His heart fainted. Fell unconscious in his chest and stopped beating entirely.
She was telling the truth. Not only was her tongue still intact, but so was…
“I hate you,” she said with a quiver. “I fucking hate you, Gabriel.” That her tongue was still good made his heart clench and cry out in pain. She meant it.
“I hate myself too, so you’re in good company.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry.”
She slapped him and he let her. Then she tried to push him away and he wouldn’t budge. “Kiss me and the curse will lift.”
“Nice fucking try.” She shoved him again and he still didn’t budge.
“What’s the matter, Eve? Hate me so much you don’t know how to love me anymore?” Gabriel pushed her buttons and loved every snarl and slap she gave him. “I cursed your tongue. Now let me undo it.” He knew he’d never be able to undo the damage of this entire conversation. Sometimes one had to make hard decisions, and this was one of them for Gabriel. He’d gone this long without Eve he could continue without her. His brothers, however? No way could Gabriel survive without them. He needed to verify her intentions so he could rest assured she wasn’t the danger they were inviting in.
“Kiss me and it’ll lift.”
“Maybe I’ll keep it. Start a collection,” she snarled. His eyes darted to the red feathers in her wings. The ones she hated so much. The ones she said was a curse and display of shame for loving four men at once.
Gabriel grabbed Eve by her wing bones. Forcing his magic into her, Gabriel took back the red feathers. Eve cried out, her wings flapped and smacked against the wall while he held her tight. Then he stumbled back and let her go. “There,” he growled. “Happy?”
She looked at her wings and her entire face turned the color of a pomegranate. “Give them back!” she screeched. “Give them back right the fuck now, you asshole!”
Before she could say another word, Gabriel slammed his body to hers and kissed her. Sweeping his tongue against hers, he licked away the curse he’d put on her tongue and drew back. Eve bit down on his lip, his flesh crunched when she broke the skin. Blood trickled down his chin. She held him in place like that, and her fierce gaze burned him to the ground.
A growl rumbled up his throat.
Her nostrils flared.
His heart raced.
Her scent thickened.
His wings stiffened.
Eve groaned. Sucking on his bloody bottom lip, she hooked her arms around his neck and smashed her mouth to his. She pushed him backwards until his legs hit the bed. Both of their wings flared out. They stood their ground and half strangled-half caressed each other. Gabriel was the one to retreat first.
His guilt would never allow him this moment. Not right now, at least.
“Lucy,” he groaned. “Lucy comes first.”
“I’m not a sex slave to be passed around,” she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing his blood across her lips. “I’m not here for your fucking pleasure.”
“Too good for us now?”
“Too ruined for you now.” Eve brushed past him and walked away. Going to a corner, she sank down onto the floor and curled her wings around herself.
She started crying. Fuck. With silent footsteps, he approached her cautiously and reached out to touch one of her wings. If she wanted the red feathers back, she could have them. His hand hovered, almost touching the outer vane of a primary feather. Then his hand curled into a fist and he dropped the idea like a bad habit.
They always gave Eve what she wanted.
Now it was time for her to return the goddamn favor.
Gabriel left the room and rejoined the meeting. His guilt grew heavier with every step he took.
Chapter 30
Two hours later, Lucifer dismissed everyone from the meeting and headed back to his bedroom. There was something about the red sky that seriously bugged him. He kept feeling like he missed something. The direction of the flow? The destinations? He couldn’t put it together and it made him feel stupid. Maybe he was the cause of the red sky? If so, why did it terrify him to see it? Those weren’t things he was willing to discuss in front of everyone – they had enough on their plates already – so Lucifer would save that convo for his brothers behind closed doors.
One good thing that came out of the meeting was the decision that the four Angels would split the power equally in Hell instead of one at a time. They would run in shifts of two in Hell, two out, and the Hounds would be able to pull from all four Angels instead of just Lucifer.
