Page 104 of To Crave Deeply
There was so much sorrow in Lucifer’s eyes when he looked at me again. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Hey,” I said placatingly as I knelt down before Lucifer, taking his hand in mine. “We can fix this. I know we can. Together.”
His hand cupped my jaw. “If only it were that simple.”
“Tell me,” I insisted.
“Mordecai is powerful. He’s also cautious and patient. Two traits that are not found in vampires very often. He also doesn’t turn vampires unnecessarily. He created the Alpha lines; you’ve probably heard of those.” I nodded. I knew there were only three of the Alpha lines left, and de Santis was one of them. “They had the ability to give birth to natural born vampires, rather than just turn them. So, as you can imagine, he only created a few vampires; the rest evolved on their own. He hasn’t turned anyone since those Alpha lines right at the very start of his life.”
Realisation hit me. “And now he’s chosen me.”
“Yes.”
“But he only gave me a drop—”
“A drop is all he would need,” Lucifer interrupted. “He’s powerful and so is his blood. I fear that the transition will start soon, but as long as you stay alive, it won’t be completed.”
My gaze flicked towards Torsten, and I caught the fear as it dashed across his face.
Oh, crap.
“What is it?” Lucifer asked. “Lori, why have you gone so pale?”
“I… I…” I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t tell Lucifer that I’d been so stupid as to give Mordecai what he wanted.
“She has bound me to a command to kill her should Mordecai attempt to take her,” Torsten said coldly. I knew he was just trying to detach himself from his emotions, to not show weakness in front of his king, but I knew how much saying those words would have hurt him.
Lucifer jumped up from his seat and walked away from me. His body was tense, his back rigid as he turned away. There was a moment of stillness before he erupted into a rage with a howl of pain. Hellfire exploded from his skin, burning his clothes to ash. I watched in horror as he threw his head back and screamed. My heart broke into a thousand pieces as a sob clawed at my throat.
“Lucifer!” I screamed as I ran towards him.
Torsten grabbed me from behind and held me back. I clawed at his arms, the need to be with Lucifer outweighing my sanity.
“No, Lori. Hellfire destroys everything. You need to let him burn through it.”
I didn’t care. “Let me go, Torsten!”
“No. I can’t do that.”
I wriggled and bucked but Torsten’s hold was firm and unrelenting. I gave up. I sagged in his arms and watched as my beloved raged in a sea of fire alone.
Chapter 32
LORI
It was a few hours before Lucifer had calmed down enough to cool his Hellfire, but he still looked pissed and despondent. Like the world was about to end and there was nothing he could do about it.
“I think I have a way to fix the soulbond,” I muttered, trying to distract him and change the subject.
His eyes flicked to me, the ring of fire that usually simmered outside his pupils had consumed his eyes and I knew his rage still burned brightly.
“How?”
“Selene.”
He scoffed. “Of course. I knew you’d ask her.”
“She doesn’t seem that bad.”
