Chapter 8 Dex
DEX
Dex gaped at the spot Luc had been, his nails digging into Ollie’s arm.
Luc could do magic. One second, he’d been standing there, the next, he was gone. No, not Luc. Lucifer.
Dex might be sick. “Is he invisible? Like you were, Dante?”
Dante cursed under his breath. “No. He’s run off to the Realm of the Damned.”
Ollie spoke urgently into his phone before hanging up. He trembled against Dex, more afraid than Dex had ever seen him.
Why was he scared? Had Luc—Lucifer—been planning to hurt him like he’d hurt Ollie?
A man approached Dante, asking what the hell was happening, and Dante pulled him aside.
“Did that guy see Luc disappear?” For some reason, Dex couldn’t get Lucifer past his lips. It hurt enough the first time.
Ollie took a long, slow breath like he was trying to calm himself. “He might have seen. Don’t worry, Dante will wipe his memory.”
Dex’s stomach twisted. What the fuck? “You didn’t tell me magic could do that.”
“I was going to. I swear, but there’s so much to explain.” Ollie’s already broken expression crumpled further, and guilt overwhelmed Dex.
Dante wrapped his arm around Ollie as the random man walked away, all his concern seemingly vanished. “Come on. We’re going.”
Ollie kept hold of Dex, their grips so tight they’d both have bruises tomorrow. Not that it mattered. Screw tomorrow. Dex was having enough trouble wrapping his mind around everything in front of him.
Mind control. Illusions. The Devil. Ollie, saying he’d almost died.
“It’ll be all right,” Dante said with calm authority. “Let’s get home. Then we can figure this out.”
He guided them down the street. Strange hiccupping sounds came from Ollie. Shit, he was in bad shape, but Dex didn’t know what to do. Luc had hurt Ollie. And Harper. Fuck, he had to stop thinking of him as Luc.
Dex was numb, his feet heavy as he was dragged along. “How can the Devil be real?”
“I told you about Eternal beings, but that’s only the beginning. Telling you everything today was too much.” Dante cut an apologetic glance at Dex. “We aren’t angels; however, Lucifer did lead a group of us to fall to Earth.”
Sweat gathered at the back of Dex’s neck as something else Dante had said finally registered. “Wait. Is the Realm of the Damned the same as Hell? You didn’t tell me that either. How do you know my parents aren’t in Hell? They stopped going to church long before they died.”
Dex’s dad had never been big on attending. He’d accompanied his mom when she’d asked, and she’d stopped going after Dex had come out.
She’d never made a secret of her disagreement with their church’s exclusion of LGBTQ+ people, but finding out that Dex had still worried over what she’d think of him had affected her deeply.
Later, she’d talked about finding an inclusive congregation and rekindling her faith, but had never gotten the chance.
“It’s not about going to church,” Ollie said, steadier than before. “Hell is for witches. It’s about magic, not sins or moral failings. Witches can’t reincarnate, so they go to a different afterlife. There’s no fiery pit of punishment.”
Thank fuck. Dex would have lain down on the sidewalk in relief if the others hadn’t kept dragging him along.
He glanced around, surprised that they’d arrived at Ollie’s apartment already.
After trudging up the stairs, Ash greeted them inside, looming tall, his eyes glowing orange.
Shit, he was terrifying. Dex shrank back. He didn’t know Harper’s boyfriend well, and he could obviously do magic.
Ash wordlessly stepped out of the way, and Ollie guided Dex to the couch, not letting go when they sat down.
Harper hovered near the kitchen. Dante and Ash headed straight for him, talking in low tones.
How was this happening? Everyone was so tense. This was bad, obviously, but Dex couldn’t seem to put it all together.
He held Ollie’s hands tight. “What did he do to you?”
Ollie closed his eyes, tears spilling over. “Lucifer almost murdered me when I was at the beach with Dante. He r-ripped my throat out.”
Dex gasped. His whole body went cold, and his stomach rebelled, almost expelling the ice cream he’d eaten. He choked the nausea down. Ollie’s throat? Ripped it out with what? It was something a bear would do, not a man.
Ollie went on, “I’m Dante’s mate. We have a magical connection, and Lucifer attacked me because he believed Dante was lying about it. If Lucifer had been right, I would have died.”
