Page 17 of Falling for the Devil

Ah, yes. Diana! The one who should never had been chosen for such a mission, had been forced on him by a decree from the Creator himself. Or so Olivier had said. Part of him didn’t believe his brother. Yes, she was the best of the best when it came to hunting, but this hunt would very well lead to an ugly battle and lots of bloodshed. Not a place for a beautiful, pampered goddess, in his opinion. But Olivier had insisted. Zeus had insisted. Even Ares had chimed in on the subject.

She was a distraction he didn’t need. And her red-eyed servant standing dutifully behind her gave Lucifer the creeps.

His fingers itched with unrequited violence. Ever since learning of the catastrophe with his troops, he’d reined in his fury with a thread-thin leash. If the gods tried his patience any further, delaying their departure, he wasn’t certain he could quell his fury. Every word, every action meant one more moment of peril to his legions and suspended retribution for their foe.

“Dear daughter...” Zeus gestured for Diana to join him on the steps leading up to the fountain. It was yet another example of the depravity of the gods, ordained with sculptures of naked women and men, some pouring more water into the pool, some fondling each other, and some fondling themselves. The human form had been created for such delights as was depicted here, but did the gods have to be so... forthright...in displaying their fascination with carnal pleasures. It never seemed to amaze and appall him. Considering how his own body had betrayed him in the lagoon, and knowing he was forbidden from falling into physical lust, Lucifer’s stomach knotted in an effort not to imagine Diana in such a state.

And that dress she was wearing, with the slit up to her hip, was not helping matters.

She’d ascended the steps but dodged a fatherly embrace from Zeus, her eyes shifting left to right and back again to avoid looking at anyone. Nervous. That wasn’t a good attribute when going into the unknown, and into danger. Yes, she’d be more of a hindrance than a help on this expedition.

If they ever were allowed to leave. Zeus was still yammering on about something, but Lucifer had long ago tuned him out.

A nudge underneath his ribs startled him into attention. Jerking his head to glare at Olivier, he couldn’t help but notice his brother’s ogling stare. “If I weren’t an angel, I do believe I would relish the delights offered here to the gods.”

Lucifer couldn’t tell if he was referring to the scandalous fountain or the line of half-clad female servants standing just to the side of it. Perhaps he referred to Diana herself, as the other goddesses had not bothered to awaken so early to bid their sister farewell. And her mother, he’d never seen her this entire trip. Regardless, he seethed at the ease to which Olivier fell into the trappings of the overt sexuality shown in this realm.

If he was honest—he chided himself—mayhap it had more to do with his own restrained yearnings. But there was no time for an evaluation. It was time for action.

“Zeus,” he interrupted the king of the gods mid-sentence, “we appreciate your kind words and your generosity in supplying us for our journey. It is my personal solemn vow to bring your daughter back to you as quickly as possible without a scratch. I request your forgiveness though, for I fear to delay any longer.”

Without waiting for a reply, he waved his hands in a circular motion, opening up a wormhole to a planet just to the side of the Event Horizon that separated the current dimension from the rest of the universe. It would merely be a stopping point for rest and for a reconnaissance mission for intelligence. He refused to go in blind. Before he’d agree to bring in any non-angelic personnel, he had to know the complete lay of the land. Also, considering the secret of spaces between dimensions had been revealed for the first time to outsiders, he wasn’t keen on showing them how to access the liminalities for themselves. Damn Olivier for his inadvertent revelation last night!

Light erupted from his heart space, blazing through his chest plate. It wrapped around those in the expedition—although he considered accidentally leaving Puck behind—and glowed brighter. It started out almost transparent but by the time it had formed, the crystal golden bubble was solid, making everything outside it seem blurred and far away.

With the entire entourage cocooned in divine light, Lucifer shot upward in a sizzling bolt.

FIRST, DIANA’S STOMACH lurched into her throat with the abrupt motion. Then any fear she should’ve experienced vanished as everything blurred into swirls of iridescent colors. Her scream became a hoot of glee.

Although she could not discern the images they passed at such speed, she could still make out clearly the beings enclosed in Lucifer’s golden shield, separated from what she imagined were planets and star systems racing by. Shouldn’t space be cold and scary? Instead, she found it liberating and revitalizing.

She’d traveled between realms, between universes before but never in this manner—a solid sphere of pure divine light that kept them securely enclosed from the vastness of space. Usually, an intergalactic voyage consisted of months of travel, sometimes on immaculate white ships powered by magic, sometimes by astral projection—which didn’t really count since the physical body stayed on its home planet while the spirit explored other planets. Still, that couldn’t be accomplished for any place farther than the few planets in their little star system.

This was something far greater than astral projection. This was... divine flight! Oh, what joy it would be to have wings to fly. No limits! No wonder the angels looked down their noses at the lesser gods and mortals. They truly were gifted and blessed to have such power.

A retching noise behind her alerted Diana that there was at least one person not enjoying the ride, so she glanced back. Puck’s complexion had paled to a sickly shade of sage leaves. She couldn’t help herself—the giggle rose of its own accord before bursting into peals of laughter, echoing in the little angelic bubble surrounding them. Olivier spun around to stare, his eyes wide in disbelief. But even though Lucifer’s shoulders stiffened, and his neck twitched as if he wished to look behind him to discover what the ruckus was all about, his eyes remained steadfastly forward.

Good, she believed he needed a bit more laughter in his life. By all accounts, he was a miserable one.

“Enjoying yourself, miss?” In less than a heartbeat, the other archangel was now beside her, his hand cupping her elbow.

Without a real reason, Diana drew back from his touch. It made her skin crawl like the ants who’d disturbed her picnic one summer. She’d been covered in the little wretches before she’d noticed them. And they’d ruined the decadent chocolate cake with the glossy and delectable fondant icing.

“Yes, immensely.” She tried to sound cordial. He was an archangel after all. And he had been the one to insist upon her involvement. The only one—it seemed—that appreciated the talents she could bring to this mission. In truth, she should show him more respect. If not for Olivier, Lucifer would’ve had no qualms about leaving her behind on Olympus—decree by the Creator or not.

His smile broadened but he didn’t attempt to touch her again. “It is such a pleasure to find someone so unafraid. I once had to fly your brother, Ares, to a planet just beyond the next star and I can relay to you now that he did not fare half as well. In truth, his reaction more aligned with your servant’s. Once we landed, he puked all over my sandals.” His nose scrunched up. “Not my favorite memory, if you’ll forgive me.”

A giggle escaped. To see the high and mighty god of war vomiting on an angel’s feet... now that would’ve been entertaining. He always put on such airs of bravado, like nothing could faze him. But something had. Diana found herself warming up to Olivier with more of his comedic tales of her brother’s so-called bravery for the remainder of the trip.

A giant, albeit blurry, ball of fierce orange light flew past—or she guessed, they had flown past it—its brilliance blinding her temporarily. “What was that?”

Olivier chuckled. “Just another giant sun! It’s not even the biggest in this galaxy. There are far more wonders to see.” He tilted her chin up. “I would gladly show them all to you.”

Oh! There was more than a hint of flirting in that tone. Diana realized, too late, that she should watch her step with this one. He was crafty. She had no illusions that underneath his angelic exterior lay something darker in his heart.

The bubble that ensconced them shook violently, causing her to stumble.

“Sorry for that. Just a bit of turbulence,” Lucifer shouted over his shoulder without looking back.

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