Demon King (Claimed By Lucifer #1) - Elizabeth Briggs Page 0,26
known my death was coming swiftly and violently, sooner than later.
Like in my dreams.
The rush of air ripped tears from my eyes, but through the haze I saw something dark falling above me. For a second I thought a man had jumped off the edge of the roof, but that was absurd. Until the man came closer, and I made out Lucas in his black suit. I watched his eyes glint red as his determined face drew near, and I laughed, because surely this was some kind of near-death delirium. Or maybe I was already dead?
Just as he wrapped his strong arms around me, enormous, black-feathered wings erupted from his back. My stomach lurched as we stopped falling, and I sucked in a huge rasping breath of air, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest from the impact.
“I’ve got you,” he said, as he tucked me close against his chest.
I could only stare in shock and wonder as his wings moved like shadows against the bright city lights. Darkness trailed away from each feather like smoke as we flew through the air, rising until we reached the balcony of his penthouse. He landed easily beside the pool, but didn’t let me go, his arms wrapped protectively around me as I leaned against his chest. Probably a good thing, since I wasn’t sure I could stand.
I looked up at Lucas’s impossibly handsome face. His eyes had lost the red glow, or perhaps I’d imagined that, but the black wings were still there. They looked like they were made of night itself, and I watched the way the darkness curled around him, the shadows clinging to his body and maybe even forming the hint of horns above his head.
“Am I dead?” I managed to ask. “Are you an angel?”
“You’re not dead.” He gazed down at me with such fierce protectiveness it took my breath away. “And I’m definitely no angel. Not anymore, anyway.”
My heart was still beating out of my chest, but I had to see if this was real. I reached up with a trembling hand to touch one of Lucas’s wings, running a hesitant finger along one of the night-colored feathers. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes for the briefest moment, and it surprised me to see how much such a light touch could affect him. How I affected him.
Our conversation from last night came back to me like a voice on the wind, as everything he’d told me connected with everything I’d seen in a rush of clarity.
“I am the devil. My true name is Lucifer.”
“You’re trying to tell me you’re actually the devil. Fallen angel. Evil incarnate.”
“Evil? Probably. Fallen? Definitely.”
I could no longer deny it.
Lucas Ifer really was the devil.
And I’d made a deal with him.
8
Lucifer
With one last look at the star-filled sky I'd plucked Hannah from, and the bright lights below where everything could have ended, I cradled her closer to my chest and strode inside the penthouse to settle her on the sofa. Her blonde hair spread over the black leather cushions like spun gold, and her blue-eyed gaze watched me with a mixture of shock and something else. Fear? Curiosity?
Fire raced through my veins as I turned in a circle and raked a hand through my hair as I tried to figure out what to do. Water. That’s what she needed. I headed to the bar and poured some for her, and a whiskey for me. This certainly called for a drink.
That was too close. I’d nearly lost her. How had she fallen? By the time I spotted her in the panicked crowd, it was already too late. If she hadn’t screamed, I wouldn’t have seen her in time. Someone must have shoved her, and hard too. Only supernatural strength could have gotten her over that wall.
Was he after her already? Or was it someone else? Fuck. I couldn’t even keep her safe on the roof of my own building. Would it be better to send her away? Would she be safer?
No. No. She was safest by my side. This time would be different. It had to be.
When I returned with her water, Hannah sat on the sofa in the exact position I’d left her in. She hadn’t moved or said a word, she just stared off into space with her perfect lips slightly open. This was definitely shock. Falling from a roof would do that to anyone, not to mention being saved by the most infamous villain in the world.