by Lisa Oliver
“Shit and fucking hell.” Lucifer stormed out of the small cottage, cursing up a storm.
“What does that mean, young anchor?” Brutus asked as Stefan picked his way back out of the pentagram and headed out after his boss. “Why is Lucifer so upset?”
“This man Technic you seek didn’t just barter his soul for the use of the demon’s powers,” Stefan explained as they left the hut. “He’s possessed by the demon – that will be why I didn’t see anyone else in the hut. Those demon sightings the locals reported – chances are, one of them was Technic.”
“And that means what exactly, in terms of our case?”
Looking up at the night sky glistening with stars, Stefan said softly, “It means things are about to get a lot worse.”
Chapter Six
“A demon. Can you fucking believe it? A demon walking around in a body suit of all things.” Lucifer pretty much screamed down the phone. Brutus had dropped him and his anchor at a hotel, rooms already arranged. Lucifer was just glad of some privacy – a chance to let down his guard for five minutes. Seeing Stefan bleeding… nope, he was not going to think about that. It was easier to just be angry at the man he’d been chasing for three years.
“Demon possession is as old as time and you always knew Technic would become more deluded with every victim.” Darwin’s voice on the other end of the call was far too chipper for Lucifer’s mood. “I take it Stefan’s powers of clairvoyance are as exemplary as his ability to channel magic?”
Lucifer scowled at his phone. “Didn’t you hear me? I’ve got a demon on the loose in Technic’s body. He could change his appearance; it will impact his scent…”
“His magical signature will still be the same,” Darwin soothed. “You are closer to the asshole now, than you’ve ever been. I’m confident with Stefan by your side, you’ll take him down. Have you channeled through him yet?”
“No!” Lucifer couldn’t believe his brother. “We’ve barely been here five minutes. I called for my car, back when we were still in Greenford, that’s it. Focus for a minute, damn it. This is serious. Technic could be a real problem now. Worse than he was before.”
Darwin’s sigh was loud across the line. Lucifer could almost imagine his brother next to him, as he had been on countless cases before. “Technic has always been a problem, brother, but he’s been lucky so far and that luck won’t last, especially now he’s carrying a demon with him. What I don’t understand is why you’re talking to me about it. You should be filling in Stefan on the tricks this asshole has played before – prepare him for what’s to come.”
Lucifer walked slowly over to the window, his phone still pressed to his ear. “I shouldn’t have brought him, Darwin,” he said with all seriousness. “He’s… he’s… unique, and that stands out here.”
“His uniqueness makes him perfect for you and a spot of worry about your anchor isn’t a bad thing. You cared for me and watched out for me countless times when we were on cases. Don’t you remember when I almost got eaten by that gargoyle in Spain?”
Lucifer chuckled. Those were fun times. But his worry persisted. “He’s not you. I don’t know…”
“Lucifer, this is for your own good, you know that,” Darwin interrupted firmly. “There’s no point in laying the guilt trips on me now. I let you get away with doing that long enough, purely because you’re my older brother. Six months I’ve known Monty was meant for me, and for six months he put up with me going on cases with you, even when it meant being halfway around the world from him at times. Monty and I set date, after date, after date, only for you to text me at the last minute telling me to grab my bag. That’s not the decent thing to do with a mate, you know that, surely?”
“I guess.” Lucifer stared up at the night sky so clear through the glass. “How did you truly know Monty was the one for you? How could you even tell the difference between ‘yeah, okay for a hook up,’ and the real deal? I never dreamed you’d get serious with someone.”
“That’s the wonder of magic.” Lucifer could hear the smile in Darwin’s voice. “The moment Monty touched me, just brushed against my arm actually, I could feel the magic crackling between us. In all the time I’ve been touching you, I’ve never gotten more than a hum. Magic doesn’t lie, bro, and when I actually held out my hand for him to shake, just saying hello, the signals under my skin all along my forearm lit up. They only ever do that for a mate.” He chuckled. “I was just glad I had my sleeves rolled up, or I might not have noticed, not that it would’ve mattered. The sight of light filled tattoos just sped things along a bit.”
