Forsaken Angels: Lucifer

Ch 18: Sins of the Past

Cassandra

The Morningstar Enterprises office is eerily quiet late at night. My fingers tap against the keyboard, the rhythmic clacking echoing in the empty space. Most of my colleagues have long since gone home to their families and cosy beds.

Not me. Sleep is a rare commodity these days. Every time I close my eyes, I see Meg's terrified face as she's chased by a Hellbound. I see the fear on the secretary's face the moment before she was thrown away like she weighed nothing. I can still hear the ghost of the shrieking alarms ringing in my ears.

My fingers still on the keys, a shaky breath escaping my lips. It's all so much. How can I sit here and work as if nothing has happened when my world has crumbled and reformed into something I barely recognise? When every certainty I cling to has been ripped away, replaced by fallen angels and demonic wars?

Not long ago, I believed the world was so simple. There were us. And there were the monsters. Never once did I consider some monsters would be so much more. Not even monsters at all...

I rub my arm where the Hellbound scratched me, my skin smooth and unscarred. All thanks to Luce. I can still remember the warm glow of his healing, so different from when he skims. It was so calm and relaxing, like being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket.

A shadow falls over my desk and I glance up to see Luce standing in the doorway of his office. He's jacket-less, sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. His dark hair is mussed as if he's been raking his fingers through it in agitation.

"Burning the midnight oil?" he asks, a weary smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

Leaning back in my chair, I roll my stiff shoulders before offering him a teasing grin. "I have a very demanding boss."

He huffs a quiet laugh. "Want me to have a chat with him? Tell him not to ride you so hard?"

I have to hold back a snort-laugh at his stupid double entendre, intended or not. "No, that's all right. He's not so bad, and the job has some great perks."

His smile widens, but it's strained. There's a tension in him, a tightness around his eyes that speaks of exhaustion. My brow furrows. When was the last time he properly skimmed from me? It must be days since we did anything more than a brief touch. With everything that's happened with the Hellbound attack, Raze getting freed, and rushing to heal me from the poisoned wound...

He must be running on fumes.

"Come here for a second?" He nods towards his office. "I need you to look over this report before we head out."

My heart stutters at the casual intimacy of his words, the easy assumption of 'we'. Saving my work, I follow him and close the door behind us. A silly precaution, perhaps, but after the attack the other night, having something as flimsy as a door between me and the rest of the office still feels like a security.

Luce perches on the edge of his massive desk, long legs stretched out before him. I hover uncertainly, suddenly aware of the small distance between us. The air feels charged, heavy with unspoken things.

"I wanted to thank you," he says suddenly, dark eyes intent on my face. "For being so understanding about Raze."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I hug myself. "I still think he's dangerous, but he's your brother. I can understand you not wanting to hurt him. Mostly, I'm worried about Meg and how she's handling it. That this...fascination she seems to have for him is going to end badly."

"You're not wrong." Luce sighs, dragging a hand over his face. "Raze is a wild card. Especially now that he's running free. There's no telling what he'll do."