How can I assure her of my bad intentions when I can barely focus on the conversation because all I can think about is feeling her in my arms again?
Amusement shone in her gaze, and a corner of her mouth quirked. “But that would mean you’re—”
“Ageless. And you’re a fool if you don’t believe it, especially after everything you’ve seen tonight.”
“You’re right. My eyes have been opened to so much more than I would’ve ever believed.” She ran a hand through her hair then gripped her necklace. “Why’d you steal my necklace when you could’ve used your...” Twirling her fingers, she frowned. “Your demon power or whatever to get it.”
I shifted on the chaise, and a creak sounded as I tapped my knee. “I don’t know.” The sight of it around her neck had incensed me, but I’d seen many crosses and religious symbols in my line of work. None had ever angered me like hers, and my actions had put her life and soul in danger.
I’ve become her doom, and she’s become my salvation—she just doesn’t know it yet.
“You’re a horrible thief, by the way.” Her words teased, drawing my focus to her mouth, which I knew tasted of sweet fruit and decadent sin. “I’ve never heard of thieves taking stuff only to return it later.”
I lifted my chin and laughed into the night. “Well, you were the first person I ever outright robbed, so maybe you can cut me some slack.”
“I hope I’m the last person, too.”
Leaning forward, I propped my elbows on my knees and grabbed a loose stick, stirring the embers of the firepit and enjoying the warmth flooding my face.
“So, if you’re Cain, how old does that make you? And I’m having a hard time reconciling the timeline of the Bible compared to modern science. Anthropology major, ya know.”
“The Bible was written by men who had a limited understanding of their world and manipulated everything to suit their goals at the time.” I tossed the stick into the fire and palmed a couple of loose pebbles below the chair, hefting their weight in my hand as I thought about my next words. “Think of humans and angels as different species, where the angels were created first.”
“Then who is God, the Devil, all of this craziness?” She gestured toward the black sky. “If angels have all these abilities, why let humanity survive?”
“With no one to rule and manipulate, what’s the point of power?” I opened my hand, revealing the rocks.
In the firelight, a cream-colored stone sat next to a darker pebble.
“Each side exerts their will, keeping a constant tug-of-war in motion, which is tied to the very fabric of the universe. This constant struggle of balance in nature binds the cosmos themselves. Without it, entropy would accelerate and there’d be nothing and no one left.”
“That”—she fingered the darker stone, tracing its ridges, her finger occasionally touching my skin—“sounds really simple yet super complicated. And entropy happens all the time; it can’t be stopped. One day, it’ll be the destruction of us all.”
“Will it?” I smiled and tossed the rocks into the fire, sending a spray of dark embers twirling into the night. “Or will it result in the birth of a new universe? What’s the opposite of an entity devouring everything, even light?” Phoebe was smart, and being a student of science, I figured she knew the answer.
“A white hole.” Chewing her bottom lip, she took a moment to think. “And it theoretically spews out matter on the other side of the black hole.”
“Exactly.” I poked a stick into the flames. “Yin and yang, push and pull, whatever you want to call it. It’s a delicate dance. There can’t be light without dark, pain without pleasure, good without evil.”
She swallowed. “So, you chose the darkness.”
“It chose me.” Our stares locked together. She didn’t blink. “Or rather,Lucianchose me. I owe my life to him.” My throat, raw and rough, strained with the words.
The more I’m around her, the more I ache.This feeling angered and excited me, and I didn’t know what to do. How could I both yearn for her touch and resent the danger she represented to my ultimate goal?
I wanted her mouth brushing against mine, her arms wrapping around my neck, and her tender flesh pressing my naked chest. Instead, I sat straighter, dragging my attention to her pink-tinged hair fluttering in the slight breeze.
Woodsmoke curled in the air, the scent mixing with the earthy fragrance of fallen leaves and moist soil.
“So, L-Lucian’s really...?” She laid a hand on my forearm and pushed her face into my view.
“Lucifer.”
“Shit.” With a quick exhale, she jerked away and turned her focus to the crackling fire. Breathy and small, her voice shook, but she didn’t run. “I need you to tell me exactly what you do for Lucifer.”
“Never call him by that name. He prefers Lucian.” I stood and paced the firepit, running my hands through my hair.
“Well, I don’t plan on ever meeting him, so...”
