“Don’t touch anything,” he states.
My hand twitches to just graze one of those tiny specks of glittering beauty. “But they are so pretty.”
“Touch a diamond and lose your soul, Natia. This is Greed. It will seduce and entice you to partake until you are out there with the masses.” I snatch my hand back just as a slim receptionist in a sharp black suit looks up from behind a glass desk. She pushes her glasses up her nose as her startled gaze rakes over me before catching on the men behind me.
She drops to the floor; her head bowed, allowing her brunette wavy hair to touch. “Forgive me, Sire. I didn’t realize you were scheduled for a visit today.”
“I’m not,” Lucifer says, striding past the woman and jerking his head for us to follow him. I glance at her cowering on the floor.
I look at her over my shoulder as she remains on the floor. “Didn’t take you for the evil overlord type.”
Duncan snorts a laugh as we approach the opposite door. Lucifer glances over his shoulder, his eyes flashing red as he spins around and catches my arm. “I am the ruler of all damned souls and legions of demons. I am the keeper of sin and the dealer of death. I do not falter in the face of evil, I bend it to my will. Humanity sleeps soundly because I bear the brunt of their depravity. The boogeyman under the bed answers to my call. The demons that drive unholy men to kneel before God do so because they fear me. I am the abyss.” My breath catches as I stare into the eyes of the devil. He looks down. “I am not a good man. I inspire people to turn from the Lord, and my world breeds a sickness in people—one which more and more people embrace.”
I grasp his face in my hands and draw his eyes back to me. “You may be all of that, but you are also more. You are the man that offered me sanctuary when my sanity was threatened. You are the person who rescued me from the depths of Hell. You held my friends together when I could not.” I drop a kiss on his cheek. “Dude, we got tattoos—we are forever friends now.”
His gaze searches my face, hunting for the insincerity he won’t find. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Give it a few decades. You might change your mind,” I say with a smirk.
“Incoming,” Duncan shouts from his position at the glass doors. “We need to make a break for it now or we will get mobbed.”
I wink at Lucifer. “Come on, Lulu, we got this.”
He shakes his head, and we break into a run, following Duncan out into the street. I pass him, taking the lead. A few hundred yards separate us from the next building. My feet devour the ground, the pounding of hundreds of soles driving me forward. A shout of surprise has me spinning around, Duncan’s eyes catching mine just before he disappears under a flow of tangled limbs.
“Duncan!” I cry out.
I draw upon the lightning illuminating the sky and tug it towards me. The power slips, making me grimace. I’ve felt so connected to it since my return—I don’t understand why it’s suddenly proving difficult. Maybe it’s Hell. I yank on the power and zigzags of lightning strike the zombies clambering over my best friend. They shrink back, revealing another layer of their rotting group.
“Don’t kill them,” Lucifer warns.
My heart drums as adrenaline courses into my veins. “Come on, Duncan.” I slide the swords out of the loops at my sides. The mass of flesh shivers, electric blue rays peeking out of the gaps. Yelps of terror spin into the air a split second before the bodies blast back and a kneeling Duncan is revealed, his chocolate brown eyes colliding with mine.
“Run,” he whispers, pushing up and into a sprint. I let him pass me and then take off after him. Lucifer brings up the rear as we slide into an identical building.
“Keep going,” Lucifer bellows, sprinting through the lobby. I don’t greet the receptionist this time. We hurtle through the building and spill into the street, repeating the process until we arrive at the tallest building.
I glance around. This one is different; no reception, no demon minions, no Archan, no Zee, no Zac.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, spinning around. A circular glass elevator sits in the middle of the pure white gleaming room.
“Probably on the roof already,” Lucifer says, striding to the open door of the elevator.
Duncan and I follow him, and the door closes with a whoosh before my stomach drops at the sudden speed. I grip the gold bar, outlining the death tube. “Where is your receptionist? You had them at every other building?”
Lucifer’s gaze drops to mine. “This is my personal building on the fourth level. It contains my personal apartments amongst other things.”
“I thought you had your own level?”
He grins—all teeth. “I do, but I keep a property on every level too.”
“Brings a whole new meaning to holiday homes. Most people rave about their second home in the Hamptons. You relax in Limbo, get it on in Lust, and go to eat in Gluttony.”
“Not by choice,” Lucifer says, looking up. I follow his gaze, surprised to find we are almost at the top. He drops his eyes to Duncan. Something passes between them.
“Did you two just have a mental conversation without me?” I ask with a huff. The elevator slows to a smooth stop and glass whooshes open, revealing a boring concrete platform. Archan plucks me out and presses his lips against mine. I chuckle. “We’ve been apart less than half an hour.”
“Too long,” he says, looking over my head at Lucifer. His eyes tighten and I spin around, watching as Duncan steps to the side.
