Luck of the Devil (13 page)

“No.” Matt’s lips quirked upward in a smile. “You’re not saying that the sculptor turned your father into St. Michael and St. Michael into… ”

“Everyone has a laugh about it now. But at the time, certain people may have been upset about how they appeared. I’m not saying St. Michael is vain, but it wasn’t one of his happiest moments, let me tell you.”

“And what about the whole defeat of your father? The Archangel Michael is supposed to have defeated Satan in the name of Heaven.”

“And?”

“But you’re saying that’s not what really happened.”

“No, no, I’m not saying that. Michael beats my father at things constantly, very competitive for an archangel. Great chess player, too.”

“Saint Michael plays chess?”

I caught the scent of crêpes and began angling him toward a vendor two streets over whose wares had caught my nose’s attention.

“He taught me, and I’m the current reigning demonic champion.”

“My whole world is flawed,” Matt muttered. We turned onto a street full of restaurants and bakeries. I sniffed lightly, trying to find the smells of the shop that had caught my attention. Ah, there it was, third bakery on the left. “Everything I’ve ever known is a lie.”

“No it’s not. Look, everything you’ve been told has happened, in some way. It just may not have happened in quite as gory or heroic of a manner as everyone describes it. Isn’t that the way of everything, though? You can’t tell me it wasn’t a letdown the first time you went into court and you realized it wasn’t just like television. Can you?”

“No.” He stepped into the line at the crêpes stand. “It’s just I was taught certain things and they were indisputable truth.”

“Like?”

“You’re evil.”

I pressed my palm to my chest and feigned shock. “Am I?”

“Demonic nephilim are crazed, soul-sucking monsters whose only purpose in life is to bring humanity to ruin. And the females are the worst. But you’re not. You’re just sort of here. Working as a nurse. Being nice. You have normal friends—well, almost normal friends—and you play chess. No one told me the Devil’s youngest daughter played chess.”

“Look, not everything you’ve been taught is accurate.”

“I know that,” Matt said with a huff.

I tried not to smile.

“Why do you think I bailed on them the first chance I got? I just didn’t think it would be so completely wrong, either.”

Another disillusioned young man, welcome to my life. “I tend to do that to people.”

“Okay.” Matt nodded. “This is too weird for me. By miles. So why don’t we play a game of pretend? Just so I can keep my sanity a bit longer.”

“Pretend?”

“Hi, my name is Matt Andrews, I live next door to you, and I’m a labor lawyer. And you are?” He stuck out his hand for me to shake.

“Hello, Matt.” I smiled before shaking his hand. “My name is Faith and I’m a pediatric nurse. It seems we’ve found ourselves in Paris together. I have no idea how that happened.”

“Neither do I. But since it seems like a great bit of luck, I say we should enjoy it. What do you say?”

“That sounds lovely,” I said, watching the couple in front of us take their order and wander away. We approached the counter. “I’ll have a Nutella and banana crêpe.”

“And I’ll have the strawberry.” Matt nodded at the man working the counter before turning back to me. “So, Faith, may I have the pleasure of your company this fine Parisian evening?”

“You may,” I said.

The man behind the counter finished making our crêpes and slid them across the counter. I stepped out of the line and waved my fingers slightly in his direction. “Come on.”

“Aren’t we going to pay for these?”

“Another one of the superpowers. People always forget that I haven’t paid for things.”

“Convenient,” Matt said. “I’ll have to keep that in mind for our next date.”

“Who said there’s going to be a next date?”

Chapter Fourteen

Hours later, we crossed the Pont Neuf Bridge, meandering back toward the Louvre. I watched the sunrise turn the city sky a dusky pink color, lightening to peach and then a radiant gold as the sun rose higher in the sky.

“We should probably be going home soon if either of us is going to be human in the morning. It’s already eleven there and we’ve fit in an additional five hours today with the time change.”

“Ready to be zapped back, then?” I asked. We stood in the middle of the Louvre’s main square, which was growing brighter as the sun rose. The streetlights flickered off, and the glass pyramid went dark.

“Not especially.”

