Chapter 15
Lucifer
Yvonne stands in front of me, her hands on her hips. Her eyes are scrutinizing every inch of my appearance, and all I can do is remain rooted in the spot in her bedroom. She starts circling around me, like a predator determining whether or not the prey is worth its attention.
Then, she comes to a stop in front of me, looking at me with pure amusement in her eyes.
“Let’s fix your appearance.”
“What’s wrong with my appearance?”
She snorts. “You’re wearing stolen clothes.”
“Ah,” I chuckle. “No, I paid with your money. Then Valerio gave me his card, so I bought more clothes with it.”
“How do I say this without sounding like a bitch?” She hums. “Your taste is terrible.”
“You do sound like a bitch,” I deadpan.
Yvonne grins. “I know. Now, let me see what I should find for you to wear.”
“Well, aside from what I’ve purchased, I have nothing else.”
“You’re speaking to a witch,” she glares. “I can fix it. Now… you don’t seem like the type to be wearing modern suits, no matter how much you don’t want to admit it. But, we can still keep it in a similar style.”
She begins murmuring to herself, and if it weren’t for my super-hearing, I wouldn’t have caught it. I smirk, just letting her do her own thing. My best guess is that she’ll make me wear something that matches her.
Her dress is maroon, down to her ankles, with long sleeves. It’s tight, and I am struggling to keep my eyes off her gorgeous body. She has a lot of emeralds on, and given how long she’s been awake, I’m not too shocked that her jewelry collection is half the size of this cottage.
Her hair is tied into two dutch braids, falling down her waist.
Fuck me, she’s beautiful.
When I blink, I see her smiling proudly. “Yes, that’s it.”
Then, I glance down, noticing the change in my clothes. A pair of black pants, a black shirt, and a pair of shoes I’ve never seen before. There’s a leather belt, too, not that I’d actually ever need one.
The strangest thing is my hair, though.
It’s up in a high ponytail, a style I’ve never worn before.
“So, how do I look?”
She beams. “Fantastic! Let’s go.”
Yvonne grabs her handbag, and heads out the door. I catch up with her easily, pulling her off her feet and into my arms. She quirks a brow, her arms wrapping around my neck automatically.
“What’s this about?”
“It’ll be quicker. Hold on tight.”
Her eyes close, and she hugs me tighter. I kiss the top of her head, then speed through the forest and into the city. It takes me less than five minutes of avoiding trees, running through the forest, before I see the entrance of the town.
“We’re here.”
Yvonne opens her mouth, looking at the town sign in awe, then back at me. Slowly, she gets off me and I hold her, supporting her weight as she stumbles a little. Yvonne straightens up quickly, taking my hand in hers, and walks through the town.
It’s small, though it has everything one might need. A couple of decent coffee shops, good restaurants, boutiques, and all the things that seem to make Yvonne happy to be living here. She’s silent while we’re walking, and I can’t stop staring at her profile.
She’s so beautiful, and it’s impossible to keep my eyes off her.
“Lucifer,” she calls out and I’m snapped out of the trance.
“Yes?”
“I’m hungry.”
I chuckle. “Where would you like to eat?”
Her smile is absolutely captivating, breaking further through my defenses. “There’s this cute little place down the street. They have the best cheeseburgers.”
I blink.
“What’s that?”
Yvonne sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Nevermind, just follow me.”
The next two hours are spent with Yvonne shoving said cheeseburger in her mouth, until she’s completely stuffed with food. She ate the entire thing — well, inhaled it — as if she’s been starving for weeks.
Another thing that I find irresistible about her.
The way she laughs unapologetically now that she’s comfortable with me, the way her eyes shine brightly when she discusses topics that are of interest to her, and the way she blushes whenever I say something she doesn’t expect.
I paid with Valerio’s card, and I realize just how much the world has changed, how much I need to learn and to adapt. It’s definitely uglier than it used to be, but people seem more at ease, more comfortable in their own skin, which isn’t a bad thing.
“Where to now?”
“Let me just call Octavia,” Yvonne whips her phone out of her purse. “I’ll be right back.”
I suppress an eye roll, because she seems to have forgotten that I can hear her even from a mile away. She moves aside, taking a couple steps to the right, and I look into the distance.
The wind is strong today, but it’s still not too cold. It’s getting darker, too. I’m very close to snatching Yvonne off her feet and dragging her ass back to the cottage, so I can take advantage of the little moments of peace the two of us could share.
My brows furrow when I realize that not only do I not hear Yvonne at all, but I can’t smell her, either.
Immediately, I look back at where she was standing a mere minute ago, only to find the space empty.
She’s gone.
She’s fucking gone.