Page 33 of To Crave Madly
“Is it true?” I growled. It pissed me off that he thought so little of this prophecy when it meant so much to people in the Conclave. I might never have fully believed in it, but there were those, like de Santis, who truly believed in its existence.
Lucifer raised a haughty eyebrow as he looked down on me. Arrogant bastard. “You will have to be more specific than that. Is what true, vampire?”
I took a deep breath and counted to ten. I needed to rid myself of the urge to punch him in his smug face. This fallen angel was infuriating, but I would not let him get under my skin. If I could withstand Lori, I could withstand this prick. My heart clenched as I thought of her exasperating habit of pushing my buttons. I may have thought I hated it, but the prospect of not having her there to moan at me or backchat me or even stand up to me was almost too much to bear. We had to find her. I needed to tell her how she made me feel.
“Is it true that you think the prophecy is a load of rubbish?”
He laughed, the rich sound short and sharp. “I have lived longer than you and I do not set such store by the ravings of lunatics.”
“She was only mad because you made her so.”
He cocked his head to one side and studied me intently. “Funny. That’s exactly what Lori said.”
“Well, whether or not you believe the prophecy is true, it has amassed a following. And now, because of this prophecy, someone wants to kill Lori.”
Lucifer’s expression sobered. “I suppose if enough people believe in it, at some point one event could trigger the prophecy into happening.”
“Something like the Devil claiming a Sin Reaper as his own?”
He pursed his lips, clearly musing over my comment. Whether he liked it or not, he had clearly set things in motion for someone to believe that the Devil was setting himself on a path to destroy the world. My fear was that there was a fanatic somewhere out there, someone blindly following their beliefs with enough zeal to want to destroy Lori, because they thought in doing so, they’d be saving the world.
“Touché,” the Devil remarked sourly. “Look, I might not believe in this—”
He stopped and turned so abruptly, I almost collided into him. “What is it?”
He put his finger to his lips and angled his head slightly as if straining to hear something. Suddenly he jolted forward, running down the corridor leaving me to follow after him. He really needed to work on the whole communication thing.
I chased him down the corridor until he stopped at an open door. Without even pausing for breath, he dove straight into the darkness that loomed beyond. Where the fuck was he going? What had he heard?
“Lucifer!” I shouted to his retreating back. I couldn’t let him out of my sight. I certainly didn’t want to leave Lori with the Devil in her mind. So, with determination in every stride, I followed Lucifer’s bright golden hair as he disappeared into the darkness.
***
LORI
A light appeared like a shining beacon at the end of a tunnel and suddenly I found myself in a room. It was bright white like the corridors but there was a table and a chair in the centre of it. It was just another room, with no other way out.
I couldn’t wait here. I turned to go back the way I came but the door had vanished. Shit! I ran back to the spot where the door had been but now it was just smooth white walls. My hands ran over the cool surface, hoping to find a hinge or panel, but there was nothing.
I could have screamed with vexation. There was no way out. I was stuck in here. Whereverherewas. I still hadn’t figured that part out. Whatever this place was, it was a maze, and it was clear that it was designed to keep me in. But I had to get out. I was doing something important. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew I had a purpose.
This was all so fucking frustrating! I kicked the table leg and instantly regretted it. That fucker hurt. At least that told me I wasn’t in a dream if my consciousness could feel pain. I slumped in the chair and rubbed my sore foot. Tears of impotence stung my eyes as I realised I was lost. Completely and utterly lost. And there was nothing I could do about it.
Would anyone come for me? Did I have anyone who would miss me? I think that was the worst thing. That I couldn’t remember if there was anyone to miss me. I had no memory of the time before this place and the emptiness weighed down on me oppressively.
I pulled my feet up onto the chair and wrapped my arms around my knees. Whatever was in the shadows was coming for me and I couldn’t think of any way to escape. Defeat sank heavily in my stomach as I waited for death to claim me.
An unexpected banging came from behind one of the walls and I nearly fell off the chair. Someone was here. Was it that creature from the shadows? Fear danced along my spine. The knock came again.
“Lori. Open the door. It’s me.” The voice was deep, rich and did pleasant things to my insides. I knew this voice. I knew who that was, but why couldn’t I think of their name? Why couldn’t I remember their name?
The banging continued. Whoever it was on the other side of the wall was desperately trying to get to me. The lightbulb flickered above me, and the air fizzled around me. Static energy slithered across my skin and an ominous sense of foreboding hung heavy in the air.
“Let us in, Lori.” Another voice, and again I recognised it. Oh, God. What was happening? My heart raced as I stared at the wall where the door should have been.
“Lori! Open the door!” Panic had crept into their voices as they banged on the wall.
I walked to the wall and I could feel them standing behind it. It was so odd but instinctively I knew this wasn’t a trick. I knew who was behind there. Even if I couldn’t remember their names, I knew they weremine.