“No.” Dex grabbed Ollie’s shirt like he could hold him here and save him from what had almost happened. He didn’t know what mates were, but that didn’t matter. He’d almost lost Ollie.
“It was horrible.” Ollie shuddered. “It hurt so much. I was drowning in my blood.”
Dex made a strangled sound.
“I still have flashbacks sometimes. It’s better than it used to be, but some nights, I can’t sleep. I feel his hands on me. Seeing him with you, I was terrified of what he’d do. He targeted you. He must know we’re friends.”
Luc had been planning to hurt him? Dex couldn’t see it, not with the sweet way Luc had held him. But he didn’t doubt Ollie. His pain was tangible between them, and it scared the hell out of Dex.
“How could he know we were friends?”
Harper settled beside them on the couch. “Lucifer has been stalking our group. He started following Ash, and then me. He threw me off the roof.”
Dex covered his mouth, his hand trembling.
He’d kissed Lucifer. Had practically begged to have sex with him. Dex’s skin crawled. He wanted to wash the memory of his desire away. How had he not realized he was in the presence of a monster?
“H-he’s evil,” Dex managed.
Harper and Ollie shared a grim look, neither denying it.
Ash came up beside the couch, resting a hand on Harper’s shoulder. “Luc wasn’t doing anything good hanging around you. That’s for damn sure.”
His growly tone set Dex’s senses on edge even though Ash was clearly on his side. Being afraid now was a joke after missing any sign that Luc was dangerous, but Dex couldn’t help it.
“I still don’t understand. How is he the Devil if Heaven and Hell aren’t what I think they are?” And how could I have fallen for Lucifer?
Dante joined them, and he and Ash explained who the real Lucifer was.
How they had been as close as brothers and had fallen to Earth together.
It wasn’t like any story Dex had ever heard.
They’d been looking for their mates—Ollie and Harper—and Luc had betrayed them.
He’d betrayed nature and magic and mortality, and damned all the Fallen to become demons.
That part Dex didn’t understand. Magic and mortality? It sounded big, but his brain was fried.
And that wasn’t all. Lucifer had gone on to violate Ash and Dante, cutting out some of their magic. He’d seized power over his fellow Fallen—demons—and trapped them all in a prison. Hell.
It wasn’t fire and brimstone, but it wasn’t sunshine and flowers either.
Still, the story didn’t seem to fit. Luc had been this sweet, disarming guy that Dex had met by chance. Except he hadn’t been that at all. The part that didn’t fit was their time together at Dorthy’s and walking along the river. The rest of it all lined up.
Luc was the Devil. He’d stalked and hurt Dex’s friends over the last few months. He’d ruined Ash and Dante’s lives for years and tried to recapture them after they escaped. They’d been fighting this whole summer.
Had Lucifer planned to hurt Dex as part of his war with Dante, Ash, and their mates? Dex still didn’t understand what they meant by mates, but he didn’t need to. All that mattered was that Lucifer had almost killed Ollie because of it.
Why had Luc been so understanding and willing to listen to Dex’s problems? Why hadn’t he fucked him and laughed in his face when Dex realized he’d betrayed his best friend?
Their connection had felt so real. Realer than anything Dex had experienced with another man.
“Did he put a spell on me?” Dex asked the room at large. “Is that why I felt so good around him?”
Ash’s gaze narrowed. “Felt good how?”
Dex balled his hands into fists. “I don’t know. It was easy. We clicked, and I was willing to give him a chance when I hadn’t been on a date in four years.”
Ash’s scowl deepened. “Do you still feel that way?”
Dex’s face flamed, and his stomach dropped out. “I hate him. How could I like him knowing what he’s done?”
Dante raised a calming hand. “Of course you hate him. What we mean is, when thinking back to meeting Luc or being near him, how does it feel?”
“I don’t know.” It was like a tangle of contradictions had grown inside him.
“We can cast a spell on you that will break any lingering illusions,” Ash suggested.
“Okay. Yes, do it.” Wash it away. Dex was sick, thinking Lucifer had coerced him with magic when he’d seemed nothing but respectful.