Lucifer’s mind went to Stefan unbidden. The man had been wearing long sleeves. Forcing his mind away from the urge to storm down the hallway and demand to see a stranger’s arms, he sighed. “I will be happy for you Dar, just not right this minute. We’ve trodden a long road together and I’m not a fan of change, especially now. It’d be nice to know if the man who was anchoring me could throw a punch on occasion too.”
“I have a feeling Stefan de Marco will surprise you with what he can do. That man’s got a resilience that surprised even me, and he’s come through a lot in his young life.”
“Yeah, well don’t be surprised if he calls you wanting to come home. You know how grumpy I get when I’m on a case.”
Darwin laughed and Lucifer said his goodbyes and disconnected the call. Talking to his brother hadn’t helped, except reinforce his worry, which in the privacy offered by the hotel room he could face head on. The signs were all there. Magic crackling. Lucifer’s visceral reaction when they met. Depending on the type of training Stefan had, he might not even be aware there could be a connection deeper than a typical anchor/magic user between them. Lucifer wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
He’s so young. Well, Stefan looked young, but that didn’t mean a lot in the scheme of things. Lucifer didn’t look his age either. One of the positives of having magic and using it wisely.
I could pick him up one handed. Lucifer had been tempted when he’d seen the blood running from Stefan’s hands. Pick him up, hold him close and walk away... but that wasn’t who Lucifer was. Technic had to be caught, especially now.
This is the worst possible time to meet someone new, let alone my mate and anchor. Fuck. What am I going to do? Lucifer knew he should sleep. Brutus was meeting them early to go back out to the crime scene so Stefan could see if his little bug would be any use tracking Technic’s magic. He’s down the hall and safe for now, and it was that thought that propelled Lucifer into a long-needed shower.
/~/~/~/~/
“Why does he affect me like he does do you think?” Stefan should have been enjoying the first decent bed he’d slept in since he’d been evicted. It was huge, with a deep mattress Stefan had to climb up onto, and the coverings were soft and clean. But despite the events of the day, and the lovely hot shower he’d enjoyed, Stefan found his mind just would not let go of Lucifer Fireborn.
Garrick, who was perched on the head board rustled his feathers and then pointedly stuck his head under his wing. Stefan chuckled. His faithful familiar had a way of making a point even when he didn’t speak.
“Fine, I’ll sleep too.” Rolling over, Stefan bunched up his pillows and closed his eyes, with Lucifer front and center in his mind’s eye. Tall – very. Powerful – definitely. But Stefan had met powerful magic users before. Gaston, before his untimely death, had immeasurable powers, but Stefan never got the jitters around him, even when he’d first been apprenticed to the great man.
Ah, but Gaston was kind under his ruthless nature and kindness wasn’t a word Stefan could use to describe Lucifer. If Gaston could be described as a lion then Lucifer was a wolf. Edgy. Focused. Ruthless. Stefan remembered the pang of hurt he felt when Lucifer said he didn’t want his blood tainting a crime scene. But why do I even care that he doesn’t care? It’s not compulsory, between anchor and magic user.
I have to get my game face on tomorrow, Stefan promised himself as he waited for sleep. Prof
essional. Competent. I won’t give Lucifer cause to complain about me.
And as far as Stefan was concerned, if his dreams were filled with sexy times with the man he was meant to anchor, then no one would know about it but him. This bed is more comfortable than a concrete doorstep, and that was the last conscious thought he had.
Chapter Seven
The blood curdling scream woke Lucifer from a deep sleep and he was on his feet and out the door before his brain kicked into gear, pounding down the hallway to the room where Stefan had been shown to the night before. But as he reached the door, it opened and a sleep disheveled Stefan came running out, tugging on a robe.
“It came from down this way,” Stefan said, taking off at a sprint, giving Lucifer a tantalizing glimpse of lean legs.
He hasn’t even got boots on. Lucifer jumped as a black blur came flying past his head. Damn, Garrick. Lucifer followed, catching up to Stefan as he headed down a set of servant stairs.
“I smell sulfur,” Stefan yelled, leaping down the stairs two at a time. “Can you contain?”
