by Rae Foxx
Michael snorted. "Lucifer, in any of his incarnations, is never innocent."
I smiled as I curled around my Lucian. "This one was different," I whispered. "He was good."
That was the last I remembered as Gabriel’s and Michael's magic filtered into my mind and helped me settle into a deep sleep where I dreamed of Ariel and Jellybean playing together in the backyard.
18
I woke up beside Lucian with Michael and Gabriel gone. If Lucian had any hope of trusting his new memories, he couldn't see them again until we figured it all out.
The previous day's events crashed into my mind all at once. The physical pain of the birth was still lingering in my memory, even though all of the actual pain was gone. Letting go of my sweet baby girl still left a cloud over my heart. I should've had Michael dull the ache, at least for now, so it would be easier to hide all of the negative emotions from Lucian.
Too late now. I hopped out of bed and raced for the shower as the tears began to flow down my cheeks. The shower being my sanctuary to revel in my pain.
A half-hour later, I emerged to find Lucian grinning at me with his hands behind his head. "Morning, gorgeous."
I looked down at myself. I'd walked into the bedroom with a white towel wrapped around my body. It still felt strange to have a flat stomach. Feeling oddly alone, I crossed my arms over my belly and sucked in a deep breath.
"Good morning."
Lucian threw the covers back revealing a massive erection. He'd always loved a morning romp, but today it felt wrong. Not twenty-four hours before, I'd delivered his baby, which he couldn't even remember. "You overslept," I said to try to discourage him from asking for sex.
He jumped from the bed and hurried toward the bathroom, pressing a swift kiss to my cheek as he passed. "Lay out a suit for me?"
"Of course." I pulled on some comfy clothes, then went into his closet and picked out one of my favorite suits of his. Dark blue. It accentuated his eyes beautifully.
I'd carry on as if everything was normal until I saw Gabe and Michael. Presumably, they were working on how to get his memories back... Or kill him. Either way, he'd end up in Abaddon with his memories.
When he came out of the bathroom, his face was shiny with the moisturizer I knew he loved. It was a special blend made in the kitchen of some old lady that lived across town. She'd been his client for years. He'd blown his black hair in its perfect part and when he pressed another kiss to my lips, I tasted and smelled mint.
Lucifer had always been fastidious with his looks. As an angel, it was much easier. We never needed moisturizer or to style our hair. Our skin was always perfect, and if we wanted to change our hairstyle, it was as simple as a thought.
"Lots to do today?" I asked.
"Oh, this and that. Linda is on vacation, so I'll be doing everything." He grinned and pulled his dress pants on. "You know I'm lost without her."
He wasn't exaggerating. He'd spend most of his day trying to figure out how she did all she did.
I left him to dress and went downstairs to make him breakfast and lunch. I especially wanted to do it because I knew how he'd spoiled me when I was pregnant. Of course, he didn't remember it at all, but that didn't mean I didn't appreciate him.
We ate our omelets in silence and he finally noticed my mood. "What's wrong?" He set down his fork and gave me his full attention.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Lies on top of lies. They were eating at me. I couldn't wait for him to remember everything and to tell him about his girl.
He pursed his lips. "You know I know you're fibbing."
I forced a smile and reached out for his hand. "Luc, I'm fine."
He studied my face for a few more seconds, then picked up his fork and finished his breakfast.
I stood by the door and held out his lunchbox when he was ready to go. "Love you, Luc."
Normally, he'd peck my cheek and take his lunch, but today he stopped and wrapped his arms around me. "I don't know what's bothering you, but if I've done something please tell me. I'll do anything I can to make it right."
Chuckling, he pulled a genuine smile from my soul. "I appreciate you. You've been the most amazing husband. Thank you. I love you, Luc." By the time I finished, he looked well and truly worried.
"Okay, now I'm really concerned. What is wrong?"
Laughing, I pulled out of his arms. "Nothing, you big lug. I'm probably about to get my period. Feeling emotional. Go to work."
With another kiss, he did as I said. Men always accepted the period excuse, even amazingly intuitive ones like Luc.