“Come on, then.” I pulled him into the dark, open walkway that led underneath the Richelieu Wing. I closed my eyes and focused my attention on the hallway between our apartments.

He laced his fingers with mine and brushed his lips across my knuckles. “Come to my place tonight.”

“Excuse me?”

“My place.” He leaned down to kiss me gently, letting the solid current flash between the two of us. “Come stay at my place tonight, Faith.”

I shivered and bit my lower lip. It sounded like a perfect suggestion, except for one minor issue. “You do realize my father has a habit of
‘popping in’ to my place, right?”

“Your point is?”

“Well, he
is
the Devil.”

“He’ll get over it,” Matt said, kissing me again.

“Okay.” I nodded and closed my eyes, focusing on Matt’s bedroom instead of the hallway. Once the white walls were firmly focused in my mind, I tightened my grip on Matt and pulled us through.

“You’re right,” he said.

I opened my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“It definitely gets better each time.” He pulled me tight against him, pressing our bodies flush, and crushed our lips together.

Panting, I pulled away and dragged my lower lip through my teeth. “Didn’t make you sick?”

“Nope, in fact this might be my new favorite way to travel. Much more convenient.” He yanked the tie of my dress free and the fabric separated, leaving me exposed in the front. Stepping back, his eyes roamed over me, and I wanted to pull my dress closed again.

“Absolutely gorgeous.” He pushed the material off my shoulders and let it slip to the ground. “Stunning.”

My body grew hot under his gaze. “It’s good to know you approve.”

“Oh, I more than approve.” Electricity sparked across my skin, and I wondered how I could have ever mistaken him for human. The power crackled when he trailed his hands up the curve of my hips, and the lights around us dimmed. He claimed my mouth and bit gently on my lower lip. I gasped and he slipped his tongue inside my mouth, tangling it with mine in a seductive give and take.

I tugged at the buttons on his shirt, trying to find a way to make my fingers work long enough to get them undone. “Forget about the shirt,” Matt muttered as he let go of me and grabbed each side of the collar, ripped it open, and sent buttons flying.

Apparently, nephilim weren’t big fans of clothing.

Another rip and my bra hung in two limp, useless pieces. Pushing them off my arms, I leaned forward and pressed myself against him.

The longer we touched, the hotter his skin grew. Curious, I opened my eyes. His faint golden glow mingled with the black sheen radiating from me. I took a half-step away and tried to clear my head enough to rein in my powers.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t hide from me. Let me see you.”

“You do see me.” I stood on my tiptoes, circling my arms around his neck, stalling for time. I was a demon, not a swimsuit model.

“Let me see all of you.” He hooked his thumbs around the silky material of my panties, tugging forcefully and tearing them off.

“Oh, that,” I said, embarrassed.

“Yes,” he said. His wings unfurled in a riot of creamy white feathers and curved into graceful arches behind his head. They widened to their broadest point at the tips of his shoulders before narrowing down to a single feather’s width behind his knees. Soft, golden light emanated from his skin, covering him like the light of a sunrise and flickering like a candle’s flame. “That.”

He had shown me all of himself and, in return, wanted to see all of me. His power sizzled in the air and I fought not to draw it in, not to claim it for myself. Instead of protesting, I closed my eyes and let down my defenses, allowing my body to return to its natural state. My scalp tingled as my horns broke through the skin, until they extended completely.

I stared at him, watching for any signs of repulsion before I’d go further.

“More,” was all he said.

My tail slid free and descended until it curled around my ankles, its tip flicking back and forth in nervous anticipation.

He crossed his arms and tapped his finger on his forearm. “And the wings.”

I sucked in a deep breath, and as I exhaled, released my wings. Blue-black and compact, they barely crested over the tops of my shoulders, and tapered at my tailbone. Lisa had always deemed them cute, but Tolliver had been more honest in his assessment: they were midget wings. Nothing like Matt’s.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said quietly. His hand traced the edge of my wing, sending electric shivers through my entire body.

“They aren’t the most impressive pair in the world.”

