Chapter 3
LUCIFER
How could Luc talk about his brothers without lying? This wasn’t going how he’d imagined. Luc had entered the bar confident, only for Dex to shatter an illusion he hadn’t known he’d been upholding.
For far too long, whenever Luc interacted with someone, he decided who to be in order to bend the situation to his will. If he needed to be cruel, so be it. If he needed to placate, that was easy. It was only recently that being genuine aligned with his desired outcomes.
With his brothers, being genuine was straightforward. He was sorry even if no one believed him. He’d told the truth when they’d found him at the tower in the Realm of the Damned, and ever since. It was all he could do until he was given the chance to offer more.
But when faced with someone who didn’t know him, someone who had no grudge or preconceived notions of who he was, how could he be genuine? Who was he without his mistakes?
Luc didn’t know.
He hadn’t been anyone other than the Devil in far too long.
Dex was a blank slate. This man, who drew Luc in like he always imagined the fated mate connection would. It inspired him to show Dex nothing except his purest self, but he came up empty.
Maybe he was nothing more than the being who’d damned thousands and destroyed the universe’s magical balance. When Luc looked, he couldn’t find anything beneath that truth.
He cleared his throat.
Should he tell Dex what he could about why he was in Shearwater Landing? No matter how much he wanted to avoid lying, even by omission, the full story was impossible to share. Dex would assume Luc had lost his grip on reality if he started talking about the fall to Earth and magic.
But he had to start somewhere if he wanted Dex to know him eventually.
“I betrayed my brothers’ trust some time ago, and it doesn’t seem like they’re interested in an apology.”
Dex bit his lip and took a moment to consider, his sharp gray eyes narrowing slightly. The assessing nature of his attention was refreshing. No one had seen Luc in forever. Or at least, no one had seen anything he hadn’t curated.
He’d tried with Onyx. Luc had let his distress surface, but it had angered his younger brother. Onyx hadn’t believed him, and that was no one’s fault but Luc’s.
“Did your apology fit the, uh, betrayal, as you called it?”
“I don’t know if that’s possible.”
There were no words to encompass Luc’s regret for stealing his brothers’ magic, and that was only the beginning of his transgressions.
Dex’s lips parted, but he snapped them shut like he’d reconsidered. “Maybe you need to keep apologizing.”
“Even if they asked me not to?”
Dex’s nose scrunched. His face was soft-featured and boyish, a hit of stubble preventing him from being completely baby-faced. “If they asked you not to, you should respect their boundaries.”
“That’s what I suspected.” Boundaries were annoying. Luc would rather not deal with them, and that was part of the problem. “One of them said he’d hear me out.”
“That’s good. If he’s willing to talk, then there’s hope. It’ll take time.”
Dex’s encouragement was sweet, but Luc couldn’t take solace in it. He might not mean it if he had the whole story.
Unless being Luc’s mate meant Dex would understand.
Were they mates? The question was a thorn in Luc’s heel. He wanted to believe the signs, but hope did terrible things to him.
He tamped it down.
“I suppose I’ll have to find a place to stay in the city while I wait and see. But enough about my problems. I didn’t follow you in here to burden you.”
Dex snorted. “I can’t believe you’re admitting to following me.”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Luc’s heart skipped. He hated the idea when he normally wouldn’t give a shit.
Dex shrugged one shoulder. “Not unless you’re planning on following me anywhere else.”
“I won’t,” Luc promised. Damn it, now he’d have to stick to that.
Usually, he wouldn’t care about the ethics of stalking or false promises. With Dex, it seemed vital to care. If there was one thing in his life Luc could get right, it had to be this.
Each honest piece of himself Luc offered up, each promise not to lie, seemed to ignite something inside him. A flame wrapped around his heart, urging him on like he was headed in the right direction.
He’d never felt anything like it. Not even when he’d fallen to Earth and been sure beyond all doubt that he was on the path to his mate. Luc had no idea anything could feel as right as sitting next to Dex and trying to figure out what lay beneath his vast array of masks.
They had to be mates.
Dex hopped off his barstool. “Glad I won’t have to worry. I’m going to get another drink. Are you good?”
Luc glanced at his nearly full glass. “I’m fine, thank you.”
He should have bought Dex his next drink. That was a thing humans did when dating. Right? Luc didn’t know much about modern romance. He should have done more research.
Luc’s stomach dropped at the idea of asking Dex on a date and being turned down. He wasn’t ready for his mate, not without a plan to win his heart. Luc always had enough plans to fill a book, accounting for every scenario.
