Page 187 of Crimson Promises
I was surrounded by tricksters and liars.
I had clung to the hope that Lucifer, for all his malice, had fragments of redemption hidden within him. Any tenderness I believed I saw was nothing but a masterful act.
Clenching my fists, nails digging into my palms, willing myself to be anywhere but here. Yet, I couldn't tear my eyes away.
Suddenly, a particularly tall guard with a twisted smirk delivered a fierce punch, connecting directly with Bennett’s eye. A sickening crack resonated through the hall, followed by Bennett's guttural cry.
"No!" The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it, raw and aching.
Lucifer, who until now had been observing from his ornate throne, lazily raised a hand. "Enough," he commanded with disinterest.
The guards hesitated briefly before stepping back, leaving Bennett semi-conscious on the cold marble. Two of them roughly hauled him up by his arms and began to drag him away, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.
I stood up, intending to follow him and see to his injuries. No matter what revelations were made today, we both still needed each other. His wounds could get infected. They couldn’t just leave him like that. However, the double doors they had just led him through slammed shut as I lifted a foot to follow their steps.
I felt a presence beside me. Lucifer. He was close, too close, his scent—roses and brimstone—overpowering.
"Let's get you to your room, shall we?" he murmured, taking a firm hold of my arm.
I tried to pull away, repulsion making my skin crawl.
"I can walk myself," I spat, but my words did little to deter him. “I’m going to go heal Ben first.”
“You will do no such thing.”
“I will do whatever I please. I can heal him. Leaving him like that is cruel.”
“What is cruel, Aurora,” his gaze bore deeply into mine, “is him trying to take what is mine. Your gift is too precious to be wasted, not on the likes of him. If it pleases you, I will send one of my best healers to tend to him.”
I looked at him with the corner of my eye. “You give me your word on this?”
“Yes, I do. Now walk.” He had said he was a man who honored his word. I had to believe him.
With every step, I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, his fingers leaving a burning imprint on my skin.
The corridor leading to my chambers seemed narrower than usual, the walls seeming to close in on me. With Lucifer's hand firmly around my arm, I could feel the warmth of his body, too close for comfort.
Ben is injured. Lucifer wants to use you. Focus on that. I was no one's pawn.
He steered me to a halt just before my door, releasing my arm only to cage me in with his body. I was trapped between the wooden door behind me and the burning intensity of Lucifer in front. My heart raced in my chest, the thudding so loud I was confident he could hear it.
His dark, sultry eyes met mine, filled with a hunger I'd seen before but had never dared to acknowledge.
“Aurora,” he began, his voice a caress as soft as rose petals, sending shivers down my spine. “You might think me a villain in your story, but I’ve never once lied to you.”
I clenched my teeth, struggling to hold onto the anger and resentment.Do not get lost in Lucifer's gaze.
"Being honest doesn't excuse the horrors you've done," I whispered fiercely.
He leaned in closer, the warmth of his breath fanning my ear. "I'm playing the hand I was dealt, just like everyone else. Do you really think I'm the only one with secrets, with dark intentions?"
The weight of his words pressed heavily on me. But before I could formulate a response, he tilted his head, bringing his lips perilously close to mine.
"We are inevitable, you and I," he murmured, his fingers tracing a blazing path along my jawline. The touch was feather-light, but my body reacted violently, a jolt of pleasure mixed with fear rushing through me.
As memories of Bennett filled my mind, the sizzling tension with Lucifer threatened to drown out everything else. The taut muscles of his chest were mere inches from me, and I could almost feel the rhythmic beating of his heart against my own frantic one.
What was I doing? Playing with fire, and I was going to get burned.
