“Trust me,” he murmured as he sat on the sofa and tugged me onto his lap. His arms wrapped around me. My gasp of surprise made him chuckle. “Tell me what’s going on.”
With a sigh of frustration, I relaxed in his arms. “I don’t like bossy men.”
“Yes, you do,” he argued. “That doesn’t mean you’ll give in when I’m bossy, but you like the challenge.”
“You’re awfully arrogant for a first date,” I remarked.
“Are you trying to change the subject?” he asked.
“A little,” I admitted. “My brother called.”
“Didn’t you say he’s imprisoned in the demon realm?” he asked.
“He is,” I told him. “He called from Hell.”
“I see,” Dev began thoughtfully. “What did he want?”
“According to him, he only wanted to talk. When I told him I didn’t buy that, he hinted that he knew it was my fault he’s in Hell,” I explained.
“How could his incarceration be your fault?” Dev asked, his hand massaging my back. His touch felt so good that I let out a sigh.
“Rainer said my brother stole Lucifer’s SUV,” I reminded him.
“That’s definitely a good way to piss off the devil,” he remarked. “I still don’t see how that’s your fault.”
“I did it,” I admitted.
“You did what?” he asked, looking down at me.
“I stole the devil’s SUV,” I confessed.
Dev looked truly shocked by my confession. “You stole Lucifer’s SUV and let your brother go to Hell for it?”
“Technically, I borrowed it,” I explained. “I needed something fast that I wouldn’t get pulled over driving. My brother was going to kill this witch named Julia. I like her, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So, you’re a hero,” he deduced with a nod.
I snorted. “Hardly. I did what anyone would have done.”
Chapter 10
Lucifer
I shook my head, amazed at her response. “Most people wouldn’t have had the courage to steal from Lucifer, even to rescue someone,” I pointed out. “I still can’t believe you stole from the devil. I never would have guessed that.”
“Borrowed,” she corrected me. “I didn’t know my brother was blamed for it until he called tonight.”
“And you feel guilty,” I deduced.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t feel any guilt about my brother taking the fall for it. Had Rainer not lied and said Desmond had stolen from Lucifer, he’d have ended up in a witch prison, where he very likely would have escaped.”
“It is much harder to escape the demon realm,” I agreed. The prisoners also weren’t given access to phones. Her brother’s call shouldn’t have happened, and it worried me. I needed to find him and make sure he didn’t harass Beatrice again.
“I know. It’s just that my brother has been the boogie man for as long as I can remember,” she admitted softly. “He killed my familiar. I’m certain he’d have killed me, eventually. I have no idea how many people he’s killed over the years.”
The terror and sadness in her voice made it hard to keep my temper under control. Desmond LaCroix deserved to be in Hell, even though I had no right to keep him there. Knowing he hadn’t committed a crime against me, I was technically obligated to release him. The rules didn’t allow me to imprison a warlock who hadn’t wronged me personally. I was also the fucking Angel of Darkness. Screw the rules.
“I’m sorry you went through all of this,” I told her.
“We should go,” she stated, trying to squirm off my lap.
I practically groaned as her cute little ass wiggled around on my dick. The woman had no idea what she was doing to me. If she did, she’d stop moving and scramble off my lap. “Yes,” I agreed in a rough voice. “Grab your purse, and we’ll go.”
Beatrice nodded and wiggled off my lap. Holy Hell! She was going to kill me.
As soon as she walked out of the room, I typed out a quick message.
Lucifer: Beatrice received a call from her brother.
Rainer: WTF? How did he get access to a phone?
Lucifer: Since we have no clue where he is, I couldn’t begin to guess. I want him found.
Rainer: Got it. Once we find him, I’ll question him.
Lucifer: No. Put him in an interrogation room, and I’ll question him. This may be the only time I thank you for lying to me.
Rainer: Beatrice told you?
Lucifer: Yes, she did. That woman is something else. We’re heading out now.
Beatrice looked much more put together when she returned with her purse. I finally took the time to appreciate the beautiful woman standing before me. The green dress hugged her curves nicely. Despite her petite stature, she had a nice figure with round hips and small, pert breasts. Used to being around sex demons, I rarely saw a woman without makeup. Beatrice wasn’t the type to wear makeup. She certainly didn’t need it. With flawless porcelain skin, I could see her cheeks heating as I regarded her.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured.
“Thank you,” she replied with a sweet smile. “I also want to thank you for listening to me talk about my brother.”
My lips twitched. “You barely talked about him.”
“I talked quite a bit, considering we don’t know each other very well,” she argued. “Don’t forget that I trusted you with a secret that could get me into a lot of trouble.”
“Lucifer wouldn’t be angry with you under the circumstances,” I told her.
“I’d still prefer to avoid having him find out,” she insisted. “Just to be on the safe side.”
“I won’t tell him,” I assured her. “This must be hard for you—opening up after you’ve been through so much.
“You sound like someone speaking from experience.” She squeezed my hand in a gesture of comfort.
