He ignored all their interest, his focus entirely on me. Which was unnerving, to say the least. And not just because of how sinfully beautiful he looked in his tux.
Because yeah, he wore it well.
But of course he did. Healwaysfit his suits perfectly. A feat, considering his height and muscular width.
“You appear to be perplexed,” he said as he pulled me into his arms. “Struggling to decide on what to call me, Camillia?”
I swallowed, recalling the words he’d said just moments ago. The ones he’d breathed against my ear.
“The only situation where that may change is in the bedroom. But here, you can call me Typhos or Lucifer. Your choice.”
How would that change in the bedroom?I wondered.
But that was a dangerous line of thought, especially as it reminded me of my dreams.
Which I very much needed to ignore.
Particularly as he resembled sin incarnate in his fitted suit. His sapphire shirt highlighted his oceanic eyes, his dark hair was neatly arranged around his shoulders, and he wore a smile that served as both a warning and an invitation.
Clearing my throat, I went with “Lucifer” because it made the most sense to me.
He was the literal devil. And he possessed the same kind of sensuality that my mother’s books had once warned me about.
Or… or were those my father’s books? He’d always been the one giving me things to read.
Except I distinctly remembered my mother being obsessed with demonic symbolism—probably because of my father being a Hell Fae.
Did she know about my father’s deal the whole time?I wondered.The one that committed me to life as a Hell Fae Bride?
Well, sorry to disappoint you, Mom, but I’m no longer a Hell Fae Bride.
Instead, I was a perceived threat to the man currently holding me on the dance floor.
I had no doubt this dance was some kind of sordid punishment, just like the chain dress.
And the one I’m wearing now,I thought, glancing down at the offending fabric.
Melek had suggested that figments had bespelled the material.
I doubted it.
This was all a game, one where the Hell Fae King would probably end up killing me for fun in the middle of this dance floor.
“Typically one moves while dancing,” Lucifer murmured, his palm a brand against my lower back, his opposite hand holding mine.
“What?” I asked dumbly.
“You’re as still as a statue,” he said, guiding me closer to him. “I invited you to dance, not to stand awkwardly in a partial hug, Miss De la Croix.”
I frowned. “You’re the Hell Fae King. Aren’t you supposed to lead?” The quip fell from my tongue before I could think better of it, my entire body freezing as I repeated the words in my head.
To my surprise, Lucifer laughed.Laughed. And wow, what a beautiful sight that was. His eyes even crinkled at the sides, his lips curling into a true smile, not one of his deviously charming expressions. But an actual grin.
“Touché, Camillia.” His fingers tensed against my back, his arms flexing as he guided our movements.
My heart stuck in my throat, my stomach churning with discomfort while I waited for his mood to shift. For him to revealthe true nature of this punishment. For his amusement to turn deadly. For my entire world to go up in flames.
But all he did was sway our bodies in a sensuous rhythm, one that reminded me of my dreams all over again.