Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Tix nodded. “All shall be in readiness.”
Lucifer walked out the door, and my heart sank. He hadn’t said a word about saving me, though he knew everything there was to know about me.
Casey moved to my side. “You have to be more careful, Liv. He’s a dangerous creature.”
“Not to me, he isn’t.”
“That is the most naïve thing I’ve heard you say in years.” He shoved his big, dumb, weirdly sexy feet into his loafers and pulled back his hair. It was like he’d put on his academic costume and was ready to play his part. “I think you should stay here.”
I was already walking out the door.
“My lord, Lucifer.” I wasn’t willing to let this chance go by. Something deep inside me told me if I stayed here much longer, I would lose some essential piece of myself, something I wouldn’t be able to fix again.
That’s the funny thing about delusion. We make up excuses to stay in the safe place we’ve made. We change the meaning of words to suit our purposes.
I wasn’t truly afraid to lose a piece of myself. I was terrified to get one back because that fucking demon lord was correct. I’d tossed away my humanity because it hurt.
I didn’t want to hurt.
The Lord of Hell stopped at the top of the landing. “You wish to speak with me?”
“No, she doesn’t.” Casey had caught up.
“I do,” I corrected.
Lucifer snapped his fingers, and suddenly we were in the middle of the garden, the softness of the night all around us. Somehow the moonlight felt like morning to me, like all of this world was beginning to wake. We were in the middle of what looked to be a large hedge maze. There was a white marble fountain at the center, and Lucifer lounged on it, looking up at me with what I could only describe as mischievous eyes. “Are you looking to cuckold your vampire husband? That could be a bit of fun.”
He was far more impish than I would have believed. “No, my lord. I wanted to ask if Myrddin sent you to rescue me.”
His head fell back, a long laugh issuing forth. He sat up, putting a hand to his gut, and I couldn’t miss the way those dark eyes teared up in pure glee.
I stood there, a pit in my stomach, humiliation washing over me.
“Oh, dear. Thank you for that.” Lucifer took a long breath as though savoring the air around him. “For both the laugh and the delicious shame that just went through you. You are extremely open for a dark witch with a piece of her soul missing.” He stared at me for a moment. “Ah. He didn’t take the piece you wanted him to take. That’s the funny thing about making deals with a creature like Myrddin Emrys. You think you control it, but you almost never know exactly how to maneuver around him. I bet you didn’t even call in a lawyer to advise you.”
“I don’t need a lawyer. Myrddin is my master.”
“Yes, and a slave is always so well protected,” he replied with that odd smile that held no humor. “He must have been thrilled when you got caught on his side of the war. You must have looked like a sweet treat to him. Why did the vampire let you go?”
“He went with his academic brothers. He didn’t care about me.”
His head tilted slightly, considering me. “A lie. Interesting. Child, you might be able to lie to yourself, but you cannot lie to me. I am the father of lies. However, I’m enjoying your delusion and the information it’s giving me on how the spawn operates. You see, he is one creature I cannot read.”
I hadn’t known that Lucifer couldn’t read Myrddin Satanspawn. “I thought perhaps he’d sent you to find me.”
Lucifer went still, and suddenly the air around me didn’t seem so soft. Menace crept along my skin, making my gut turn. “You thought I was Myrddin’s errand boy?”
I’d stepped in it. He was presenting almost human, but I forgot who he was at my own peril. I went to one knee as I’d been taught in the education houses. This was how to show deference to our demonic leaders. I lowered my head. “No, my lord. I simply was hoping my master had communicated with you. I am a captive here, and I long to return to my coven house and take my place at my master’s side. I meant no disrespect.”
I heard him walking my way, his boots crunching on the obsidian gravel that formed the path around the fountain. I kept my head down, my heart pounding in my chest.
He could kill me with a thought, and a few days ago I might have welcomed it. I’d been taught to view my life as mere service to my coven.