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Lights blinded me and I clamped my eyes closed against the bright fluorescents. An ominous chuckle filled the room and I shivered despite the hot rush of fear in my blood. I squinted and a formidable shadow was cast across the spotlight and all I could muster was an, “Aw, fuck.”
Lucifer.
Lucifer in angel form, not human form.
I was beyond fucked and my body quaked against my will, rattling the chains holding me in place. My gaze moved from him to Eve standing by his side, her arms crossed and a bitter smile filling her features.
“You fucking bitch,” I growled.
“Did you know Damian is Gabriel’s son?” Eve asked and Lucifer’s head snapped in her direction before focusing back on me.
“Gabriel’s son,” his voice rumbled through the room and he swatted Eve, sending her catapulting through the room. The crunch of bone filled the air as she smashed into the wall and crumpled, unconscious to the ground. Lucifer turned his attention back to me.
My heart thundered in my chest at the spark of interest in his eyes as he crossed the distance. I clenched my jaw; anything I said now would be futile.
“Funny, your father never mentioned you,” he said as he towered in front of me. “But then again, he was too busy begging for his wife and unborn child.”
I blinked and actually took a step back, his words slapping me harder than a physical blow. “My...my parents died because of a...a volcano,” I stuttered, hating that I stumbled over the words. My brain couldn’t wrap around this new fact.
“Your father died in the blast, but your mother’s death was what triggered the eruption. He was actually trying to kill me, but without his angel form, he was at a distinct disadvantage. He burned in the explosion that was intended to take me out.” Lucifer had the audacity to chuckle.
I clamped my jaw against the curses posed on my tongue and mustered up a glare instead.
“I never thought to look for another child,” he added just before his fist shot out, connecting with my cheek and sending me back against the restraints.
The dig of platinum tore at my shoulders, pulling an unwanted grunt from my chest. In angel form, Lucifer could deliver the kind of damage I couldn’t walk away from and the grinding throb of the smashed bone in my cheek was just the beginning. The burn of anger rushed through me, tempering the pain.
“You sadistic bastard,” I whispered. “Why don’t you let me out of these chains and we can see just how well you’d stand in a fair fight.”
He raised his eyebrow and snapped his fingers. The sudden release of burning tension made me stumble, but I caught myself. Lucifer stepped back and waved me in. My gaze jumped to the glint of on his fingers and shock snaked over my skin. His nails were as sharp as Naomi’s when she donned her tiger form, but it was the platinum sheen that made my throat constrict. I shifted and refocused, standing in ready form swallowing the bloom of fear.
As we circled, I got a better look at my surroundings. This wasn’t the dark dungeon I last awoke in. This was a living space with dark curtains blocking the outside world. The spotlight used to disorient me sat in a round alcove and to my right stood a bright entry way. My gaze lingered on that doorway and Lucifer’s clucking pulled my attention back to him.
“Tsk, tsk,” he said. “Before you make a run for it, I suggest you take a good look at that escape route.”
I glanced back at the entry and what he was saying sank in.
Daylight.
My gaze snapped back to him and then the curtains beyond.
“Why the fuck are you toying with me?” I asked, my thoughts registering out loud in the barren room.
“You are my bait,” he answered. “And now that I know who your father was, I understand my brother’s need to protect you. As long as you’re alive, he’ll move heaven and earth to save your ass. I’m betting he’d even send that little minx into the lion’s den because he thinks his secret is safe. He has no idea that I’m aware of her lineage. That she has the bloodline of not just one, but two angels.” He grinned and continued circling, toying with both his words and his footwork. “I can’t think of anything more delightful than building an army of dark trinities, can you?”
The mocking tilt of his eyebrow set a rash of rage through my bloodstream. His dirty insinuations clear in the knowing smile passing over his lips.
“I hear she’s a tigress in bed,” he taunted.
A couple of weeks of not being able to touch my wife without blisters because of this lunatic sent me over the edge. Fury filled every fiber and I launched at him, letting the anger drive me forward. But it wasn’t enough to get the jump on Lucifer. He easily blocked my swing and delivered a bone-crunching punch to my ribs. My feet left the ground with the power of it and I landed on my knees, coughing up blood between the painful draws of breath.
I forced myself to my feet, still trying to pull in oxygen through sporadic wheezes. “You aren’t going to get the chance,” I managed to say, but speaking took more effort than I realized and when he swung at me, my delayed reaction cost me a cracked eye-socket.
Pain flared in the left side of my face despite the rage wracking my form. I growled from my position on the floor and I stood, retreating into shadow form. This time my fist connected and I was greeted with the sickening crack of bone. It took a moment to realize it was my hand and not his chest that broke.
The power of his next punch connected with my nose, sending me onto my back. I wasn’t sure if my eyes were open or not, but the star pattern blinking on the black canvas gave me a hint of my current state. The last sensation that registered in my brain was pure agony.