The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,152

phone out of his pocket and started pressing buttons. A moment later, he said, "I don't know what's going on, but a whole group of drunk college kids just got dropped off at a park."

"Shady Oaks," I whispered to him, giving him the name of this park.

"Yeah," Luke said, "it's Shady Oaks, I think. No, I was just driving by. I don't know, they might be fine, but I thought I should let someone know. Yeah, thanks." Then he pressed a button, dimmed the whole screen and pushed his phone back into his pocket. "Time for us to go," he told me.

"We walking or slipping?" I asked.

Luke just held out his hand. "Walking, I think." He waited for me to take it, then pulled me against his side. "There are enough people around here that the angels won't be able to grab them again, and they can't move that many people at once. Shit, most of us can't move that many people at once, but you make it look easy. How are you feeling, anyway?"

I leaned my head into his shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. "I probably shouldn't, but the truth is that I feel pretty good. I think we just destroyed at least one of the angels’ holding pens."

"Yeah, but it's not the only one," Luke told me. "I heard one of the malakim say something about a warehouse - with the product. To me, that says they’re packing humans up like crates ready to be shipped out."

"Any idea where?" I asked.

The smile touched his lips. "Off-campus, beside a lumberyard. So, while I don't know right now, I'm pretty sure that limits it quite a bit. Have a funny feeling that Google Maps can help us narrow it down even more."

"Does this mean we can save them?" I asked.

Luke waited until we crossed the street and were on the sidewalk heading home before he turned to me. Both of his hands landed on my upper arms, and he leaned toward my face. "Yes. I think there's nothing else that we can do but save them. I think that you are some unstoppable force, and those angels have no clue who they picked a fight against." Then he smiled. "I only have one regret about this whole thing."

My head slowly wavered from side to side, shaking as I tried to figure out what he was talking about. "What?" I asked.

"Well, Lady Death is sexy and all, but I really can't wait until I get to see the Devil."

That wasn't at all what I'd expected him to say. The way my heart jumped in my chest was nothing like what I thought I'd feel when someone actually called me the Devil to my face. That was supposed to be a horrible thing. I should believe that it made me the bad guy - well, girl - and yet the rush that hit me with his words could only be described as pride.

I was fucking proud to be the Devil. God called me the destroyer. She also said it meant the punisher, and that was something I could definitely embrace. It meant I didn't have to be the bad guy. I certainly wasn't one of the "good" ones, either. In truth, it made me feel like some kind of daredevil vigilante out to fix things. It made me feel kinda badass.

So I lifted my chin and looked into Luke’s eyes. "And what exactly is the Devil supposed to look like?" I teased.

He took a half step closer. "Beautiful. Powerful. Oh, and I am definitely rooting for some red lingerie to complete the outfit."

"Ah, damn," I laughed. "Because right now I have absolutely nothing under that red silk robe."

Standing so close to me, I could see his pupils flare. "Really?" He asked.

I stepped back, heading home while keeping my eyes on him. "Maybe next time we’re in the corridor, you’ll have to check."

In two steps, he caught me, grabbing my waist to pull me against his chest. "Now that," he said, "is sexy enough to make me want to shove my tongue down your throat."

I leaned into him, reaching up so my lips were beside his ear. "Your tongue is not the part I want shoved down my throat."

His hands slid down my sides, slowly moving toward my back. "You can't die, Sia."

I pulled away enough to look at his face, because that wasn't what I'd expected him to say. "I know. We already proved that."

And his hands caressed my ass,