1
LUCIFER
It was past time to leave this miserable city. Lucifer would never be welcome in Shearwater Landing, the home his brothers had claimed, and good riddance. Luc didn’t need to be welcomed. He’d find somewhere better.
As soon as this last detour was out of the way.
Luc stood outside an eclectic little coffee shop in the Banks, invisible and lurking in peace. It was far from his first time here.
He’d initially discovered the coffee shop while following Ash’s little obsession, Harper. When that jig had been up, there’d been no reason to return, and yet the café had nagged at Luc’s consciousness.
Seaside Coffee.
It wasn’t by the sea, though the smell of coffee was unmistakable. Not that human beverages held much appeal. Even the food on offer was nothing special, and the charm of the mismatched tables and chairs wasn’t to Luc’s taste.
No individual element of Seaside Coffee stood out, so why was the place impossible to overlook?
For some damn reason, Luc had been here yesterday as well.
His fingers tightened around the ceramic mug he’d inexplicablypurchased and then carried around with him for the last twenty-four hours.
Sunlight caught on the earth-red glaze.
The coffee shop sold an array of similar items. This mug’s asymmetrical glazing pattern and unglazed base had caught his attention. That, and it had been the sole red item on the shelf.
Luc brushed a thumb over the stamp on the bottom.Colt Ceramics.
There was no handle. Instead, two shallow, stylistic grooves circled the middle. Luc smiled, soft tingles winding their way up his arm. He’d never been so pleased by an object, especially one devoid of magic.
He should discard his invisibility illusion and buy the rest of the items in the shop, but he had nowhere to put them unless he brought his haul back to the Realm of the Damned. The idea left a sour taste in Luc’s mouth. He needed a place to live in this realm.
But why bother? No one wanted him here. Was he seriously considering setting up in this city—his brothers’ boring city—for the sole purpose of collecting pleasing mugs? What the hell was wrong with him?
Luc’s brothers wanted nothing to do with him. They’d made that clear. Onyx might have been tempted to give him a chance, but the others had probably changed his mind. Luc hadn’t heard from him since leaving his phone number.
If Onyx didn’t want to call, then Luc wouldn’t force himself on him. It was the correct—insufferable and selfless—thing to do, and Luc reserved the right to be bitter about it.
Unlike with Onyx, Luc had been warned to stay out of Ash and Dante’s lives, which meant avoiding Seaside Coffee, a place their little mates frequented.
It wasn’t fair. He wanted to be here even if he didn’t know why.
Luc’s demon fire sparked, and he clenched his teeth, the urge to crush the pretty mug overwhelming him.
He’d ruined everything, so why not ruin this? He didn’t deserve anything nice.
Luc drew back his arm and flung the mug away. It sailed across the street and crashed into the sidewalk in front of the café door, shattering into countless pieces.
A human seated at one of the outside tables startled, glancing around in confusion.
Luc’s heart clenched, the sinking regret instantaneous.
Bits of ceramic glittered on the sidewalk, red like blood—broken like everything else in his life—and Luc’s throat thickened.
He glared at the smashed mug. There was no point sweeping up the pieces and mending them with a spell. It wouldn’t be the same.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” a man called over his shoulder as he exited Seaside Coffee, his voice cutting through Luc’s seething thoughts.
His attention shifted.
