Page 82 of Revelations

Immaculately dressed in a black suit, matching silk shirt and spotless shoes, a sexy, but entirely wicked smile played at the corner of his full, plush lips as he surveyed the scene with vivid appreciation. His dapper gentlemen’s hairstyle and wardrobe did little to take away from the deep ebony of his irises that stood out from his perfect, pale complexion.

The man appeared no more than thirty years old. He would have fit in with the corporate big wigs in New York or the runway models in Milan. There was not a visible imperfection on him. This was a pure specimen of masculine flawlessness—a true man’s man.

But this…was no man.

“Dearest Greylyn. Magnificent job. Just magnificent,” he cooed.

Chapter 21 – The Devil You Know

Introductions were not needed. Greylyn instinctively knew who had approached her, looking out of place in the harsh, rugged terrain of a small village in Tibet.

It was Lucifer, in the flesh.

Unlike with Olivier, her head didn’t explode with pain as he drew closer. Her stomach didn’t flip flop with nausea. Of course, that could have been because she was already so badly injured that she just couldn’t recognize the difference.

Instead, Greylyn experienced a pulling sensation toward him, rather than repulsion. Unable to breath, unable to feel her own heart beating in her chest, she lay motionless as he stooped down to peer into her eyes.

The Tibetan woman, peeking out from the door to her home, shrieked and then fainted. Thomas, at first paralyzed at the sight, grabbed Greylyn’s arm to yank her backward with him as his feet struggled to stand in the crimson slush. A twinkle lit up Lucifer’s eyes. Instantly, Thomas collapsed behind her with a soft thud.

Ordinarily, that would have catapulted her out of the thrall that she was under, but not this time. As his face came closer to her own, the heat radiating from his body acted like a convection oven. Never before, and she prayed never again, had she been so vulnerable, so completely incapable of helping herself.

With his hand clasped behind the base of her head, holding her upright, nose to nose, his eyes boring into her own, he whispered in a silvery voice, “It seems we need to have a little chat. Hmmm.”

Hypnotized by the play of light in his eyes, Greylyn was paralyzed. Much like the fire obsidian stone, colors reflected from his pitch-black orbs to give the impression of what one must see being sucked down a black hole in the deepest reaches of space.

A simple touch of his hand against her cheek sent flashes of alternating heat and cold coursing throughout her body. It wasn’t painful, but it did not exactly feel good either. It felt…wrong.

The rushing of blood deafened her to all else. Energetic pulses reached her wounds, powerful electricity surged and burned as if cauterizing her wounds from the inside. Bones snapped back into place with sickening pops. When the energy reached her eyes, a bright light blinded her just before complete darkness engulfed her.

When she came to, her vision was clear and there was no pain…anywhere. Glancing down at herself partially covered in new snow, she realized that she was completely healed. In fact, she had never felt better. Even her knee that had been shattered in the earlier demon battle moved with ease. A slight tingling sensation buzzed around her body, as if her aura was electrified.

“No offense, but the next time you want to have a little chat, you don’t have to send the welcoming committee ahead of you; just saying.” Remarkably, she also felt renewed spunk; enough so that she’d just mouthed off to Satan, of all beings.

His reply was a melodic chuckle. Not like Olivier’s growling, arrogant laugh where every fiber of her being itched to punch his smug face. Instead, this washed over her as a soothing lullaby.

Suddenly, she remembered Thomas and scrambled to her feet to check on him. Before she made it one step, a firm hand grasped her by the upper arm.

“Your friend is fine. It is not his time yet, anyway. Neither was it back in Baltimore either, but your boyfriend could not possibly have known that. Besides”—his eyes darted back to where Thomas lay prone in the crimson snow—"I can afford to wait.”

A sickening chill wove up her spine as he grinned down at her friend’s prone body.

“What do you expect to wait for? Thomas is a good man. You won’t be getting his soul.” Her tone was confident, but inside there was a smidge of doubt, especially as Lucifer’s lips quirked up on one side.

“Now, that is not something you need to know. Thomas will pay for his own sins, in time. Everyone eventually does.” He reached down to clasp her hand and pull her up. His fingernails were perfectly manicured as they curled around her fist. “Come now, let us discuss our situation before I change my mind and kill you myself right now.” The threat came off as a sultry promise.

Greylyn found it somewhat comical that Lucifer could issue such warnings, but make it sound like he was inviting her to a dinner party.Guess that’s how he’s so successful. He can make even death and eternal torment sound seductive and pleasurable.

He guided her over to a pile of logs against a makeshift supply tent. Thankfully, the frigid mountain wind had not returned.

“Now, dear, it seems you and your little helper over there make quite a team. Truly, it is my fault for underestimating you again.” He winked, sending her heart speeding like a freight train. “I do regret not following through with my initial plan of outright killing you myself when you were still human. Should have never left it to a flunky.” He sighed deeply before tenting his fingers under his chin. “Now, here we are. Facing down a nasty piece of prophecy together.”

Greylyn marveled at his velvety voice. She understood his words completely. He wanted her dead. Preferably, she would have been dead for a long time with no chance of returning as a guardian angel of all things. Still, the way he said it sent pleasant shivers through her. The Devil was good at what he did. Even death sounded tantalizing.

Trying to regain some semblance of her own thought process back, she shook her head to clear away the fog and confusion. “No offense, but I like being in the land of the living and don’t intend for that to change. However, you’re correct. We do have a situation—Olivier.”

With an indignant sniff, Lucifer showed his true feelings regarding his brother before uttering a word. His eyes flared like molten lava, his nose crinkled like he was sniffing a pungent perfume. “Yes, Olivier. Pain in my ass since Day One! Bastard encouraged me to rebel, take what was due to me he said, and…here we are.”

Greylyn swore the very pit of Hell shone in his eyes.

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