As soon as the garage door shut behind him, Michael and Gabriel appeared in the kitchen.
I tried to focus on cleaning up the breakfast dishes. They knew me well and didn't pester me to talk until I was ready. Halfway through cleaning, I decided we'd need something to eat for dinner, so I put a roast in my crockpot. I sprinkled a dry ranch dressing packet on top, added a small jar of pepperoncini peppers, and a stick of butter. It would cook slowly throughout the day and turn into a divine roast by dinner time.
When the kitchen was spotless, I hung up the dish towel and gave them my attention. "Okay. Lay it on me."
"We're back to trying to kill him," Gabe said. "It's the simplest solution."
"When we're not working on Lucian, we're going to try to find Raphael," Michael said. "He's disappeared for a reason. Either he's got something to do with this or maybe he's been attacked as well."
Gabe shook his head. "I can't imagine what good can come of this or why Raph would do it. We are all on the same side after all.”
Michael shrugged and sat in the kitchen chair. "We've got to find him."
"So, what first?" I asked.
"Try to enjoy your day. I know you're going to miss Lucian. Enjoy your day with him. Have dinner. I'll be back in the night to try it while he's asleep. I'm going to use my sword." Michael shrugged. "Gabe tried several times and none of the attempts worked. I'm going to try."
"It might work with your sword. It's imbibed with the wrath of God," Gabe chimed in.
I sighed, "Okay. Leave me to have the day to myself. I want to think about my baby girl."
If we got this shit sorted out, I'd be able to visit Ariel in my ethereal body. Even go in and hold her while she sleeps. She'd never know.
I hadn’t thought about doing that before, but once I held her in my arms, I craved her. I wanted to nuzzle her soft cheeks again and smell her intoxicating aroma.
They crowded close, hugging me and each giving me a quick kiss. "We'll get this figured out," Gabriel whispered into my ear. "It'll calm down and you’ll see our little girl. You’ll see her soon."
Tears sprang to my eyes—again—as I said goodbye to them. Part of me wanted them to stay, but mostly I wanted time to grieve.
When they disappeared, I walked upstairs and pulled Ariel's blanket out from under my pillow where I had hidden it. It was the one she had first been swaddled in.
Curling under the thick comforter, I spread the blanket out on a pillow and pulled it close. It smelled like her baby and her aura was still all over it.
I cried until no more tears would fall, then I finally fell asleep.
When I woke, the sun had passed by and moved toward the back of the house. It had to be at least early afternoon. After carefully folding the blanket, I tucked it back under my pillow again and shuffled downstairs to find lunch.
The rest of the day was a fog of sadness. Around four I started trying to cheer myself up, or at least figure out how to fake it.
I wanted one last night with Lucian, so after dinner I planned to seduce him. I changed clothes, pulling out the red bra and panty set that I knew he loved. Over the set, I put on a sexy black dress that I could now fit into again.
As I was dressing, my maternity clothes caught my attention. I grabbed them and threw them into the bottom of my hamper. We'd always each done our own laundry, except when I was pregnant. He'd done it then. But of course, he’d have no memory of that. T
omorrow, I would bag them up and dispose of them. Maybe have Michael or Gabe poof them away.
Slipping into strappy black heels, I moved to the bathroom and used my limited magic to glamour my face into a perfectly made-up mask, looking as if I'd spent my time and effort on my eyes and lips. A low bun was good enough for my hair, and I was ready.
As if perfectly timed, I heard the garage door opening as I walked down the stairs.
An idea popped into my head. "Michael," I whispered and scurried back up the stairs. "Michael!" This time I tried a whisper-shout.
"What?" He appeared above me in my bedroom door with a suspicious look on his face. "Lucian is getting out of his car, why are you calling me?" He looked me up and down. "You look great."
I pushed him into the bedroom. "Make me horny," I whispered. Closing the door behind me, I turned to see Michael frown in confusion.
"Come again?"
