Page 206 of Crimson Promises
“Oh Lo?—”
“Enough, Aurora,” Ben’s stern voice was behind me, but he still sounded far, as if he was talking to me on the other end of a telephone filled with static.
Bennett Caelum was a buzzkill. He was always moody or grouchy. The only time he lightened up was when I was naked or when he was making fun of me. We never had fun anymore.
I just sang louder with as much exuberance as I had.
Lucifer’s mouth was pressed into a thin line, but I could tell he was fighting a smile because the corner of his mouth kept hooking upwards.
“Cease all this noise at once,” the voice boomed.
I planted my hands on my hips. “Singing is not noise. It’s a beautiful freeing form of self-expression.”
“Currently, it is a distraction. Now is time for your test,” it thundered. I bit the inside of my cheek. At first, I thought the voice was pleasant. Now, it sounded scary.
I covered my face with my hands, sliding them apart enough to peek through. The other hooded figure had initially been squirming, but they now stood still as if under a trance. I was about to go and tickle their armpits when the voice called my name again.
“Aurora James. Archangel Chamuel’s relic, as you should know, can discern the connections. To be able to wield the relic for the greater good, you must recognize and stand true to the connections you feel to others. Lying to yourself and the links you feel only serves to hinder yourself.”
I slightly tilted my head in acknowledgment.
“Before you stands Lucifer Morningstar, Prince of Hell, Satan, the Devil, Prince of Darkness, former archangel of Heaven. Share with us your true feelings.”
I clamped my mouth shut. The rational part of my brain that had been squeezed to the back was chanting no. I didn’t even know how I felt about Lucifer. How could I be expected to share those very feelings with the crowd?
The warm feeling of molten lava seeped into my skin, dissolving the tension that had been coiling in my muscles like a nest of vipers. Each knot of anxiety and fear unraveled as the warmth spread through my veins, leaving a trail of tranquility in its wake. Barriers I had meticulously constructed over the past few days, the walls I had built to protect myself from pain and disappointment, began to crumble.
As if dragging the truth up my throat, the truth serum tried to force my words to flow, choking me each time I tried to swallow them back down.
I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t want to discuss this with anyone. Least of all, in front of a stadium andBen. Their disdain for one another was obvious, and I was about to widen the chasm even further. I felt drawn to Lucifer. His enigmatic charm and commanding presence were irresistible, and I longed for his proximity in a way I had never experienced before.
Meeting his penetrating gaze, the intensity of his eyes locking me in place. "Lucifer," I confessed, my voice trembling with the weight of my admission, "I can't deny it any longer. There's something about you...”
I felt a shiver trace its way down my spine. It was as if I had torn open my chest, exposing my heart to a force I couldn't control. But it was a force I couldn't deny.
"It's like there's a pull between us," I continued, struggling to find the right words to convey the depth of my emotions. "A magnetic force. It defies explanation. A dance of flame and frost. I've tried to resist and ignore it, but it's as if we're two stars caught in an inescapable orbit, destined to collide. I can feel you in a room without seeing you or a bond telling me anything. It justis.”
Lucifer's gaze remained fixed on me, his eyes like pools of darkness that threatened to swallow me whole. His expression was a mix of curiosity and something more profound, hinting at the complexities of his own emotions.
"And I know," I added, my voice gaining strength, the magic ripping the final whispers of truth from my soul, "that you have your own motives and intentions. You've never hidden that from me. You intend to use me, to manipulate me for your own purposes. But even knowing that, I can't help but wonder if there's more to you than meets the eye."
My words hung in the air, vulnerable and raw.
Lucifer regarded me with an unreadable expression, his features shrouded in shadows.
"Aurora," he said, his voice a low, seductive murmur, "I have never hidden who I am or what I want. I intend to use you, yes, but I have never claimed to be anything other than what I am—a being of darkness and ambition. That being said, I simply cannot keep myself away from you. You never have to worry about me leaving. Or lying. My darkness, my power is yours to wield.”
Behind me, Ben's presence pulsed, and my feelings for Lucifer felt like a betrayal of everything we had shared.
But as I stood there, with the truth spell's magic weaving around us, I couldn't help but wonder if Lucifer held the key to a truth I had been blind to.
I glanced at Ben, and the pain in his eyes was palpable. Guilt clawed at me.
The spell had done its job; the warmth that had made me pliant was gone. Now, I felt empty and cold. Drained and exhausted. I emotionally destroyed a person I had loved.
He did the same to you. The devil on my shoulder whispered.
He shouldn’t have been here for this.
