Page 30 of Vervain

“So, care to join for a walk, Serun’s consort?”

I don’t dare show emotion, but it seems the parts of myself once hidden behind a glamour give away my irritation. My ears flick, and my nose twitches, nostrils flaring before I remember to control my anger.

Still, there’s this pathetic part of me that is curious. Enough for me to be confident enough to step outside the room and close the door behind me. “So long as you use my name.”

“Does the title offend you?”

“I never consented to it.”

I follow Lucifer down the corridor, and he mutters a sigh. “I wish I hadn’t asked. I don’t particularly care for your answer now I think about it.”

If hate had a name and a face, perhaps even a description, it would be Lucifer. He makes it obvious in the most pathetic ways possible. It feels like a children’s game, except that he is an immortal creature that has likely lived for over a century.

“Then why am I on this walk with you?”

The wall ahead opens, revealing the hallway of covered paintings. Flames near the portraits brighten, thickening with smoke that tastes of cedarwood. His eyes narrow when I look at him, then back to the limestone ground, and I’m reminded that Serun has a liar’s tongue.

There’s a chance he can control me.

“Serun enjoys your company,” Lucifer says through a tired sigh. “He held you as you cried. It annoyed me to witness the commotion, and it was made worse to see the adoration in his eyes. They have not held that for as long as I’ve known him.”

A tightening sensation wraps my ribs, squeezing them together with vines and wool. Serun was warm and comforting. Sweet, even. A stark contrast to how both my Blessed and Jaxton would comfort me.

Then, it would lead to something sexual, never just a hug. They would always take. Jax poked his cock near my face enough times that I wish I had bitten it off when I had the chance.

A low chuckle breezes past my ear, drawing my attention away from Lucifer as I look back the way we came. There’s a wall there now, but that was definitely Serun’s airy laugh.

“I’ve never seen my brother comfort anyone before. In fact, I’ve never seen my brother so absorbed in anything. He is the type to never linger on a task. Yet it seems you are his impossible mission.”

I pick at the skin around my nails and focus on that instead of showing any sort of emotion on my face. Serun is a complication and a curiosity.

“Serun does nothing, usually. He has his law, and most abide by it. If they don’t, he will kill, but that is all he has done. Most of the time, he stays in his manor.” Lucifer raises his hand, but I keep my eyes on the paintings while I watch him from the corner of my eye. He rests his knuckles against his chin, his thumb brushing across his cheek. “Perhaps he might grow bored, and there is no need for me to worry.”

“But you invited me here in case I am not a passing thought.”

He laughs acidly. “Yes. I’m here to ask something of you. Whether you do it is entirely up to you, but Naylen would be better off if you consider what I have to say.”

“I am going to do what is best for Cole.”

“And that’s what worries me,” he says, his voice dropping into a low hiss, disdain coating his tongue. “Your attachment. Nightwalkers don’t have attachments. Our human lives are over, yet you seem to be an exception because you’re half vegodian.”

My brow draws together. “And that is a complication?”

He blurts out a laugh, red eyes rolling. “What if other nightwalkers want the families they left behind? If Serun entertains this little fling and brings your brother to the Undercity, many more might break the law to do the same. We may have an uprising on our hands because my brother was curious.”

“I’m not interested in staying. Once my brother is safe, I am taking him home.”

“Hmm…” Lucifer turns away from the portraits, and we continue walking. “After you find your brother, Serun will follow you anywhere. He will give up his Undercity for you, and if that happens, chaos will ensue.”

Lucifer leads me into the room overlooking the Sunken City. Water rushes down the crystal windows, and the ocean stirs nervously, rippling with emotion. We face the water, and I take a step away from him. He said he wouldn’t do anything, but it doesn’t mean I trust him. One wrong move, and hopefully the rage inside me will burn bright enough for me to use my vegodian magik.

“Unlike Maeve, who will shadow her hate, or Reyes, the dimwit, too focused on holding onto a marriage that never should have happened, I am direct. I don’t like you, but I won’t leave you wondering why. I’d rather you know.”

“If it is because I can breathe, I’d rather watch this beautiful view.”

“You’re cold.”

“I have reason to be.”