Page 97 of Endless Terrors
Roger wasn’t in the walkway when I emerged. The shouts hadn’t sounded like they were coming from Lucifer’s room. Was he in his office? I swung to the left, searching for someone to ask. There was an unfamiliar guard standing near the elevator, a demon species with slitted eyes, which kept darting upward. I couldn’t sense the creature’s fear, but I could see it plain as day as I hurried up to him. My uneasiness grew. “Take me to Lucifer, please,” I said.
I expected the guard to argue, but he just opened the elevator doors and followed me inside, navigating the screen with twitchy, preternaturally fast movements. Since there was a good chance the guard didn’t speak English, I didn’t ask any of the questions searing my mind. But I did note that he hadn’t drawn his weapon, which meant the tower wasn’t under attack, at least. I let out a breath and focused on the line between the doors, wondering what could possibly have made Lucifer scream like that. Had something happened to one of his siblings? Had he been hurt, somehow?
And why did my heart quicken at the thought? Because I was thrilled by the possibility … or terrified?
The second I stepped out of the elevator, I saw that a small crowd had gathered outside Lucifer’s office. Roger and Dagan stood in front of the door, blocking the way, and I heard snippets of a hushed argument as I drew nearer. Several guards noticed my approach and turned. Gazes dropped to my bare legs, and I was about to say something when I heard Lucifer cry out again. It was a thin, broken sound. My eyes darted to the door, then back to the guards, who were avoiding looking at me now. Why wasn’t anyone going in? Why were they just standing here?
In the next moment, I had my answer. Just like the guard in the elevator, I could see the truth in their eyes.
They were scared.
Roger was the one to finally address my unspoken questions. “His Majesty has dreams sometimes, my lady. Terrible dreams.”
“And?” I prompted. He’d stopped as if that was the end of the explanation. I raised my eyebrows and scanned the faces around me again. “Does he sprout claws and rip his guards apart? Does he breathe fire?”
No one answered.
Lucifer moaned.
“You’re all being ridiculous,” I muttered. I brushed past Roger and moved toward the doors, reaching for the handles.
“No, my lady, don’t—”
The room was a shambles.
I walked over the threshold as if I weren’t afraid. Firelight and lamplight cast everything in moving shadow and shades of red, yellow, orange. It looked like there had been a struggle in here. A chair was upturned and the corner of the rug was flipped. Across the space, Lucifer was on the floor. From where he was lying, he must’ve fallen asleep on the couch and fallen off. He was still caught in the throes of a nightmare, and he curled on his side, facing the crackling fire. Strange, I thought. How had the chair tipped over if Lucifer was sleeping so far away?
Dismissing this, I hurried over to him and knelt, reaching for his shoulder without hesitation. Lucifer’s skin was cold, and for the first time since I’d met him, I saw a sheen of sweat on his brow. It also seeped through the material of his button-down shirt.
“Lucifer,” I said firmly, shaking him. “Hey, wake up. You’re dreaming.”
Lucifer’s eyes shot open. Distantly, I was aware that Roger and Dagan had entered the room, but my attention stayed on the pale, shaken king in front of me. Lucifer sat upright. His expression was pained, and it felt like a window had been opened into his soul. Lucifer never let that mask of his slip. Without thinking, I put my hand on his shoulder again. I was no stranger to a bad dream; I knew the power of a simple touch. It was a universal gesture that said, You’re not alone.
Just as I’d hoped, it seemed to calm him. Lucifer reached up and grasped my forearm, startling me. His fingers trembled slightly. When I felt that, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.
“Leave us,” Lucifer said, putting his head down.
The command was clearly meant for Roger and Dagan. The warrior obeyed instantly, bowing as he retreated, but Roger hesitated. His eyes darted in my direction, and in that instant, I knew he was defying his master out of concern for me. What had Lucifer done in the past to make them so wary?
It’s okay, I mouthed, nodding at the demon in reassurance. Roger stood there for another second, then slowly moved into his backward walk, his hooves clopping along the floor. He pulled the doors shut behind him.
As a soft click wafted through the stillness, I turned back to Lucifer. He was still on the floor, one arm resting on top of his knee. Light quivered along the curve of his spine and the edges of his bright, wild hair. He’d never seemed so human. So … young.
“What do you know,” I murmured. “Even the devil has night terrors.”
He kept his face lowered, and his voice was ragged as he asked, “What did you see?”
“Nothing.” It was the truth. I still didn’t have my powers, so there hadn’t been any glimpses of what had frightened the creature who frightened everyone else. Studying Lucifer, I considered what usually helped me after my own nights of tossing and turning. I stood up and held my hand out to him, inclining my head. “Come on.”
Unlike me, Lucifer didn’t hesitate. His fingers curled around mine, and then he was standing. Neither of us moved. I looked up at him and absorbed the gentle scent of sandalwood.
Lucifer bent. It was so sudden that I didn’t have a chance to react. There was a brief sensation of soft lips brushing mine. Every thought fled my mind and I was incapable of speech. But Lucifer didn’t close the space between our bodies; he didn’t try to deepen the kiss. There was only that moment of contact, his fingertips spreading over my hips.
Feeling Lucifer’s warmth reminded me there was only a thin shirt between us, because I’d bolted from the guest suite without getting dressed. Desire and confusion held me too tight for me to regain my composure. I stared up at Lucifer and tried to make myself say something sharp, or move away, at the very least.
To my surprise, Lucifer was the one to break the tension. He didn’t take advantage of my confusion. The slight pressure of his hands vanished, and he stepped back, deeper into the shadows.
“I wish to be alone,” he said. Not unkindly—just fact.