The demons cast their spell, and magic swirled around Dex in a hot wave.
Ollie watched him closely. “How do you feel now?”
“The same.” Dex had no more clarity, his feelings as scrambled as ever.
“When you think back to meeting Luc, it’s the exact feeling as before?” Ash pressed.
“Yeah. Is that bad?”
“No.” Dante looked concerned, nonetheless. “It means you weren’t under any kind of illusion or magical thrall.”
Dex sank further into the couch and covered his face. “So, I fell for the Devil out of my own stupidity?”
Ollie tugged at Dex’s wrist until he uncovered his face. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’re not stupid, Dex.”
“Luc is a charmer,” Ash agreed. “He could seduce anyone, even without magic. Hell, he had us fooled until it was too late.”
But it hadn’t been like that. What caught Dex’s attention were the awkward moments, not Luc’s charm. Though there was nothing to say it hadn’t all been an act.
“Why would he do this?” Ollie turned desperately toward Dante. “You said he wanted a truce.”
“That’s what Luc claimed. We shouldn’t have believed him, even after he gave our magic back.” Dante pulled out his phone and read something on the screen. “Onyx wants to come over.”
Harper nodded. “Good idea. Is he bringing Nico?”
“Wait.” Dex sat straighter. “Onyx as in the owner of Gallery Four?”
Ollie patted Dex’s knee. “He’s a demon, too. He, Dante, and Ash are like brothers.”
No. Dex didn’t want Onyx here. He was a mess. His pottery might never be shown in Onyx’s gallery, but that didn’t mean he wanted someone so connected to the art world seeing him like this.
Before he could figure out how to voice this new concern without sounding silly, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Luc:
I’m sorry.
Please let me see you. I have to explain.
Explain? There couldn’t be an explanation unless Ollie was wrong about what happened to him. Which he wasn’t.
Dex showed Ollie the messages.
His eyes widened. “Luc is back in this realm already? Dante, look at this.”
Dante shifted to the arm of the couch, and Dex showed him the phone. “He didn’t stay away long.”
“I can’t believe he wants to meet,” Ollie all but growled.
Dante laid a hand on Ollie’s shoulder. “It would be good to figure out what he’s planning. See if he’ll meet with all of us, Dex, and maybe we can figure it out, but he’s not getting you alone. It’s not safe.”
Luc had been scheming, using Dex like a pawn, and it was pathetic how much that truth cut Dex up. He didn’t want to accept it.
“We’ll protect you,” Dante added as if he assumed fear kept Dex silent, rather than a crushed heart.
Dex’s anguish fueled the fire of his shame. He was disappointed about his ruined date, even knowing Luc had almost killed his best friend. What was wrong with him? He should be enraged and nothing else.
Why did Dex’s first chance at seizing life after years of holding back have to happen with Lucifer?
“He might not agree to meet with all of us,” Ash said.
“You think he’s messaging, hoping I’ll meet him alone so he can…” Hurt me. Dex couldn’t finish the thought out loud. And he was disappointed about their date? He was definitely broken inside.
Harper looked at Dex with heart-wrenching sympathy. “We don’t know what he planned to do. See what he says.”
Dex’s stomach roiled as he typed.
Dex:
You can talk to me with the rest of the demons or not at all.
He pushed down the hope that Luc could explain this all away. Nothing could excuse trying to kill Ollie. Every time Dex remembered that’s what Luc had done, he feared he’d pass out.
Luc:
Yes, we should all meet together. I didn’t realize you were friends with them. Tell me where and I’ll be there.
“He agreed.” Dex looked up to find surprise lining Ash’s face. “He says he didn’t know we were friends.”
Dante snorted. “Yeah, right. This wasn’t a coincidence.”
Ash’s surprise settled into a scowl, but he didn’t comment.
Dante and Harper began coordinating Onyx’s arrival and discussing where to meet Luc, with Ash weighing in, but Dex tuned them all out.
He pulled Ollie into a hug, whispering, “I’m sorry.”
Ollie squeezed him tight. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m glad I saved you.”
Dex’s heart jolted. Saved him. Like he’d been about to suffer the same gruesome fate as Ollie. Somehow, Dex couldn’t believe it.
Or more like he didn’t want to.