and the dim flame reveled in the ebony depths. “You need to tell me more.”
“The fable of St. Lorraine dictates D'Angel's heirs must discover the light of the angels to obtain redemption.” Lucien explained tightly while he averted his darkened eyes from the hovering specter.
….ain't good enough
Lucien ignored the taunt. Stirring deep inside, he felt the faint coil of a despicable emotion he hadn’t experienced in centuries... anger. The feeling grew and threatened to overwhelm him.
“You assume I'm this supposed incarnation?” A derisive smirk accompanied her question.
….ain't nothing about her angelic
“You don’t see yourself as I do.” He kept his attention diverted from her brother, and peered into the disbelieving chocolate warmth of her eyes.
….harrumph!
“Whenever I look at you, I see a glow, Evangeline. It’s impossible to explain, but I know it's there.” He paused, longing to reach out and touch her cheek, to trace her petal soft lips with his thumb. Instead, his hands remained clenched on his lap, the tapered fingernails biting into the palm of his fingerless gloves. “Radiance shines from the depths of your soul. It exudes outwards, a beacon in the darkness, and you become as brilliant as star light.”
….think you're infatuated
“Star light.” Eva ignored Reese's comment. She shook her head and struggled to pull her gaze away. “I guess, after four hundred years, you know how to impress a woman with flowery words.”
“This is neither a joke, nor an attempt to impress you.” Lucien snapped, his jaw clenching. His eyes narrowed and the faint creases fanning from the corners became more obvious.
Silent, she reached a stunning realization. After watching successive seasons of his television program, she’d never seen him lose his grip on his arctic demeanor. It was clear her presence, or perhaps Reese's continuing commentaries, unsettled him.
“You, Evangeline, have a vibrant luminosity. This incandescence is the fire of the angels, as your name justly proclaims.”
….way too old, jail bait
“Shut up, Reese!” Eva colored painfully, rolling her eyes.
“Julian will be seeking the fire, as well.”
“He'll be looking for me?”
“My brother understands the prophecy must be fulfilled, one way or another. In his case, he wishes for absolute power and control.” Lucien forced out a heavy sigh, more from weariness than necessity. “If he suspects the power you wield, he won’t show any mercy to obtain his desires.”
Eva shuddered. “How bad is He?”
….demon's blood, evil, strife, demon's blood, full of strife!
Lucien leaned forward. In the dimness, Eva detected the most bizarre and oddly shimmering glow reflecting on his skin. Mesmerized, the radiance intensified. As she leaned in, Reese inhaled sharply, an obvious warning in the action.
….demon's blood!
“Your brother is correct.” Lucien admitted as her brother’s eerie words filled the room. “Julian is evil and strife, the walking epitome of our sire's daemon blood. Every catastrophe in recorded human history, since the mid-seventeenth century, He orchestrated. Name the crime, where mass populations were decimated, or vanished from the earth without cause, and he was involved. There is too many who remain earthbound due to my brother’s crimes and I must put a stop to his reign."
"How do you intend to do that?"
"I believe, with my death, He will cease to exist.”
“And if things don't work out the way you plan?”
“It’s a risk I have to take.” He admitted soberly. “If he obtains absolute power, the world is not prepared for the damage he could inflict.”
She shook her head, her expression grim.
“I won't have a hand in your death, Lucien.”
….stubborn girl
“You won’t?”
“You heard me.” She leaned closer, their noses almost touching. Instead of the breathlessness she experienced when she stared at Lucien, her heart leapt. Despite the placid calmness of his pale features, she detected the agitation swirling beneath the surface. He was everything he never revealed to the world, frustrated, angry, and defiant. “I won’t aide nor abet in your death.”
“You don’t comprehend the importance of my death, Evangeline. You're the key toward ending this abomination!”
“Pardon?” She asked innocently. There was a calculating expression darting through her eyes, causing Lucien to flinch. “What abomination?”
“Me!” Lucien stared at her disbelievingly. He was anchored to the couch, unable to move unless he unsettled her.
“You’ve managed so well.”
“Evangeline,” he breathed huskily. “I need you.”
“That’s what every woman wants to hear in their lifetime,” she rolled her eyes, her cheeks pinkening. “Honestly, you need me for all the wrong reasons.”
“Damn it!”
“Temper, temper,” she smiled, and the action as sweet and beguiling. “Tell me, do I shatter your composure, D'Angel?”
Lucien lifted his hands and raked them through his hair, frustrated.
“During my