Page 70 of Endless Terrors
“You’ve come to depend on them,” Lucifer remarked, making me go still.
So he did have access to my thoughts.
I felt another prickle of unease at the revelation. I wanted to ask Lucifer how much he could see, hear, but what really mattered was keeping him out. I reverted back to my lessons with Collith, imagining an impenetrable wall. I needed to protect them. Keep Lucifer’s focus on me.
“I don’t depend on anyone,” I said flatly.
He made a soft sound. I couldn’t tell if it was a sigh or a laugh. “I didn’t take you for a liar. How common … and disappointing.”
“Let’s be clear about one thing.” I took the devil’s jacket off and held it out. I forced myself to look at him, and I summoned all the revulsion I felt for the things he’d done. “I don’t give a shit what you think about me.”
He searched my gaze, taking the jacket without any protest. Lucifer’s voice was a soft, speculative murmur as he said, “Did you know that we are our innermost selves in dreams, Lady Sworn? I find something comforting about that.”
“I find it comforting that I’m going to kill you someday,” I told him coldly.
Lucifer just smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. Please let me know if there’s anything you need. As you’re now aware, I’m just across the way.”
Before I could respond, he waved his fingers, and my eyelids became heavy. Unbearably heavy. I fell backward, but a bed caught me. It was so warm, so soft, and I was so tired. I nestled deeper into the pillow and released a long, contented breath.
“Sandalwood. He smells like sandalwood, and it’s delicious,” someone with my voice said. I was too far away to care.
I fell asleep to the sound of a soft laugh.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Darkness greeted me when I came back to reality. My new, harsh, terrifying reality. The fire was almost dead, and the room was freezing. I sat up and looked around for a clock, hoping I’d missed one earlier, but there was nothing on the walls. And there was no cell phone resting on the nightstand, of course.
Not knowing the time made me feel disoriented. My latest encounter with Lucifer didn’t help, either. Needing to feel more grounded, I got dressed and made a plan. It was simple. First, I’d summon Roger. Then I’d ask him to bring me to Lucifer. Once I got to the Dark Prince, I’d demand to see the evidence my brother had been resuscitated. After that, I would start a conversation about the weather patterns in Hell.
And once I figured out where to find a little precipitation, I’d go from there.
Calmer now, I walked over to the door and poked my head out. There was a guard standing farther down the walkway—it wore a helmet, so I couldn’t see its face, but the demon had a male build and what looked like a lion’s tail, and he turned his head in my direction. “Is Roger available?” I asked.
Holding the hilt of his sword, the guard bowed and walked toward the elevator. I retreated back into the bedroom to wait.
Less than a minute later, I heard the unmistakable sound of hooves against stone. There was a gentle knock on the door. I hurried to open it, and Roger bowed so deeply that I could see his frail spine, even through the burlap-like material of his shirt.
“Good evening, my lady,” he said, straightening. The tufts of hair around his ears were a bit neater than the last time I’d seen him, as if he’d made an effort to smooth them down. “Would you like a dinner tray?”
This created even more questions. If we didn’t have physical bodies, why did we seem to have all the same physical needs? How did Roger even know it was dinnertime? But I had a plan, and I didn’t want to spend precious time chitchatting with a demon. I shook my head and replied, “No. I just need to see Lucifer.”
“Of course, my lady. My lord is in his office, and he instructed me to bring you anytime you’d like.”
Roger bowed again and shuffled back, allowing me to pass. In doing so, I caught his scent, and it was more pleasant than I’d expected. He smelled like books and harsh soap.
We started walking in the direction of the elevator. Since we were the only ones here, minus the horrid mazzikin I could see darting through pockets of shadow, the quiet between us felt painfully obvious. I didn’t know what to say, and I didn’t trust this creature, even if his name was Roger. So I bit my tongue and kept my eyes on the path ahead.
To my surprise, he was the one to break the silence. “You slept a long time, my lady. Fourteen hours.”
“Fourteen hours?” I echoed, my eyebrows raised. How could that be? It had only felt like a few minutes.
“Yes, my lady. His Majesty grew concerned. He even dreamwalked, so he could make sure you were all right.”
I mulled over this information, trying to keep my expression neutral. If Roger was telling the truth, I must’ve been sleeping like the dead if I’d gone that long without seeing the dreamscape or having nightmares. Or had Lucifer continued to suppress them? Then I thought about the second part of what Roger had said.
“Is that what you call what he does? Dreamwalking?” I asked. A hint of scorn slipped into my voice.
Roger must’ve heard it, because he was silent for a moment. As if he was considering his next words carefully. His voice was slow as he said, “It costs him to do it. It weakens him. In all the years I’ve served my lord, I’ve only known him to dreamwalk a handful of times. The last occasion was many, many years ago, when he intervened in the Hunt. He couldn’t bear to watch you die, my lady.”
