Page 64 of To Crave Madly
Interesting… looked like the little angel liked the look of my demon friend. I felt a wicked little deal coming along.
Perfect.
I placed my finger under her chin and brought her attention back to me. “Fancy making a deal with the Devil?”
She swallowed, clearly nervous about the idea. But the fact that she didn’t say no straight away meant she was tempted.
“I couldn’t,” she whispered. “You’d get me into so much trouble.”
“It can be our little secret. Besides, I don’t want you to do anything.” She frowned, an adorable little crease appearing between her perfectly shaped brows. “You can have whatever you want and all I want you to do is nothing as I walk through that door behind you.”
“Lucifer, I…” Her words trailed off as she looked back at Darius. I knew bringing him was an excellent idea.
“Darius,” I called over my shoulder without taking my eyes off the little angel.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Would you permit me to use you as a bargaining chip?”
There was a sharp intake of breath and a moments pause before he replied. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Was that excitement I detected in his voice?
“So, Arella, if you do nothing as I walk through that door behind you, I will release Darius to your service for one night.” I held out my hand for her to shake. “Deal?”
Arella looked between me and the intimidating demon. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she clearly struggled to muster the courage to agree to getting something that she wanted. Angels, they thought they were better than everyone else, that they were above such things as temptation and sin but in reality, we were all constructs of both good and bad; we were just balanced differently between the two. I just happened to be good at manipulating the scales.
“Deal,” she said resolutely as she shook my hand. I felt the magic bind her to me as the deal became unbreakable. If she reneged on the deal, she would belong to me to do with as I saw fit. To be honest, it was only a minor deal so I wouldn’t have her sent to Hell or anything like that. I’m notthatvindictive. But I would not allow her any time with Darius, and he was unable to use the elevator so would not be able to visit her here which would be a spanner in the works of their no doubt epic love story. A demon and an angel? Two lovers couldn’t be more star-crossed.
Before she could take her hand from mine, I brought it to my lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Thank you for your help. You’ve always been my favourite gatekeeper.” I hopped off the desk and headed towards the doors to the Divine City. “Come on, Darius. The quicker we finish here, the sooner I can hold up my end of the bargain.”
As I walked through the door, I caught the little wave from the angel and the small smile returned by the demon. Who knew I could be such a matchmaker?
Chapter 21
LUCIFER
The Divine City was nothing like anywhere else. Everything was bright and shining with trees and foliage as far as the eye could see. It was breath-taking and my heart panged at the loss I felt being back here. This was where my life had begun. My home. My place of joy. I was the light bringer. I brought the sun shining into the dawn and brought joy to all. My ambition was my downfall. I wanted more than was given to me and my pride led me to be cast out of the Upper Realm completely. Something had always felt like it was missing from my existence and I tried numerous ways to fill the hole, but I always felt unsatisfied and as such, I was always looking for more.
I rolled my shoulders, my scars aching as if they remembered the bliss of flying through the skies here. I looked up and saw angels and other celestials flying through the blue skies and I could hear their laughter carried on the light summer breeze. It was always summer here.
I scowled and shook my head out of my trip down memory lane. I had a goal here and it wouldn’t be long until someone important noticed I was in a place I no longer had any right to be. I strolled down the avenue that led to the Citadel that housed all the important buildings like the archives, the Divine One’s residence and of course, the great Council Hall. It was a beautiful structure, laid out in the shape of a star and its brilliant white walls stretched up to the sky and were decorated with a stunning gold design that dazzled when caught in the sun’s rays.
It was all very… opulent.
I had always remembered the Upper Realm as magnificent and awe-inspiring, but now that I was back, all I could see was a gaudiness wrapped in extravagance. Had I gotten so used tonotbeing an angel that I now saw myself as a creature that no longer belonged here? Definitely food for thought.
Darius huffed beside me. “Bit much, isn’t it?”
“You think this is lavish, wait until you see the inside.”
I led the way through the arch and my feet took me along a path I thought I had long since forgotten. The Council Hall stood proud at the end of the path and I strode straight in. I was surprised no one was around. I expected more resistance, but the place seemed to be quiet.
Too quiet.
Shadows encased us as we stepped out of the glaring sun into the coolness of the building. Again, we were greeted with more silence. The Council Hall was usually a place of noisy hustle and bustle, but not today.
“Keep an eye out,” I warned Darius. “Something is wrong.”
