Authors: Michelle Rowen
Eden didn’t need this. Not now. Not ever.
“Of course not,” she said as firmly as she could. Her throat felt thick, and her eyes began to sting. The events of the day—Theo, Lucifer, the angel, Andy—washed over her like a tidal wave, and she thought for sure she’d burst into tears any second.
“Eden—” Darrak began.
She turned away and went to her bedroom. “I need to be alone for a minute. Don’t follow me. This is a no demon or werekitty zone for at least a half an hour. Capiche?”
“I’m a were
panther
,” Leena corrected her. And then, “This is all your fault, demon.”
“I hope you get fleas,” he snapped back.
Eden shut the door and pressed her back against it. She could still hear them, but at least it was muffled now.
Being alone was a good thing, but it didn’t help her relax much. She had things to do.
She embraced the silence for all of five seconds, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the marble Lucas gave her this morning.
Had it only been this morning?
She really didn’t want to do this. Too bad she didn’t have much of a choice.
Clenching the marble in her right hand, she whispered, “Lucifer.”
Snap.
Bright light blinded her and she blinked. The next moment her bedroom—including her unmade bed and the movie posters that adorned her walls—were gone and she stood on the now-familiar beach again. It was sunset this time, and the skyline was ablaze with red, purple, and pink light.
Lucas stood at the waterline skipping stones across the calm surface. He glanced over his shoulder. “Hello again, Eden.”
“What is this place?” she asked.
“My little piece of heaven. I come here a lot. Too bad it’s not real.” He brushed his hands off on his loose white pants. “Does Theo have the weapon?”
Business first. Sunsets and palm trees second.
She nodded, feeling tense despite the beautiful surroundings. Could have something to do with the company she kept lately.
His expression didn’t change. “What is it?”
She hesitated before she spoke. “A black diamond with angelic energy trapped inside. All the energy of one angel, actually. Theo called it a . . . an angelheart.”
Lucas took her chin between his fingers and looked down into her eyes. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.” Why would she lie about something like this? There was a bit too much at stake for her at the moment.
A flicker of surprise went through Lucas’s gaze. “Theo’s more resourceful than I gave him credit for.”
“Are you afraid?” She bit her bottom lip. Probably shouldn’t have asked something like that of the Prince of Hell.
“No. But I am concerned.” He studied her for a moment. “I never thought he’d be able to get that close to an angel, but I didn’t account for the fact that you’d be there. Yes, black witches have a certain affect on our angelic friends, don’t they?”
“So I’m learning.”
“I don’t think there’s any reason to wait. Bring the diamond to me as soon as possible.”
A breath caught in her throat. “That might be difficult. Theo can’t stand me and, uh, the feeling’s mutual. It’s doubtful he’ll let me get close enough to grab it.”
“Then have Darrak get it for you.”
She almost laughed. “And how am I supposed to do that?”
“Ask him.”
“What should I say?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something along the lines of ‘Darrak, I want that weapon. Get it away from Theo, will you?’ ”
“And you think he’ll do it?”
“I think it’s worth a shot. And if you’re denied, well . . . then we’ll both know where you really stand with your resident demon, won’t we? But you can’t tell him why you want it. You must say nothing about me or our deal is off. Do you understand?”
“I understand.” Only too well.
“Good.”
She paced back and forth, wringing her hands. “And if I manage to get the angelheart, and I give it to you, you’ll let my mother’s soul go?” Her chest tightened with anxiety as she said it.
“I will.”
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”
“Because I am,” he replied simply. “Once I get what I want, there’s no reason for me to renege on our deal. It’s a very fair trade, I think. Your mother’s soul for the angelheart.”
Was that enough? Lucas was playing this game of give-and-take really well—everything had gone his way so far. He’d managed to intimidate Eden, and she’d given him no argument.
But how often would she get a chance like this? The Prince of Hell himself needed something from her. He hadn’t gone to anyone else. Just her. He’d even moved in next door at her crappy apartment building with faulty plumbing and the occasional infestation of fruit flies in order to get closer to her.
She exhaled slowly, willing some well-needed courage to arrive ASAP. “I want something else.”
Lucas’s eyebrow rose. “Oh really?”
She nodded. “When I give you the angelheart, I want you to fix things between me and Darrak.”
“Fix things in what way?”
She licked her dry lips. “Make it so that he no longer has to possess me.”
“Are you changing the rules, Eden?” Lucas asked, smiling thinly. “That’s not very wise, is it?”
She held his gaze steadily. She wasn’t backing down. If he knew her mother as well as he said he did, he couldn’t possibly believe, 100 percent, that Eden would help her unconditionally. She would, of course, but he couldn’t know that for certain. But her mother was a well-known opportunist. Why wouldn’t her daughter be one as well?
