The Devil and I

Chapter 10: How Do You Like It-Jynjo

Lucifer leapt from the bed and took me into his arms with the sheet over my body as he sprinted for the door, not even bothering to dress himself. When we reached the open expanse of the hall his wings spread behind him, and he took off. My hands clung to the sheet and his shoulder as he flew through, navigating the turns with precision and speed. He stopped and landed softly outside an aged wooden door. He nearly took it off the hinges with how hard he forced it open.

A woman sat just beyond it in a red velvet chair, her wrinkled face looking startled by his abrupt appearance. He carried me in and laid me across a chase that matched the chair. As he turned, he said, "Help her. Now." His voice was harsh and demanding, and the woman jumped from her seat and rushed to my side. Her hands were chilled as he placed the back of it against my forehead.

Lucifer paced the small space, still naked, but she didn't look at him. Her attention was solely on me as she asked, "What happened? I need to know so I can help."

He roared; the sound echoed off the stone walls and caused me to flinch, but she remained stoic even in the face of his fury. "Just help her."

"I will, but how 'bout you go put some clothes on and by the time you come back, I'll have an update for you." His fist slammed against the wall, sending dust cascading through the air as he stormed out.

"Five minutes," he called from the hall, his voice already distant.

"Okay dear, let's take a look, shall we?" Her hands gently tugged the sheet away. I scooted my feet up and opened my legs. Nervousness and embarrassment flooded me as I pinched my eyes shut. "I'm going to clean you up a bit, okay?"

"Okay," I answered as I cracked my eyes to see her get up and fetch a towel and bowl of water. As she turned, I noticed she was missing an ear, and there was a jagged scar down her neck. She brought it back over and began mopping up the blood. It was cold against my still very heated skin.

"Oh," she said.

"What?" My panicked mind expected the worst, like internal bleeding or that my insides were going to fall out.

"It's just a small tear, dear. You're going to be perfectly fine. Wounds in this . . . area tend to bleed quite a bit, but it's nothing to fear. A few weeks rest and you'll be fine." She patted my knee and gave me a smile. "I'll give you a tonic that will help heal things quicker if you would like."

I nodded. She walked to a cabinet that stood in the corner and opened the door, the hinge squealed. Bottles clinked as she rummaged through until she found the right one. "Will this happen . . . every time?" I asked, my voice hesitant and unsure.

"I wouldn't think so, but if it does, we'll get it sorted." She carried the bowl and rag to a sink basin beside the cabinet and set it down.

"Thank you." She turned, her smile was warm and kind in a way I didn't expect anyone who worked for the Devil to have.

"No need to thank me dear. Just doing my job, and besides, this is the most excitement I've seen in a long while. Though I bet you've seen plenty tonight," she snickered, and it reminded me of my gran. A stab of pain went through my chest at the thought of her. How long would it be before I saw her again? Would I ever?

Lucifer walked back through the door with clothes on this time. "Is she going to be okay?" Worry was etched on his face, and it made my emotions twist even further to see him this way over me.

The woman patted his shoulder. "She's fine, but I'd recommend giving her a break for a few weeks," she winked. He expelled a long breath and crouched beside me, his hands barely skating over the surface of my skin like he was afraid to touch me.

"I'm fine," I said with a small smile as I reached for his hand. His fingers clasped over mine as he brought it to his chest.

"Let's go." He pulled me to my feet, making sure to keep the sheet in place as he lifted me into his arms. He set out down the hall and quickly cut across the castle.

When we reached the room, he placed me on the bed and moved to sit in the chair, his head hung low. "I'm sorry Keiran. I didn't mean to hurt you." My gut wrenched. He was so upset that he hurt me, why did he care? Why did I care that he cared?

I set the small glass bottle of tonic aside and got up, he tensed like he was ready to catch me if I fell over, but I was fine to walk. Maybe a little sore, but fine. Keeping my hands holding the sheet, I dragged it behind me as I walked over to him, his eyes scanning me with focus. "I'm fine. She said it was just a small tear." He cast his eyes down to the floor as the muscles in his jaw clenched.

"I hurt you. It's not fine, Keiran." Gently, I placed my fingers on his chin, bring him back up to look at me so he would know I meant it.

"You didn't hurt me." He shook his head. Stubborn. I sighed and climbed onto his lap. He stilled as he looked at me with confusion. "You didn't hurt me." I pressed my lips to his, and his shoulders drooped as he gripped my hip, but then he pulled away.

"This was a mistake, Keiran." His eyes looked dim and forlorn as they darted between mine.

"You can't honestly think that," I said feeling an unexpected pang in my chest. "Lucifer, that was anything but a mistake, and if it hurt me, I would have told you. I would have made you stop, but I didn't. No one has ever made me feel that way before." I smoothed my hand over his cheek, and he leaned into my touch as he brought his hand over mine.

I got up from his lap and dropped the sheet to the floor. His eyes instantly smoldered and flared. "What are you doing?"

"Showing you that I am fine." I reached for his pants, but he caught my hand.

"No, Keiran. You're hurt."

"I'm not. I didn't even feel it, and besides, I still have a healing tonic she gave me," I said as pulled from his grip and grasped the drawstring.

He sprung free as soon as it loosened. It seemed his body was a traitorous bitch too. I climbed back into his lap, positioning myself above him and slowly sunk down. His head dropped back against the cushion of the chair as I gripped his shoulders. There was a bit of pain, given his size, that was to be expected, but the pleasure it wrung from me was more than worth it. His hands worked my hips slowly, lifting me and bringing me back down.

"You're going to be the death of me," he ground out before he captured my lips with his.