Chapter 15
The temperature plummeted, indicating that the most powerful supernatural in all the realms had entered the room. My heart raced and I tried not to panic. I had mere seconds to decide what the fuck I was going to do before Lucifer spotted me.
There was no time to run. And I couldn’t hide. Lucifer would want to know why there were plates set up for multiple parties and probably have the mansion searched.
I’d be a sitting duck. Or sitting angel. Or sitting whatever-the-fuck-I-was.
So, just as I spotted large bat-like wings over the heads of the servants, I did the most logical thing I could think of and shoved Logan under the table.
“Hide!” I hissed at him, then pulled Asher into his chair to take his place.
If Asher was so obsessed with protecting me, then now was his chance to prove it.
I froze when Lucifer broke through the crowd. His burning red eyes scanned the area and a chill ran up my spine as his gaze settled directly on me.
The tingling over my body had grown into a familiar hum of power. Glancing down, I spotted my reflection in one of the silver platters.
I could have cried with relief.
A female with freckles and pretty green eyes looked back at me. There weren’t any wings to be seen, even though their weight was still pinching my shoulders.
The illusion magic had worked, and when I looked up again, I met Lucifer’s gaze that still hadn’t moved.
He might not have recognized me, but I was a female who had joined the Incubus King for dinner, and that seemed to interest him.
He smiled as he finally broke eye contact. “Well,” Lucifer said to Derek, his gaze passing over me and to the feast, “it seems you do always eat like a king and have chosen company that’s easy on the eyes. I was wondering if our last meal together was just for show.”
“Of course not,” Derek said with easy amusement. It amazed me how well he took the whole ordeal in stride. He snapped his fingers when no one seemed to move. “Pull him a chair, you idiots.”
The servants immediately reacted, pulling out a chair on the right side of the King. All the seats had low backs and allowed Lucifer to comfortably sit as his massive wings spread out behind him.
Lucifer smiled as his wings settled against his back, sending heated currents of air in my direction. “So, Derek. I came here to check on your daughter. I’m surprised to see you here, though. I thought you were still on your trip. Where was it?” He tapped his chin. “Ah, a human brothel, was it?”
Derek eyed me. “Perhaps I should dismiss my guest before we talk about such matters.”
Lucifer raised a brow at me. I didn’t like the direct attention, but it was my chance to escape.
“Who is she?” Lucifer asked.
Gods. I hope my father is a good liar.
Derek took a sip of his drink before he responded. “She’s Lilith’s doctor. My top lieutenant, Asher, is her escort, to keep an eye on her. I’m not one to have females in my estate unescorted. She could go back and tend to Lilith while we—”
Lucifer flapped his wings with interest. “No. They can stay. All supernaturals are welcome in my kingdom and may be privy to our plans. Plus, she can give us an update on your daughter’s condition after we’ve enjoyed some food and discussion.
” He waved for the Incubus King to continue.
“You were saying why you’ve returned early and didn’t care to inform me? ”
I blinked at my plate. Of course my father was a good liar, but it seemed I wasn’t in the clear yet.
Derek leaned back into his chair and sighed.
“Yes, well. There wasn’t anything to inform you about.
I was at a brothel. Unfortunately, there aren’t many mortals left now for my kind to feed on, as you well know.
So my time was cut short.” He ran his fingers through his hair in a show of frustration.
Based on the way annoyance flashed in his eyes, I felt that it was a genuine emotion for something he was actually going through.
It was a problem I didn’t share. I had my mates. Even if they were barely keeping me above water, at least I wasn’t starving in the magical sense.
My skin painfully zapped in response, reminding me that I was on borrowed time with magic that I didn’t fully know how to use. I pinched my knees, then felt Logan’s breath on my skin.
He seemed to realize I was using magic to protect myself, which meant I’d need fresh power to sustain it.
When he pressed his lips on the inside of my thigh, I froze.
No, he’s not going to…
His kiss went higher, making my eyes widen.
Oh gods. He is.
Logan didn’t have to read my mind to know how he could help me. He knew exactly what was keeping me alive.
And right now, he knew what I needed to keep the magic pumping.
He pushed his nose directly between my thighs, putting pressure at my center.
Asher was immediately aware of what was going on. I supposed that it was hard to miss my sudden intake of breath and he could spot Logan under the table from his vantage point.
My skin ran cold. Was he going to give us away?
To my surprise, he slipped his touch over my leg until he interlocked his fingers with Logan’s.
He was an incubus, which mean he could feed on lust.
His touch allowed him to feed on Logan’s lust, I realized, when the exchange bled into my skin, giving me an additional boost.
I held my breath as he moved down my inner thigh again, sending multiple, silent kisses over my leg.
As Logan kissed me, he kept his hold on Asher’s hand and fresh magic from our shared arousal swept over my body, helping me maintain my illusion. It was so much more work to hide my wings, so I knew that I needed it.
I wasn’t sure how Logan felt about Asher joining whatever this was, but he was helping, so maybe they already knew each other.
But when Logan pulled my underwear aside and shoved his tongue directly between my legs, I shoved a bite of food into my mouth to hold in a scream.
Asher’s lips twitched into a grin.
Fucking male. He was enjoying this.
“You’re going to need to supply my territory with more humans,” Derek continued, seemingly oblivious of the exchange of magic as Logan did very unseemly things to me underneath the dinner table. “That was our deal, wasn’t it?”
Lucifer stared at Derek for a moment before sighing and taking a sip from his fluted glass. “Yes. Balthazar is key in that agreement, as you are aware. He has plenty of mortals on his side of the alternate realm we can access.”
Logan pushed my legs further apart, allowing him to slide his fingers into me as he continued to nip and suck on my clit.
Asher tightened his hold as his fingers laced through Logan’s and dug into my thigh.