“They’re perfect.” He cradled my face in his hands and drew me into another searing kiss. His wings stretched forward, shrouding us both. The intimacy of being inside such a personal space—his space—drove a little thrill through me. I reached for the button of his pants and unbuttoned them, while he carefully maneuvered us backward toward what I hoped was his bed. I pushed at the waistband of his pants and his boxers and they slipped down his hips. He kicked them off and pressed himself against me from mouth to toes. “You’re perfect.”

“I think you’re—”

“Divine,” he said. He pushed me backward and I fell onto the bed, still wrapped inside his wings. His hands teased as they circled over my skin, golden light flickering and warming me. They caressed my shoulders, my sides, and the backs of my knees before skimming my inner thighs, across my stomach, and my breasts.

My stomach clenched with need. I weaved my fingers into his hair, drawing his face to mine and kissing him with all the passion I possessed. His fire mingled with my own, the mixture of light and dark crackling where they met, the heat of so much power intensifying with every touch.

Humming in appreciation, he stilled his caresses and parted my legs to lie between my thighs. He shifted and pressed against me, then thrust forward to fill me. Dark merged with light, and the collision of good and evil caused me to arch into him in delight.

The world began to tighten around me, and my fingers clawed into his back, steering clear of his feathers. I wasn’t about to spontaneously find out his stance on masochism in the bedroom our first time.

His hips thrust faster and harder, and he buried his face in my neck, nibbled on my ears, and pulled me tighter against him. I shifted my hips just right, and the world exploded into white, releasing all the energy in my body.

Matt gasped, trembled, and came, saying my name over and over. Still inside me, he kissed my neck, my cheek, and then my lips before he rolled over and pulled me against his side.

“That was the most incredible thing ever,” he whispered.

“Mmmm,” I murmured in response and smiled. “I was pretty awesome.”

“Were you, now?” He chuckled and rolled on top of me, nuzzling into the side of my neck.

“I feel pretty awesome.” I giggled and he nibbled along the length of my collarbone.

“Wouldn’t that mean I’m awesome? Or was there someone else here I don’t know about?”

“Just me and you.”

He slid down the length of my body, leaving a trail of hot kisses behind. “So it’s me who’s awesome because of how I made you feel.”

“I’m not awesome?”

“You’re enthralling, addictive… ” He pulled my leg over his shoulder and began to plant hot, open-mouthed kisses against the length of my inner thigh.

“But not awesome?”

“Amazing, and most importantly… ”

“Most importantly?”

His mouth moved higher, licking and nipping my skin until my breath came out in gasps. “Mine.”

Chapter Fifteen

I slipped out of bed a little after four in the morning and moved the sheet up to cover the snoring nephilim. A black feather tangled in his hair, and I would’ve taken it out if I hadn’t thought it would wake him. Not that it would make a difference. Dozens of black and white feathers littered the room.

I used my tail to snag my dress from the floor while I stepped into my shoes. Pulling my dress on, I groped for other articles of clothing that had ended up scattered around the room. Once I had everything, I tiptoed out of the bedroom, through his apartment, and into the hallway. When I made it into the hall, I glanced around, listening. Oh, shit. What if my father was still in my apartment? He’d better not be waiting up for me, or something else inappropriately father-like. Time to work the demon stealth and hope he wasn’t defiling any more of my furniture with my mother or, even worse, alone. Ugh.

“What? Are you practicing to be a ninja or something?” Hope asked from the darkness.

I shrieked. Crushing my palm over my racing heart, I made my eyes glow red and stared at her.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up. You’re going to wake the good-looking booty call you’re sneaking out on, screaming like that.”

“What are you doing sitting on the steps like some sort of ghost? Don’t I have enough of that with Harold?”

“Boris is in one of his religious fits. Praying for the safety of Brother Ev until he can return to his side. I couldn’t take any more so I bailed out here to enjoy the beautiful silence.”

“How’s that whole situation going?”

“It’s going. Not nearly fast enough, in my opinion. But it’s going. I just want Dad to clear the paperwork so I can try to get my life back on track.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” she said. “It’s over. Feeling sorry for myself isn’t going to change that. I just want to get on with my life and I can’t do that while he’s lying on my couch and yammering all night to a God that isn’t listening.”

