Page 199 of Awakened by Sin

“Mickey?” he echoed as he pulled the pants up and cinched the drawstring on the waist as tight as possible.

“Mickey, my guard. Is he …?”

“Dead as a doornail. Shot in the back of the head.”

His callous response made her dig her nails into his skin. He didn’t seem to notice. He fussed with her attire. She felt as if she was wearing a parachute and stood there like a mannequin, allowing a man she didn’t know to dress her. This was all just a bad dream. She stared at his painting, which was actually quite beautiful. Rocky mountains cast in red that was darkening to rust as the blood dried. She looked away.

“You battle wounds have created a beautiful palette,” he said.

“What?”

His finger brushed over her cheekbone, which had its own heartbeat. The physical pain paled in comparison to what was happening inside her.

“Purple, rose, indigo,” he said before he raised her shirt and prodded the huge bruise on her side she hadn’t noticed until now. She slapped his hand away. “The patterns of violence have always intrigued me. In your case, it’s a cream base broken by black, violet, and more indigo. No broken bones according to Augustus. I love the way skin changes color when it’s damaged.”

Fucking freak.

He grabbed her hands and held them in front of her nose. Her knuckles were bruised and cut up to hell. Her hands were so swollen that she couldn’t extend her fingers.

“Congratulations,” Lucifer said and inclined his head. “You put up a decent fight. Using your crucifix was a beautiful move.”

“You killed the Black Vipers?” she asked.

“It didn’t take long.”

“Why?” As far as she knew, Lucifer wasn’t on any side, so why save her life?

“You have spirit and guts and a connection to Gavin. If you survived, he would fetch you, and I’d get another face to face. If you died, he’d come to fetch your body and possibly feel compelled to fight me. Win, win.”

She couldn’t comprehend his logic and didn’t even try.

“Besides, I don’t like when an opponent is outnumbered. You put up a good fight and would have won against a handful, but not in a fight ten to one, and they played dirty.” He moved through an archway into another room. “Come.”

It took a concentrated effort to move. Every step felt as if there were needles jabbing into her feet. She was chilled, sick, sore, and thirsty.

Lucifer stepped out of his chambers into a wide, dark hallway. The sound of their steps was absorbed by the cold, rough stone beneath her bare feet. Even with the high cathedral-like ceilings, she felt the beginning pangs of claustrophobia.

Lucifer pressed the button for an elevator with a red door. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

She didn’t feel lucky. With a few well-placed questions, Lucifer destroyed the memory of her marriage and all hope for the future. She clasped Vinny’s memory to her like a lucky talisman and now realized it was a poisoned apple.

“I knew you were a fighter.” He clapped her on the back with enough force to make her stagger into the wall. “I’m sure Angel will be here soon.”

The elevator dinged a moment before the door opened. She peered into the car and saw that it was surprisingly sterile and shiny. What the hell?

“You’re related to Gavin through marriage?” Lucifer asked genially.

“Lyla and I are first cousins,” she said warily as she stepped in.

“Lyla was a surprise,” he said as the elevator rose with nauseating speed. “I lost faith in women long ago, but she’s renewed my interest in the opposite sex. She brought some much-needed excitement into Hell.”

The elevator opened onto another poorly lit hallway. Lucifer stepped out and strolled away with his hands in pockets. He didn’t look back at her. For a moment, she debated whether she should make a run for it, but … she didn’t have the energy. Technically, he hadn’t tried to kill her yet, so she followed.

As she neared the end of the hallway, she shielded her eyes against the harsh light. Had she stepped outside? She gave her eyes time to adjust before she dropped her hand. She touched her ear, wondering if she had fallen deaf. Despite the crowd walking in every direction, no one made a sound. To the left was a sports bar with a bartender, tables, and TVs mounted on the wall. Straight ahead, the landing dropped off into nothing.

She took tiny steps forward with one hand out for balance and stopped six feet from the drop-off. Wide, obsidian stairs led down to the infamous pit of Hell. The auditorium held enough seats for a Las Vegas headliner. An arena of spectators watched as two men battled on the sand. It was so quiet, the sound of their fists making contact with flesh sounded sharp and clear in her ears.

“From Japan,” Lucifer said quietly as he stopped beside her. “Amazing technique. Shall we?”

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