Page 31 of Lucifer's Redemption

Stopping at her door, my hand reached for the cold, golden handle.

Could I just check on her? Just to ensure she was sleeping soundly in her bed?

My body tensed, concerned she was uncomfortable, restless, or maybe scared of being in a new room, away from the parents she always had nearby.

She seemed like a person who would have trouble being in a new place.

Taking a breath, I knocked. After a few repetitions, calling her name quietly, I cracked the door only to realize the lamp was still shining on her side table, with no Uriel to be found. The fire burned in my gut.

Where the fuck is she?

I stormed into her room. The door banged the wall, leaving behind a nice imprint of the door handle. Raging into the bathroom, she was not there nor under the bed. I stripped the sheets to be doubly sure and finally checked the window to verify she didn’t sneak out. Growling, I hastened to Loki’s room to wake him to help me find her. The door swung open, slamming the wall like the previous, only for me to pause when I heard a soft purring flowing from the oversized, plush rocking chair.

It was my mother’s favorite. She moved it from my room to Loki’s when he was small, obliging him to stay in his bed rather than roam the palace. Now it sat bare most nights, starting just over a month ago.

Closing the door halfway so that the light didn’t disturb any sleeping bodies, I noticed Uriel curled into a ball with a book on the arm of the massive chair; the book,The Little Prince,still opened to page twenty. My heart softened, observing my mate rub her cheek on the velvet chair. Her neck was bent at an odd angle with her hair hanging off the arm, almost touching the floor. Loki’s face was toward Uriel with his mouth distended, drooling on his pillow.

I chuckled, taking the book and placing it on the nightstand. With Uriel’s legs tucked close to her chest, it was no problem slipping my arms under her knees and behind her back. Uriel didn’t stir in the slightest. She purred again, like a little kitten, as I walked across the hall. Her breath tickled my chest, which was still bare from working. As she nuzzled closer, my body relaxed, no longer feeling the tightness in my chest from the worry of harming her.

She was like freaking Xanax.

My nose veered straight to her hair. I was no werewolf by any means, but I must have inherited some of my mother’s genes because Uriel smelled delicious.

She smelled like a sunrise on Earth, just rising above the ocean waters. It must’ve been the oil that she used in her bath. Mother often commented how much she enjoyed the ocean when she and Father visited.

Maybe I could take her to the ocean, just her and me. We could bring some of the demon guards, in human form, and let her feel the waves washing over her feet. I could almost hear her squeals of excitement seeing a dolphin jumping through the waves.

The small things. I could see she would appreciate the small things.

Pulling the sheets back on the bed, I placed her gently on the mattress. Her body curled into a ball except for a lonely arm sticking out, searching. Surveying her bed, I found a stuffed sheep and settled it into her arms. She seized it, sighing contently.

We had a long way to go if we were to be mates, and it wasn’t just her. She had to grow up, and I had to learn to be less… me. Getting my hopes up was wrong, begging her to fix me was, too. I had to fix myself before any progress on that front could be made.

My lovely mate curled her body around the stuffed animal, her eyelashes fluttering across her cheeks. Uriel dressed her body in small silk shorts with knee-high socks.

I would never admit this to anyone, but that was something I loved seeing on a woman. There was something about her white thighs peeking through the small gap between her shorts and their covered knees that I found erotic.

There was no question. I was insanely attracted to her. I wanted her in ways I never thought I would. My devilish mind wanted to wreck her innocence and claim it for my own. That’s what I was, the Destroyer, and my cock wanted to do just that—destroy her innocence.

Fuck, these feelings.

I grabbed my painfully hard erection, pulling the covers over her body.

As much joy as I would get watching her sleep, I needed to leave because I had a growing problem. I’ve never had to deal with it this bad before.

The throbbing ache in my dick was giving me the worst jean burn. Turning off the light, I exited her room, closing the door quietly so I did not disturb her slumber. As soon as I turned, a little head popped out of a nearby room.

Normally, I would not startle, but that head belonged to the only woman that could manage that feat. “Mother.” My voice rang higher than I intended. Her eyes widened, and she giggled silently, patting my arm.

“I scared you?” she whispered, astonished. “Why, how could I? Oh!” Her eyes diverted immediately as she tried to glance to the floor but instead glimpsed a situation any teenager, or hell, even a man of my age, would find completely embarrassing.

“Good night, Mother.” I walked to my bedroom door, opening and closing it quickly. Leaning against the door, I sighed heavily.

Not once in my teenage years had I been caught with a woman. Now, my mother catches me leaving my mate’s room with a raging erection.

Soft knocks drew me from my embarrassment to open the door; Mother was still there. “Yes?” I hissed, still pushing my erection down from my jeans, making sure it was completely covered by the door.

“Do you need help?” My eyebrows raised, questioning what she was asking. “You know, with that, does your father need to—?”

---