His head falls with a sigh. “That night I made a choice that haunts me to this day. I left you because that’s what I thought you wanted.”
“I did,” I seethe.
“We both know that’s not true. You can lie to yourself, Victoria, but you can’t lie to me. I left you thinking I’d deceived you into falling.” His hand runs back through his hair, pulling at the roots in apparent frustration. “All these years I’ve allowed what we had to be spoiled by miscommunications and my own fears.”
“You’re the devil, Luke. You fear nothing.”
“Victoria, stand,” he commands, but I stay kneeling, tears streaming down my face. He falls to his knees in front of me, hand coming under my chin to lift my head, so we’re once again staring into each other’s eyes. “With you I fear everything.” He bites the last word. “I fear how deeply I care for you. You’re here because you feel everything I do. Admit it.”
“Stop,” I whisper.
“No amount of time with you will be enough. I want forever. Every touch. Every kiss. Every damn night. I want you, and I know you feel the same.”
“Stop,” I yell, both hands grabbing at either side of my head, pulling at the roots of my hair. “Just stop. Find someone else to toy with. I’m through with these games.”
His hands are on the backs of my elbows, and I jerk away, standing to my feet. Taking a deep breath, I turn to him, and my breath hitches. The king of deception stands before me looking at me like a broken man.Master manipulator. Deceiver of man and angel.I want nothing more than to lash out and hurt him as much as he has me. His beauty, even in this moment, has me breathless. I hate him, but I hate myself more.
“Victoria, I’m here. I’ve continued to save you. How do you not see how much I care? Even now you doubt me?”
His words soften my anger but manage to make me feel worse. I’m being irrational, but having a near-death experience will do that to even an angel, fallen or otherwise.
A single tear slips down my cheek, and he steps forward, wiping it away. His touch burns my skin, lighting me on fire from the inside out. It’s a painful reminder that I’ll never feel this for anyone else. The devil himself is the only one who can elicit such feelings.
“Please,” I beg. “Don’t do this to me.”
“Victoria, it’s you who’s killing me slowly. You’ve turned my life upside down. You make me want to throw everything away because I can’t get you out of my head. You’re all I see. All I think about. I can’t stay away.”
“Lies,” I say weakly. I can fight this pull all I want, but I know what he says is true. I feel it in every inch of my being. My soul calls out to him and I’m a fool to resist. There is no resisting when I know I feel the same.
I’m in love. I have been from the beginning.
“No lies, beautiful.” He moves a piece of hair out of my eyes, placing it behind my ear. “I’m in love with you.”
My breath hitches.
“Don’t say such things.”
“I’ll say it, because I mean every damn word.”
He pulls me in to him, crashing his lips to mine as rain pours down over us and lightning flashes overhead. The thunder our kiss creates sends goose bumps racing over my skin. I’m lost to the sensations coursing through me. I want to get lost in his touch, give myself to the dark side so it never ends. His hands run down my back, continuing the onslaught of sensation. When he pulls away, I whimper, feeling the loss immediately. His forehead rests against mine.
“Come with me. Stand by my side,” Luke begs, sounding like a desperate man.
“I—Luke…” The words are stuck in my throat. I want to give in. I want to hand my life over to him. But the words won’t come out.
“Victoria, don’t run away.”
I take a step back, eyes never leaving his. Pain, fear… love is reflected back at me, and it’s my undoing.
“I love you, Luke. I always have. But I can’t force myself to be something I’m not. I can’t rule Hell. No matter how I feel about you, we can never be.”
“Then I’ll relinquish my throne. I’ll live with you here, on Earth.”
He’s so serious it breaks my heart. Does he not realize that it’s an impossible promise to keep? It’s one he has no control over, because it’s not just his decision.
“You and I both know Heaven won’t allow it, Luke.”
“Then I’ll go to war.”