That last idea was one of Gabriel’s. It shocked the shit out of Lucifer when his brother brought it up, but after Uriel and Constantine agreed, Lucifer was outnumbered in the vote. And the reality of the situation was, he needed the help. And the reprieve. If he suffered a few more of those hefty energy drains, Lucifer might not have the energy to walk, much less fight and hold his own. Splitting his power, and responsibility, was the only way to get through this mess.
Lucifer pushed open the door and stepped into his darkened bedchamber. His heart skidded to a halt. The room was empty.
“Eve?”
No answer.
Following the scent trail to the old, original part of Hell, Lucifer prowled down the narrow hallway and forced the lanterns to stay dim as he passed by.
Of course, she would have snooped and snuck around. He expected nothing less of her. It was one of the reasons he specifically placed her in his bedroom. Eve could learn a little more about him without Lucifer getting too self-conscious and put on display.
He arrived at the room that once served as a place of mourning. The torches were lit, like always, in the room. The flames cast delicate shadows that danced over her face, arms, and wings. Eve looked like a ghost standing in front of her own tombstone for the first time.
Lucifer leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, studying her every movement. She was so graceful. Purposeful. Eve ran her fingers over the chiseled piss poor replication of her face in the stone. Next, she fanned her hand along the wings he’d carved. They didn’t do the real beauty justice, but he only had crude tools back then and not a clue on how to carve marble. But his masterpiece was perfection to him because she was perfection to him. Eve’s memory was all he had – so no matter how badly he carved the slope of her nose or the fullness of her lips, he cherished every inch of her because that was all he’d ever get again.
Or so he thought.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to the wall.
“For what?” Letting him believe she was dead? For sending those women to him? For forcing his brothers to live without her because he had to live without her? For things she’s done and not told him yet? Lucifer stepped into the room, his gait making fast work of closing the space between them. “Tell me one thing you’re sorry for.”
Eve shuddered and dropped her hand. “Everything.”
He swept the hair away from her face. “You’re shaking.”
“Hell should make one quake.”
“You sure it’s only Hell making you tremble so much?”
He cupped the side of her jaw. She was clammy. Pale. And lovely. He knew he shouldn’t care. Knew damn well there was a world of trouble out there and he wanted to jump back into the thick of it as soon as possible. But first—
“I’m going to ask you something,” he warned. “I want an honest answer.”
She licked her lips and nodded.
“Do you still want this?” he ran his thumb across her mouth. “I’m not the same. Neither are my brothers. And neither are you.”
“Yes.”
“Think carefully, Eve. Because what comes after this will change everything.” He’d thought long and hard about his next steps and it relied heavily upon this moment.
“My answer is still yes. I’ll take you, however you are, in any state you are in.”
He tilted his head and allowed the light to hit his face so she could have a good look at him. The darkness spilled down the right side
of his face and spread over his neck. His arms were completely filled in as well. It looked like someone blacked out his skin with spilled ink. He bet the rest of his body was slowly filling in now too.
During the meeting, he watched some of his Hounds break their gaze away, no doubt saddened by the fact that their maker was turning into something vile and dangerous beyond measure. Or maybe he repulsed them. Lucifer saw no difference – no matter what, each time one of them looked away, it hurt.
“Take a good look, Eve. I’m only going to get worse.”
“I’ve seen you at your worst, Lucifer,” she pressed her hand to his heart. “I’ve loved every piece of you – dark, holy, righteous, and deadly. Always have. Always will.”
“I’m dangerous.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Come,” he waved his hand, snuffing those torches out for the first time ever, and submerged them in darkness. Lacing his fingers with hers, Lucifer escorted her out of the room and brought her back to his bedroom. With a flick of his wrist, he locked the doors. Next, he spread his arms out and ignited a fire circle of black and blue flames around the room.
“Lucifer, I think we—”
He shut her up. Cut her words off with his mouth on hers. Eve whimpered against him and placed her hands on his shirt, grabbing a fistful of fabric and tugging him closer.
