Page 42 of To Crave Deeply
The backdrop to the throne wasn’t merely a wall like I expected, but a cliff overhanging the depths of Hell itself. A soft orange glow flickered behind the Devil, and I found myself in awe of the sheer power the man presented. I had a sudden urge to fall to my knees and prostrate myself at his feet. It radiated off him in waves and I struggled not to succumb to the sheer brilliance of it.
Eyes followed Torsten and I as we approached the King. The plush red carpet beneath my boots led me on a path straight through a crowd of dark creatures, some of whom looked like ordinary humans, but there were others with horns, tails, scales, and all sorts of appendages that fit my image of what a traditional demon would look like. I had no idea what I was doing here, and I feared that Lucifer was walking me into something I might not be able to get myself out of.
We reached the foot of the impressive dais and Torsten immediately fell to his knees. If Lucifer expected me to bend my knee for him, he had another thing coming. I raised my eyebrow at him, silently daring him to make me bow, but he merely sat there, a languid smile on his face, one leg draped across the other, and played the pliant King.
I could feel Iveri stirring in the back of my mind as we stood in the presence of her King. It was like the closer I got to the throne, the stronger she became, and my step faltered as she stretched her wings to see if she could fly from the confines of her cage. Instinctively, I reached inward and tightened the shadowy leash that kept Iveri caged.
If I were being honest, I still had no idea what I was doing with my shadow magic, and it unnerved the fuck out of me that I didn’t understand it. Perhaps I needed to speak to Fenris about finding a fellow Shadow Mage, but we were so rare that maybe there wasn’t another one. And would Fenris really be inclined to help me? We still hadn’t really talked since I came back, and he was still engaged to someone else.
I was distracted from my inner monologue when Lucifer stood from his throne and casually strolled towards me. I could feel all the power curling around him, and he wore it like it was nothing. The man was clearly showing off and, I had to admit, I was a little impressed.
“Loyal subjects,” he boomed, and the room fell silent. “I have gathered you here today to bear witness to an event that I have longed for. The days of the Prophecy are upon us, and it is my honour to introduce you to the woman who will stand beside me for the rest of days.”
Shit. Fuckity fucking fuck.
“Lucifer, what are you doing?” I whispered fiercely. I did not like the sound of where this was going. At all.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and spun me, so I faced the masses of dark creatures gathered in the Great Hall. His lips found my ear and I hoped there was a fucking explanation.
“Just follow my lead. I will explain everything later.”
“You better,” I forced through my clenched teeth. “Or I’m going to invert your ribcage.”
His chuckle slithered across my skin, and I had to bite back the moan that threatened to escape.
“Oh, Lori. I do love the way you talk to me. No one else would even dare to challenge me like you do. It’s almost like you’re trying to goad me just to see what I’ll do to you.”
Lucifer’s voice was low and reverberated through me deliciously. He gave me a soft kiss on my temple before turning his attention back to the crowd gathered before him. I had no idea how he could be so calm and collected when he’d just made my insides feel like a raging volcano on the cusp of eruption.
“It is time I introduced you to Lori, my soulbond and your future Queen.”
The crowds erupted into a cacophony of cheers and hoots but even that couldn’t drown out the sudden pounding of my heart as it thudded in my chest.
Oh, Hell no. You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Lucifer turned to me, his smile wide and his eyes bright, and I knew he meant it.
I didn’t want to be the Queen of Hell. I was pissed. He’d done it again and walked me into something I couldn’t walk away from without serious repercussions. I wanted to seethe and spit fire and slap his smug smile right off his face and as soon as we were in private, I was going to do just that. He’d better have a fucking good reason for this.
“We will begin the coronation plans soon and it will—”
His words faltered and his fingers tightened around my waist. There was a sharp intake of breath as his jaw clenched and his eyes burned pleadingly into mine. He was in pain, and I knew he wouldn’t want to show it. I had to find out what was going on, but first we needed to get out of here.
“It will be one Hell of a party!” I called out joyously, covering for Lucifer. The crowd cheered again, and I caught Torsten’s gaze. He nodded in response, clearly understanding that I needed an escape.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us, His Majesty and I need to go and discuss a few things.” Catcalls and wolf whistles echoed my words and I had to roll my eyes. Fucking demons, assuming everything was an innuendo. Torsten swiftly moved to my side and pulled us into the shadows and seconds later we were back in the safety of Lucifer’s private chambers.
“Quick, fetch the healer,” I shouted at Torsten as I helped Lucifer into bed.
“No,” Lucifer mumbled, wincing as the pain twisted his features. “I will be fine in a moment.”
“You’re clearly not fine!” I yelled, fear piercing its sharp claws into my gut.
“I don’t need a healer,” he ground out.
“Then tell me what is going on and tell me now. Why the Hell are you making me Queen?”
His eyes flicked to Torsten. “Fetch my brother Michael. I don’t care if he’s busy. Just bring him to me.”