I smiled down at her. “Like most people, I’ve had some adversity to deal with,” I agreed. “Mostly, I’ve led a fairly easy life.”
“I always figured there was more stress growing up in the demon realm,” she remarked as she locked the front door. “Granted, I’ve only known sex demons.”
I nodded. “They have a tougher time in the demon realm. Their area is blocked off, but that doesn’t completely protect them.”
“What region do you live in?” she asked.
“Close to the detention areas,” I replied honestly.
We entered the elevator as she mulled over what I’d said. Beatrice didn’t know too much about the demon realm, and she seemed unsure what to ask.
“Many fallen angels live there,” I told her. “We’re responsible for taking on some duties in the prisons, and it’s easier if we live close by.”
“You’re a fallen angel?” she asked.
I nodded. She’d obviously assumed I was a demon of some sort.
“So, you might have met my brother,” she said quietly.
“I haven’t,” I assured her. “Rainer told me about your brother last night.”
We stepped out into the lobby of her building. People stopped to stare. I was used to that. Thankfully, Beatrice lived in a human building. If not, I might have witches coming up to me.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“We have reservations at a restaurant in New York,” I began. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late.”
“New York?” she asked. “Why do we need to go all the way to New York for dinner?”
I shrugged. “It won’t take us more than an hour to get there using the portal.”
“Won’t the lines be terrible at this time of day?” she asked.
She was right about the normal portals being busy at this time of day. Many people commuted long distances for work thanks to the demon portals. I didn’t use those portals.
“I know one that won’t have a line,” I assured her.
Still, she hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, placing a hand under her chin.
> “This is some fancy restaurant, isn’t it?” she asked.
“It’s upscale,” I replied. “Where did you expect me to take you? A pizza place?”
“That would be nice,” she replied.
“Really?” I asked. I’d been trying to impress her, and she wanted pizza.
“Or a burger,” she added.
I laughed and shook my head as I led her out to my car. I’d been careful to select one that would be hard to identify. The Tesla was one of my favorites—not because it was good for the environment. It was simply fun to drive.
“Pizza it is,” I relented as I opened the door for her.
“You’re joking, right?” she asked.
“I’d take you to a food truck if you asked,” I confessed.
She giggled at my confession. “I can’t picture you eating from a food truck, Dev. I feel a little bad about you changing your plans like this. Something tells me pizza is a little lowbrow for you.”
“Are you insinuating I’m a snob?” I asked as I slid behind the wheel.
“Not a snob, but you seem like a man with refined tastes,” she replied. “I’ll bet that suit you have on cost more than my rent.”
“It’s hard to say since it was made in the demon realm,” I replied. “For our next date, I’ll wear jeans.”
“Sorry,” she began. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about dressing up or make you think you need to wear something else. You look great.”
“So, you don’t want to see me in jeans?” I teased.
“I liked you in jeans, too,” she assured me.
“You’re quite adorable when you’re flustered,” I told her.
“You’re quite aggravating when you’re trying to make me flustered,” she countered.
“Liar,” I accused. “Where should we go? I’m not familiar with the pizza places around here.”
“There’s a witch owned place in Blackhawk Plaza,” she began thoughtfully. “There’s also a great place in San Ramon. It’s human owned, but they make fantastic Chicago style pizza.”
I nodded. “Let’s try the place in San Ramon.” I’d run into fewer preternatural creatures at a human restaurant, making it less likely someone would blow my cover on our first date.
Chapter 11
Beatrice
Watching Dev eat pizza was entertaining. I almost wished we’d gone to a different restaurant. At Zachary’s, the pizza was messy enough that most people ate with a fork. From the way he meticulously cut each slice, I’d guess Dev didn’t eat any type of pizza with his fingers.
“We don’t have much in common,” I remarked.
Dev regarded me for a short time before responding. “Only when it comes to the little things. I like that.”
“You like that I convinced you to take me out for messy pizza instead of the nice restaurant you picked out?” I asked.
“It’s good,” he admitted. “I’ve had pizza before, but it wasn’t like this. It’s also been many years.”
“This is really good pizza,” I agreed.
“How does the other place you mentioned compare?” he asked.
“It’s great in a different way,” I told him. “I love pizza. Do you have pizza in the demon realm, or do you need to come to the human realm when you’re craving pizza?”
“We have pizza,” he began. “It’s nothing like this.”
“It sounds like demon realm pizza leaves something to be desired,” I remarked.
Dev chuckled. “Pizza isn’t something we excel at. There are several places where you can get a good steak.”
“You have cows in the demon realm?” I asked. “When I was there, I was told I didn’t want to know what the meat was.”
“When were you in the demon realm?” he asked.
“I went a couple of times when I was in high school,” I replied. “My succubus friend is half-witch. Her family used to invite me to stay with them a few weeks every summer.”
“And you agreed?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, it says a lot about my home life that I preferred the demon realm over staying home with my family,” I told him.
