Famished, Luc escorted me to the dining hall. Abaddon sat in his favourite chair amongst the mismatched collection of seats, a twisted metallic affair that looked like it belonged in an asylum. It could not have been comfortable. He rubbed his temples with firm fingers as if he was suffering from a hangover. Knowing the potency of Vinum, it was likely.
I sat by Luc’s side, noting the new additions to the group around the expansive obsidian dining table, drinking Vinum and generally looking bored.
Luiz, dressed entirely in black, was sat across from Abe. My hellhound wiggled his fingers to greet me and I nodded in response.
I recognised the corkscrew auburn curls of the woman sitting at the other end of the table. Faith was a Valkyrie, with granite coloured wings that were folded tightly behind her back. I had not seen her in an age. She was the second in command to Ba’el, the King of Wrath. I guessed that her appearance had something to do with Ba’el’s absence.
One of the servers placed a full plate of steak and potatoes in front of me and I dove in with gusto, although my table manners were delicate. Small talk was exchanged as I chewed and mulled over the odd sensation of eating. I had still not grown entirely comfortable with it.
The sharp keening monster’s cry rang out through the air, and I held back a flinch. No one else seemed bothered by it. I felt the familiar vibrations through the icy floor. The King of the Leviathan appeared. His sharp teeth bared and his spittle was black as it dripped from his canines. His scales sparkled green jade before they folded in on themselves and became the glowing eyes of the King of Envy. Levi brushed his shoulder and straightened his golden plated armour as he strode over to his waiting goblet. He did not sit as he took a hearty slug of hell wine.
“We’re facilitating a meeting between Wrath and Envy, I assume?” Eying our two guests as I patted the corner of my mouth with a napkin. I waved my hand over my shoulder and asked one of the servers to bring me something to drink.
“Faith has some concerns about some of your scouts crossing Wrath’s borders.” Luc took a casual swig of his wine. His demeanour implied that he did not care, but his eyes were sharp and his grip on the stem of his glass was tight. “Leviathan, what do you have to say about that?”
Levi smirked boldly, and kicked out one of the empty wooden chairs in the centre of the table. He took his dagger from his belt; the green emerald glinted in the low light as he laid the weapon on the table in front of him. Levi sat down with aplomb.
“Why can’t your King come and speak to me himself?” Levi asked, even though I was certain that he already knew the answer.
Faith snarled and her feathers snapped as her wings threatened to break free. “You know that my King is missing.” The Valkyrie looked down her nose at the King of Envy as if she was imagining ripping his spine out through his stomach.
“If you cannot hold your territory then perhaps you do not deserve to have it?” The Leviathan flashed a black stained canine.
The Valkyrie’s glowing red eyes darted from the Leviathan’s to Luc’s before finally settling on me. She said nothing, but tapped her sharp claws against the smooth surface of the table.
Luc rubbed my back as my server arrived with my glass of water. I reached over to pluck my drink from his tray, and the hint of my bump became visible from above the table. The Leviathan and the Valkyrie eyed my torso with curiosity, but both wisely said nothing.
“The Leviathan’s comments have merit, Faith,” Luc said, mulling over the issue with the tilt of his head. “But I am fair. If you cannot hold the Second Circle, it may be better to acquiesce some of the territories.”
The Valkyrie narrowed her glowing eyes. “I acquiesce nothing.”
“Show me your King, and I will wave my white flag,” Levi sang, picking his teeth with a crooked serpents talon. He shook his hand out, and it quickly returned to human form. Levi shrugged in apology, but I knew that he had never apologised for anything in his life and meant it.
There was an awkward silence, and I took the measure of each of the Demons in the room. Abe and I had stayed silent the entire time, the emotionless ones of Luc’s inner circle. I found myself rubbing my bump to ease my discomfort in the presence of the Leviathan.
I remembered his teeth as they came horribly close to my face during my jaunt into the Jade Lake. I could not hold back the shiver.
“I take it congratulations are in order?” The Leviathan raised a glass to where Luc and I sat at the head of the table. “To your spawn?”
Lucifer smiled, but it was cold and cruel. “A toast,” He lifted his goblet, but his eyes never left those of the King of Envy. My shrewd warrior was back. The twist of his lips told me that he would not hesitate to rip the Leviathan to pieces if he uttered an untoward word in my direction.
We raised our glasses and drank to good health.
The Devil used his enchantments to make the soles of my stilettos impervious to the cold.
I no longer wore the Louboutin’s, there was no point when the soles had to be replaced with spelled Silver with a blackened edge. I would not destroy my red-soled babies that way.
