Page 34 of The Devil In Disguise

“How was school today, mi amor?” she asks into my hair after placing a kiss atop my head.

“It was boring, I’m ready to bake with you. Can we start now?” I chatter excitedly.

She laughs. “As soon as you take a shower, we can start. Deal?”

“Deal.”

I don’t hear Lucifer walk up to me or speak, but when he gently places a hand on my shoulder, my body unfreezes and I jump back.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I blurt out far too fast. He raises a thick brow and my shoulders slump along with a tear I couldn’t hold in. “I was...I don’t know what happened,” I say honestly.

“Do you want to try to explain?”

Debating my options, I decide to try. “Ever since I woke up with half of my memory I get these brain glitches where nothing makes sense. I’m just confused by the memories I’m trying to remember. Then, that quickly morphs into this burst of aggression I feel like I can’t contain. The small clips I see in my head are so vague that it feels unhelpful.”

“It’s not enough. You want more,” he points out. I nod in response and he continues. “Well, I know I can’t help you with that, but if your anger is towards the confusion, then you need to treat yourself with kindness. It’s not your fault you can’t remember certain things at the end of the day. You are allowed to take a break when that happens or if you simply feel like you need it. And if a soft approach doesn’t work, there are healthier outlets for your anger.”

As I listen to him speak, my anger slowly fades away, replaced by his words. “It’s been happening less, but sometimes it gets to be overwhelming. I mean, it’s been a week since I’ve been out of the hospital already and physically I’m fine. I want to start working again, but what if I can’t control my outbursts?” I ask while I continue grabbing the rest of the ingredients.

“I think you’ll be just fine, piccola. Take it one day at a time.”

Mixing everything together, I let his words sink in then break the silence. “So, a little birdie told me you don’t believe in love. Care to share?”

He shakes his head with a small knowing grin on his lips when I look up. “I believe in love, I just don’t believe that it is for me. I’m not sad about it, I live my life the way I want to. I’m happy this way.”

I’m not sure if it’s me he’s trying to convince or himself. Knowing I shouldn’t pry further, I switch the subject to myself then inconspicuously throw in a question about Kylo. Since our first interaction, I knew Lucifer was smart and he always proves me right. He catches on and goes on about little details and stories about Kylo.

Once the cinnamon rolls are ready, I pull them out and let them sit under the kitchen fan, taking a steamy bite out of one and blowing air into my mouth while I chew. Lucifer watches me with amusement and when I offer him one, he says, “You are going to make me fat if you keep offering these treats. I don’t think I can say no.”

He blows on his roll before taking a bite—see, smart—and makes a mmm sound. His eyes narrow when they open, staring me down. “I’m taking some with me.”

I laugh at how serious he sounds, but also because he likes them so much. Not that I’m surprised, they are my specialty. With his fresh rolls in a small container, we walk to the door.

Before he walks out he nods at me then says, “Take care of yourself, piccola, and be careful out here.”

I spend the rest of my day inside reading after texting Marco and rescheduling our spar session for tomorrow. I’m not hiding, simply taking a break and resting for the day.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

Chapter 15

After Luci showed up, I didn’t see Amaris for the rest of the day yesterday, not even through her window. Pushing her out of my head, Ace follows me out the door to train with me.

Movement out the corner of my eye has my feet skidding to a stop. After catching a glimpse of cherry brown hair, they start moving again with a mind of their own, straight to where Amaris is sparring with Marco. Taking advantage of not being seen yet, I watch them fight from behind a tree.

Amaris’ tan skin glistens in the sunlight that pokes through the trees. Sweat gathers on her forehead and chest, rolling into her sports bra and down her stomach. Her tights look painted onto her skin. Fuck, this girl has the body of a literal goddess.

I feel like a damn teenager. Albeit, as a teenager I never quite felt this way. Always seeking her out, even subconsciously, and getting rock-hard at just the sight of her.

This is different.

Strange.

Ace barks and rushes towards Marco when he lands a hit on Amaris, forcing me to come out and call him off. Stalking closer to them, I clear my throat and send Marco away to do something else. Amaris bites her tongue at whatever smart retort she was going to make, knowing Marco is on my payroll, and goes for her water bottle instead.

“I’m sure you could have had someone else run out for you, Kincaid,” she says while re-doing her messy bun.

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