Page 15 of To Crave Madly
I glanced back at Torsten and found him scowling deeply at Rae. I guess the cappuccino didn’t completely fix his serious demeanour. “This is Torsten, my gift from Lucifer.”
“Shut the front fucking door. Lucifer gave you a Shadow Fiend?”
“Why do people keep saying ‘Shadow Fiend’ like that? I don’t get it.” Torsten didn’t seem that bad to me. Yes, he was intimidating, but I didn’t get why people kept referring to him like he was a monster.
Rae leant closer over the table and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Lori, they’re legendary warriors. They’re lethal to a fault, vicious and soulless. They’re born in shadows and are literally caught between the world of the living and the dead. It’s why their eyes are different colours; one to see life and the other to see beyond the shadows into the world of the dead. I’ve never met one. They are super rare andnevercome topside.”
That explains a lot, like why he was so enthusiastic over his coffee. I’d been right, thiswasall new to him. I kind of felt bad for him then. Lucifer had sent him into a world he knew very little about and just expected him to protect me. I suddenly had an insane need to take him under my wing and introduce him to all the wonderful things of this world. I could show him ice cream and popcorn and old movies and bacon. Mmm… Bacon.
“Lori?”
I turned back to Rae. “Sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts there. Torsten isn’t scary, he’s a teddy bear.”
A deep snort sounded from behind me but Torsten didn’t comment. Rae on the other hand looked terrified.
“I know you, Lori. You’re going to want to take care of him and you’ll get attached and then he’ll kill you.”
“Lucifer has ordered him to protect me. He’s my bodyguard, not a threat.”
“Well, I guess that makesallthe difference…” I didn’t miss the sarcasm in her voice. She was clearly uncomfortable with Torsten hanging around me, just like everyone else. But, just like everyone else, she was going to have to get used to him being around. I stretched my arm out across the table and took her hand.
“Rae, it’s fine. I’m fine and honestly, having Torsten protecting me is making me feel a lot better about being out in the open.”
“Fine, but if anything happens to you, I am personally going to kick Torsten’s butt.”
There was another snort from the table behind me but when I turned round to look at the subject of our conversation, his face was an emotionless mask. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he just sipped his caramel cappuccino like he didn’t have a care in the world. I envied his ability to hide his emotions; that would be a useful trick to possess. I turned back to Rae and found her scowling at my bodyguard, clearly annoyed that he didn’t find her the least bit threatening.
Rae leant back in her seat as Indie came across with her drink. She took away Torsten’s empty mug and agreed to bring him another one. Oh, god. I’d made him an addict.
Rae huffed out a deep breath, and I could almost see the cogs turning in her mind. She was clearly trying to decide whether to push the issue with me or not, and I was thankful for the cheeky grin that spread across her face. I knew it meant her mind had found another, more enjoyable trail of thought to follow.
“So, you and Lucifer?” Rae asked, her eyebrows waggling ridiculously.
And there it was. I sighed, because of course that was where her mind would go. She really was incorrigible. “Yes. It turns out that Orion was really the King of the Under Realm.”
“Shit, Lori. That’s fucked up. And you’re stuck with him? Forever?”
“Yep. Until death do us part. Literally.”
“That sucks. Unless he’s hot? Is he?”
I laughed at her. “He’s definitely easy on the eyes. I’ll give him that. But he’s not that bad. I may have been angry at first, but I understand why he did what he did.”
“But he lied to you—”
“No, he didn’t,” I interrupted. “He might not have told me his name, but he never lied to me.”
“But Lori, he’s the Devil. Aren’t you worried about what he’ll do to you?”
I thought about her question and I realised I wasn’t worried about what he might do to me. I was more worried about what I might do to him. I was still an unknown entity and I still had some questions that might prove dangerous if left unanswered.
“No, I’m not. But that doesn’t mean I am walking into this blindly.”
Rae took my hand and concern swirled in her green eyes. “Okay, but you talk to me about everything. I want to make sure you’re alright and I want to make sure you stay safe. I’m worried about you.”
I nodded, my throat suddenly thick with unshed tears.
“Good. Now drink your chili chocolate and tell me what’s going on.”