My feet ached most of the time, but the creeping chill in the castle kept any swelling at bay. Even with my expanding bump, I maintained my sense of balance enough to wear my heels with pride.
My days were spent pouring over pregnancy books, and the rare First Circle history book.
I chronicled Luc’s fall from heaven at the hands of the Lord. The spell that the Lord had used was not explicitly mentioned, and all references were vague at best.
I knew the ingredients because of Vinca, and Luc had confirmed them to be correct. Flower of Envy, Feather of Angel and Soul of Ferryman. They all had pride of place on my vanity, waiting for some unknown signal on what to do.
When I did not study, and Luc was in the castle, we were insatiable as we made up for two centuries worth of intimacy.
We didn’t just engage in each other’s bodies, although admittedly the hormones that came with pregnancy were akin to being shot up intravenously with Seventh Circle magic. It was rare that I would see the lighter side of Luc, as all thoughts of his centred around protecting our child and me.
The threat of my death was ever present but never mentioned since that day.
How would it happen? I mused.
I had lived a long life. Too many years, I sometimes thought. Although I had something to fight for. A person that would rely on me.
Luc had been my lifeline, but he was a person in his own right. Two hundred years apart had shown that he could live without me if he needed to.
It was a simple fact. His existence was necessary to keep Hell alive. My life was expendable. It made sense.
I flicked through the pages of Luc’s history and noted an abrupt shift. One day he had wings. Broken, burnt skeletal structures that dragged on the floor when he walked. A reminder of his betrayal for all to see. Then, one day they were gone.
I had never asked the Devil about his wings, as I had had no knowledge of them. They were before my time.
Luc strode into the library. His jaw was clenched and tension radiated from every pore. It was only when his eyes met mine, as I saw sprawled on the floor surrounded by books, that his face relaxed as relief flitted across his expression.
“What are you reading?” Luc noted the book that laid open across my thighs.
“About your fall, my love.” I stretched out my aching shoulders. I had sat in the same position for a long time, and my muscles protested.
Luc crouched down and sat at my feet, without a word he lifted my heel and began to knead the soles of my feet. I closed my eyes and relished in his skilled hands.
“Anything of note?” Luc asked with a smile in his voice.
“Your wings.”
“What about them?”
I opened my eyes and then quirked a brow at Luc. “Nice try. Tell me about them.”
Luc’s lips twitched in amusement. “I quite like this demanding side to you, Pet.”
My lip pursed and I gestured with my hand for him to continue.
Luc sighed playfully. “It’s not a secret, Pet. I sacrificed the remnants of my wings for a worthy cause.”
“Could you fly, even though you had fallen?” I asked.
Luc focused on my foot and did not meet my eyes. “Only if the Lord chose to restore my wings. Then I would have been able to.”
“Can I see?” I asked.
“You’ve seen every inch of my body, Pet.” Luc ran a finger down the sole of my foot and made me shiver. “You know all my scars.”
“What did you get in return for your sacrifice?” I asked, sitting up with great difficulty. Luc held out his hand, and I took it, manoeuvring my beach ball-like torso. I pushed my fingers under the hem of his tunic and felt the hard ridges of his abdominal muscles.
I cocked my head to the side and fluttered my eyelashes. “Please?”
Luc pulled his top over his head and allowed the material to drop to the floor. My fingers admired and inspected every inch of his hard muscle, and his blemish free skin. I placed a gentle kiss on his shoulder, unable to face him straight on. I trailed my fingers along the lines of his hipbones and circled around him. I admired every inch of his body as I had done thousands of times before.
Sculpted by battle and desire, I rested my hands on the blackened grooves that ran from Luc’s shoulder blades to the small of his back. The space where his wings had occupied was covered in Cyclirian runes, the ancient written language of Hell. I had felt the scars before, but only when I pressed against his skin could you feel that the tattoos were on top of thick and smooth scar tissue.
“You are my wings, Pet,” Luc whispered, straightening his shoulders as he gained the courage to speak truths that he had always kept from me. “I sacrificed them to create you.”
Overcome with emotion, I gripped the hem of his trousers and pulled the Devil to my lips. He bent down to meet me, wrapping his fingers around the hair at the nape of my neck. His kiss was fire, ice and ownership. It was all Lucifer. Strong with a whisper of uncertainty. A gentle question of acceptance.
