Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Lily
Sympathy for the Devil
Rolling Stones
“It’s fine.” His hand drags through his chestnut locks, his eyes finding mine. “You can hang out here while you wait.”
“Really?” I can’t disguise my surprise. He seemed to want nothing more than for me to leave a few minutes ago.
“Really.” He stands, his arms raising above his head in a long stretch before addressing me again. “But I have a condition.”
“Of course you do.” I scoff. “Let me guess? It involves me taking my clothes off?”
He scratches at the long stubble on his chin, a wisp of a smile on display. “I think you’ve made it perfectly clear that’s off the table. But my request does involve the bed.”
I cross my arms, arching a brow. “Go on then, what is it?”
“I’m fucking beat.” His lips scrunch up as if admitting this was painful. “If I promise to keep my hands off, is it okay if I just crash on the bed? Whatever side you want is yours, but I need some damn sleep.”
“Oh.” Not at all what I was expecting. But now that he’s brought it up, it’s hard not to notice the dark circles shadowing his eyes. “You want to go to bed.” I surmise out loud. “I can just find somewhere else to wait.”
“Probably not as safe out there as you think.” He eyes dart in the direction of the door. “Believe it or not, I’m the nice one in the bunch.” He nods at the bed. “Seriously, it’s fine if you want to hang here. This bed is huge. More than enough room for the two of us.”
He sits on the end of and toes off the boots he’s wearing, each one thudding to the floor as they drop. He twists to face me. “Preference on a side?”
I shake my head. “Nope. I’m fine right here if you’re okay with that.”
“Yep.” He stands, shifting his gaze to the bathroom. “Just gonna go take care of business.”
“Uh, yeah, okay.” Not sure he had to explain that situation, but maybe he’s trying to make sure I’m not freaked out by any sudden movement. Who knows at this point. Which is turning into one of the strangest nights of my life.
I’m about to share a bed with a legitimate rock god and not because we’re going to have sex. Bri is never going to believe me, and then when she finds out, she’s going to murder me for not doing the deed.
The door clicks open and he strolls out a second after, my mouth gaping wide.
He’s naked, minus a very fitted pair of boxer briefs and while, Oh.
My. God. does he look amazing, I was not expecting this.
“Um, guess you aren’t shy?” I can feel my face heating and hate that his practically naked form is making me blush.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” He tugs back the blankets on the bed to slide under them. “I told you; I need sleep. I’m not wearing my clothes to bed just to make things a little less awkward for you.”
I sit in stunned silence for a moment because, he’s not wrong. He is letting me hang out in his room. Why should he have to make adjustments for my comfort?
“Sorry,” I mumble an apology. “Just wasn’t expecting that.”
He rolls over so he’s facing me, propping his head up under his hand. “Can I ask you something?”
“Okay…”
“What the hell is your name?” He grins, and it’s a smile so wide, so natural, his eyes sparkling with a mischief and an ease I hadn’t experienced yet. “I mean, if we’re in bed together, I should at least know that much about you.”
“It’s Lily.” I offer with a smile. “Lilith actually, but everyone calls me Lily.”
He chuffs, a small chuckle escaping. “Well, isn’t that interesting?”
“Why?” My curiosity piqued.
“I’m Luc.” He shifts so he’s sitting, the sheet pooling at his waist as he rests his back against the padded headboard. My attention shifts to his bare chest. His perfectly defined abs.
I realize I’m staring and snap my gaze back up to his face, which is of course, sporting a smug smile as he continues. “Lucifer. And my brother’s name is Michael.”
I respond with a blank stare waiting for more, but he doesn’t say anything, so I go there. “And why is this interesting?”
“You seriously don’t know the story of Lucifer and Lilith? The Archangel Michael? Heaven and Hell?” His brow shoots up in disbelief.
My head swings back and forth in slow motion. “Not a church girl. I mean, obviously I know about God, Moses, Jesus, angels, the devil and all that crap.”
“Did you know that Lucifer is the devil?”