“So, you haven’t been since high school?” he asked.
“When my brother was trying to kill me, I stayed with another succubus,” I replied. “As you can see, I’ve spent a lot of time around sex demons.”
“I never would have guessed that about you,” he admitted.
“Why? Do I seem too pious?” I asked.
“Pious?” he asked with a bark of laughter. “That’s not the word I was thinking of. You seem innocent.”
Dev’s eyes locked on something across the room, and I turned to see what he was looking at. Sitting at a table across the restaurant was a man with long golden hair and piercing blue eyes. He was huge, likely as tall as Dev with broad shoulder stretching the fabric of his white dress shirt. He looked like a warrior from ancient times.
“Who is that?” I asked.
“You can see him?” Dev’s face showed nothing, but he sounded shocked.
“Of course, I can see him,” I replied, looking at Dev like he’d lost his mind. The man was sitting right across from us. I’d have to be nearly blind to miss him.
Chapter 12
Lucifer
Michael’s presence came as a surprise, but not nearly as much of a surprise as Beatrice’s ability to see him. Angels rarely made their presence known to anyone. In general, only other angels could see them. They weren’t happy that fallen angels could see them. Angels were high and mighty pricks, and few were bigger assholes than Michael. He had good reason for his arrogance. Michael was a great warrior who had fought in many battles in the past. I respected his fighting skills even if I didn’t like him.
I wasn’t certain if he was intentionally making his presence known to Beatrice, or if she was one of the few who could see angels. Michael was sitting at the table of a family who clearly didn’t know he was there.
“Dev,” she pushed. “Who is that?”
“Michael,” I replied.
“The archangel?” she asked with something akin to awe.
“Yes,” I replied. “I need to talk to him outside for a minute. Do you mind waiting?”
She glared at Michael before looking back at me. “You aren’t in trouble, are you?”
I chuckled at her fierce expression. “And what if I am?”
“Then we should leave through the back door,” she said in an urgent whisper.
I grinned at her. “Do you think you can outrun an angel?”
“I can change into almost any form I want,” she explained. “First, I’ll need to strip off these clothes in the bathroom, but that won’t take long. You can make your escape right after I go into the bathroom. The angel will probably go in looking for me before he goes after you. That will give you more time to make a run for it.”
Her escape plan was a huge turn on. Beatrice was smart, resourceful, and definitely not an angel groupie. There were plenty who saw things as black and white. Angels were good. Fallen angels were bad. Beatrice didn’t think that way. Her bravery impressed me. Few would risk angering an angel.
“I’m not in any danger,” I assured her. It was a struggle to keep my hands to myself. I wanted to reach across the table and stroke her cheek or lean forward to kiss her. Michael knowing of her existence was bad enough. I didn’t want him figuring out she mattered to me.
She nodded. “Okay, but if you’re gone too long, I’ll eat the last of the pizza.”
“Then I’ll hurry,” I assured her before standing and walking out the front door of the restaurant. I made my way around to the side of the building to get some privacy before turning to Michael. “This isn’t your usual scene. Did you suddenly have a craving for pizza?”
Michael shook his head and smiled. “Can’t I stop by to see an old friend?”
“We weren’t friends, even before my fall,” I reminded him.
“But we did have fun fighting,” he insisted.
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“That we did,” I agreed.
“Who’s the little demon?” he asked.
“She’s not a demon,” I told him. Demons were fair game with angels, but witches had some level of protection. I didn’t like Michael’s interest in Beatrice. “She’s just some witch I want to fuck.”
“With those eyes?” he asked doubtfully. “That’s not your typical witch green.”
“Many wear contact lenses to change the color of their eyes now,” I said with a shrug. “For all I know, witches may even have spells to change their eye color.”
“Vain creatures,” he muttered. “Too bad she’s not a demon. She might be fun to play with. For a minute, I thought she could see me.”
“You know that’s not possible,” I stated. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check in with you,” he replied. “There are rumors of some problems in Hell.”
“No more than usual,” I assured him in a bored tone. What happened in my realm was none of Michael’s business.
“That’s not what I heard,” Michael stated.
“Have you been fucking demons?” I asked.
Michael’s nostrils flared, and his fists clenched at his sides. I braced myself for his attack. “You want to start a fight with me?” he ground out.
“Always,” I replied with a grin.
“Asshole,” Michael said with a laugh. “I’d love to fight you, but we both know that’s not going to happen—not today, at least. What’s really going on down there?”
Now, he was going to try to pretend we were buddies. “Nothing more than the usual minor rebellions,” I told him. “We have them all the time, and we deal with them. This doesn’t concern you.”
Michael looked like he wanted to argue. I wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so curious about what was going on in Hell.
“Fine,” Michael snapped. “Just don’t wait too long to ask for help.”
“Wait!” I called out when he turned to walk away.
He looked at me over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you know?” I asked him. “It seems like you’re fishing for information. I only know about a few minor riots. Is there more I should be looking for?”
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