“I’m not containing a fucking demon,” Lucifer grumbled as he overtook. “Expulsion is the only way to deal with them.”
“Not if you want to talk to them about the demon possessing Technic.” Stefan streaked past. Gods, he was fast. “Brutus said there were two demon sightings the night of the death.” He clattered to the bottom of the stairs. Another scream had him wrenching open an emergency door, running out into the dark.
You’ll give me a fucking heart attack if you keep running off like that, Lucifer cursed, catching the door just before it closed. Outside, the alley was unnaturally dark – not a star or glimmer of light to be seen.
“Stefan?” Lucifer let go of the door reluctantly. He didn’t have time to find something to latch it open. “Stefan? Answer me.”
“Over here.” A pale light suddenly appeared about a hundred foot along the alley. Hoping he didn’t step on anything disgusting, Lucifer made his way over, still unable to see anything beyond the beacon Stefan had magicked up.
As Lucifer got closer his heart sunk. He recognized the hair first, and the bulk. Stefan looked up, a single tear running down his pale cheek. “It’s Brutus,” he hiccupped. “They took his heart.”
Damn and fucking hell. Lucifer sent up a silent prayer for his fallen friend. He and Brutus had covered many cases together. He forced his investigative mind to the fore, scanning the scene. Brutus had fought – that much was obvious from the grazes on his knuckles and the bruises on his face. His coat sleeve was torn, and there was a long rip in his pants. Most shocking, especially in the warm glow, was the trail of the shirt, ripped aside and the gaping hole in Brutus’s chest. Lucifer looked up, but he could see nothing beyond Stefan’s light.
“Touch me,” he said urgently. “There’s still magic at play here. We’re meant to see something else.”
“Brutus wasn’t even magical,” Stefan sniffed and stood up, extending his hand. “Someone saw us, didn’t they? Someone saw us at the crime scene yesterday.”
Taking the hand offered, Lucifer felt the touch – e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. The magic crackled and glowed between them, outshining Stefan’s light. I knew it, I knew it. Ignoring Stefan’s look of shock, Lucifer circled the air with his free hand. Reveal. The alley lit up in a shower of sparks, bouncing off the foreign magic infusing the walls. Opposite Brutus’s body, big letters were written in dark red.
I’m coming for you next.
“We need to go.” Lucifer found he was reluctant to let go of Stefan’s hand as he moved back towards the hotel end of the alley, so he didn’t.
“We can’t leave Brutus here like this.” Stefan made as if to go back, his hand still caught in Lucifer’s grip.
“Brutus is gone. Mourning over his body is not going to bring him back.” It was as if the darkness was closing back in and Lucifer lengthened his stride, causing Stefan to run. “I’ll call his office as soon as we get inside, and they can retrieve him. Move. We can’t be seen here.”
“We’ve already been seen,” Stefan cried, tugging his hand free, with surprising strength. “That message was meant for you. You go inside. I want you to be safe, but they don’t know about me. I will not leave a friend’s body dead in an alley unattended.”
“You barely knew him twenty-four hours. He kissed your hand. Whoopie, I’ll kiss your hand too, but I need your skinny ass back in the hotel.”
“That’s not…”
Lucifer did not have time for Stefan’s shit. The hairs on the back of his neck let him know there was a non-human presence in the alley, and if Stefan thought he was being left there with nothing but a dead body then he was nuts. One long step and he was at Stefan’s side, sliding his arm around a slender waist, and picking the man bodily off the ground.
“Let me go.” Stefan struggled, kicking and hitting out with his hands.
“This isn’t me being intimate with you.” Lucifer got to the end of the alley and hesitated, looking down at his sleep pants, and bare feet. “Glamor time, shut up, or we’ll never get through the hotel lobby.”
“I’ve got to get Garrick.” Stefan made one last attempt to get free.
“He’ll find the hotel window. Now, hush.”
Tucking Stefan more firmly under his arm like a gangly football, Lucifer focused on appearing how he usually did, complete with a long coat to ‘hide’ his anchor from view. He strode to the hotel entrance, nodding briefly to the man who held the door open for him, before making his way confidently across the deserted lobby.