"I'm serious. Can you do something to make me horny?" I grabbed his hand. "Luc will be in any second. I want one last night with him as Lucian, but my body and emotions don't. I know it sounds crazy, but I need your help."
Michael moved his jaw soundlessly. "I..."
"Snap out of it! My brain and my emotions want two different things, so I need your help to get me all on the same page."
He shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. "Yeah, I can mess with your hormones a little, but Lil, are you sure this is a good idea? Your emotions are raw right now. Sex isn't something you have to do. "
I narrowed my eyes. "I don't have time to debate the complexities of the female heart to you. Fiddle with my hormones so my body wants what my heart wants. I'll deal with my mind."
Hell, I knew it was a bad idea, but I also knew I'd never have Lucifer like this again. He was the perfect mate. I loved Lucifer. I adored him. But he was far from perfect, especially the past couple of centuries. Lucian was every best part of Lucifer, almost to a fault. Almost.
I wanted one more night to cherish him before Michael came and killed him, bringing back the man I loved.
Just because I loved him didn't mean I was blind to—or tolerated—his faults.
"Do it," I hissed.
Michael rolled his eyes and grabbed my shoulders. In seconds, desire rushed through my body in a wave. My pussy soaked my panties, and I grinned. "Perfect. Now go away."
His expression deadpanned. "You know, if I'm going to make you horny, I should at least get to reap the benefits."
"Keep it in your pants, big boy. Tonight is for Lucifer."
He snorted and disappeared.
"Constance?" Lucian's voice drifted up the stairs.
"Coming!" I hurried down to see him taking off his suit coat and hanging it on the back of the kitchen chair.
When he turned, his jaw dropped. "Wow."
"Thank you, husband." I preened, glad he enjoyed my appearance, even if my makeup was a glamour. "Would you care to see what else I have on?"
Flipping up the edge of my skirt, I gave him a sneak peek. Lucian growled deep in his throat as his eyes lit up. "Oh, it's like that, is it?"
"Definitely." I laughed, but it sounded hollow to my ears. Part of me was delighted to have this teasing, light moment with him. The bigger part of me felt like a fraud when my heart was several miles away with my baby.
Beating back the emotions, I focused on my husband, twirling away from him and heading up the stairs. He took the bait and followed hot on my heels. He quickly caught up to me, scooping me into his arms.
Lucian buried his face in my hair, breathing deep as he held me in our hallway. "I love you."
The emotions rose to the surface as tears pricked behind my eyes. I blinked them back and pressed my chest against Lucian's. "I love you, too."
I was able to lose myself in the sensations as his tongue traced a line from my collarbone to my ear. When he sucked my earlobe into his mouth, I gasped. His breath teased me as he nibbled, making me wiggle in his arms.
"Lucian," I whispered. "Please."
He broke away with a chuckle. "Okay, okay." Walking into our bedroom, he placed me gently on my feet. Then he turned to find Jellybean staring at us in the doorway. He shooed him out into the hall and shut the door.
I backed toward the bed and grabbed the hem of my dress pulling it slowly up my body and over my head, exposing my red lace thong and bra.
"You are gorgeous," Lucian said, striding forward. Cupping my breasts, he rubbed his thumbs across the tips of my peaked nipples. "Perfect."
I grabbed his waistband and pulled him closer so I could unbuckle his belt and pants. I wanted to cherish the night, but it was time to get the show on the road.
He slipped a finger into my bra, drawing the lace down so my breasts slipped out.
My brain went to mush as Lucian's mouth covered my exposed nipple, his warm tongue teasing and sucking. Pleasure shot down my body, my back arching with need.
He wrapped his arms around me pulling me closer.
His hard dick pressed into my lower stomach. Perfect. I pushed his pants down as far as I could reach, making his erection spring out.
Lucian's hands traveled up my back and unhooked my bra, he traced it down my shoulders to pull it off. As he backed away from me, his dick pointed straight at me.
I giggled. "It knows what it wants."
"Always, you."
He leaned forward and grabbed the back of my legs, lifting me up and toward him, then throwing me back so I landed on our big bed with a shriek. He knew I loved it when he gave me a show of strength.
