Page 182 of Crimson Promises
“This conversation will remain a secret until I deem otherwise. If anyone were to try and search your memories like the other archangel you made an arrangement with, all that they would see is that you suspect I was the one who sent the attacks. Worried only for Aurora’s safety and well being and what it all means. Youwillbelieve it; thus, they will. After all, there are bits of truth in every lie. Ensure the girl thrives and survives visits from my demons. She must remain unaware of this arrangement. I will collect her myself when this time is right, and finally, Heaven’s throne will be mine. With her at my side, we will be unstoppable.”
Lucifer's grin was the epitome of self-assuredness, stretching across his face languidly. His crimson eyes twinkled with dark amusement, reflecting the satisfaction of a chess player who had just cornered his opponent's king.
* * *
The fragments of the memory fell away until, once again, I was standing in Lucifer’s hall. Aurora and Lucifer stood a few feet from my cage. Aurora's face crumpled in disbelief, her brilliant eyes widening as they filled with a tumultuous blend of hurt, betrayal, and bewilderment. For a few agonizing heartbeats, she stood motionless.
I wanted to melt to the floor beneath me. All I could manage to do with my hands still bound was drop my chin to my chest. I never deserved her. Now she finally saw all of me. Saw the truth that I only hurt the people I loved. Everything I touched turned to cinders. I was no better than Lucifer. But still, I didn’t want her to hate me. I didn’t want her to believe I had a choice in my actions.
I still had to tell her about her necklace.
Aurora’s shoulders drooped, and the proud tilt of her chin fell, revealing the vulnerability she usually kept so well hidden. The rose tint on her cheeks drained away, replaced by an ashen pallor.
"Ben,” she said, her voice cracking. “How could you?"
She took an unsteady step backward, physically distancing herself from the person she thought she knew.
Aurora’s voice shook when she spoke. “You asked me once if I believed that good people were capable of doing horrible things. I used to believe that there was always forgiveness, always room for understanding, but you manipulated me, Bennett. You only saw me as a source of power. Every single thing out of your mouth has been lies. All of it. Every touch a betrayal. Ever secret a manipulation.” The pain in her gaze was piercing.
The weight of Aurora's gaze was suffocating, and every fiber of my being ached to make her understand.
"Aurora," I began, my voice choked with the intensity of the emotions swelling within me. "I never wanted any of this. I didn't have a choice."
Full of hurt and betrayal, her eyes bore into mine, challenging me to make her believe. I took a desperate step towards her, reaching out until I was pressed against the bars. "Believe me, every moment I spent by your side was genuine. Every laugh, every touch, every shared secret. It was all real."
My heart hammered against my ribcage, and I swallowed hard, trying to force the words out through the lump in my throat. "I was backed into a corner. You have to understand what I did... it was never about betraying you. I never had a choice.”
Tears stung at the corners of my eyes as the weight of my actions and their consequences hurt the one person who didn't deserve any of it. "I've fought with every ounce of my being to keep you safe, even if it meant allying with the devil himself. I'm so sorry, Aurora. I would give anything to change the past, to shield you from this pain. But please, you have to believe that hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted."
“There is always a choice, Bennett,” she stated cooly. Any fondness for me was leeched from her eyes. It was ironic that not long ago, she was the one pleading for my forgiveness. Though, my betrayal was much worse it was born out of the same desperation to protect her. But I knew my actions were unforgivable. There was no coming back from this.
I watched as Aurora pivoted, her attention now solely on Lucifer, anger blazing her features. "What role do I play in all of this?"
Lucifer's lips curved into that familiar, predatory smirk, his eyes glinting with something dark. "Ah, Little Star," he began, pacing slowly around the room. I felt an inexplicable urge to step in between them, to shield her from whatever game he was playing. "You do not just have a role. You are the pivotal piece."
He paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in. "You see... it's all about balance, about power. And you, Aurora," he continued, looking at her with a gaze that sent shivers down my spine, "hold the power to tip the scales in my favor."
Every muscle in my body tensed. I had suspected Aurora was important to Lucifer's plans, but this was beyond my worst nightmares. "The forces of Heaven and Hell have been in a delicate dance for eons," Lucifer elaborated, circling her like a shark. "But with you by my side, as my wife, we can break that balance, ensure my victory, and bring the entire cosmos under my dominion."
ChapterTwenty-Three
Aurora
“Iwill never be your wife,” I vowed.
The weight of betrayal settled around me like a shroud, a familiar sting that felt raw and cruel. All the trust I believed we shared felt like wisps of smoke blown away by a windstorm. There it was, that same pain I'd come to know all too well. Everyone I loved and dared to let into the deepest parts of my heart always ended up leaving a scar.
How could Ben do this? I was only a means to an end for him. After that final night, when he confessed how much he cared for me, I was convinced Ben had meant what he said.
My hands gripped my elbows. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball. Everyone here wanted something from me. They didn’t care about me. I was needed because I was of use to them, not because I was wanted.
The bond between us…I always thought it meant something more. But I had been naïve, as always. It was another tool he used in his arsenal to exploit me. My heart, already fragile from the losses I had already endured, began to splinter.
I screwed my eyes closed against the pain. I didn’t want to look at him for one more moment.
He kept reiterating that he didn’t have a choice, but he always had one. He could have explained, I would have tried to understand. It was bad enough that he lied about what and who he was, about Remy. I only had myself to blame—I couldn’t help trying to be the person he needed. He knew grief with an intimacy that I shared. For once, I felt I didn’t have to hide who I was. But Ben used his pain as a weapon to manipulate me to trust him, to feel safe, to finally feel as though I could let someone in without worrying that they were going to leave at the first opportunity. Now I knew why.
Vengeance roared in my ears. Now I was glad he witnessed my moment of intimacy with Lucifer. I hope it chewed on his soul to see me in the arms of another. His choices and his actions are what drove me there—he was responsible for all of it. And I was done with him, with everyone.