“Excuse me, Mr. Fireborn?” The voice was coming from the reception desk.
“Yes?”
“There’s a message for you, sir. Left about an hour ago. I thought you were sleeping, but…”
Frowning, Lucifer crossed over, only getting as close to the desk as necessary, conscious of Stefan’s bulk and not wanting to hit his head on the paneling. “Thank you.” The envelope wasn’t telling him anything. Plain white, with his name handwritten on the outside, but no mention of a room number or anything else.
Stefan, to his credit, stayed silent, but Lucifer didn’t imagine that situation would continue. Indeed, as soon as he’d set Stefan’s feet on the floor in the privacy of his room, Stefan whirled on him, his eyes as dark as the storm he promised to deliver.
Chapter Eight
“You bully! You overgrown, self-centered fucking bully.” Stefan was panting he was so angry. Never, in all his years as an anchor had anyone ever physically picked him up and carried him from a scene like a toddler throwing a tantrum. “How dare you override my wishes like that. How dare you treat me… treat me…” he was struggling to get his words out. “Treat me like a child, when I simply wanted to sit with the body of a friend until help came. How could you? Don’t you have any compassion?”
“We were being watched.” Lucifer said calmly. He was examining the envelope he’d picked up at reception. “There was an inhuman presence in the alley, and I didn’t feel either one of us were dressed for confrontation.”
Dressed for? Stefan looked down to see his robe was open, showing off the pale blue boy shorts he favored and a whole lot of skin. Oh, gods what must he think of me, he fretted as he hastily secured his robe around him with the ties. Then he looked over at Lucifer, suddenly conscious that the glamor was gone, and Lucifer’s sleep pants left a lot of very tempting skin for him to eye up.
“You need to call the agency Brutus worked for,” Stefan said, turning around and facing the door. He did not want to be accused of doing the one thing Lucifer said all young magic users did around him. And it was tempting… oh, so tempting. Those tattoos. Stefan swallowed as his mouth watered. “Someone needs to claim his body. Well, are you calling them?”
“Nope.” Lucifer said grimly. “I’m reading the note from Brutus telling me he wouldn’t be able to make our appointment in four hours’ time, because he believes there’s a mole at his office and he worries he’s being followed. He said, in his no
te, he’d be waiting at a place only he and I know about, when he’d evaded the people following him. His last words were to watch our backs.”
“Oh, fairy dust, no.” Stefan hugged his arms around his middle as he shivered. “He got killed coming to warn you. That’s so unfair, he doesn’t even have magic of his own. There was no way he could have defended himself against the forces in that alley. He was an investigator. I… I…” Stefan pulled himself together with effort. Lucifer would not appreciate him breaking down now – that was unprofessional. “What do we do now?”
“We get out of here, that’s what we do. Once his agency sees the body, they are going to be looking for the magic users responsible and at the moment you and I are the only magic users in the area.” Stefan felt Lucifer moving closer and he hugged himself tighter, before he did something completely against the code he lived by, like throw himself into the bigger man’s arms. He wasn’t capable of being blasé about Brutus’s gruesome death.
“There’s something else you should know. The way our magic flared when I took your hand.” Lucifer was standing so close, Stefan imagined he could feel the man’s body warmth. “That connection between us… it’s… you have to know…”
“I’ll go and pack.” Stefan bolted to the door – a cowardly move he freely admitted, but after just seeing a man with his chest clawed open, the last thing he wanted was a discussion about… that. “I’ll find Garrick and meet you back here in ten minutes.”
Fumbling with the door handle, Stefan managed to get it open and then he ran. The hallway seemed longer than before, and Stefan didn’t take a full breath until he’d got into his room, leaning on the door he’d just closed. “I can’t think of this right now, I won’t think of this right now. I just won’t.”
He hurried over to the window where an impatient Garrick was tapping on the glass. “I won’t think of this right now, did you hear me?” He said as he let the bird in. “I can’t even contemplate what it means that the great Lucifer Fireborn is my mate. There’s a dead body in the alley… someone we knew… Lucifer’s friend. And now… the sparks… oh wow, the sparks between us when we touched. Oh, my gods, Garrick, what am I going to do?”