In most of our life, I called the shots.
But in the bedroom, I didn't want to call the shots. I wanted my big, strong husband to take the lead.
Usually, he did. Tonight was no exception, to my relief. I needed him to control it tonight, or I'd never be able to hold it together.
He unbuttoned his dress shirt as his dick swayed underneath it. I watched in delight, knowing what he'd do when he was done.
After throwing his tie and his dress shirt across the room, he climbed onto the bed with me. He wasted no time in burying his face in my pussy. His hands held down my thighs as his tongue circled my clit. I held my breath and tried not to squirm as he sucked gently on it, using his teeth to torture me.
He flicked his tongue over my pleasure button and slid two fingers inside me, moving them rapidly, to bring me to my peak.
A short, intense orgasm broke over me, and I lost the ability to keep my hips still. Bucking like crazy, I was pretty sure I slammed into his face, but I didn't care. The waves of pleasure drew moans from my lips, and before I finished the orgasm, Lucian slid into me with one fast stroke.
My back arched again, the sensation of being filled almost painful. I welcomed the pain. Relished it. His hard, fast strokes pounded into my g-spot and I soon exploded with another orgasm.
Crying out, I let the orgasm go wild, with my head thrown back and my body tightening to ride out the intense pleasure.
Lucian flipped me over and he pulled me toward him positioning me on my hands and knees and slamming into me again without delay.
My orgasm hadn't finished and it began to build again as Lucian held my hips and plunged into me over and over.
I braced myself the best I could, but Lucian's strength kept pushing me forward and down until my face pressed into the bed as I screamed into the mattress.
Once more, he flipped me over, lowering himself down to my body, pressing into me as he slipped inside. With his arms under mine and his hands on my shoulders, he used my body as leverage sliding in and out of me.
The orgasm that had begun two or three—I'd lost count—positions ago softened and simmered, like a pot on a low boil. I wrapped my arms around his back and pulled him tight.
"I don't want to hurt you."
I laughed into his neck. "You always say that, and you never hurt me."
He relaxed his weight, truly pressing me into the mattress. My orgasm reached a crescendo, and I tightened around him, milking him
to come with me.
Lucian groaned my name. "I love you, Connie. You are the best thing that ever happened to me."
We finished with a sigh rather than a roar, the perfect ending to the last time I would sleep with Lucian Morlock.
Abaddon operates as a reform school of sorts. Souls are very rarely unredeemable.
19
After we cleaned up from sex, we ate dinner together and I told Luc I was feeling emotional so it was probably my time of the month. It explained why I wanted to stay so close to him all night. We weren't normally up each other's asses all the time.
He took it in stride, holding me, caressing me, and giving me all the attention he sensed I craved.
When we went to bed, instead of cuddling for a moment then splitting off to get comfortable, he held me until I fell asleep.
I was still laying on his arm when a small noise jerked me from my sleep.
Jellybean stood at the foot of the bed growling low in his throat, hackles raised.
Michael walked into the room, settling Jelly.
Michael winked at me before pulling out a sword. I trickled a little extra sleep into Lucian so he wouldn't accidentally wake and experience his own death. Then, I grabbed his hand. Just because killing him was necessary, it didn't mean I'd enjoy watching him die. Lucifer would emerge, but this wasn't going to be easy.
The moonlight streaming in through our windows was just enough to let me watch as Michael lifted his sword. He met my eyes with his brows lifted as if to ask me if it was okay to do it.
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded.
Michael visibly braced himself, then brought the point of the sword down hard and fast. At the last second, Lucian rolled over, toward me, and Michael jerked. The tip of the sword swerved missing Lucian and the bed completely.
Michael screamed, jumping on one foot. I launched out of bed to help, and Jellybean barked excitedly.
I funneled a little more magic toward Lucian to make sure he'd stay asleep, and then tried to help Michael.
He flicked on the overhead light and leaned against the wall to examine his foot. He'd sliced it pretty deep. "Of all the bullshit."