Page 1 of Inheritance
CHAPTER ONE
Ama
I’d been kidnapped by a certifiably insane bastard who thought he was the devil.
The most frustrating part was that I couldn’t deny there was a pull and connection there with him, similar to what I had experienced with my mates when I’d first met them. Except, instead of the sensation of excitement, paired with nervousness and confusion, all I felt right now was fear.
Okay, that wasn't true. I felt a fuck ton of lust rolling off him, which I knew was an attempt to make me pliable and receptive to the shit he was spouting. I mean, seriously...the fucking devil? That was who he chose to pretend to be? Ridiculous. Everyone knew the devil had been asleep for a long time and had no intention of coming back. Right?
My chest rose and fell with each deep breath I took. Our eyes remained locked on each other as silence stretched between us. He probably thought I needed time to absorb his statement, but what I was really trying to deduce was how the hell I was going to get out of here. I was serious—even if hewasthe devil, it wouldn’t change the fact that I planned on getting the hell out of here. Sexy devil dream man was no match for a pissed off Ama.
I scowled as drops of water from his wet hair dripped haphazardly onto my face. I hadn’t signed up to be kidnapped, and I definitely hadn’t signed up for water torture.
I had told Drayven I could handle anything that came my way once I woke up, and I’d meant it. I wouldn’t cry or beg for my mates to drop everything and come save me. I’d get myself out of this, and then I’d join them for the war—no matter what it took to make that happen.
Which could be a lot. I mean, who knew what the hell was running through Luce’s brain?Luce.That’s what I was going to call him. It was easier for me to call him Luce than Lucifer because I definitely wasn’t ready to believe he was the devil.
“The devil is asleep,” I pointed out with faux calm. “And even if he had a mate—which he doesn’t—he or she would have been born ages ago. Why would the Fates bring together an immortal being and a mortal? I mean, come on. If you’re going to tell a story or lie, at least make it believable.”
A dark look flashed across his once-amused expression, sending a surge of worry through me. Despite my weird comfortability with him, I didn’t know this man at all. I didn’t know what he was capable of, aside from harnessing an insane amount of power and portaling me places…Yeah, maybe I needed to play along a bit more until I figured out how to escape.
Luce tilted his head, the action almost predatory, “What reason do I have to lie?”
That was a fair question.
“Maybe you’re just delusional,” I hissed. “It would explain why you kidnapped me.”
“The only delusion occurring is the one where you think you can leave me.”
“Right…” I drew out, narrowing my eyes and wondering what would happen if I tried to use my Succubus powers on him. I wasn’t super well-practiced, but if this man already thought we were mates, maybe he would think the lure was just a natural attraction and wouldn’t suspect anything…
“Ama, your magic won’t work on me,” Luce leveled, looking amused once again. “While I admit to finding the idea of your hot little body pinning me to the bed quite sexy, I could easily roll your magic with a blink of my eye. Fighting would be a waste of your time.”
“Get off me,” I growled. “If you are so unworried, get off.”
“Would love to,” he muttered under his breath, causing my face to flush with heat. Luckily, he must not have caught my reaction because he backed up and stood at the side of the bed, his gaze still completely focused on me. I noticed he smoothed down his white dress shirt in what I had a feeling was a nervous habit. Would the devil have nervous habits? Surely not.
I couldn’t lie, the man was extremely attractive—and dressed like he knew it—but I tried to not focus on that, instead applying my mental powers to figuring out how to convince him he wasn’t my mate. He might have been my beautiful captor, but that was where the beauty ended. Any man who wanted to cage me wasn’t a man I wanted as a mate.
“You never answered me about the devil being asleep. How does that work into your little story?” I hedged, trying to make small talk. My gaze traveled around the room as I tried to subtly gauge escape options.
“I woke up.”
His serious expression had my brows rising, “Sure, the devil justwoke up.”
“I do believe the concept of waking up has stayed much the same over time.” His shoulders moved as he laughed deeply, water droplets flying from his hair and landing on me, making my scowl deepen.
“That’s bullshit,” I growled.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” He put his hands out in an innocent gesture, “I am clearly here in the flesh and not asleep.”
My eyes narrowed at the sarcasm coating his words. Pushing myself off the bed and putting a few feet of distance between us, I said, “Prove it.”
A part of me was both nervous and excited, wanting him to prove me wrong—to prove he was the most powerful being in the realm. But the logical part of me knew I’d be in deep shit if that was the case. I had a feeling I was about to find out either way.
My body tensed as he prowled towards me, and I drew my powers towards my core, preparing myself for a fight. But all he did was stop in front of me and run his hand down my cheek softly, asking, “Did you not feel the realm quake when I woke? Your soul called out for me and told me you needed me. It was the only thing that could have disrupted my sleep spell, Ama.”
The volcano...he had awoken then.Could it really be?I didn’t remember calling out to him, but the volcanohaderupted right after I had been knocked unconscious during the coup.Hadn’t that been when the dreams had started?
