Page 63 of Half Dead

Lucifer gazed at the weapon in admiration. “I was wondering whether you still possessed that mythical sword of yours. I’m surprised it took this long to make an appearance. You could’ve used it to slice the hoagies into thirds. Would’ve made it less awkward to eat.”

Kane aimed the sword at Lucifer. “Leave now and never return.”

“Or what?” Lucifer flicked the point of the blade, unaffected by the flames. “You know this can’t hurt me. Well, it might hurt a little, but it certainly won’t kill me.” He grabbed the blade and yanked Kane toward him. Blood gushed from his hand, yet Lucifer didn’t even flinch. “And if you ever point a weapon at me again, you’d best be able to kill me with it.” The demon released the weapon, retrieved a silk handkerchief from his pocket, and calmly wiped the blood from his hand.

Nana Pratt watched in horror as a few drops fell to thefloor. “Who raised him? Does he have any idea how hard it is to clean that?”

Pulsing with barely suppressed rage, Kane retracted the sword. “What now?”

“Now I offer you the terms.” He returned to a seated position. “And you will listen.”

I moved closer to Kane and touched his hand, gently urging him to sit. I perched on the chair’s arm beside him.

“When I first heard about your alleged paramour, I was dubious.”

“My inamorata,” Kane corrected him, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I thought nothing of it at first,” Lucifer continued, “knowing Kane as well as I do.” His smile turned feral. “You see, to torture someone properly, you must get to know them intimately.”

Kane started to rise, and I nudged him back to a seated position.

“Then I met you, of course, and I thought perhaps I was wrong, that Kane was capable of feelings he hadn’t demonstrated before. And now that I’m persuaded that it is true love…” He cracked a menacing smile. “Well, that creates a host of new opportunities.”

My palms grew moist, but I resisted the urge to wipe them on the cushion; I didn’t want Lucifer to see me sweat.

“You talk a lot for someone who doesn’t say anything,” Kane said in a guttural voice.

“Patience, old friend. I’m getting there.” He picked up my unfinished brandy and drank. “First, I unleashed a bit of madness. I wanted to see if everyone would turn on your precious Lorelei. If they ostracized her, you’d be forced to join her. You’d both lose the home sweet home you’ve built for yourselves.”

My blood started to boil. “That was you?”

“Technically it was Supay. He owed me a favor.”

A childhood lesson bubbled to the surface. Supay was the Peruvian god of the dead who reeked of sulphur. It all made sense now. I was annoyed with myself for not putting the pieces together before. “He’s pretending to be human. David Jordan.” That explained his strong cologne in the Devil’s Playground. “His cologne was overkill.”

“Agreed. I much prefer his natural musk.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no one turned against me.”

“Yes, I realized I was testing the wrong limits, which leads me to this—I’d like to test the limits of your love.”

A low growl emanated from deep in Kane’s throat.

“Oh, quit the theatrics,” Lucifer said. “You tried to beat me once and you failed miserably. What makes you think you could do it now, when you’ve been weakened by attachment?”

Ray pushed up the sleeves of his plaid shirt. “I really don’t like him.”

“I’m not a particularly fair demon. I do, however, love a challenge. It’s so rare for someone of my stature.” Lucifer made himself comfortable, crossing his ankle over his opposite knee. “And here we arrive at my proposal. I will agree not to drag one Kane Sullivan back to hell for eternal damnation if your inamorata successfully completes three trials of my choosing.”

“No, not Lorelei. Just me,” Kane said. “I complete the trials.”

Lucifer studied his cuticles with great interest. “I think you’ll find that I’m in charge of this conversation, just as I’m in charge of the circle of hell you attempted to seize. Only Lorelei and Lorelei alone will complete the trials. No team effort. If she loves you as much as you believe she does…” He directed his smile at me. “As much asshebelieves she does,then you have nothing to fear. Love conquers all, does it not?”

“How do we know you won’t renege on your promise once I complete the trials?” I asked.

“We won’t know,” Kane said. “He can’t be trusted.”

Lucifer uncrossed his leg. “Then I suppose I’ll simply take you to hell right now. I don’t expect you have a plan to stop me.” He held up a hand. “And before you mention your soldiers posted outside, please know that I have my own demons poised to take out both Dantalion and the vampire. It would be quite the bloodbath.”

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