Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Tonia was sitting on my palace steps when I got back to the kingdom. She was wearing a traditional Lust dress—pure silk that hugged every curve of the body. Looking damn appealing.
“Here to see me?” I asked.
She gazed up and stood, brow arched. “That’s a bold statement.”
I arched a brow back at her. “Is it? You’re on my stairs, in my kingdom, and you want my woman.”
A small smile stretched across her face. “You got me.”
The guards opened the door to the castle, and together, we walked in. We walked to the bar, and I poured myself a Vemon and her a Passion Delight. She sipped on it slowly, probably still getting accustomed to the flavor.
“How has your adjustment been to Lust?”
“Dani is really sweet. I’m not sure how she’s not in Heaven though. Seems like that place would be better suited for her,” she said.
I chuckled to myself and sipped on my drink. “Because Dani has been a sinner all her life, and besides, she enjoys taking cock too much.”
Her cheeks turned a light pink, shy again. “Everyone here is so forward.”
“Much better than Heaven, isn’t it? When you’re hiding behind every damn word you say because you don’t want anyone to hear your deepest, darkest desires.”
She leaned across the bar toward me, showing me her cleavage. “What are your darkest desires, Lucifer? Why’d you fall?”
“For pride,” I said. “Don’t parents tell their children about my prideful fall from Heaven? At least, they used to in order to scare everyone into being good boys and girls.”
She giggled. “Oh, they still do, but I mean, why did you really fall? What did you desire so much that you fell for it? Why’d you go directly against her wishes to have your own life? You are one of the first who fell from Heaven, are you not?”
“Belial was the first to fall. Eros and I were the second.”
“Was Eros your desire?” she asked.
I knocked my glass back. “He was. He always has been. Eros was like you when he was younger. Liked taken men.”
“You were taken?” She threw her head back and laughed. “I would’ve never thought. You’re so open and—” She nearly cringed. “I just can’t see you with anyone.”
I gulped. Raphaela was gone from my head, but I still had my memories of her. Before Eros, she had been lovely, absolutely lovely.
Tonia gazed at me, eyes wide. For a moment, I swore there was a twinkle in her eyes—a kind of twinkle that Raphaela used to have—but I quickly shook it away.
She had just fallen from Heaven, still had that angelic side of her that was getting destroyed moment by moment here.
Soon enough, that sparkle would be gone and would be replaced with something so much sexier and more sinister.
“So, who was it?” she asked. “So many people have told stories of you in Heaven. I’m not sure who I believe anymore.”
I tapped my fingers on my glass. “Raphaela. It was Raphaela.”
Her eyes widened. “Raphaela,” she said softly. “She’s one of the strongest. You and she were a couple?”
“We were married.”
“But you loved Eros while you were married?”
“Toward the end.”
She leaned back in her seat, looking completely stunned. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say. “And did she take Eros’s wings because of your relationship?”
“She didn’t know about the relationship,” I said. “All Mother knew about was my pride, and all Eros knew was that he loved me, so when she took my wings, Eros came with me to Hell.”
“He must’ve really liked you.” She giggled, eyes looking hazy. “And I can see why.” She sat up and took another sip. “So, they are both angels,” she said. “Angels ruling the Kingdom of Lust.”
I sipped my drink. “After all these years, Eros is considered a demon now. He has no form of angel in his body. I took that from him a long time ago.”
“Do you think they can rule their kingdom together, both being angels?” She seemed to ignore me. “Wouldn’t that make them weak in Hell and susceptible to an overthrow?”
“Susceptible to an overthrow? That’s a stretch.
But being strong in Hell as an angel? The strongest demons here are the ones who fell from Heaven, not the ones who were born as demons and demons only.
” I downed the rest of my drink and placed it on the bar.
“Why don’t you join Dani, Eros, and me in a Lust Room?
They’ll show you how weak they really are. ”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Lucifer, I can’t do that. She’s the commander of Lust, and she already has two lovers.”
“Who said that you’re going to be another lover? We fuck in Lust Rooms, not make love.” I walked up the stairs toward my bedroom. “You like taken women, don’t you, Tonia?” When I gazed over at her, she gave me a soft smile. “Next time we’re in a Lust Room, come join us.”