a suicide party and not just a wild orgy. You could have told me, and I’d have waited until he’d finished.”
“Liar,” Vlad snorted as he returned to bartender mode. “Let’s drink because, from the amount of power Lucian is radiating, I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”
I laughed, but it was hollow, and I was pretty certain he was correct in his assumption. Lucian wasn’t happy I’d come here without him, but then he had kept such a tight rope on me that I was beginning to feel it tightening around my neck like a noose. I may have the Devil on my heels, but the Devil had Lucian on his. Out of the two of them, I feared Lucian more.
Chapter Nine
Some girls play with fire, but I’ve learned to dance within the flames. Others discover who they are meant to be in the fire. ~Lena
Lucian escorted me out of the club, his hand against the base of my spine, which always made me feel protected, even though it was a show of ownership, one I’d learned I was more than just okay with him displaying. I scanned the road, turning to tell him about the weird holes, but he jerked his chin sharply, stalling the words on the edge of my tongue.
“Get your sexy ass into the Bugatti, Little Witch. Whatever you were about to say, it can wait until the urge to bend you over and fuck this anger out on your pretty little pussy has passed. What the fuck were you thinking?” Lucian’s eyes sparkled with rage, and the moment I opened my mouth to speak, he growled. “Get in the car! Now, Lena!” he commanded.
“Good gods, asshole. I did tell you I was leaving. You didn’t believe me, and that isn’t my fault. Maybe next time, you should take me seriously.” I scoffed, but still did as he’d asked because a pissed-off Lucian was both hot and terrifying.
I bristled with anger, moving toward the midnight blue Bugatti that sat by the curb. He opened the car door, waiting for me to slide into the passenger seat. He narrowed his eyes, and his mouth tightened into a white line, warning that his threat wasn’t idle.
One of the things I liked about Lucian was that he didn’t make threats that he wasn’t willing to carry out. I was barely in my seat when he shut the door and walked around the car to climb inside. I didn’t speak, choosing instead to pull the seatbelt over my chest, clicking it into place. His eyebrow rose at the gesture, but I lifted mine right back at him. He may not care about safety, but I didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of being ejected from the car if he crashed.
Lucian purposely left his seatbelt off as the car hummed to life. The purr of the motor caused a soft moan of pleasure to build in my chest. I loved fast cars. I was still mourning the loss of Baby, my brother’s Chevy Chevelle that had been wrecked and was unsalvageable. I craved and missed the loud engine Joshua had built. It was his prized possession. Lucian pulled away from the curb, moving through the litter-filled streets of Spokane.
“You knew better. Lucifer is waiting for you to leave the club. You want him to capture you? He won’t be gentle, Lena. He will punish you, and it won’t be anything you’ll enjoy. I hurt him, and I did so intentionally when he refused to stay away from Katarina. He wanted to know why I searched for her, needing a way to free himself from Hell. I protected her in that lifetime, and I did so by taking the one woman Lucifer loved to ensure he knew not to mess with mine. If you think you’re anything more than a way for him to get back at me, you’re wrong.”
“So give her back, Lucian. Trade his lover for Makenna.” I leaned against the door to glare at him, studying the stubble that lined his jaw, creating a hot 5 o’clock shadow. I stifled the moan at imagining his mouth between my legs.
“I can’t do that,” he hissed, peering back at me before lowering his eyes to where my thighs clenched from the image in my head. “She didn’t love him. She was a selfish, pathetic goddess who convinced Lucifer that she cared for him. She craved chaos and played with his emotions because the thought of love made him