Chapter Eleven
Mel
As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t blame Gabriel for thinking that Siren’s was a portal to the Underworld because crossing over that threshold had felt like I was stepping into another dimension. As soon as I was inside, the cold from the drizzly Seattle streets melted away, and I was wrapped in the strange and unique atmosphere of red lights, low music, and heady warmth. Though there was nothing hellish about it. The crimson murk, the silhouettes of dancers on the main floor through the swirling smoke from fog machines, the distant clink of glasses and low chattering, it was a sultry, sinful vibe in the old church that made my hair stand on end in delight.
Stepping beneath the archway that led into the bar, I stopped to read the flickering neon sign mounted above.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
Sheesh. This Morningstar guy was really taking the whole devil thing to the extreme.
“Familiar with the quote, Miss Sunshine?” The purr of a voice behind me made me jump.
I looked over my shoulder to see Lucifer standing behind me, a wry grin on his face.
Damn. I wondered if Jess had gotten a load of this guy yet. In this lighting, in that suit, those eyes and that smile promised a girl sex worth selling your soul for. Jess would most certainly want a piece of this bad boy billionaire. And if I told her Gabe literally believed him to be the devil, well, I bet that would just intrigue her all the more.
“Um… It’s fromDante’s Inferno, right?”
He nodded, holding back that intoxicating smile as he peered up at the words, almost like they were a punchline to a joke. “You’ve read it?”
“Yeah, in college.” I frowned at him, a question burning in my throat.
The smug smile sitting at the corner of his lips spread, his dark brows rising. “You’re wondering why I call you Sunshine?”
I blinked at him. How had he—
“Your face, it’s very expressive.”
“Yeah, but…” I shook my head in disbelief. “That doesn’t explain how you knew exactlywhatquestion I was going to ask.”
He gave a half-shoulder shrug, that arrogant smile still sitting on his lips. Damn, did that smile ever fade? It was almost as infuriating as it was handsome. Which made it all the more annoying.
His eyes glittered with amusement, almost as though I’d said my thoughts out loud. “In my business, I’d learned to read people.”
“The strip club business?”
“I do many things, Miss Sunshine. As for why I call you that, well, it’s a long story. And I don’t imagine you’d believe it.”
“You’ve been telling a lot of stories that have spread across town, Mr. Morningstar. Ones that people have a hard time believing. But you tell them anyway, don’t you?”
Wow. Had I really just said that? Normally I would be way more shy, standing in a strip club next to a gorgeous billionaire who was convinced he was the devil and didn’t mind spreading it across town like a venereal disease. But after the night I’d had so far, I wasn’t taking in more shit. If I couldn’t get answers out of Gabriel, maybe I could squeeze something from this guy. Because with how Lucifer and Gabe acted just a minute ago, something told me they somehow knew each other.
Lucifer’s lips slowly curled into a mischievous smile. “Well said, Miss Sunshine. But I don’t think your guardian would like me telling you stories.”
I crinkled my brows. “Erm… He’s not my ‘guardian.’ We’re like the same age. He’s my roommate.”
“Roommate?” Morningstar chuckled. “Good on him for pullingthatoff.”
“Right… Anyway…” This guy was seriously weird. Hot as all get out, butweird.My hope of getting anything out of him that actually made sense seemed slimmer with each word he spoke.
It was at that point that my gaze began to rove around the club, on the lookout for Jess. Was she here yet? I first thought that she’d be easy to pick out in this crowd, thinking she’d be the only clothed woman. But that wasn’t the case. This place was buzzing, with nearly every seat filled and tons of people lounging on the sleek black furniture or leaning against the stage where beautiful women danced for money.
It felt like I was in some sort of sultry, exotic club you might find in Vegas, with its red mood lighting and modern lux furnishings. It was a strange blend of modern opulence with the traditional charm of the old church that made for a tasteful combination that was uniquely Siren’s. Cleary, other people liked it too because the place was packed. I wondered just how many of these people were supernaturals. The vibe in here was electric, pulsing with an energy I couldn’t really place, but it wasn’t human.
I turned my attention back to Lucifer but found the space where he’d been standing moments ago completely empty.
“Mel! There you are!” a familiar voice called.
