Page 12 of Lucian's Soul

“I will not be back today and I’m unsure about tomorrow. If Seth calls tell him to reach me at home later.”

“Yes, Mr. Samson.”

Lucian turned back to her and held her left hand tightly. A safe, calming feeling washed over and she basked in it. Tessa had missed the gorgeous man in front of her, how he made her feel, and what his touch alone could do to her. He walked them into his office and opened a door behind his desk, where she saw a hidden elevator. Lucian pressed the button, never letting her go of her hand. The doors opened straight away, they walked in, and he pressed for the ground floor. The door closed and the elevator started to go down. The elevator seemed a lot smaller with Lucian in it. Lucian pressed the stop button and the elevator jerked to a stop.

“What the hell did you do that for?” She pushed at him and fought to get to the button to start their descent, but he blocked the controls.

“I did it so we could talk. You can’t run here. I need you to listen. I need you.” The pleading in his voice stopped her fight and she gazed up, having her first good look at him. Lucian looked terrible, his skin was a ghostly white and his eyes had purple circles under them. He’d lost weight, and his blue eyes, which were always bright, were dull and lifeless. Lucian’s hair was longer and his all-round appearance was miserable.

Reaching up, she stroked his cheek. “Oh, Lucian, what happened?” He looked a ragged mess. So different from the man…ah,beingshe remembered. Tessa should be scared of him after what she saw and how he was even acting now, but as she looked at him with his loose clothes, almost translucent skin and sad eyes, she knew she needed to hear him out and give him a chance.

Lucian leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. “You happened.”

She flinched at his words. Surly she wasn’t the cause of why he looked the way he did. “I don’t understand.”

“For you to understand, I need to tell it all.” He opened his eyes. “We, I, am not the bad one. Well, not what you humans made me out to be.” His fingers stroked her stomach. “I have never understood why humans think that angels are good guys, when they’re the ones trying to wipe out humanity. Angels are jealous of everything you humans and shifters have. Like the ability to breed with anyone. Well, only you humans have that, but the shifters breed like rabbits. You receive all emotions and have them through your whole life, and that you love and trust so easily is a gift angels and many other beings weren’t given. Demons don’t keep our emotions. At about fifty we start losing them; when we drink and feed or when we fuck we experience emotions. It’s how we remember what they feel like, but other than that we don’t have them again until we mate. The fact that you were given this planet and seem intent on destroying it, doesn’t help your case. The angels and some other paranormal beings believe we should cull you and take over the world.”

“Will my baby be like you?”

“Yes.”

Tessa let her hand fall and circled her stomach, hugging it. “How are the angels jealous of what we have if they have no emotions?”

Lucian’s hands came to rest on the swell of her stomach. “All supernatural species are different. While demons lose our emotions, so do angels to a certain extent. Angels feel strong emotions—love, hate, anger, and jealousy. They are the strongest emotions. Angels feed on emotions like demon’s feed off sin. The difference is, angelsdrainhumans.”

“But wouldn’t that be good if we all didn’t have those emotions?”

Lucian shook his head. “No, kitten. While it may be okay for a small amount of time to live without hate, anger, and jealousy, we couldn’t live without love. Love is the emotion that trumps all others.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “Do you love our child?”

Tessa nodded. She’d loved the baby from the moment she knew about it. She may have been worried what it would be, but she’d always loved it. Tessa didn’t hate Lucian for getting her pregnant or even for what she saw; she’d been scared and upset and even a little angry. Now Tessa was with Lucian, she knew she should never have left. Even though she’d only spent a small amount of time with Lucian, she could have fallen for him so easily.

“Imagine not loving him. How would you feel about that?”

Tessa backed away and stared up at him. She’d be devastated if what she felt now for her child was taken away. “I love my baby. I don’t even want to think about what you just said.”

Lucian hugged her. “Angels have found a way to change men into one of them. It’s risky, but they don’t care if the man dies in the process. They have also brought some of the darker paranormal species over to their side, convincing them we shouldn’t have to share this planet with lesser beings.” He kissed her head and held her tighter. “Demons and angels have fought from the beginning of time over the same thing…humans. Once the world got bigger, they added shifters to that battle too. It is said we were cast out from our homeland and placed here on Earth. Both our species drink blood and we eat emotion. Angels were originally only able to drink blood and eat the hatred and anger, but as their own hatred and anger evolved, they started to eat more of the stronger emotions, craving the power. A millennium ago a powerful seer predicted that the angels would bring about their own Armageddon, getting rid of all creatures that oppose them and finally having the Earth to themselves if—and this is why you and my child you carry are so important—Lucifer, the king of the demons, finds his mate. This mate will unconditionally love Lucifer and not only bring him new life, but she will make him stronger, deadlier, and more powerful than anyone could imagine, helping to turn the tide in humanity’s favor.”

Tessa stared up, shocked at his words. “Oh, my God. This is so unreal. How can I bring a child into what you just told me?” She blinked as the last couple of sentences kicked in. “Holy crap, no way. You are not Lucifer. I am not…that’s a lot of pressure.” She backed away from him until she hit the elevator wall. It was impossible. Stories of the devil had been around since the beginning of time.

“Do not worry. I will let nothing happen to you and my family. I am powerful in my own right. Yes, I am Lucifer, the same as my father, who was one of the original demons placed on Earth. But, unlike him, I am immortal. I’m leader and protector of humanity. It is said that once I find my mate the tables will start turning in our favor.”

Tessa’s mind was spinning. If she hadn’t seen him turn into a demon before her very eyes she wouldn’t believe him. “You’re the king? Are all your men demons? What do you mean by the tables will turn?”

“Yes, I am the king. All my fighters are men. Xore is who you saw me with and he is a dragon shifter and one of my closest friends.”

The small elevator was heating up and Tessa was starting to sweat. Exhaustion washed over her. “Can we go now? I promise I won’t run. I have more questions and I’m tired of running.”

Lucian studied her for a moment before he pressed the button that got the elevator moving again. Her mind felt like it was going to explode with all the information she’d just learned. The elevator doors opened and she saw they were in the car park. Lucian’s Lamborghini sat before her. They walked to the car and Lucian…er, Lucifer, opened her door. Tessa got in and rested her head on the seat. She was so tired. All the information she’d learnt and the worry she’d felt about coming to Lucian had her feeling drained, like she’d been holding herself together for too long. Now, she let it all go.

Lucifer got into the driver’s side and started the car. Relaxing into the seat, she closed her eyes, sighing as a feeling of safeness washed over her. The worry she’d had for three months diminished.

* * * *

Lucian couldn’t believe Tessa returned, as he’d lost hope she’d come back to him. He had called off the trackers but kept searching for her. Lucian knew Tessa had called her parents—he’d tapped their phones—but she never told them where she was and she always used a pay phone and called for less than a couple of minutes. He’d put as much recourses as he dared, but hadn’t found her. Lucian had been terrified Gabriel or one of his followers would find her and kill her.

In anger, he’d upped his battles, never having time off. He’d become the demon the humans feared. He couldn’t drink from anyone but his mate, so he drained people of their sins, and killed angels and anyone stupid enough to align themselves with them.

Xore felt guilty for spilling his secret and getting Lucian caught. Xore wouldn’t leave his side. The only reason the idiot wasn’t with him when Tessa showed up was because he was manning the entry reception. He’d phoned and told Lucian that his mate was coming up to see him and not to attack her and drain her. Lucian rolled his eyes, like he could ever hurt Tessa. She may have run, but she didn’t know what he was or what she was doing to him when she ran.

---