“What about the Alpha? Do you think He’ll let him go back to Idaho after everything’s been cleared?”

“There is no way the Alpha is going to trust a reformed demon amongst a group of mortals. There’s too much of a chance for a relapse for one, and, two, you know He’s more discreet than that. I think, if He had his way, everyone would be completely hands-off and we’d sit back and watch.”

“That would make it a lot harder for Dad to keep his side of the bargain.”

“Tell me about it,” Hope said.

I sat on the steps next to her and noticed that instead of her normal black silk pajamas, she wore dingy, gray sweats. Obviously, she was taking the situation with Boris harder than I thought. Hope was not one to give up her designer swag.

“If we go non-interference on them I’ll never make my way back into everyone’s good graces.”

I nudged her with my shoulder. “Hey, you’re still in my good graces. All you have to do is pay your rent on time.”

“Yeah.” She nudged me back. “I’ll be getting right on that with my new top-dollar salary volunteering at the prison.”

“How much are they paying you?”

“Did you not hear my use of the V-word?”

“A whole great big nada, then?”

“And that includes tips.”

“Crap, how’s it going otherwise?”

“I don’t know. I mean, the warden was easily enthralled so he’s agreed to let me teach two classes, one on basic communication skills and the other on public speaking. But I have to go back this week and take a special training class before they actually set me up with any students. Something about safety precautions, interaction with the prisoners, yada yada yada. I tried to talk my way out of it, but he clung to that bureaucracy like a drowning man to a tree branch.”

“Okay, but look on the bright side. He’s going to give you the list of the things you should be doing.”

“Pretty much. It’s like he’s laying out a road map of how to send them straight to Hell.”

“And you said you talked to Dad? Was that before or after yesterday’s friendly discussion?”

“Before. I haven’t seen him since I left your place.”

“Is he still in there?”

“No, you’re safe. He’s not going to find out you were romancing the mortal neighbor. But you did wipe his memory, right?”

“Why?”

“You’ve got a feather in your hair.” She reached out and plucked the feather off my head. She looked at it and squeezed her lips. “Hmm.”

“What?” I tried to keep my cool. I was a grown-up. I was tough. I was confident. I did not wilt around my sister like two-day-old spinach in a heat wave.

I was so fucked.

She tapped my nose with a white feather. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“We tore the duvet?”

“Those are goose down, not nephilim down. Try again.”

“Fine. He’s a nephilim, okay? An Angale. Go ahead and bitch me out now.”

“Damn.” Hope whistled quietly. “You booty-called an Angale? Lucky you survived it. What did you do? Tie him up?”

“He’s gone rogue. And before you ask, yes, you felt sparks coming off him before. He’s figured out some way to mask that he’s a nephilim and appear human.”

“Clever.” She rose, reaching down to pull me up as well, and opened my door.

“I was impressed.”

“Let me guess.” She flopped on my couch. “He decided to hide near another immortal because it would confuse people when they went looking for him. They’d feel the energy coming off the building and think it was from you and pass on by.”

“That’s what he said.”

“Uh-huh. Did he come looking for you on purpose, or were you the first immortal he could find?”

“He said he came looking for me in particular. Claimed it would completely throw the Angale off track. Who expects an Angale to set up next door to the Devil’s youngest daughter?”

“Sounds sharp,” Hope said. “Until the shagging started and out popped his wings. I’ll bet that was a bit of a surprise, wasn’t it?”

“He told me before the shagging started. And he was nice enough to tell me, and not just whip the wings out for me to see.”

“I can imagine. So what are you going to tell Dad?”

“Dad? You blow a major gasket on him yesterday, and you’re concerned about what Dad’s going to say? Besides, who said I have to even open my big fat mouth and tell him?”

“You can’t not tell him that you’re fucking a member of the other team, Faith. I mean, you could, but it would be nuts. Hell, I’m starting to think you are nuts. Or suicidal. Either is possible.”

“Matt doesn’t have a problem with our kind.”

