Chapter 23
SEBASTIAN
Instead of appearing in my penthouse after Kiki caught Jade and me at it, I was manhandled by two massive demons to the underworld and flung at the foot of Lucifer’s obsidian throne.
I forgot how sweltering it is down here.
Ten times hotter than a sauna, and my antiperspirant definitely isn’t cutting it.
Sweat streams off my body as he bids me rise and face him.
Lucifer points his pitchfork at me, and the prongs glow red like his eyes.
‘Greetings, Sebastian!’ he booms, and I take a step back on my cloven hooves, wincing.
I also forgot how loud he is. He’s three times my size, but we look pretty similar: bulky, hairy black body perching on goatlike legs; pointed horns; sharp claws; and a thin whiplike tail with an arrowhead end. He created me in his image after all.
I bow my head, forked tongue twitching over dry, cracked lips. ‘Greetings, my lord. To what do I owe this honour—’
‘Cut the crap!’ Lucifer thuds the end of his pitchfork smartly against the obsidian floor, and the cavern shudders.
I lift my head and eye him nervously. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You have one job: get me more souls. It’s not hard. But you seem to be struggling with the concept!’
Lucifer rolls his red eyeballs and lets out a huff of steam.
‘I have been trying, my lord—’
‘You have not!’ he roars. ‘You have taken a week’s hiatus, and now you’re going on dates!’
‘To be fair, it was only one date—’
‘Do not correct me!’
I drop my head. ‘Apologies, my lord. But—’
‘But what? Well, speak up, damn you!’
I feel like quipping that I’m already damned, but I don’t think he will appreciate my humour.
I steel myself. ‘I really like her. Jade, that is. She’s special.’
Lucifer’s jaw creaks open, revealing a row of sharp white teeth; then he snaps it shut, scowling. ‘Special? Special?’ he growls and thumps his pitchfork hard.
I really wish he’d stop doing that because a crack has appeared in the smooth, polished dark crystal floor. It’s a shame because it was so perfect before.
‘Come closer, minion.’ Lucifer’s voice drops to a scarily gentle whisper, and he beckons me with a claw. I shuffle forward, wrapping my tail around my hips for comfort, knowing whatever he’s about to say isn’t going to be good.
‘Jade Jameson knew exactly what she was doing when she took your half-assed workaround and let you finger her pussy.’ He smiles evilly. ‘Now you fucking her has sealed the deal.’ Leaning closer, his sulphurous breath clouding my face like smoke, he jabs a claw at my chest. ‘HER. SOUL. IS. MINE.’
Hearing Lucifer spell it out makes it all too real. Jade now has to spend eternity down here with this fuckwit. Because of me. Because I couldn’t control my dick. I need to tread carefully here. Appeal to his kinder nature. He doesn’t really have one, but I have to try.
‘The thing is, my lord,’ I say beseechingly, ‘things have gotten a teensy bit out of control. But I was hoping that you could grant an exception? Please? Jade doesn’t deserve...’
I know as soon as I’ve said it that it’s the wrong thing. Lucifer lets out a piercing shriek that sounds like a million rats dying, and it bounces around the chamber and seems to amplify. I scurry backwards, cowering, covering my pointy ears. Jeez, I’ve really caught him on a bad day.
He puffs up his chest. ‘How dare you! I am Lucifer. Prince of Darkness. Lord of the Underworld. I do not grant exceptions. Now fuck off and do your job, Sebastian. Or I will uncreate you!’
He pounds his pitchfork, making the cavern shake alarmingly and obsidian rocks fall, which I think is a bit unnecessary. OK, OK, I get it. You’re the dude with all the control. There’s no need for dramatic scare tactics.
I nod and bow and scrape, promising to get back to work and be a better little devil for him.
As I’m hauled back to the surface by grunting demons, I realise I’ve really screwed Jade.
Literally. I was hoping Lucifer might turn a blind eye to me getting it on with her, but he’s obviously cracking down on our relationship in case love starts appearing.
If a human falls in love with a devil once they’ve made a deal, their mortal soul can be saved.
And there’s no chance he wants that happening.
But I doubt Jade is in love with me. Or that she could ever love me. Or that a Care Bear is going to win her heart. Not if she knew what I really looked like.
Sleeping with Jade didn’t get her out of my system. It’s made it so much worse. I need to end it with her and go back to fucking desperate models.