Dance of Wings (Curse of the Guardians #7)

23. Lucifer

Chapter 23

Lucifer

This plan is going to shit.

World’s worst apprentice:

So you told everyone the truth then?

Of course not.

World’s worst apprentice:

You’re a fucking idiot.

They care about you Luce.

They don’t want you to kill yourself.

I swear Kyle, if you tell your sister any of this plan, I will hang you with your own intestines.

World’s worst apprentice:

T he argument with his brothers agitated him to the point he had to clear his head and calm down. Usually staring at the stars was enough, but tonight he felt the need to work out some of his excess adrenaline. A fight wouldn’t do it, no, he needed something that would ease the dark magic that had wrapped its corrupted tentacles around his centre. It took everything in him not to become the monster he was expected to be. The constant fight against himself was exhausting when sometimes he wanted nothing more than to simply embrace his natural instincts. Even if they were… questionable.

Which was why he found himself just outside the stupidly decorated gates of Archangel Cassiel.

In his defence, he had no intention of tracking Scarlet down. Okay, that was a lie. He had every intention of tracking Scarlet down, just not when he was so close to the edge. The flight there had calmed him enough he wasn’t so volatile, and had given him enough time to plan exactly what else would make him feel better.

Remembering the last time he’d graced the Archangel’s home, he drifted inside.

It was late, the few security that were wandering around were as useless as chocolate teapots, and easy enough to hide from. They definitely weren’t trained, simply hired grunts who could barely hold a spear properly. They didn’t even work as a team, and definitely didn’t have a solid plan behind the security of the house. Pathetic really.

Tucking himself into a shadowed corner, Lucifer waited for the security guard to walk past before he continued in the direction he felt Scar.

The centre of the complex was open, giving him a perfect view of all the floors above, and below. Which made sense if everyone there had wings. Drifting on to the platform above, Lucy paused. He could feel her, like an echo against his own heartbeat. She was asleep, and for some reason that calmed him. He wanted to bury himself in that peace, but not until he finished what he came for.

Following the connection, he found Scarlet was behind one of the doors, but she wasn’t the first person he wanted to see. Luckily, the fucker’s voice was loud enough to track.

Making sure his smile showed his sharper canines, Lucy opened the door without knocking.

Aeron sat at the foot of his bed, his eyes widening at Lucy’s sudden appearance. “What the –”

Lucifer didn’t give him a chance to call for help, rushing across the space to tackle him to the floor. The celestrial prick was solid, his wings heavy as Lucifer managed to pin Aeron’s arms beneath his knees. The position was awkward and entirely inappropriate, but that just made it even more entertaining.

Before Aeron could react, Lucifer reached behind him for Scarlet’s golden blade, and held it to his throat. “You’re going to remain quiet, because you don’t want anyone to hear what a pathetic cunt you are? Do you?”

Aeron swallowed, hatred burning from his eyes.

“Now, what was it that you called Scar?”

Aeron remained silent, only letting out a hiss when Lucifer started to press hard enough blood appeared. “Stop taking the piss. I said quiet, not silent.”

“Bitch. I called her a bitch,” he wheezed out.

“Ah, that’s it. Good memory.” Pulling the blade away, Lucy gently slapped Aeron’s cheek. “Now, be a good boy and don’t wiggle. I don’t want you to ruin my masterpiece.”

With a wink he brought the tip of the knife to Aeron’s forehead, and slowly began to carve deep enough he scraped the skull. Aeron whimpered, wriggling beneath the blade.

“Stop crying, it’s just a scratch.” With his left hand, he pinned the prick’s head in place. “There, was that so bad?”

He’d made sure it looked neat and symmetrical before putting the blade in the back of his jeans and grabbing the vial of salt. It was a distinctive choice to grab the salt on his way out, knowing it would help delay the healing process and hopefully cause a scar.

Leaning down, he made sure he held Aeron’s full attention. “You shouldn’t have called her a bitch. Next time I hear you call her a name, I’ll carve it somewhere more delicate. Understand?”

Aeron’s nod was jerky, little whimpers escaping his throat.

“Good. Now, this is going to burn like a bitch.” Lucifer snorted, chuckling to himself even as Aeron looked up at him horrified at the pun. “What? You should try laughing sometimes. It’s good for the soul. I would know.” With a grin he began to pour the salt, taking more pleasure than he should in Aeron’s screams. With one last slap to his cheek he drifted back into the hall, and quickly let himself inside Scarlet’s room with a little blast of arcane.

