cut in, lifting his shirt up to wipe sweat off his face. My eyes caught a glimpse of his slender stomach, and heat instantly rose to my cheeks. I glanced away before he could catch me ogling. Boys were stupid and ugly, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious.
As Cassian and Elias left in one direction and Karsyn in another, I found myself alone with Lucas Scott. Something about that boy always intimidated me. He wasn’t the largest in the group—to be completely honest, he was the smallest—but his eyes were archaic, almost as if he had seen too much, too soon.
An old soul, Nana would tell me.
He was only eight, and life already chipped away at his innocence. There was something hard in his eyes, like a keen knife that was beginning to rust over.
“You want to come home with me and see my room?” Lucas asked, sounding eager. And all thoughts of him being an old soul vanished. He looked extremely young just then. Innocent.
At my timid nod, he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the park. Mom’s driver had dropped me off an hour or so ago and wouldn’t be back to pick me up until later tonight. As long as I was in the park before eight, she’d never know I left.
The thought of pulling one over on her, of doing something naughty, made me grin. I no longer dragged my feet into the ground as Lucas led me towards the largest house on the block.
I only had a second to marvel over the gigantic home with more balconies and windows than I could count, before Lucas dragged me inside. A regal looking man in a tailored black suit and white gloves nodded at us when we entered. Lucas merely waved his hand back in greeting.
The redheaded boy led me up a twisting staircase until we reached the second, maybe third, level of the house.
“You live in a castle,” I marveled as we stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall.
“Does that mean you’re the princess?” His lips twitched in a teasing grin.
“No, silly. It’s your house. You’re the princess…or prince.”
“And what does that make you?” He pushed open the door, stepping back to let me through first.
“The dragon!” I roared at him, and he threw his head back in laughter. I began laughing too, until it dried in my throat. My mouth popped open in shock. “Lucas…”
“My daddy never takes me camping,” Lucas whispered, a hint of vulnerability creeping into his tone. “But I always wanted to sleep under the stars.”
He reached behind him to flip off the light switch, and immediately, the room turned dark. Before I could get scared, the tiny stars plastered on the ceiling began to turn on one by one, engulfing the room in a yellowish-tint.
“Golden stars,” I whispered dreamily. I didn’t need to see him to know that he would be smiling as well.
“Golden stars,” he agreed.
I shake my head, clearing the remnants of the memory from my mind, as I stare at the flower in my hand.
Golden stars.
Lucas.
Quickly, I change into a sweater and blue jeans, throw on a pair of socks and shoes, and race outside.
And there he is, standing in my driveway with a bouquet of paper peonies in his hands.
He looks dashing in his teal sweater and khaki pants, his red hair brushed away from his elegant face. His eyes sweep over me slowly, as if he wishes to devour me, as he extends the hand holding the paper flowers.
“I thought we could go on our date tonight beneath the stars,” he says simply.
“Lucas…” My body begins to tremble, both because of his grand gesture and my mother’s words. It was never truly him, was it? The bullying, the teasing, the pranks. It was always her.
“But then I figured that you needed all of us more than you needed just me, and I refuse to be selfish with you any longer.” He takes a step around the side of the house, obscuring himself from view, and I hurry to follow him.
Standing in the backyard are all four of my Devils.
Elias steps forward with his hands raised, a wary and guarded expression on his face
“I think we all need to talk.”
Chapter 50
I swallow heavily, feeling suddenly very small, as I’m surrounded by the four of them.
“We need to talk about this, sweetheart,” Cassian whispers, and the term of endearment makes tears spring to my eyes. Fuck, I’m a hot mess.