“Say what?” I sit up straighter, seeing him in a whole new light, one that seems kind of appropriate in retrospect.
“Okay, I’m going to keep this as simple as possible and give you the cliff notes version of Lucifer.”
“I’m sure you don’t need to dumb it down for me.” I inform him on a huff.
“It’s not that.” He gives a slight shake of his head. “If you read the bible, there’s actually very little mention of Lucifer. But there is a ton of mythological lore around him, Lilith, and Michael. It’s just easier to give you the highlights.”
“Okay.” I nod in consent. “Cliff notes version it is.”
He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, his head shaking slightly as he chuffs. “You are such a Lilith.”
I arch a single brow, blinking in confusion.
“Stubborn. Defiant. Proud.” He pauses. “Just a couple of the descriptions used about her in stories.”
“I am not-”
“See?” He wags a finger in the air between us.
“Case in point. Defiant.” He snorts, crossing his arms over his chest as he begins.
“Lucifer, and Michael are often referred to as two of the most powerful angels, if not most favored, to God. But Lucifer becomes a little too full of himself and believes he’s greater than God, and ends up leading a rebellion against him.
Michael is the archangel who leads the heavenly forces against Lucifer during the rebellion, defeating him, and ultimately casts him down into what’s now known as Hell.
That’s how Lucifer came to be known as the devil or Satan. ”
“Where does Lilith play into all of this?” I wonder out loud.
“Lilith was actually created to be Adam’s wife before Eve.
But she never loved Adam, and didn’t want to listen or obey him.
Because of this, Eve was created, and Lilith was freed from her commitment to Adam.
She was described as being a rebellious female demon, helping Lucifer in his rebellion against God by giving him her children to use in his army. ”
“Were Lucifer and Lilith in love?” I shift, turning my body toward his.
He shrugs. “It depends on what interpretation you read. There are many. When he was in Heaven, Lucifer was known as the Morning Star, while Lilith was known as the Goddess of the Night. Together they represented light and dark. Good and evil. Their relationship was described as fiery and intense. But because they were cast into hell, their bond was tested endless times as others tried to tear them apart. It’s said their devotion endured through the ages, proving that true love and passion knows no boundaries, even in the darkest of places. ”
“I don’t get it.” I muse out loud.
“What’s not to get?” His forehead wrinkling as his eyes narrow, a hand reaching up to scratch at the scruff under his chin.
“Why would your parents name you what they did? Lucifer and Michael were enemies.”
He shrugs. “We asked my parents the same thing when we learned about the tale.”
“And?” I lift my hand, motioning for him to continue.
“It depends on who you ask. My mom says one thing, and my dad another.” He fingers the edge of the sheet pooled at his waist. “She claims she wasn’t familiar with the story, and just liked the individual names.
But my dad says that her pregnancy with me was pure hell, so she thought Lucifer would be a fitting name, while her pregnancy with Mikey was the complete opposite, thus named him Michael. ”
“Do you think it’s true?” I gape at him, wondering if a mother would actually name her child after the devil.
“Who knows.” His gaze finds mine. “My parents divorced about ten years ago, and not under the best of circumstances, so they don’t tend to say anything nice about each other anymore.”
“That sucks.” My brow scrunching as I frown. “I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is.” He shrugs, sliding his body down the length of the bed, his head resting on the pillow. “Gonna go to sleep now.” He reaches for the switch on the lamp beside the bed. “Don’t want you to think I’m being rude, but I’m beat.”
“Thank you for letting me stay.” I rush out, genuinely grateful and a little surprised, to be offered temporary sanctuary in his room.
“Let’s get one thing clear; I’m keeping my hands to myself because I said I would. Not because I want to.” The lamp clicks off, the glow of the city seeping into the room, casting just enough light to keep the room from total darkness. “Don’t mistake discipline for lack of interest, Kitten.”
My heart skips a beat at his response, a fleeting thought crossing my mind that maybe I wouldn’t mind if he wasn’t so disciplined.