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The world turns black as I lose consciousness. Voices hum in my ears. I can’t move or open my eyes, and all I can do is listen to the cacophonous noise around me. Cool fingers caress my hands and travel up my arms until ice blossoms in my chest. A pinprick of light penetrates the darkness, and I focus on the glowing orb, feeling the peculiar familiarity of it. I try to summon the image of a face, or even a name, but all I can think about is the light and how it breaks through the darkness.
“Raven,” Lucian says, his voice prodding at me. “Listen to my voice. Focus on me.”
I try to concentrate on his words, but the glowing light distracts me too much. I don’t want to wake up and find myself in Hell again. I don’t want to remember the evil that I allowed to happen. All I want to do is lose myself to the brilliant light that tries to consume me.
“Raven,” Lucian repeats. “Return to me. Come on. Don’t be a stubborn little brat. I know you’re stronger than this.”
I can’t help but think that he’s wrong. I don’t feel strong in this moment. I feel disconnected and weak and without the strength I usually summon from my connection to Hell through my devils. And the light? It won’t leave me alone. It’s like it can’t get to me completely, but it also can’t give me answers. Answers to what? I have no fucking idea.
“Don’t make me punish that sweet ass of yours to get you to open your eyes. I know that all it will take is one blow from my power to get you to return to me. Is that what you want?” A hot burst of energy jolts through me with Lucian’s words.
Like the light is afraid of Lucian, it suddenly vanishes and releases me from its hypnotic glow. I snap my eyes open and gasp for breath. My skin buzzes as energy courses through me. Through my blurry vision, I stare up at a monstrous figure towering over me. Fire glows in the world above, haloing Lucian in its vivid light. His body flexes and morphs, and Lucian returns to his human façade. He reaches down and caresses his knuckles across my cheek. He stares at me in silence, waiting for me to move or to speak, to do something other than stare up at him. But I’m so confused and disoriented. What the fuck happened?
“Fucking finally,” Lucian says, his voice hard but his face soft with his expression. “I thought you were going to stay unconscious for the rest of my time.”
“You say that like I wanted to,” I rasp, my throat burning.
A smile creeps across his face. “I never know with you. I thought perhaps that you regretted your decision to ask me to punish a righteous bastard.”
I scrub my hands into my cheeks and try to remember everything that happened. The angel’s image flashes through my mind but quickly vanishes with the memory of the bright light.
I shake my head, my hair whipping around me. “No. That guy deserved it. It was something else. I can’t explain it. I was fine one second, and in the next, it was like my soul split in half and was battling itself. It felt like Heaven somehow got into Hell and it was fucking with me.”
Lucian takes my hands and helps me up, righting me on my feet and steadying me to make sure I don’t fall over. His big hands rest on my shoulders, and he tilts his head, staring into my eyes. He looks more angelic than devilish as he drinks me in. I shift on my feet, squirming under his scrutiny, but I don’t look away. The way he looks at me sets my body ablaze in a good way, and I don’t want him to stop. It makes me feel better. It makes me feel stronger and more in control.
“It’s possible. Your soul is no longer indebted to me. Heaven could very well try to influence you to make you feel as if you don’t belong here. And being close to an angel that refuses to bow didn’t help. I’m sorry. I should’ve realized the effect that it would have on your soul.” Lucian licks his full lips, drawing my attention to his mouth.
“You’re apologizing?” My tone rises with my comment. “Satan himself is apologizing for something out of his control? Maybe Heaven didn’t only get to me.” I tilt my head and reach out my hand, pretending to stroke my fingers over invisible feathers of wings long gone from his back. “Oh fuck. Are those wings?”
Lucian knits his brows together, unamused by my teasing. “Careful. Tease me too much and I will punish you for trying to make me think that you question my darkness as a devil.”
I widen my eyes, refusing to stop. I want to push him. I want to test the boundary I set up between us, knowing that it weakens with every day that passes. I can’t help it. I now know a side of Lucian that I didn’t know before. And it takes a lot of prodding, punching, teasing, and poking at him to get him to show himself as he doesn’t want people to see him.
“Do you feel those?” Again, I pretend to stroke my fingers over imaginary wings. “They just sprouted from your back. Wow. Lucian, I didn’t know that it was even possible.”
He remains even in his expression. “Last chance to be a good girl. Keep it up and find out what happens. This is your one warning, Raven. I mean it.”
“Keep what up?” I ask, biting my bottom lip between my teeth. “I don’t know why you find it so hard to believe that maybe it wasn’t Heaven that got to me. Summon a mirror or something. I’ll prove it.”
His jaw twitches, and he flares his nostrils. He is starting to believe me. I can see it in his eyes. He’s worried. He hates the idea of wings returning to his back, especially after it was he who removed them himself like the crazy bastard he is. This is too good. I can’t just give into him and tell him I’m fucking around.
I gasp and reach my other hand up and pretend to caress his invisible wings. “I have never seen such a color before. No wonder they called you the Morning Star. They are beautiful, Lucian.”
He huffs a breath. “Stop fucking with me, Raven.”
“Fucking with you? I’m not. Seriously, summon the mirror and look for yourself. They are amazing. Like Cassius’s, but far more gorgeous.” I lean closer and pretend to inspect his fake wings. “He would be so jealous.”
Lucian transforms into his devil façade, and his huge horns jut from his head. Fire lights his eyes and he releases me, dropping me to my feet. I nearly lose my balance and have to catch myself by grabbing onto his waist. Lucian gathers fire between his palms and summons the mirror I told him to.
He brings the mirror up to look at himself, and I spin around on my feet, dashing away. The ground shakes as he releases a play-growl and chases after me, threatening me that I better hurry my ass up because if he catches me, he is going to spank me until the sting radiates through me for the rest of eternity.
I laugh and beg my legs to hustle, despite my body being thrilled by the idea. Stupid vagina. Stupid ass. It thinks it wants this, but Lucian is all about the punishment and no mercy. The last thing I want is to walk funny forever. The other devils will never let me hear the end of it.
“If you stop, turn around, and get on your knees, I might allow you to beg for forgiveness for fucking with me, Raven,” Lucian shouts, whipping his chain next to me. “And maybe if you be a good little soul and give in to that dark desire lingering inside you, I might even return the favor and show you exactly what it’s like to be on the good side of me instead of being a bratty soul.”
“In your fucking fantasies,” I call, searching my surroundings. I realize we are inside a palace with blood-red walls, a huge glittering ceiling, and fire burning across every surface, but it isn’t hot. It’s beautiful. “It’ll take a lot more than a threat to ever get me on my knees for you. You know how much I want you to work for it.”
“You stubborn fucking soul. Here I come.” Lucian whips his chain beside me again, lashing the air, and I startle and twist on my feet, holding up my palms to him.