She was curled on her bed, body tensing as soon as she sensed him. She reached for her bedside table, grabbing the empty sheath. “Fuck,” she cursed, her voice husky with sleep.

“Oh, you looking for this?” He held out her knife, the tip still wet.

Scarlet warily stood, her movements slow as if she faced a dangerous bear. It would have amused him more if he wasn’t caught on the tiny crop top she wore to bed, and a pair of lace knickers. Pink. His favourite colour.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, her eyes no longer so sleepy. “And did you just break my lock?”

Aeron bellowed loudly from the other room, making Scar frown towards the door.

“Oh, you should probably go see what that is.” With a shrug he looked around her impersonal, but tidy room. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll just make myself comfortable here.”

SCARLET

She didn’t trust Lucifer. And she especially didn’t trust him when he wore such an arrogant smirk.

“Don’t move,” she warned, slipping out of her room before closing her door behind her. The bastard had definitely broken her lock.

“Look what he did!” Aeron screeched, pacing the shared living space.

Zaph opened his door, stuck his head out, and then slammed his door shut again.

“This is your fault!” Aeron hissed, finally spotting her.

“What happened?” she asked, squinting at the blood that trailed down his face. “Are you hurt?” It took her a minute to understand the strange slices on Aeron’s forehead.

‘BITCH’ had been carved in neat, block capital letters.

“What happened?” Aeron parroted. “What happened was your fucking Daemon breached the wards and did this to my face!”

She stared at the word, the skin so neatly sliced she swore she saw bone. The wound was slightly puffy, and was that… “Glitter?”

Aeron’s eyes widened. “Did you just say glitter?” He touched the edge of the ‘B,’ grimacing as he pulled his hand back to check.

“Erm, no?” She was pretty confident it was glitter, which made Lucy even more psycho than she’d first thought. “I think you need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” he cried.

“Yes, unless you want to wake Cassiel.”

That made him pause. “Heal me.”

“I can’t,” she lied. “Go take a warm shower, and try and clear some of that… stuff out. I’ll have a look in the morning once it’s clean.”

Scarlet didn’t wait for him to argue, returning to her room quick enough to shut the door before he could respond.

She found Lucifer casually lounging on her bed, his arms behind his head. She wasn’t sure how he’d gotten inside the building, but he definitely couldn’t stay.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she angrily whispered. “You need to leave.”

He wore a black T-shirt that was strategically ripped, revealing his deeply tanned skin and tattoos. Aetherna’s beauty standards was to remain clean, unmarked, and yet she felt her eyes lingering on the delicate black lines before she caught herself.

“Nah, I don’t think I will.” He watched her through hooded lids, her knife put neatly back in its sheath on the bedside table.

“What do you mean no?” Honestly, sometimes it was like talking to a toddler. “You can’t stay here.”

His eyes tracked her as she moved closer, like a viper ready to strike. “Why not?” he asked, his body deceptively relaxed. She blamed being abruptly woken up for being so careless.

“Because…” the explanation ended with a yelp when he locked his hand around her wrist. “Lucifer!”

He pulled her on to the bed, her legs automatically straddling his hips.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, wriggling before his hands moved to clamp down on her waist.

“What does it look like?” His eyes heated when she continued to wriggle. “Love, unless it’s an invitation, I suggest you stop.”

She immediately stilled, her stomach clenching at the position. “Release me,” she growled, the sound far huskier than she’d intended. “Now.”

“Nah I think we should discuss our kiss instead.” His thumbs gently rubbed small circles on her skin.

“It wasn’t a kiss.”

“Your lips met mine.” He gave her a crooked smile, and heat burned through her veins. He shouldn’t be so roguishly handsome. It was against some primal law. “You even moaned.”

“It wasn’t a kiss,” she hissed, pointedly ignoring the way her core clenched at his ministrations. “You helped me calm down.”

His smile grew. “With my lips.”

Scarlet shook her head at his clear delight. His thumbs continued to stroke across the skin of her waist, his fingers clamped down to keep her in position. He wasn’t really holding her down, his muscles solid but showing no sign of exertion. She knew if she really wanted to be free, he’d let her go. But for some reason, she wasn’t trying that hard.

She was just tired, that was all.

“What’s with the glitter?” she asked, deciding to play his little game. “I don’t know how he’s going to get it out.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A low, dark tutting sound surrounded her. “But if I did know what you were talking about. Feathers will think twice about disrespecting you again.”

Scarlet stilled, surprised by his answer. “Why would you do that?”

