warm hand and he pulled me close. “Already trying to seduce?” I looked up at him, my head tilted back as I scowled.
He smiled down at me and I tried to push away. “Grace. Please, just agree and I will leave the rest to you. You have no desire to bed me. You want nothing from me, so this will not poison your soul. You agree to save others, self sacrifice and all, as sickening as that is.” He made an ugly face and released me.
I watched him, my mind racing with thoughts. “This is nothing but a game. A pretty diversion to save you from a future of boredom.”
“Perhaps.” He watched me.
I knew that no matter what this was, Lucifer wanted it. I could place any label I wanted on it but the truth of the matter remained. I was in his sights and he would never leave me or the people I loved alone until he was satisfied. He wanted to play; the trick was to keep him interested in the game. I had a feeling that when Lucifer got bored, he got rid of his toys.
I looked at him again and smiled. “This is no deal with the devil.” I began, “This is a deal with a Madea, and I’ll decide the terms.”
He bit his lip as he studied me. His mouth curved up in the smallest hint of a smile and I almost saw joy. I cocked my hip and frowned. “You will agree to never pester me. You can’t just show up uninvited or pull me here unexpectedly. I do have a life. We will agree on the length of each visit and you can not change it. If you try, this whole deal is forfeit and you lose the right to take it out on me or my friends. Oh, and speaking of friends, you have no power over them at all. They are off your radar. Got it?”
He watched me; his small smile still played at the corner of his mouth and he leaned forward, his eyebrows high. “Is this all?”
“No!” I shot out quickly. “I have the right to change the agreement at any time without notice.”
“My darling, now let’s be fair.” He shook his head. “If you feel you can change things, then I can change them as well. Is that what you want? Remember this must benefit me.” He walked to a table next to the remnants of the shattered tank. Glass was still strewn all over the ground. He leaned against the end of the table, bracing his hands on the edge. I watched him, admiring how his muscles bunched and flexed as he moved, how his tattoos accentuated the curves of his body.
“Careful,” he looked at me with knowing eyes. “You don’t want those thoughts to turn impure, do you?” He wagged his eyebrows and folded his arms, making his forearms flex while showing off his abs.
“Well, keep up the cocky rooster act and my thoughts will be right up there with the driven snow. Now, put a shirt on and lets get this over with, I’d like to go home.”
He straightened; a black silk shirt flowed over his chest like water flowed over stone. He looked angry.
“So you mean to renege already?”
“Hey, I am making the rules here,” I frowned. “And at no point did I say I couldn’t go home. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve already spent more than enough time in Hell; it’s your fault it was wasted. And speaking of time, I will only spend a day with you. That is all, one day, say every six months.”
His eyes grew large. “You cheat! One week each month.”
I shook my head. “Two days a year. I’m not kidding! I won’t stay here for any long period of time!” I pursed my lips and started tapping my foot.
He smiled. “One month every six months.” He glared at me and I shook my head.
“One week every six months or I will go crazy! This is Hell, Lu. I don’t belong here.”
He regarded me for a long time and then smiled. “One week in Hell and one week at a location of your choice.”
“Fine, two weeks every six months.”
“Done!” he smiled. “Well played, Madea. This promises to be most amusing. Now, I do have a few rules of my own, and a reminder.”
“Okay. I guess.” I was instantly on guard.
“You will come to me promptly. I will never be forced to seek you out. I choose where