Page 54 of Falling for the Devil

“No, it is you who does not understand! A legion of demons couldn’t keep me away. We will track down that bastard together.”

“Diana, please be reasonable.”

Too bad he was still on the ground. Her foot kicked out so swiftly he couldn’t swerve out of the way before it smashed against his temple. “Do. Not. Tell. Me. To. Be. Reasonable!”

One hand clutching the side of his head, the other still hovering to cover his cock and balls, Lucifer squinted up at the fiery goddess. He’d known she was spunky, determined, but hadn’t anticipated her level of viciousness. Funny how that didn’t dim his impression of her. Instead, he found it... titillating.

Wrong time to be thinking of sex. The pulsating pain had not lessened enough for him to stand. He was sure something vital was bruised.

“I thought you were different. That you wouldn’t be an egotistical bastard like my father and brothers. But I see that I was wrong.” A lone tear streaked down her cheek, but she swiped it away before turning her back to him.

Once Lucifer managed to control the pain, he stood. It was a gamble, he knew, but he encircled her in his arms, pulling her against his chest. She didn’t move nor attempt to get away from his embrace. Thankfully, she didn’t elbow him in the gut, either.

“Diana, I know how strong you are. You’re a cunning hunter. A true warrior, regardless of your sex.” He heaved a deep inhale before continuing. “But you are also precious to me. If something happened to you... if I failed to keep you safe... it would destroy me.”

She twirled around to face him. Her eyes were glossy with more unshed tears. Fury still simmered behind them.

“I know enough about Asmodeus to understand that not only would he fillet you into a thousand slivers, but he would sense my feelings for you and use that against me. To decimate me, he will use every weapon at his disposal. You... you would be in peril of being brutalized by a monster for the unlucky reason that I hold you in such high regard.”

The words because I love you dammed up behind his lips. Why, he didn’t understand. In his heart, he had already come to that conclusion. But voicing it was a different matter altogether.

“I will not put your life at risk. To do so would sign my own death warrant.”

Tears streamed down Diana’s face. The anger dimmed in her eyes, replaced with another unreadable emotion. Her lower lip trembled. “We are more powerful together. We can defeat him; I know it.”

Lucifer shook his head. “Entire legions of angels have fallen to Asmodeus. My best warriors.”

Her chin jutted out. “Perhaps we just need the right weapon.”

“There is no known weapon that can defeat him. He is unkillable.” His shoulders slumped.

“Everything—everyone—can be killed. Gods and goddesses can die. Fairies and sprites too. Demons die. And... apparently, now angels. If that’s the case, then Asmodeus can be killed, too.” She slipped out of his embrace, her voice low. “And we’ll be the ones to end him.”

LUCIFER HAD FALLEN silent behind her. Diana kept her eyes trained on the distant horizon, as the sole clump of land on this water planet grew larger. A silent prayer went up that they would be able to portal to somewhere, anywhere. The longer they bounced along the ocean’s surface, the queasier her stomach became.

He’d hurt her pride by insisting she be taken to safety. His words had been polished, but it still meant the same thing... Can’t have a little girl getting in the way of men’s business—war. She’d expected better from him.

What did it matter that she’d never gone up against anything worse than a giant boar and a couple of minor Titans? That wasn’t the point. She was the best damn hunter in the universe, as far as she knew. She’d taken down fearsome creatures of every size. Her tracking skills were phenomenal and widely praised. And despite being a girl, she’d trained alongside the best warriors Mount Olympus offered.

True, she’d never been tested in a military battle, had never competed against gladiators on the arena floor. There had been that one time she’d chopped off her hair, bound her budding breasts, and disguised herself as a petty thief to be used as fodder against a gang of brutes for sport. But her twin had caught on to her ploy and rigged the fight by replacing the warriors with one large bull to be slaughtered. Then, he’d helped her hide from Zeus’s fury when he’d discovered. She’d spent seven full moons living underneath a waterfall with the nymphs.

I have a warrior’s heart.

But not the warrior’s body.

I am a cunning predator.

And trip over my own feet.

I have tracked and slain some of the most vicious animals.

Only those on Olympus. I’ve rarely been outside the confines of my home planet.

I’m...

Losing an argument with myself.

This was the worst pep talk she’d ever given herself.

---