me to the dance floor, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me close.
“This isn’t a slow song,” I pointed out with a nervous laugh, my hand landing on Dev’s chest. I felt incredibly small this close to Dev’s large frame.
“You seem like a woman who dances to her own tune,” was his reply.
Being in Dev’s arms was doing insane things to my body. Based on his knowing smirk, he was well aware of the impact he had on me. His incredible scent wrapped around me.
“Is that your polite way of saying I’m a loner?” I asked.
“A rebel,” he corrected. “I like that about you. You’re the first woman I’ve been interested in for a very long time.”
The natural skeptic in me wanted to scoff at his words, to insist it was some stupid line he was feeding me.
“You don’t believe me,” he stated.
I shook my head in response. “Oddly enough, I do believe you. This is crazy. I’m not used to trusting people, and I barely know you.”
“A matter I hope to remedy soon,” he said, drawing me even closer.
Despite the club music around us, dancing like this with Dev didn’t seem strange. Allowing my head to rest against his chest, I breathed in deeply and shuddered. “You smell like sin.”
I’d said those words softly enough that I didn’t expect he’d hear them, so his response surprised me. “How does sin smell?”
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