The Devil's Mark (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty Six: Newfound Power

Jason

The soft, gentle touch of a hand stroked my arm as I opened my eyes to the world and turned over in bed. A face that was devilishly handsome. Eyes that shimmered they sparkled in the early morning light. His lips twitched into a grin as I caught sight of his pearly white teeth. He caressed the side of my face as he leaned down to kiss me good morning. I snaked my arm around his neck and held him there as he chuckled. The bed shifted as he positioned himself over top of me. The weight of his body was a comfort to me that couldn't explained. It would have to be experienced firsthand in order to understand it.

He was the first to break the kiss. Even as I struggled to keep him at my lips, his strength overpowered my own as he pulled away and stared into my eyes. I put a hand to his chest as my fingers traced every line, every muscle. I found his heart and felt it pounding against my palm like thunder. His body was smooth and strong like granite. Not a single ounce of hair could be found on this man. Except for the freshly shaven scruff, the man looked like a Greek God. Or in this case, a figment of my imagination. He touched my body as a volt of electricity ravaged through my nerves, making the hair on my arms standup.

I shuddered and he smirked again. His touch drew me in like gasoline while he was the spark that ignited the steamy passion between us. I never wanted to get out of bed ever again. But after a while, we got up, got dressed and enjoyed a nice quiet breakfast out on the upper deck that showed magnificent views of the city on the water. Stabbing the rest of my scrambled eggs with my fork, I washed them down with orange juice before wiping my mouth with the napkin I found on my lap. Lucifer read the newspaper as the pages rustled in the breeze. Then he started to hum.

A tune, I'd heard many times over the course of my journey with him. Though I never pictured him as a singer, he sure knew how to put me at ease. I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes for just a comment as I listened to the song. A certain lullaby, one that wouldn't be found in any of the children's nursery rhymes you see today. This one was different. Brand-new. I wondered if he heard it himself centuries ago, or perhaps he just came up with it out of thin air. Whatever it was, it sure felt eerie as the tone in his throat changed that forced me to open my eyes and stare at him.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Your lullaby, it felt dark. Like something out of nightmare."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"It's fine. It's just that...never mind. Anyways, I'm going to get dressed. Are we going into town today by any chance?"

"Yes. I have some business to attend to while we're here. It shouldn't take me very long though. A couple of hours at most."

"You mean you're not going to spend the day with me? I thought that's what this mini vacation was all about. You know, just the two of us."

"I'm sorry, baby. But I still have a business to run. I'll call you later and we'll decide about dinner. Sound good?"

I turned around and headed inside as I muttered underneath my breath. "Yeah, sure."

At ten-thirty, we piled into a small boat and raced against the choppy water to get to shore. Lucifer helped me out and up onto the wooden dock before taking my hand headed for St. Mark's Square. A open space filled with tourists and locals alike, the Patriarchal Cathedral lies ahead of us to the east. An elderly woman carrying a wicker basket, held out a prayer card in Italian as I accepted it and smiled in return. Stopping short just before reaching the center of the square, Lucifer reached into his pocket and handed me a smartphone.

"Take this," he said. "It's a burner phone. It's also been modified to call one number and one number only, mine. Just press to talk and it'll connect you right to me."