Page 99 of Endless Terrors
Wordlessly, he pulled me closer. I still didn’t fight it. Instead, I pressed my hands to his warm chest, and we started to sway, moving in and out of the shadows. A staff member cleared our plates. Gargoyles looked down at us from the rooftops all around, but I barely spared them a glance. I tilted my head back to look up at Lucifer. Even though his expression was impossible to read, I noticed a light in his eyes. He was looking at me like I actually meant something to him.
I wondered what the devil saw when he looked into my eyes.
The thought unsettled me, and I felt a disturbance in my chest, as if there were a storm coming. The song ended and I pulled away.
As usual, Lucifer missed nothing.
He took me back to the tower. We didn’t talk as much during the return journey, and it wasn’t until we’d crossed the lobby and stepped back into the elevator that he spoke again.
“There’s an event tomorrow night,” he said, glancing at me. “I wasn’t sure whether to tell you, since it doesn’t seem like something you’d be interested in. Olorel can get … messy.”
I turned to him, eyebrows raised. “Wait. You guys celebrate Olorel?”
“It holds a different meaning for us, but yes, we celebrate it. To an extent.”
His tone made me search his expression. “What meaning does it hold for you?”
“It’s a promise,” Lucifer said briefly. “Would you like to come? Several of my siblings will be there, and they’re not the most …”
He hesitated again, and seeing uncertainty in the devil’s eyes was so rare that it stirred my curiosity. It also occurred to me that I might overhear something useful, or learn something from one of the guests. Our excursion into the city today, while interesting and potentially useful for later, hadn’t yielded anything conducive to my mission.
“As long as you don’t think any of them will murder me, I’ll go. Why not?” I added, shrugging.
The corners of Lucifer’s mouth tilted in amusement, and I knew it was because my response was so unenthusiastic. Everyone in this realm fell all over themselves to please him. It was no wonder he liked my rejections so much.
Moments later, the elevator halted and we got off. Lucifer accompanied me down the walkway, silent again. We faced each other in front of the guest suite. Thank you, I almost said. It was a gut reaction, because that’s what you said after someone spent the day playing tour guide. But we’d made a deal. It was purely transactional, the time we had spent together. Lucifer had only tagged along to protect his precious Nightmare and probably stop me from seeing something I shouldn’t.
“Good night,” I said blandly, meeting his gaze only for a moment before I reached for the knob.
His murmur followed me inside. “Rest well, my lady.”
I closed the door and immediately turned my focus to the room, determined not to think about Lucifer or the fact that I could feel myself doing exactly what I’d vowed I wouldn’t—softening. Giving in.
The suite was empty. Narfu had been here recently, though, because the fire was bright and well-fed. I took pajamas from the closet without looking at what I’d chosen, and undressed roughly. I yanked the nightgown over my head and it settled on me like silk. It was shorter than I had expected, the hem stopping mid-thigh. Didn’t matter, since I was just going to bed.
I soon discovered, however, that in spite of the busy day we’d had, I wasn’t tired in the slightest. I tossed and turned for what felt like hours. I had no way of knowing how long it really was, of course, since they didn’t believe in clocks here. Restlessness drove me from the bed. Going over to the curtains, I pulled one aside and peered across the atrium, looking toward the higher windows. I couldn’t see into Lucifer’s office, but light shone through the red drapes. Was he still working?
Acting on an impulse, I pulled a throw blanket off the bed, wrapped it around myself, and slipped out of the room.
A random guard brought me upstairs. While we were in the elevator, both of us staring ahead, a small voice slipped through the deliberate quiet I’d filled my head with. What are you doing?
My jaw clenched, and I tried to ignore it. But my reflection stared at me from the closed doors, and I saw the fear in my eyes. The answer to that tiny voice’s question. I don’t know.
I was relieved when the elevator stopped. I hurried onto the walkway without a word, leaving the guard and the truth behind. My bare feet made small sounds against the stones. I concentrated on that as I kept going.
I slowed when I saw the door to Lucifer’s office was cracked. Roger’s voice drifted through the stillness, soft and solemn.
“The true measure of a man is not found in the things he does, but in the things he refuses to do, Your Majesty.”
There was a soft thud. “Good thing I’m not a man, then.”
Silence met Lucifer’s response. Roger said something else, but he spoke too softly and I couldn’t make out the words. After another moment, he opened the door the rest of the way and stepped through. He stopped short at the sight of me, surprise flitting across his face. I didn’t try to hide that I’d been eavesdropping.
“Should I come back later?” I asked.
The demon opened his mouth to reply at the same moment we both heard, “Let her in, Roger.”
Lucifer’s voice was low. Hard. There was a hint of misgiving in Roger’s eyes as he moved aside, pushing the door open wider for me. He bowed as I passed. I touched his sleeve fleetingly, and he stood a little straighter.
