Page 183 of The Bonds of Indigo

“Right…”

When I look to Amarah, she’s biting her bottom lip. Her soft voice flutters through the bond. “I’m sorry, baby.”

My eyes widen, but before I can address the “baby” thing, Lucifer sighs heavily.

“I have to go. Zuhara is going to stay here with you. Please… don’t go outside.”

He moves to the buttons on the white shirt she’s wearing. Only three are fastened, from the center of her chest down to her belly button.

“She’ll know if someone is coming and will take you”—he glances at me, giving a tired smile—“back to the Phantasm.” His gaze returns to Amarah. “Dollface, you’ll tell me through our link, and I’ll come immediately. But I doubt anyone will show. I’ll be with my father most of the day, and he’s the only one who seems interested in your whereabouts.”

“Link, huh?” I tease.

“Don’t be jealous. I’ve used it on you, too.”

He has, but I know it can be taxing on him if used for too long. The brain is the most complex part of the body, and the mind is a maze without a real finish line.

“Just promise you’ll let me know?” he asks her.

“I will. Can I check in with you later?”

He opens his shirt, and I’m disappointed to see she’s wearing a bra. I didn’t exactly expect her to be naked… even if I’d hoped.

“Of course.”

When she slips the shirt off her shoulders, she rests her palms into her lap, crossing her wrists just right to hide the scar at her hip. Her panties only cover so much.

Lucifer takes one of her hands and kisses the back of it. “We’ll get that taken care of.” He flicks his gaze to me, then back to her. “I’ll see you both tonight.”

He steps back, pulls the shirt on, and a dark stretch of shadow spills from the cupboards, spreading open like a zipper behind him. He gives me one last smile before slipping through it and vanishing.

I sigh and turn to my girl.

“I think…” she says softly, reaching out for me. “He’s growing on me.”

Chapter 46

One day turned into three.

It hasn’t felt that way, though. No—if anything, it’s felt like months. I couldn’t believe how much anxiety I was carrying because of it. And sure, I could blame it on being trapped in a home in the Beyond, but that would be a lie.

I was genuinely concerned for Lucifer, and oddly enough, I missed him.

“I’m alright, dollface.”

“I’m sorry this is taking me so long.”

“My father’s… a difficult man.”

“What’re you doing?”

“How’re you?”

“Do you mind if I ask what you’re wearing?”

He’s kept in contact with me through the Nitelink, as Zuhara calls it. She warned me not to spend too much time with him in there—at this distance, it can exhaust him. I tried to keep our conversations short…

But why was it impossible to actually do that?