“Let’s not tonight,” he said against her mouth. “No thinking.”
He intended to fuck every thought out of both their minds.
Eve was under the Devil’s spell. Only one thing came to mind when he brought her back into his bedroom and kissed the hell out of her: Worth it. All her deaths, her agony, her struggles and heartbreak were worth the price of admission to Hell.
The warmth of the flames was nothing compared to the heat Lucifer was throwing off right now. He threaded his fingers into her hair again and grabbed a handful. Pulling, he tipped her head back, exposed her neck, and kissed a light trail of seduction down the column of her throat.
It felt so damned good, her eyes crossed and an undignified guttural groan bubbled out of her mouth. Lucifer’s desire was a mind-bending, toe-curling, drug.
One kiss from the Devil and your life, as you knew it, was over.
“Take off your clothes before I rip them off with my teeth,” his voice was deep and morphed.
“You first.”
He cocked a brow and it was sexy and scary at the same time. Lucifer took two steps back and a chill skated down Eve’s arms and caused her nipples to harden.
Silently, he unlaced his boots and kicked them off. Knowing just how to move his body to keep it smooth, fluid, and sexy as fuck, Lucifer ripped his shirt off clean down the middle and tossed it to the ground next.
There was tattoo on his pec, right over his heart of four slashes and a fifth slicing through all of them. She wasn’t a fool to think it represented what they once had. Nor was she going to let her curiosity ruin this moment. Eve bit her bottom lip and continued watching Lucifer strip.
He unbuckled his belt. That strap of well-worn leather slipped freely through the loops as graceful as a snake slithering through grass. Like he could read her dirty mind, Lucifer ran the leather strap across his palm and snapped the belt. Crack!
Arousal tackled her. A blinding, blazing, need-to-get-fucked-right-now-or-I-might-die level of heat smothered her lungs, coated her skin, and flooded her system. It wasn’t pretty. It was consuming.
And he wasn’t even touching her yet.
“Give that to me,” she held out her hand.
Lucifer shook his head and dropped the belt to the floor in defiance. Damn him.
Next, he loosened those sinfully tight leathers and left the fly open as a temptation. She stared at the dark curls peeking out. Saw the head of his perfect cock pressed tight against him, wanting release. She waited for him to drop those motherfucking pants. A second ticked by. Then another and another.
“Get over here,” he said in that delicious deep tone of his. “On your knees.”
Eve slid off the bed like a silk sheet and pooled on the floor. Crawling over to him, Eve became absolutely enthralled with the Devil.
He was Desire and Danger. From his black hair, to his chiseled face, to his sculpted body, Lucifer was sin poured over steel. One flash of his killer smile promised a first-class ticket to Paradise. He would make Eve beg for deliverance in a hundred ways, too, and she couldn’t wait.
Lucifer was the reason to become a sinner. He was worth going to Hell for.
On her knees, Eve waited with her eyes locked on his and her hands in her lap. This wasn’t submission. This was something else entirely.
“Pull them down,” he ordered.
She reached up and hooked her fingers into his waistline. Dragging those leathers down nice and slow, her breath caught when she reached his ankles. Two-thirds of his body had turned black as pitch.
He was stunning.
Peeling those pants off him also stripped away his control and discipline. It gave him permission, freedom to be raw and exquisite. She didn’t stop there. Eve got him just how she wanted him – completely and totally at her disposal.
Lucifer grabbed his dick and stroked it slowly. The tip of his cock was only inches from her mouth. She saw the pearl bead glisten on the tip of his dick and she immediately licked it. He hissed with pleasure when she started sucking.
“Fuuuuck.” Shoving his hand into her hair, he pushed his cock a little further into her mouth. Her jaw was opened as wide as possible, and still her teeth scraped his length.
She couldn’t even get half of him into her mouth before he hit the back of her throat. Relaxing her muscles, Eve prepared to take him deeper, but Lucifer yanked her head back. She released his cock with a popping noise.