I twined my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Our tongues fought for supremacy. He was skilled as he teased my bottom lip and made my core tighten with the promise of what I knew that his mouth could do. My hand dipped under his waistband, and I palmed his thickness. Squirming, I rubbed my thighs together.
“Put your hands on the edge of the chair.” Luc’s voice was husky with lust.
Years of ingrained subservient spurned me into action. My skin felt like it would spark a fire, as my body remembered all the other times that Luc had positioned my body in a similar way.
I did as he asked and felt the calloused hands of the Devil as he marvelled at the swell of my bottom. He hitched up my long skirt until it sat below my bump. My underwear dropped to the floor and I shivered, exposed to the room.
Luc groaned low in his throat, and I jumped when I realised how close his face was to my core. I felt the vibrations of the painfully aroused sounds he made.
His hand skimmed the inside of my thigh until the tip of his fingers reached the juncture of my legs. I found myself spreading my legs and presenting my sex to Luc like a bitch in heat.
I was unable to control the mewling sounds that came from my lips as I pushed my arse into Luc’s hand as he touched my other lips with a teasing, fleeting brush of his fingers. My clit throbbed, heavy and wanting. My head tilted back in a sigh as Luc dipped a finger inside of me, hooking his appendage until a jolt wracked through me as he found my G-spot.
Luc kissed the space where my thighs and bottom met. I shuddered when I felt the absence of his hand, as he reached down and trailed a finger from the heel of my foot, into the space behind my knee and then across my sex. I heard his zipper being undone and I felt his heavy cock as it sprung free and rested on my arse cheek.
I looked back into my Luc’s silver eyes, they were hooded with lust as he stared down at me and he stroked himself. My chest heaved and my breasts flushed red; I was a livewire. I would ignite if he drew it out much longer.
Without warning, Luc slammed inside of me, to the hilt. I threw my head backwards as he hit the hidden spot inside of me, the twinge of my womb and the throb of my clit made a heady combination as I rocked my hips and undulated against him.
Luc’s hands gripped my hips but he did not move.
My mouth gaped as I stretched around him, silently mouthing a plea for everything that he had to offer. He eased out an inch, only to return it tenfold. I flinched but the pleasure far outweighed the shock.
Deep inside of me, Luc wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled my body up until my back met his chest. Our breathing was heavy, and in tune, as he slammed into me as if he wanted to merge our very souls.
I saw sparks behind my eyelids. I concentrated on the gruff snarls that ripped from my lover’s lips, as the sounds he made pushed me over the edge.
My body coiled like a spring and my toes curled. An odd combination of tightening and urge to let go overcame me, and I squirmed.
“I’m going to… come …” I huffed as I felt my orgasm reach another high.
“Do it,” Luc growled. “Come for me.” Luc slammed his palm onto the flesh of my arse, and with a cry, I felt myself contract around him. The wet squishing sounds accompanied his roar as Luc came with me. I felt wetness run down my legs as I ejaculated. My legs trembled, and Luc grasped my hips as I found myself no longer able to stand.
With a smile on my lips, I closed my eyes and allowed the Devil to place slow and delicate kisses on my shoulder blades from behind. He licked the sweat from my skin.
I rested my head against the centre of his chest. Savouring Luc’s scent. Cinnamon and cedar wood. As we came back down to earth in each other’s arms, I couldn’t help but feel that everything was finally perfect.
“Could you pass me my water?” I asked, my legs had become liquid as I slumped down gracefully into the library armchair. Luc moved one of the dozens of pregnancy books with his toe and grabbed my glass from the side. He handed it over as he brushed a tendril of hair behind my ear. I hid my shy smile and took a cooling slug.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“My pleasure, Pet,” Luc replied breezily.
“I meant for giving up your wings for me.” I leant forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for the water as well.”
The roof of my mouth had gone dry even though I had just had a drink. I smacked my tongue against my lips, unable to speak as my mouth went numb.
My eyes rolled back into my skull and I had barely a second to grasp onto Luc’s elbow before my knees hit the ground with a thud. The glass bounced across the floor, spilling water across the pages of an ancient tome. Luc held my head as I felt my body begin to twitch and writhe with a seizure.
It wasn’t until Luc saw the blackened pages of the wet book, that I became privy as to what was happening. Luc swore under his breath as he reached for my cheeks and pulled my fluttering gaze to meet his.
The Devil forced my lips open with a firm but tender grip and scented my breath. He smashed his lips together as if he was tasting my breath.
“Leviathan Saliva.” Luc snarled.
He forced his fingers down my throat until I spluttered and vomited the water. I had been poisoned.