He angled his head, dark hair spreading across her white pillow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He was hot beneath her, and she hadn’t even realised she’d braced her weight with her palms against his chest. “Why glitter?” She went to pull her hands back, but he rocked his hips up until she was forced to lean forward, his breath hot against her face.

“After surviving more lifetimes than you can ever imagine in the dark. You learn to live for the light.” The playfulness had gone, only to be replaced with a deep concentration that was too much.

Everything about him was too much. From the way he watched her, to the way his fingers stroked her skin.

“How did you get past the wards?” she whispered. “I was told it was drift proof.”

“We’re bound by the summoning law. Which means because you’re inside, I can get inside.” He shrugged, the movement rubbing the fabric of his jeans against the lace between her legs.

Her lips automatically parted at the sensation, and Lucifer tracked it as if drawn to her every little movement. The air thickened, and she became achingly aware of every breath. Of every brush of fabric against her suddenly tight skin.

Lucy continued to watch her, his gaze an intensity that darkened the longer the tension stretched. She was lost in those fiery eyes, her breath hitching when he slowly moved his hands to the tops of her thighs.

“You’re insufferable,” she finally muttered, only for his thumbs to sweep teasingly at the edge of her lace.

“I’ve been told I’m charming, actually.”

His thumbs teased the edge again, and she still didn’t stop him.

“What are you doing, Lucifer?” she asked, debating whether she was still dreaming.

He shifted his head to the side, and the same dangerous smirk from earlier curled his lips. “Say my name again.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Nope, she definitely wasn’t dreaming. “Let go of me before I cut off your balls.”

If he was simply teasing her before, he wasn’t now. He hardened almost painfully against her, testing the strength of the denim.

“Stop it,” she whispered, her nails clawing at the fabric of his T-shirt.

A mischievous glint. “Stop what?”

“Whatever this is.” She gestured between them. “Your mark, or something. Just stop it.”

Lucifer stilled, his expression carved from stone before he flipped them so she was on her back. Scarlet gasped, surprised with how easily he’d moved her. It should have been awkward, painful even. Her weight was heavy, and yet he’d tucked her wings so effortlessly so she wouldn’t land on them wrong.

And only then did she realise she wasn’t in her room anymore.

Instead rich coloured fabrics draped above, entwined with twinkling lights that reminded her of the stars. She was surrounded with luxurious pillows, covering the entire bed like a lumpy cloud. One that was large enough to fit four people and allowed her wings to spread fully.

Snow globes were displayed proudly across the wall, around thirty in total.

“Just to make it very fucking clear,” Lucifer growled, forcing her attention back to him. “My mark does nothing but protect you from me. In no way does it coerce your emotions, or that sweet cunt of yours.” His hands pressed into the silken sheets beside her head, his elbows bending to hover his body close without touching. “Which means you’re wet right now because you want me. You, love, not the mark.”

She went to object, but the words got caught on her tongue when he leaned down to brush his lips so gently down her throat. It was so soft and unexpected that her traitorous thighs wanted to press together in anticipation.

“You want me to slip between my favourite thighs,” he said to her skin, “and use my tongue to tease that little button of nerves until you drench my face.”

The fabric of her top was suddenly far too constricting, every slight movement forcing it to brush over her pebbled nipples.

“I already know how well you’ll take me.” Lucifer dropped his hips, and Scarlet couldn’t control the moan as he pressed against the damp lace between her legs. “But, you’ll never let a Daemon touch you, so I guess I’ll have to wait until you’re begging for my cock.”

Scarlet shivered, her hands finding their way into his hair so she could force his head back. There was nothing teasing in his gaze when she met them, his eyes so dark, yet blazing with a heat that scorched in its intensity.

“I’ll never beg.”

“Oh, but you will.” His smile was slow, playful. “Want to know why?”

This time his lips brushed hers, the touch featherlight.

“Because we’re inevitable, love.”

He didn’t give her a chance to process his words before he disappeared, the cool air sweeping into the space where his body once was. Jerking into a sitting position she found him by the door, her bedroom surrounding her once more.

His jeans strained against his erection, and she hoped it hurt, because then she wouldn’t feel so angry with the way her body was betraying her.

“I hadn’t just come to return your blade, I also needed to update you about a lead,” he said, his tone so casual compared to her pulsating clit. “Oh, and to give you the appropriate attire.”

Following the direction of his nod, she finally noticed the bag. “Appropriate attire?” Scarlet cleared her throat, not impressed with how hoarse it was.

“Ah love, you’ll just have to trust me. And don’t worry, I’ll replace your lock.” With a last wink, he disappeared with a pop.