Page 7 of Touched By Death

“I have tried everything to get kicked out,” he whispers so only I can hear. “I have lied, cheated, fucked, and inflicted pain on others. Nothing works. The light keeps shining, and the gates stay closed. I’m fucking trapped in this bowl.”

My heart gets lodged in my throat. Something is wrong.

“But then I figured it out.” His warm breath skims my ear, but it’s chased away by the ice in his voice. “After a lot of searching, I finally found the hidden treasure that will see me freed from this hell.” He circles his fingers around the back of my neck, holding me frozen. “Tell me, Genesis. Did you enjoy fucking my brother behind my back?”

Dread splashes down my spine, and I stiffen.

Lucifer breathes a soft, cruel laugh through his nose while something cold and sharp pokes my belly button. “I thought I had you where I wanted you but then you slipped through my fingers.”

“Lucifer,” I choke out through the thick fear clogged in my throat.

He hushes me, his fingers digging into my neck. I can already feel bruises forming. “In order to open those gates, we need a sacrifice.” His next breath fans my lips, warm and moist, and then he looks me in the eyes. “I figured, who better to provide that sacrifice than a dirty little whore like you who toys with hearts for fun?”

“Lucifer?” Amenadiel asks, his voice thick with alarm.

Lucifer ignores him, and the pressure on my belly button increases. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t let me touch you after you opened your legs for my brother. But you did. Night after night, you let me fuck you raw.” He huffs a breath, then his lips pull back into a smirk. “It was fun while it lasted.”

Pain sears through me. Hot, fiery pain.

“What the fuck?” Amenadiel breaks away from the circle, but the others crowd him, holding him back.

I choke on something warm and coppery as I look down between our bodies. A knife is so deeply embedded in my stomach that only the handle protrudes. Lucifer tightens his grip on it, digging his fingers into my neck at the same time. His cold, blue eyes watch me intently as he drags the knife in an upward motion, all the way between my breasts.

I choke on my blood, and the gurgling sound is loud in the deadly silence while he guts me with the knife.

“Does it hurt, baby?” he asks casually when my innards spill from my body. “Maybe I should hurt you more?”

He stabs me in the chest.

Again.

And again.

The knife sinks deep. Blood sprays, covering his handsome face.

I’m vaguely aware of Amenadiel screaming for him to stop. But more than that, I’m aware of the darkness that rises up inside me to claim my soul.

To our left, the gates creak open. Distracted by the sound, Lucifer releases me.

I fall.

And fall.

But the impact never comes.

A warm hand, gentle and soft, pulls me from the darkness and into the light.

“Come, Aurelia. Let’s join your friends on the grass.”

Chapter Three

AMENADIEL

PRESENT

She’s shoved back through the door, through the wall of fire and into my arms. The door slams shut and then it’s gone.

Breathing hard, I blink at the empty space. My thoughts swirl too fast for me to untangle as she asks, “When did you realize that Genesis hides in the shadows inside me?”

---