Chapter 1

Lucifer

My sigh echoed through the room. The only other sound was from the succubus sucking my dick. She knew what she was doing, like most succubi, but I couldn’t get into it. I was bored while getting a blow job. That said a lot about the sad state of my existence.

“This isn’t going to work,” I finally told her, earning me a glare from the daring sex demon at my feet. I suspected she was braver than your average succubus. With the mood I’d been in lately, few dared to cross my threshold. She was an attractive demon with a lot of spirit, so I’d allowed her to stay and try to coax a response out of me. It had been a long time since I’d had any genuine interest in a succubus, not since shortly after my daughter’s birth. Still, with golden hair and amber eyes, she’d stirred my lust. That hadn’t lasted long.

“Don’t feel bad,” she began. “It happens to every guy sometimes.”

I amended my opinion of her. The demon wasn’t daring; she was stupid. When I said nothing, she got to her feet and shifted uncomfortably.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

I wasn’t certain if she was apologizing for having insulted my manhood, or if she had suddenly decided to blame herself for my lack of interest.

“Thank you for stopping by.” I sounded bored, but I couldn’t help it. I was bored, and I wasn’t in the mood to entertain.

After the little demon slunk out of the room, I shouted, “Rainer!”

As expected, my right-hand man stalked into the room. My boredom faded when I saw the irritation on his face. He was one of the few who stood up to me. In most, I found that trait intolerable. With Rainer, I valued his willingness to speak his mind and tell me when he thought I was wrong. He was more than my right-hand man; he was my friend. I’d known him since his birth. Rainer and his brother, Xavier, had always fascinated me. The sons of a fallen angel and a witch, I’d expected them to be powerful demons. Both were fallen angels—a rare outcome for such a pairing. When fallen angels intermingled with other species, they generally produced demon offspring—powerful demon offspring, but still demons. I’d been involved in Rainer and Xavier’s training, mostly out of curiosity. I’d wanted to see what they would become. Somewhere along the way, they’d become my friends.

“Muffy didn’t last long,” Rainer remarked casually. My friend had tried turning the demon away at the door, so my sending her away so soon likely amused him.

“Is that her name?” I asked as I poured myself a drink.

Rainer raised an eyebrow at my question. “You might have an easier time finding a woman to date if you remembered their names.”

“We both know I wasn’t planning to date her,” I said before taking a sip of my whisky. It burned all the way down, just the way I liked it. I needed a drink after hearing the it happens to all guys line from a succubus. “What is wrong with me, Rainer?” I asked as I collapsed onto the leather sofa in my den. My head dropped back, and my eyes closed.

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” he asked.

“No,” I replied with a chuckle. “You’re far too brutal. Women love bad boys. I’m Lucifer—the ultimate bad boy. I shouldn’t have any trouble finding a date.”

“You need to get out of Hell to find someone,” was his response. This wasn’t the first time he’d made that suggestion.

“That hasn’t done me much good in the past,” I argued. Having given up hope of finding a nice demon or fallen angel, I’d tried dating other preternatural beings with no success.

“There’s a witch club where you might have some luck,” Rainer suggested. My expression must have conveyed how skeptical I was. Witches were elitists by nature. While there were some who intermingled with those from the demon realm, like Rainer’s father, it wasn’t common. Witches might have a fling with a fallen angel, but few would consider anything more. “Other preternatural creatures frequent the club. The witch who runs it has a powerful dampening spell on the place. If I had to guess, I’d say there are several overlapping spells. No one can use any magic in the club. You’d be less conspicuous there.”

“It still seems unlikely I’ll go unrecognized,” I pointed out. While most humans could walk past me without giving me more than a passing glance, few in the preternatural community would mistake me for anyone else. “I suppose I could dress down.”

“That would make you less noticeable,” Rainer agreed.

I occasionally dressed in casual attire when I was in the demon realm. I currently had on jeans and a black t-shirt. When traveling to the human realm, I always wore expensive suits. It was all about image.

“Even if you don’t find a woman who doesn’t recognize you, you should get out,” Rainer insisted. “Lately, you’ve been spending too much time in Hell.”

“It’s not as if I can go on an extended vacation to get away from it all,” I reminded him.

“True, but it would do you some good to get away for a few hours from time to time,” he insisted.

I let out a tired sigh and set my drink on the end table so I could rub the back of my neck. “Is it me, or do things seem worse recently?”

In the last month, I’d dealt with four demon riots in the prison sector. I wasn’t sure what had changed to cause these recent disruptions. Most prisoners had been there for centuries, and they were resigned to their fate. These weren’t demons who could be rehabilitated. They weren’t going to be released from prison. The most they could hope for was a transfer to a nicer prison. Occasionally, a group of demons tried to escape, or started a riot, but not often. Fear of punishment kept them from being too big a problem. Four riots in a month was unprecedented.

“It’s not you,” Rainer replied. “I’m worried there may be something big being planned.”

“Something needs to be done,” I stated.

“But not tonight,” Rainer added. “Let’s go out. You need it. Hell, I need it.”

I nodded and stood. “You’re right. Who knows? This may even be my lucky night.”

“You could meet the perfect woman tonight,” Rainer added, even though neither of us believed that.