Guaranteed outcomes were all Luc tolerated. Hoping things would work out was for fools.
Maybe he should say to hell with modern dating. It brought no guarantee. Instead, he could show Dex magic, prove it was real and not a delusion, and seduce him with power and possibility. Promise Dex the world. Anything he desired.
He could whisk Dex away and pleasure him senseless, then mate him, and keep him forever.
If Dex truly was his mate, Luc couldn’t let him slip from his grasp. Four thousand years was too long to miss his chance now. He could go a step further, bind them together, and explain later. That way, Dex would be his, and it could never be undone.
The smoldering around Luc’s heart flared painfully.
It was wrong—immoral and selfish—but keeping his mate captive until he accepted the truth was a guarantee.
Luc wouldn’t have to hope for Dex’s acceptance.
Being fated meant they would work out in the end, no matter what.
Dex would want to be Luc’s. And Luc could always use magic and illusion to ease the way.
Shame doused the fire around his heart and sent a shiver through him. Was he really considering kidnapping Dex and forcing him to fall in love? Luc couldn’t cheat his way through this. Even contemplating it proved how unworthy he was. Manipulating Dex wasn’t love.
And Luc wanted real, pure love more than anything.
Not that he deserved it. But if he was so unworthy, why would he find his mate now? Why was he being given this chance after everything?
Was he worthy?
Not likely. But the more he considered, the more Luc acknowledged that capturing Dex and forcing him to bend to his will wasn’t anything more than a fantasy, one in which Dex’s cooperation was key to the allure. Dex, his willing captive. Anything else was revolting.
No, Luc wasn’t seriously considering forcing anything on Dex. He was just scared.
Dex returned to his seat with another beer. “I didn’t see this on tap when I first came in. I love a sour.” He sipped his new drink. “So good on a hot day.”
Luc smiled, his bitterness and shame cracking and falling away. He could do this the correct way. When Dex’s gaze held his, he didn’t doubt himself.
A tether seemed to form between them, reeling Luc in. Fuck, they really were mates. This could be nothing else.
Dex is my mate. Mine.
Fire turned to light within the depths of Luc’s soul. It burst forth, setting his hidden wings and tail tingling. It was happening. Luc was with his mate at last—four thousand years of heartache were at an end—and for the first time since Luc could remember, hope felt good.
It wasn’t poison. It was life.
“I’ve never had a sour beer,” Luc admitted, trying for something to say that wasn’t completely unhinged.
“Here.” Dex slid his glass along the bar.
Luc had a sip and pursed his lips. “I’m not sure about that.” He grimaced, handing the drink back.
“It’s not for everyone.” Dex took the glass, his fingers a hair away from touching Luc’s.
Luc needed more. To be closer. He turned in his seat, facing Dex in a mirror of his position, their knees brushing momentarily. “You said you work as a barista. Do you enjoy it?”
“I do.” Dex lifted his chin like his statement was a challenge.
“I’m glad.”
“You’re not asking what I really want to do?”
Luc didn’t understand. “Why would you want something else if you enjoy your work?”
Dex huffed. “I don’t know. People always assume it’s a temporary job, like everyone has to aspire to work in an office.”
“I’d never work in an office.” Luc would die of boredom before he figured out what humans did in offices all day.
In some respects, he was knowledgeable about the modern human world, even though he’d been in the Realm of the Damned for a thousand years, but in other respects, current human society was baffling.
Dex rolled his eyes. “Of course you wouldn’t if you don’t need a job to begin with.”
That was true enough. “Tell me more about your work. I assume you like coffee?”
Dex laughed. “Yeah, I love coffee as much as the next person. I’ve been at the same coffee shop for years and wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. The team is great, and it’s the perfect job to give me time to do my pottery.”
Luc leaned closer, repositioning his legs so his knees bracketed Dex’s but didn’t touch. “Pottery?”
Dex shifted slightly, resting a knee against Luc’s inner thigh. The touch sparked and smoldered. Dex didn’t pull away. “I make pottery and sell some of my pieces at work. Mugs and bowls and things. I’m opening an online shop.”
So, Dex and the red mug were connected. Luc hated himself for breaking it, but even that couldn’t bring him down while Dex’s knee pressed against him. “I love that. Handmade items are precious. Do you have pictures of your work?”
Dex’s eyes widened a fraction. “I can show you my website. I haven’t promoted it yet, so no one’s really seen it.”