Page 102 of Endless Terrors
This last part she said in a whisper, as if it was a secret between us. Before I could form a response, her jade eyes shifted, and I knew she’d forgotten me. Lilith drifted away without speaking again.
“You’ll have to forgive Lily. She’s a bit touched,” Samael said. I turned back and found the prince’s dark eyes on me.
That same uneasy feeling as before crept through my body. I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I didn’t have a problem with her.”
Mammon made an amused sound. My gaze swung toward the other royal, and the corners of those eerie lips tilted up. Where Lilith’s voice was honey, Mammon’s was poison as she said, “Did you know we can hear it when you try to deceive us? The truth is in your heartbeat. You’re a good liar, better than most, I’d say. But the heart never lies.”
“And this is my sister, Mammon,” Lucifer said dryly.
I got the same instinct about her that I’d gotten from her brother. Old Fortuna would’ve said something clever, an insult that I’d pay for later. But there were people waiting for me. I had a home to get back to. I stared into Mammon’s bottomless eyes and saw silver ones instead.
I want to be with you in any capacity you’re willing to give me. I don’t need all of you, and I’m not asking for it—I just want a small piece.
I refocused on Mammon, and my heartbeat was steadier. “It was nice to meet you,” I said coolly.
The gleam in her eyes only brightened, as if I’d excited her.
“Enjoy the party,” Lucifer told them.
I could feel Samael and Mammon watching as we walked away. I wanted to ask Lucifer about them, but I knew they’d hear it, or someone else would and tell the creepy siblings all about it. Something told me to avoid their notice as much as possible.
Lucifer continued to guide us through the room, making more introductions as we went. It seemed like everyone had a title. There were dukes, and counts, and governors, and knights. I even met a marquise.
Their reactions to me were different than I was used to. Without the influence of a Nightmare’s power, I was just another pretty face. Some of the courtiers didn’t try to hide their contempt, but I looked back at them, unbothered. Contempt was just another form of envy, and the people in this room had spent thousands of years fighting for Lucifer’s favor, their positions, their status. Then I came along and had it all handed to me on a silver platter.
None of them were stupid enough to outright insult or threaten me, not with the king at my side, but I’d been to enough parties at the fae courts to recognize the games they played. Kind-sounding words came out of their mouths, but their true meaning was something else entirely.
I wondered if their envy was the reason for my extra security detail. Lucifer probably thought I hadn’t noticed, but we were in a crowded room, and it was harder for Dagan and the other guards to keep their distance. They moved with us through the clusters of people and dancers, their expressions alert, eyes constantly roaming. Seeing that reminded me of Lyari, and a pang of homesickness hit me. With effort, I refocused on the conversation Lucifer and I were having with a duchess. She must’ve been one of the original angels, because there were no signs of scales, fangs, or a tail.
None of the more affluent people, I noted, were demons. Just as my world had its prejudices and fucked-up class systems, so did Hell, it seemed.
It happened gradually. The party had started as an elegant affair, but as the hours wore on, it became something else. Something darker. I glimpsed more of that white powder that I’d seen during my tour of the First City, and discovered that it wasn’t snorted as I’d assumed—a horned female in a blue-green tulle tutu sprinkled it over her head. She closed her eyes and twirled as it floated back down, and the powder glistened like tiny falling stars.
The music shifted, too. At the start, it had been neutral background noise, comparable to a string quartet. But eventually the notes came faster, harder. There was an underlying feeling beneath the sound I spent several minutes trying to put my finger on. I half-listened to the cloven-footed demon Lucifer was speaking to, envisioning dark forests and beasts weaving through shadow.
“Dance with me.”
I blinked, realizing the cloven-footed demon was gone and Lucifer was looking at me now, waiting for a response. For a moment, his face blurred, and I saw someone else standing there. Someone else who had once said those words. A figure with dark hair and solemn hazel eyes. What would Collith think if he could see me now? Wearing the devil’s gown, a guest at one of the devil’s parties.
I reminded myself that Collith wasn’t here, and I’d come to Olorel with a purpose … even if dancing with my biggest enemy wasn’t exactly necessary. And I hadn’t had a chance to ask anyone a single question, considering Lucifer hadn’t left my side once.
But was that for my protection, or his own?
Lucifer’s fingers closed around mine, and I let him lead me into the throng of writhing, swaying bodies. Then he faced me, and I felt his fingertips brush my arms in a feather-light touch. The glow of the lanterns shone down on us, casting parts of his face in darkness. Other things moved in and out of the shadows. Feeling the telltale prickle of someone’s intense focus, I glanced to my left. A pair of round, yellow eyes peered back. The demon was dancing nearby, and her body was a disorienting blend of humanoid and bird.
“Look at me.” A soft command.
Surprisingly, I obeyed. A lock of his hair had come loose. It fell into his eye, making him seem younger. Almost boyish. Lucifer put his hand on my waist and pulled me closer, but his grip was gentle. I could easily move away.
I put my arms around his neck.
We immediately stood out from the dancers around us, and not in a good way. I was stiff at first. But Lucifer stayed relaxed, his movements languid. He didn’t rush or pressure me. After a few minutes, the tension began to leave my limbs. The sensual rhythm wound through my veins. I’d barely had anything to drink, but I still felt buzzed.
Turning in place, I lifted my hands and stretched them toward the pretty lanterns above us. I moved in time to the beat. Lucifer reached up and laced our fingers together, causing his entire body to press against mine. My core tightened at the feel of his erection. Sighing, I tipped my head back and let it rest on his shoulder. I felt Lucifer’s lips tickle my ear again as he murmured, “I want you.”
I wanted him, too.
The music got louder. So did the revelers. I could hear cackling laughter and breathy moans. Flesh slapping against flesh. The air felt hotter, and sweat beaded my collarbone. Lucifer’s palms skimmed down the length of me, grazing my breasts, and landed on my hips. My thoughts muddled. The music intensified again, and became faster, too. I moved my ass against Lucifer’s hard cock. I imagined what it would feel like to have it inside me.
