Page 53 of Falling for the Devil

No monster. No beasts had torn them apart. No armies had slaughtered them on the battlefield.

A gentle hand grasped his upper arm. “Lucifer, what is it?” Diana’s voice was low, shaking with fear.

“Asmodeus.”

Chapter 24

Land Ho

“Who?” Diana stared into the distance, biting her lower lip. “Sounds familiar, but I can’t place the name.”

The epiphany fueled both fury and despair in Lucifer’s soul. There were a handful of beings throughout the universe who were vile enough to pull off the angel slaughter, but only one—that he knew of—would have given the crime such a special, nasty twist just for fun.

Asmodeus!

Lucifer would’ve never put it together if he hadn’t witnessed the licentious agony of the dismembered and decapitated corpses of the angels. Despite their condition, they’d tried to molest Diana. They weren’t just in physical pain torment, they were in perpetual, unsatisfied lust.

Another unwelcome thought thrust its way to the surface. One he squashed, refusing to give it credence. He wouldn’t allow the demon lord of lust to taint his relationship with Diana. What bound them together was pure and eternal—at least that’s what he repeated to himself until the thought died away.

“Lucifer, you’re scaring me.”

He hadn’t realized he’d been lost in his own thoughts for quite some time. Diana’s eyes were as wide as the full-bloom giant roses from an unnamed planet covered in flowers of every species from all the other planets. Taking her hands in his own, he willed a serene expression onto his face. No need to terrify her, not when he had every intention of safely restoring her back to Mount Olympus before he went after the fiend.

But how to explain without frightening her or prodding her sense of justice, where she’d insist on tagging along further?

“Asmodeus is... neither angel nor god; immortal, but not divine. It was once thought he was an angel of the highest realms—a seraphim.” A disgusted grunt escaped. “I don’t see how that could ever have been true. I have lived for millennia and never seen or heard of him being in the heavens.”

Diana raised one eyebrow but didn’t interrupt.

“Essentially, he’s a prince of demons.”

“What are demons?” Her fingers twisted the ragged hem of her tunic. “I know there are entities across the cosmos that have evil in their hearts, but have never encountered one that would dare to cross angels like this. Not one capable of such atrocities!”

Lucifer knew he’d have to keep his explanation simple so as to not alarm her, for demons were pure, unadulterated evil with no empathy. Most didn’t possess the mental capacity to make decisions; they simply did as their sinful nature demanded.

“Most demons are spirits exiled from the Divine due to committing sins so egregious they cannot be forgiven, or for having failed to repent even after multiple chances for salvation. Some were once mortals. Others were immortal creatures overwhelmed by sin—greed, pride, lust, sloth, envy, gluttony, or wrath. Their sin consumes them, killing their souls, and they transform into the very monster of that sin.”

Lucifer reached out to cup her chin, so she’d look into his eyes. He needed her to understand the difference between those demons and a prince of demons. It was true that simple demons could be defeated without much effort. He wouldn’t even break a sweat. But Asmodeus and his ilk were not to be thrown into that category.

“A prince of demons is quite another thing altogether. This one is especially dangerous. If I’m correct, and Asmodeus is responsible for all the angel deaths, the stakes are much too high. I must insist on returning you back to your family before I go after him.”

She ripped her face away from him, glaring at him now. “Take me home? Are you joking? I’m not some damsel in distress! I can take care of myself and can be a valuable asset to you in locating this demon prince.”

“Not. Going. To. Happen.” He would’ve gladly given her the universe in a crystal bottle, deny her nothing... but this.

Their protective bubble dipped into the raging ocean waves. Diana fell against him, knocking them both to the floor. Every inch of her front pressed against him. His cock sprung to full attention.

Her dulcet eyes bore into his own, but neither love nor lust flashed in them. No, what stared back at him was the fury of a pissed off goddess, mixed with a dollop of hurt. He had dealt a hard blow to her independent streak and stalwart reputation for trying to prove herself against her male counterparts. It was unlikely she’d forgive the slight anytime soon. But that didn’t matter. Her safety did.

Shoving off him like he was a pallet of red-hot coals, Diana scrambled away to the farthest corner. Her shoulders lifted and fell in rapid succession—from anger or an attempt to stem tears of frustration, he couldn’t guess. Maybe both. She didn’t speak for long, agonizing moments. Lucifer braced for the verbal assault that was coming. Instead, she turned and stomped back to him.

Her clenched right fist punched out, smashing hard against his jaw. His hand flew up to rub his chin while the other one grabbed her offending one. Too late...

Diana squatted down, then threw an undercut to his balls that sent him doubling over in agony. His knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor. She stood over his moaning body with her fists bunched onto her hips.

“If you think for one moment that I will just step aside from this hunt, you are crazy! I am not going to cower in the corner while you—the almighty Archangel of Light—go traipsing after a vicious monster!” Flames blossomed across her cheeks. “Dammit! I didn’t come all this way to be sidelined!”

Lucifer breathed and though the pain throbbed, it subsided enough for him to speak. “You don’t understand—”

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