DevilstiltSin - A devilish fairytale ✔ (Lucifer fanfiction/deckerstar)

Chapter 3

There was nothing she could do anymore.

The rest of dinner passed in a blur, and before she even had time to steal a moment to calm down, Chloe found herself back in the tower, surrounded by heaps of straw twice as large as the night before. If Marcus was to hold his promise that this would be the last time he'd make her do this, he certainly made sure he got the most out of it.

Chloe was too angry to even think about the task she had to fulfill. She screamed and shouted as she stomped around the little room, tearing her pinned-up hair free and running her hands through it.

It was all too much, the feeling of being trapped in so many ways. Trapped in this tower, trapped with this task, trapped to depend on a mysterious man's help to not face death in the morning, trapped with the perspective of a life she didn't want to live. She couldn't breathe, the corset part of her dress too tight around her chest, the air too thick to flow inside her lungs. She desperately tried to reach behind her back to open the lacing and at least gain some freedom from her physical restraints, but her hands kept shaking too hard to be useful.

"Chloe," she heard a familiar voice beside her. The concern in it touched her more than she was able to realize at this moment.

"I need to breathe," she choked out.

"May I?", Luci asked, making his intentions clear by taking a step towards her.

"Please."

He was beside her in an instant, faster than she was able to comprehend. His hand on her shoulder emanated warmth as he waited for her to get used to his touch. When she didn't protest, he stepped behind her, brushed her hair over her shoulder and quickly untied the lace trapping her into the corset.

Chloe took a deep breath and air flowed into her lungs as the weight around her loosened, and she took another, and another. She was aware of how close Luci was, yet he was no longer touching her.

"Feeling better?" he asked eventually.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome. It seemed like you needed a helping hand there."

"I wouldn't have been able to undo it this fast on my own."

"Well, what can I say? We all have to play to our strengths."

He gave her one of his slightly pretentious smiles, but his eyes still held concern. She understood that he was offering her an easy way out without having to elaborate on the reasons for her emotional turmoil, and she was glad he did. She didn't feel stable enough to touch the subject right now. Telling him would make it all the more real.

"So, I'm afraid I might need another one of your strengths again tonight."

Chloe gestured to the straw that covered the entire floor around them. Luci took a look around.

"I see why that might be necessary. Although I just came to retrieve my jacket. I only had it tailored last week, and it's made of the highest quality silk."

He brushed some imaginary dust off his sleeves and readjusted the fit of said jacket by pulling at the lapels. Interesting, Chloe thought, recognizing it as the nervous gesture that it was.

"But now that I'm here, I won't deny you another favor of mine."

"Well, about that... I'm afraid I don't really have anything to offer you in return. You already have my necklace and my ring." Her gaze searched for her father's piece of jewelry on his finger as she spoke. "There's nothing else I could offer you."

"That won't be a problem."

"It won't? But the other night, you said there had to be something to trade."