Fallen Angel

Chapter 30.2

Escape was futile. Margaret knew she wouldn't make it far. Even if she made it out of the icy, gloomy palace, she would still have to pass the Nine Circles and the Mortal Realm. She only knew the very basics of fighting. If the demons in the Circles didn't catch her, the Horsemen certainly would. She would have to wait until she was brought somewhere else or until the angels got to her. But would they even think of looking for her here? And... did she even want to leave?
Lucifer had been angry with Samael for bringing her to the Circles, but he seemed glad of her presence now. He'd arranged for new clothes to be brought to her; a jade dress with a tight bodice laced in the front. It wasn't something Margaret would choose for herself, but she felt strangely comfortable wearing it. Powerful almost. She had been given some high-heeled sandals to match, but she threw those aside and explored Lucifer's chambers barefoot.

She was surprised to find everything so... un-hellish. The fireplace was lit but didn't illuminate the room enough on its own. Several candelabras stood spread around, their tiny flames providing light and warmth. The few paintings on the walls were not of massacres but intriguing, beautiful images of entwining bodies captured in their love-making. The furniture was of the richest wood and ornately decorated. These were rooms fit for royalty.
Margaret poured some wine into a crystal goblet and sauntered to a bookcase in the far corner. She squinted to read the titles.

I know these stories. None of them have happy endings. They're all about quarrels, lost love, and death... Curious.

Though Margaret's memories were slowly returning to her, it would be some time before she could make any sense of the muddle inside her head. Yet there was something that jumped out. Something she couldn't deny, no matter how hard she tried — she had loved Lucifer unconditionally.
Every time she remembered something about him, Margaret felt a piece of the puzzle falling back into place, nearing completion. It was extraordinary that her heart and body seemed to remember that love so well after eighteen centuries.

A click resonated behind Margaret, and she turned around to see Lucifer walk into the room. He locked the door and dropped his robe on the floor. From the moment she'd laid eyes on him, she thought him to be the personification of Don Juan. Every single movement, every single word uttered, dripped with temptation. She caught sight of Lucifer's naked skin where his black shirt opened at his chest and had to ground herself to prevent from dropping to her knees as heat suddenly flushed through her lower body.
Lucifer sat at the edge of the bed, leaning forward and hiding his face in his hands. Margaret regarded him closely. She did not see the monster Michael had made him out to be. She did not see the Devil, the Prince of Hell, or even an evil man, but someone who wore the scars of his past and was nearly crushed by loss. There was no denying the darkness inside him. But it was no more present than what she had recently seen in Gabriël. If there was any chance...
Something moved Margaret towards him. She didn't know if it was the memories, her instinct to care for someone, or the overpowering desire to be with him. The sensation was remarkably similar to how she'd felt with Michael. Only this time, it was far more intense. 

"Did something happen?" Margaret leaned against a bedpost, maintaining some distance in case Lucifer did not want her near.

"I just executed someone who betrayed me," he replied. "It pained me to do it. He was... a valued servant. I trusted him. I keep making that mistake somehow."

"It's not a mistake to put your faith in someone. Not everyone betrays your trust."

"Plenty do."

"Not me."

Lucifer looked at her and smiled weakly. His obsidian eyes glistened in the faint light of the surrounding flames. Margaret inconspicuously clenched her legs together. What was happening to her?