Page 307 of The Spider Queen
I thought of the Sibyl and her riddle of a prophecy. I thought of Jax the Gargoyle and wondered what knowledge he possessed. He’d been about to tell me something important, and then Lucifer had arrived.
And like a stupid, foolish woman, I’d let my emotions—and hormones—get the best of me.
There was nothing between us except lust. Right? I was chained to him. I was not in possession of my life or my own wishes, yet I didn’t regret going to bed with him. However, I did regret not being able to use it against him. I’d contemplated it and then shoved it away. I was not calculating. I would not use his desires against him. The same could not have been said for him.
I looked toward the window. It had been days since I’d peered out into the sky. I pulled back the leather drape. It was dusk; the sky was painted red and gray. The clouds were angry.
A ripple of pain shot through me.
I whirled, expecting to see the owner of the agony, but I was still alone.
Could it be? Did I feel him even when we were apart? I’d never experienced that before. Normally, I could only sense emotions when I was in close proximity to a living being.
I gripped the edge of the window and called, “Lucifer!”
The sky rumbled, but he didn’t come.
I released the stone ledge and stepped away.
How dare he leave me here! Up in the sky. Trapped. A cage in the clouds.
If I jumped, would he rescue me this time? Or would he let me fall and hit the ground to let me suffer the pain of broken bones reconstructing themselves? I wouldn’t die. I was immortal. I knew that. It would take a lot more than a jump to end my life.
I heard a knock on the heavy wooden door. Frowning, I went to answer it. I pulled open the door and there was Jax, leaning casually against the doorframe.
“You’re here!”
“I am,” he agreed.
“How did—”
“I’ve been watching. Waiting for him to leave.”
I grinned. “My hero.”
He arched a brow. “Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second.” He sniffed in my direction. “You smell like him.”
Heat flamed my cheeks, but I forced my chin up. I had nothing to be ashamed of. “What does he smell like?”
Jax’s eyes darkened. “Like twisted desire and eternal damnation.”
I raised my wrist to my nose and inhaled. “Huh. I don’t get that at all.”
He paused and then grinned. “Funny. Funny girl. Do you want to get out of here? Or are you waiting for him to return to ravish you.”
“I pissed him off,” I muttered. “No doubt he’ll leave me alone for a week to stew.”
“And hope for his return?”
I bit my lip and refused to answer. I was captivated by Lucifer. Not just to the sex—which, though I had nothing to judge against—was probably the best sex anyone had ever had in the history of the world. A fallen angel known for sin? Yeah. He was good, all right. Better than good.
But again, it wasn’t that, or it wasn’tjustthat. It was the way he held me after. The way he whispered against my hair. The way I felt his burdens ease when I placed my hand on his chest.
I was addicted to Lucifer because I was addicted to how I madehimfeel.
Lighter.
And when he smiled…
