Page 58 of Falling for the Devil

Since he had no answers, Lucifer was grateful for the silence. It also gave him time to evaluate his course.

Underneath them was nothing but the same dull brown landscape. Above them, pristine blue sky stretched. Not so much as a single cloud marred its perfection. Although, having just been on the ground and experienced that life-sucking heat, he was certain the mortals would’ve appreciated one or two clouds to grant them a reprieve from the raging sun.

“You’re hurt!” Diana ripped free of his embrace to inspect him for injuries.

His wings had already begun to heal. The missing chunk of muscle, bone, and sinew where that bird had torn into him still oozed blood, but the tingling assured him that healing was indeed taking place. Her hands roamed over his face, his wings, and then she spun him around for a thorough evaluation.

He brushed her hands away, which were covered in his crimson blood. “I’m fine—at least, I will be.” Reaching up, he cupped her chin in his palm, tilting her face up. “I adore that you’re concerned about me, but I think I’ve proven already that I am quite difficult to kill.” Her pouty lips ticked up at the corners.

“Thank the Creator for that. But seriously”—her hands fisted on her hips—“if you face this much danger and death on a regular basis, there will come a time when something is going to get you... immortal or not. How often do you have to cheat death?”

A chuckle burst from his chest. The truth would frighten her. He wasn’t comfortable with lying, but having her turn all protective on him—while cute and heartwarming—would only delay them more. Already, they were worlds away from where they needed to be. And if he was correct in his assumption, they were millennia away from where they’d started.

“Death does not come for us as it does for mortals, but it is also not a stranger. Yet I’d rather face death daily than live in fear, for that state of being sucks the life from you, depletes you of the joy and pleasures the very art of living offers.” He pulled her into his arms. “Besides, it will take a lot more than some ravenous, oversized fowl and an army of mortals to destroy me. I half suspect that I will be my own undoing, with no one else to blame.” He schooled his expression to remain neutral despite the inferno of doubt... and what he suspected was foreboding his own dire end.

“All right, Lord of Invincibility...” Diana rolled her eyes, but her pouty lips invited him to claim them.

Unable to resist an invitation or a challenge, he did just that. Her lips opened under the slightest teasing from his tongue. He crushed her to his chest to erase any distance between them. Fire ignited in his blood. The need to claim her again as he had in the cavern overtook his ability for coherent thought. Her hands fisted into his hair. His entire body reverberated with the resulting moan that escaped them both.

Then, a dose of reality smashed into them. Literally. The bubble veered with the impact. Diana stumbled from his embrace, her arms flying out wide to balance herself.

“What the fuck was that?”

He wasn’t sure why curse words from Diana’s lips elicited such an odd response as his dick standing straight at attention. But he wasn’t complaining. It was torture and heaven, all at the same time.

They both scanned the outside. Nothing but brown below and blue above. Then another smack, less impactful than before. Then another.

What... Oh, may the Creator save us!

A large projectile—about the length of his wingspan but narrow like one of the columns holding up the coliseum—was heading straight for them with a barrage of more behind it.

They wouldn’t be able to escape all of them, not at this speed. The only way to go faster might well kill Diana. He’d never tried it with another passenger. Quite frankly, it wasn’t his favorite way to travel either—it, more often than not, made him disoriented once he landed, but he’d have to risk it.

Problem was, he’d need to forgo the usual protective energy shield to make it happen. Yet it was either face the assault head-on, or retreat at a supersonic speed not endurable for anyone who wasn’t as strong as an angel.

“Hold on, things may get bumpy.” He knew it was a vast understatement, but they didn’t have time to perform a full military analysis of his plan.

Time stood still for the briefest of moments within their protective cocoon; outside, the bombardment continued. Just as it looked like they’d be struck again, a roaring wind filled the air, wrapping around them, and then everything went dark. The noise shook his eardrums with piercing pain. Knowing it would be harder on Diana, he covered her fully with his wings, hoping to dampen the effect.

His feet slammed into solid ground, the wind ceased, but still he hesitated to release Diana from his arms. She was tucked against his chest, hands pressed against her ears, and Lucifer couldn’t help a smile.

Nothing surrounded them now but more sand, a mountain of cragged stone, and a few clawed insects hiding in the scant shadows. If possible, the heat was more brutal than before. But at least there were no mortals screaming or firing strange weapons at them.

Better yet... hidden within the rocks on which they stood was not only a portal, but one that—unless it had been altered over time—would take them where they needed to be. Unlike the last couple of gateways, this one led directly to a liminality where they could rest and recover before stepping back onto Methuselah.

Lucifer just prayed that it would take them to the right timeline. Otherwise, they could portal hop for eternity and never return to where they’d started.

HOT. HOT. AND... HOT!

There was only one word to describe this place and how she felt. Even the air was worse than when she’d visited her uncle Hades for the summer in his home realm. All she tasted was sand. She had a mouthful of it. Sand crusted over her eyelashes and her head was all out of sorts from being trapped in a raging tornado.

At least it hadn’t lasted longer than the amount of time it had taken her to pick the lock on her father’s desk drawer that contained his most prized ornament—a sculpture of him nude in the midst of writhing nude women with one sucking on his cock, another kissing him while even another dry-humped his leg like a dog. Seriously, Zeus was nothing if not a narcissist. A perverted, unfaithful narcissist.

Lucifer steadied her with one arm secured around her waist while they stood on top of a giant slab of reddish-brown rock. Otherwise, she was certain she’d have fallen off and struck her head on the jagged outcropping of rocks below.

She crinkled her nose. What was that awful stench? It seemed to come from the ground itself. Pinching her nostrils shut did no good, either. If death had a smell, this was it.

Diana opened her mouth to ask Lucifer what fresh horror he’d brought her into, but sand coated her tongue, and the insufferable heat scratched her throat. She fought to cough up minuscule granules blocking her voice. When she glanced up at Lucifer, she almost fell backward off the cliff.

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