Touched by Fire (Demons of New Chicago #1) - Kel Carpenter Page 0,56

covered the arena, and I chose not to look too closely at the two people fighting in it.

“You recognize it?”

“There’s only one place in New Chicago that allows pit fights,” I said instead of answering. “Or I suppose I should say, only one place you allow. All others, human or not, you shut down before they got going. Must make for good business when yours is the only one around.”

In truth, I’d managed to sneak in here twice. Both times for targets. The Underworld was a place that only supes could go. Within its borders, humans were sold and killed with no consequences, and no one bothered to stop it. I didn’t exactly make a point to visit when I identified as human.

“You must not come here often, or I’d have found you long before now,” Lucifer said, ignoring the rest of my statement. My muscles locked up.

“I worked for you for three years, and you never noticed me,” I replied.

His perfect lips curled up on one side as he finally looked at me. Slow. His gaze roaming. Undressing. My hand instinctively went for my gun. But my holster was gone, along with any weapons I might have had. I closed my fist and squeezed, never having felt so powerless.

“You’re wrong. I noticed, but I thought you were human. Your kill count was higher than any hunter, supernatural or not. I should have looked closer. I’ll admit that. My arrogance blinded me from thinking there might be more to you.”

There was a lot of what he had said that was fucked up, but the thing my brain focused on was I thought you were human.

“I am human,” I said, repeating that tired line.

Lucifer turned away from the match entirely and took a step toward me. Mirth danced in his expression again. Along with something else. “You expect me to believe that?” he asked, lifting both brows. “I questioned Anders. He claims the same. If it weren’t for my compulsion being infallible, I’d have thought he was lying,” Lucifer said. He took a step toward me. I stood my ground, glaring up at him. The demon reached for me, and I slapped his hand away.

A hint of his ire, his fury, bled into his expression.

Lucifer’s eyes glowed, but then as fast as the change had happened, it halted.

He smiled, and it was more unsettling than his anger.

“I scent your fear and your anger. It’s an intoxicating combination.”

My stomach turned in disgust, reminding me to not be fooled by his pretty face. It was a mask for a monster. “Why am I here?”

“In the Underworld?” He motioned outward. “Because you betrayed me. Or do you mean here? With me?” My silence said more than words. His smile widened. “Because you smell like my atma, and I want to know why.”

“I don’t know why,” I said.

Lucifer reached for me, and this time when I tried to shake him off, he didn’t allow it. His arm encircled my waist and his hand gripped my hip. Nails dug into my flesh as he turned us both away from the window and led me toward the couch. “Actually, I think you do. You just might not realize it yet.”

A foot away from the couch, Lucifer pushed me. I went willingly and whirled around, expecting the worst. But he didn’t sit next to me or come down on top of me. He stepped away and began pacing while rubbing his palms together.

“The witch I interrogated that night said it was a male demon that crossed over,” he started. I squinted up at him. He paused and looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“It was,” I said slowly. He nodded.

“So she must have crossed over before then,” he said. “Maybe she sought you out. Have you had contact with any other demons?” His eyes glowed, and I felt a power I’d never known pressing against me. It was seeking. Searching. He wanted the truth.

I was choking on it.

“Yes,” I said, unable to stop myself.

His smile widened, golden eyes blazing more than before. “When?”

“A decade ago.”

The words came from lips, though I fought them. Fought and failed.

I hated it.

His nose crinkled. I couldn’t tell if he disliked my answer or if he was confused by it.

“But you smell like her now,” he said, then returned pacing. The crowd from the arena roared. If I had to guess, someone had died. Lucifer didn’t look up. It was beneath his interest when the prospect of his atma was within his