“Yeah, and cattle ranchers don’t have a problem with wolves. It doesn’t stop them from killing one when they have enough incentive.”

“He’s not like that.”

“Look, I’m the last person on earth you should be taking relationship advice from, but keep your wits about you. Okay? They all seem nice at the beginning, and then they screw you over.”

“Boris was never nice.”

“Not to you. Like I said, just don’t go planning on white picket fences and skipping off merrily into the sunset.”

“But—”

“This isn’t like Dan. This guy could wait until you’re not paying attention one night and take you apart. And if he catches you by surprise, or he lets a couple of other Angale gang up on you, you’ll never have a chance.”

“This is nothing like Dan.”

“Of course it’s not. This is suicidal. That was just some stupid delusion on your part where you believed you could actually live a human life and he’d never notice you weren’t everything you seemed. Or more than you seemed. Didn’t you think the not-aging thing would have tipped him off eventually?”

“I thought he’d believe I was doing it gracefully,” I said. But even as the words left my mouth I knew how weak they sounded. “Who thinks they’ve married a demon? And why didn’t you tell me you knew about him?”

“Because you didn’t want me to know about him, and you didn’t want him to know about us. I wanted to respect your wishes. Anyway, it was over before I had the chance to say something and I thought you’d be happier without me saying ‘I told you so.’ ”

“I told you so?”

She shrugged. “I wouldn’t have been able to help myself. I’m evil, it’s in my nature.”

“So what do I do about Dad?” I stretched out across the love seat’s cushions, closing my eyes. “He’s going to be pissed.”

“Well, the first question to ask yourself is this: are you seeing the nephilim again? If not, there’s no reason to tell Dad anything. It was fun, he was hot, and you both got what you were looking for. End of story. But if you’re intending to go back to the buffet, you’ve got to give Dad a heads-up before someone else tells him.”

“Great.”

“But you’ve got a great start already.”

“How’s that?”

“Dad feels like an ass right now. He’s in a much more generous mood, especially if he thinks it will make you like him again. Think about when we were kids, when he and Mom got in a fight we always got the best
I Feel Like Shit
swag from him.”

“Yeah, but Matt isn’t an Easy-Bake Oven,” I said.

“No, but you aren’t six anymore, are you? Think of him as a grown-up version of an
I’m Sorry
present.”

“And with that,” I said, sitting up, “I’m going to bed. You wanna take the couch, or are you going to haunt my stairwell all night?”

“How do I pull the bed out again?”

I pulled out the bottom part of the bed, one of those little Ikea beauties that didn’t take a PhD in rocket science to figure out. Meanwhile, Hope flipped open the top of the storage cube I used for an end table and pulled out one of my spare blankets.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Not a big deal. Good night.”

“Yeah, you too,” she said, curling up on the couch.

“Hey, Hope?”

“Yeah?”

“That stuff you said to Dad… ”

“I meant every word of it. Good night.”

“Yeah, good night.” I hurried to my room. Hope obviously didn’t want to share her feelings on the whole Dad thing and I couldn’t say I blamed her.

Inside my room, I closed the door and pulled off my wrinkled clothes, slipping into my comfiest pair of pajamas. If Hope could sleep in old gray sweats, I could rock a pair of pink flannel penguin pajamas without shame.

I noticed a white envelope on my pillow. Correction:
the
white envelope. The one from the hospital. That had been hidden in my underwear drawer when I left this afternoon. I opened my drawer and saw an identical envelope right where I’d left it earlier.

My hands trembled and my heart raced.

I picked it up, opened it, and found another stack of pictures tucked inside. The envelope slid out of my fingers and landed on the bed, scattering the pictures across it.

My father and mother leaving the apartment building this afternoon.

Hope at the prison.

Matt and me at the bar.

Matt and me wandering through Paris together.

I stared at the picture of Matt and me kissing in front of the Louvre.

I picked up the note.

I will slay the destroyer of wicked

And will show those that corrupt

and taint the Godly with sin

No mercy

I was being stalked by one sick immortal. Shit. I did what any self-respecting, tough, confident, modern demoness would do: I screamed.