The power exchange Asher added to the mix was… delicious. The sharpness of a decadent taste of whisky rushed over my tastebuds.
I bit down on my fork that no longer had food on it until my teeth hurt. Even if I couldn’t keep this up, I couldn’t just get up and leave without drawing attention to myself, so I allowed Asher to funnel the extra dose of magic from Logan into my body.
All while I desperately tried not to hit a climax that would definitely give me away.
Still, it was difficult to resist the urge to slightly sink into my chair and allow Logan to fully seat his fingers into me all the way to his knuckles. He massaged me on the inside, working against my small contractions as he continued to suck on my clit.
All while Asher remained extremely still, clearly concentrating.
But the place where his fingertips touched me felt like a scorching brand.
There was a connection there.
Something that ignited a hint of a mate-bond.
Was that from Logan?
Or from him?
My questions rushed out of my head as Logan upped his pace.
I reached out and took a bowl of chocolate mousse dessert and shoved a bite into my mouth to disguise a moan.
Lucifer and Derek were still deep in conversation. Both men glanced at me, but dismissed my sound of approval for the dessert rather than what one of my mates was doing between my legs.
“Balthazar is the long-term solution,” Derek pressed, his irritation clearly growing with Lucifer.
He kept his voice in check, though. “I need mortals now. My people are dying and they’re going to rebel if this goes on much longer.
” He leaned in. “You might have loyal subjects who are grateful for their transformations, but even your closest generals will grow hungry without food. And then they will turn on you.”
Lucifer waved a hand as if Derek’s concerns were minimal.
“I have personal reserves for my generals. The very point you bring up is why I don’t have any to spare for those outside of the new world capital.
And we recycle them. After they are fed on and near death, they are converted.
All mortals in our realms must evolve. Letting them die is a waste. ”
Derek narrowed his eyes. “Is that you talking? Or Calamity? Because if all mortals evolve, there will only be less food to go around. That would bring about what Calamity loves best. Chaos.”
Lucifer’s wings flapped before settling again. “It is Calamity’s demand and I will abide by it. When your daughter awakens, perhaps she can convince it to spare some mortals so we don’t have to rely on Balthazar.” He tilted his head. “She is still asleep, isn’t she?”
I wanted to keep listening to the vital discussion. I really did.
But my magic was sputtering out.
Asher’s influence was distracting me.
And Logan was pushing me to an edge I wasn’t going to come back from.
I widened my legs and gripped one hand into Logan’s hair to keep myself steady. As if he sensed my desperation, he thrust his fingers in and out of me. His tongue swirled over my swollen folds, causing me to swallow a groan.
He kept going and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to step off the impending climax.
Pleasure washed over me and my eyelids fluttered as I struggled to remain still.
Asher must have picked up some of the hit of my orgasm, because he grunted and leaned forward, barely covering his reaction by coughing into his napkin.
I picked up my fork. But I didn’t have any more food to shove into my mouth, so I bit my cheek instead as the climax continued its crescendo.
Asher’s fingers untangled from Logan’s as he slipped his hand between my thighs.
Logan made way for him as he shoved two fingers inside of me, licking his lips as he absorbed the aftershocks of my orgasm.
I knew it was a mistake, but as an incubus, I couldn’t blame him for wanting a taste.
And with the power of my orgasm and the siphon he’d provided from Logan, I had enough magic of my own to maintain my illusion.
For now.
Lucifer cleared his throat and I realized he’d been waiting for me to answer him. “It would be a good time for an update on Lilith’s condition, Doctor.”
Logan paused and I shakily grabbed a glass of icy water to wash down my arousal as Asher withdrew his fingers.
From Lucifer’s perspective, Asher might have been holding a hand on my thigh for support.
My magic sputtered, but was still managing. My climax had given me a boost but I could already feel the siphons from the Hell Realm and Netherworld drawing on my fresh reserves.
I was sure I only had a few moments before either Logan had to resume, Asher backed off, or I lost my illusion altogether.
“I-I… um—” I sputtered.
Derek interrupted me, luckily jumping in to explain my flustered state.
“She’s a white witch, minimal powers, but an expert in her field.
She focuses more on herbs and meditation and came highly recommended from my hospital staff.
She’s not used to talking to someone of your…
stature.” He waved a hand at the table. “Hence why I was having a few dinners with her first to prepare her for your grand presence. I’m afraid I wasn’t finished with my work on that front. ”
Lucifer chuckled. The firelight from the two massive hearths made his horns glow and his snaked tongue lashed out to lick the air. “Ah, I taste interesting magic on her, though. She’s more than she seems.” He leaned in. “Aren’t you, dear?”
I blinked at him. If my illusion failed, or if Lucifer saw through it, I’d be useless to my mates.
“Lilith has taken a strange turn,” I spat out, drawing on my instincts that likely came from my father to weave lies.
“Her skin has these black marks that look like veins all over her body. She keeps asking for Balthazar.” I nodded to Derek, suppressing a shiver as Logan gripped my calf to show his support and Asher removed his hand from my thigh.
“I was going to inquire if Balthazar could offer his insight and examine her for me so that I know more of what I’m dealing with.
Her affliction seems to be demon related and the fact that she keeps asking for him suggests only he can assess her situation correctly. ”
Sweat broke out on my forehead and I dabbed at it with my napkin. I was holding on.
Barely.
I released a breath when Logan resumed his soft kisses between my thighs, feeding me just a sliver of magic that kept my illusion going.
“Is that so?” Lucifer asked as he set his drink down. “I don’t believe in coincidences, but I do believe in Calamity’s power over fate. Balthazar is the one who invited me to this dinner.”
Derek and I shared glances when Lucifer spoke again.
“And he’s due to arrive…” He pulled a device from his pocket. “Ah, yes. In three, two…”
“One.”