“Is that a yes or a no?” she asked. “How badly do you want that diamond?”
He turned and looked at the sunset.
“Well?” she prompted after a few uncomfortable minutes had gone by. The beach had suddenly grown colder, the wind picking up—more arctic than tropical now. It blew Eden’s hair back from her face and she shivered.
Without turning to face her, Lucas said, “Fine. It’s a deal. If you give me that black diamond, I will release your mother’s soul and also ensure that Darrak no longer has to possess you. Agreed?”
She nodded even though he couldn’t see it at the moment. “Agreed.”
“Now, leave me alone.”
Snap.
After the flash of light, she was back in her bedroom again. Hope and dread clawed for dominance in her chest.
She’d just made a deal with Lucifer, and he was going to help her.
Something about that sentence just didn’t sit well with her.
SEVENTEEN
Well, that pretty much confirmed it for Darrak, didn’t it?
“You’re not in love with this jerk, are you?”
Leena asked, point blank.
“Hell no,”
Eden replied.
“Are you crazy? What a ridiculous question! How could I be in love with the demon single-handedly responsible for ruining my entire life? I couldn’t, that’s how! Never, never ever! Multiplied by a million!”
Cue laugh track.
Darrak was paraphrasing, of course, but that was the message received, loud and clear.
Couldn’t exactly blame her.
The funny thing, really—in an entirely unfunny way—was the fact that only a few moments earlier he could have sworn he saw something in her eyes as she looked at him. Something like . . . desire.
But, hell. Lust wasn’t love. He knew that better than most. He’d just never put it to the test before.
Darrak was very comfortable with lust. It made things simple.
Love
on the other hand. Well, there was nothing simple about that, was there?
Lesson of the century.
The phone rang and Leena grabbed it immediately.
“Yeah?” she said before her eyes flicked to him. “Maybe.”
Darrak held out his hand. “Give it to me.” When she didn’t budge, his eyes narrowed, and he tried not to let his exasperation with the shifter turn into outright anger.
“Now.”
That cocky look of hers vanished for a moment, replaced with what looked a whole lot like fear. Had she caught a glimpse of hellfire in his eyes?
Served her right. The shifter really didn’t know who she was messing with.
Or maybe the bitchy, argumentative act was just that. An act.
It would be much smarter for her to fear him.
“Fine.” She placed the receiver on the counter. Then she shifted to her small cat form—
werepanther
his ass—and skulked over to the sofa.
The shifter was an annoying intrusion. But, he supposed, that was the point of having her there in the first place. He’d realized last night, when Eden nearly succeeded in seducing him, how very seducible he was.
Would it really have made that much difference
? a part of himself asked.
She’s already a black witch. The damage is done. Just because Selina warned that every time you and Eden were together it would take her into darker territory, doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
The voice was tempting. Almost as tempting as Eden’s warm and very willing body had been last night.
Lust only.
So give into that lust
, the voice said.
Have fun with it!
Shut up
, he replied internally, and held the phone to his ear. “What?”
“It’s me,” Theo responded.
Darrak couldn’t help but be slightly amused. “Why are you using the telephone? Seems a bit too human for you, or have things changed that much over the years?”
“The telephone wasn’t even invented the last time I saw you. No e-mail either.”
“Why didn’t you just phase here?” Darrak asked, referring to the ability demons had to teleport from place to place at will. He couldn’t do it anymore. His hundred foot tether to Eden stopped him.
“I figured if I just popped by in a flash of fire and showmanship, your girlfriend would freak out and decimate me.”
“You might be right. But she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Saddest excuse for a black witch I’ve ever seen, really. Does she sell cookies?”
Darrak frowned. “What?”
“I figured she might have some available, since she’s such a Girl Scout. They’re so delicious, aren’t they? And the cookies aren’t bad, either.”
“Never tried them. The scouts or the cookies. Although, I am recently very fond of chocolate donuts.”
Darrak felt the curious gaze of the shapeshifter. He walked to the balcony door and stepped outside so he could have some privacy from the spy in residence. He sensed the cold, but it didn’t bother him. No phasing abilities, or unlimited destructive power, but he could stand outside in the chilly air for as long as he wanted.
Yippy.
Eden had recently bought him a black leather trench coat that hung to his knees. It would be November soon, and she thought short sleeves marked him as something different when they went out. Seemed a bit bulky and unnecessary, but he wore it to please her.
He rubbed his forehead at the thought.
To please her.
What the hell had happened to him?
“What do you want, Theo?” he asked as he watched the sun getting low on the horizon. They weren’t in the heart of the downtown core of the city here. More like the outskirts. There wasn’t much to see other than trees and roads and sky. Below him, in the parking lot, the streetlights flickered on.