“Not like this,” he dipped down and scooped Eve up, then carried her to the bed.
“How do you want me?”
“Every way I can fucking get you,” he lowered himself down and kissed her with every sinful intention the Devil possessed.
Spreading her thighs as wide as possible, Eve gave him full control. He paused and inhaled. “Fucking Hell, Eve.” Her arousal was so thick she was no more than an animal in heat. That kind of thing could spin Lucifer out of control and she was praying for it.
He nuzzled her neck and bit down to hold her in place. Eve’s mouth watered, pussy swelled, and blood fizzled with the need of him. Then his hand traced a line down her breasts, past her belly button, over her thatch of trimmed hair, and dipped inside her pussy. He pumped his fingers into her mercilessly. A soundless cry tried to work its way out of her throat and just before she came, Lucifer pulled out and dove down to the joining of her thighs. He teased her. Tortured her with his edging.
It got so bad, she started crying with frustration. And still, he wouldn’t relent.
He was punishing her. Bringing her right up to the edge of the cliff and then keeping her suspended there – not falling, not backing off, not doing anything other than hoping for a release that stayed just out of fucking reach.
She wanted to fall. She needed to fall.
Lucifer worked her over for so long, Eve couldn’t tell which end was up anymore. Sweat soaked the bedsheets. Her body was tight as a drum. Her head swam. And still he refused to look at her. Refused to speak. Refused to give her that final shove to let her fall into ecstasy.
With a bark of frustration, Eve turned the motherfucking tables. She clamped her thighs around his head, squeezed, and flipped the Devil over. Sitting on his face, she rode him hard. “Stroke yourself while you make me come, Lucifer.”
Eve was shaking so bad she could barely hold herself up. But she’d be damned if he was going to wring another drop of need from her body.
Lucifer defied her again.
His hands flew up and he gripped the chains hanging from his headboard. What the fuck were those doing there? The thought of Lucifer chained in bed with another woman stirred unholy fury in Eve. And she had no one to blame but h
erself. Eve slammed her ass down and slid her pussy up and down his face, coating his mouth, nose, and chin with her pleasure. She’d scent mark every inch of his body if she had to.
He gripped the chains harder, rattling those metal links and it made her madder.
“Fuck!” She screamed and hopped off of him. She tried to crawl off the bed but her damn legs were weak with want and it made her look like a newborn foul. That she looked so pathetic infuriated her.
Lucifer, with his eyes glazed and black fire dripping from his fingertips, rolled off the bed and stalked towards her. He didn’t move like a man. He moved like an animal.
A hungry one.
A trapped one.
“I’m trying to show mercy,” he said slowly.
Her gaze dropped to the tatt on his chest again. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why mercy?” She didn’t want his mercy. She wanted him.
But maybe he didn’t really want her back.
All the things Gabriel accused her of started firing in her head. Did Lucifer think those things about her too? If so, why would he bring her here and tease her like this?
To punish me.
“If you don’t want me, I’ll leave.”
She wasn’t going to stick around where she wasn’t wanted. Fuck Lucifer. Fuck Gabriel. Fuck them all. She wasn’t going to be teased and used then discarded like this. And as for her sky-rocketing lust, Eve could endure it until she got back home and dug out her toys.
With a huff, she snatched her clothes from the floor and stormed over to the door. She pulled the handle but the door wouldn’t budge. She yanked harder. Still no go.
Lucifer was suddenly right behind her, his hand firmly pressed against the door.
“I’m not staying where I’m not wanted,” she hated the hurt in her voice. “I realize I have no right to feel rejected right now. Not after everything that’s happened.” She sucked back a cruel laugh, “Guess whatever you do to someone else really does come back to you tenfold, huh?” She tried to yank on the door again. “Damnit, Lucifer! Let me out!”
“Stay,” his hand fanned out over her ribcage and across her waist. “Stay,” he ran his fingers across her feathers. “Stay,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against the scarred mark on her spine.
Raise the Dead Page 24