he’s left behind.
“To go back to where she belongs.”
I snort. “Who’s to say where anyone belongs? Grace was
the most Angelic person I’ve ever met, and now look at her.”
Noah stands, gathering me back toward him, but when I
lift my face for another makeout session, I meet an expression so hard it could
be made of stone.
“What do you mean, ‘now look at her’?” he asks, grip
tightening on my arms. It doesn’t hurt, but I’m not slipping away easily.
I cock my head, not sure yet how I feel about this
version of Noah. It’s exciting, but a little too close to the person I worry
he’ll become. And now he has power over me, a fact that won’t seem to stop
bothering me. “Are you sure the Boss isn’t listening?” I ask in a whisper.
“I know when he’s here,” Noah says, glancing at his
closet. “I can’t explain it, but it’s like the blood in my veins pumps harder.
It doesn’t hurt…more like a weird feeling. So tell me.”
I nod and answer his question about Grace. “She’s
taken every bite of bait Lucifer’s set out for her. She hasn’t fought or struggled
as far as I can tell; all it takes is a tiny bit of torture and she just reasons
it away like every other unlucky SOB I’ve ever corrupted.”
Noah seems to realize he’s gripping me too tightly and
immediately pulls me into a much more comfortable position. I sigh, burying my
face against the contours of his chest until I find his heartbeat.
“Why is Lucifer doing that? Is he trying to impress me
by making her do things she doesn’t want to do? I already told him I wasn’t
interested in having her as a servant.” His voice vibrates against my cheek as
I listen, pressed against him.
“I think he truly wants revenge. He says he never
forgets a transgression, and she beat him once. You don’t best the Devil and
get away with it. It’s a cold, hard fact, Noah. Which is why I worry when you
do stuff like demand things from Lucifer that you know he doesn’t want to
give.”
“Baby, you aren’t a thing .” He dips me, making
me squeal, and grins an adorable grin that makes my heart rate triple. “And
this is different. I am Lucifer’s equal. In fact, I think I’m the slightly
better, more modern version. Don’t you agree?”
The words frighten me, but I let a giggle escape
anyway. Maybe it’s the way he wiggles his eyebrows. “Yeah,” I breathe. “Yeah,
you’re definitely the better model. Just don’t make me admit that to him .”
I can’t admit to Noah that, as much as I care about him, he’s no match for
Lucifer.
Noah scoops me into his arms and carries me to the
couch while I kiss him deeply, but my mind winds back to Grace and how I left
her to deal with Randy. I try to shake her out of my thoughts while Noah works
his mouth down my stomach, but I remember what Lucifer wants of her, and it
isn’t just to help him con the casino. I know Lucifer—he wants to break
her completely, and the best way to do that is to make her cheat on Josh. I
can’t help but imagine her face; so pale and innocent when I first met her with
Josh in the library.
Damn it! Focus, Keira. I’ve been waiting for this
since we were interrupted by the little Angel herself. But as Noah kisses each
of my fingertips, I recall the burnt flesh of my finger and how Grace healed me,
and I remember how she’s grown on me.
I push away from Noah and sit up on the bed feeling
like I’m going to puke.
“You okay?” he asks, sitting beside me, all concerned.
“Yeah. It’s just… I’ve never felt this before, but I
don’t like it.” I can’t name the emotion and that bothers me even more.
Noah presses a palm against my forehead, like he’s
afraid I’m ill. Demons can’t get sick, but I sure feel like it. I’m still
nauseous. I pull a pillow over to hug.
“What happened?” he asks, so sincerely concerned it
makes normally pleasant butterflies flutter around amid all the chaos in my
stomach.
“I was thinking about what
“To go back to where she belongs.”
I snort. “Who’s to say where anyone belongs? Grace was
the most Angelic person I’ve ever met, and now look at her.”
Noah stands, gathering me back toward him, but when I
lift my face for another makeout session, I meet an expression so hard it could
be made of stone.
“What do you mean, ‘now look at her’?” he asks, grip
tightening on my arms. It doesn’t hurt, but I’m not slipping away easily.
I cock my head, not sure yet how I feel about this
version of Noah. It’s exciting, but a little too close to the person I worry
he’ll become. And now he has power over me, a fact that won’t seem to stop
bothering me. “Are you sure the Boss isn’t listening?” I ask in a whisper.
“I know when he’s here,” Noah says, glancing at his
closet. “I can’t explain it, but it’s like the blood in my veins pumps harder.
It doesn’t hurt…more like a weird feeling. So tell me.”
I nod and answer his question about Grace. “She’s
taken every bite of bait Lucifer’s set out for her. She hasn’t fought or struggled
as far as I can tell; all it takes is a tiny bit of torture and she just reasons
it away like every other unlucky SOB I’ve ever corrupted.”
Noah seems to realize he’s gripping me too tightly and
immediately pulls me into a much more comfortable position. I sigh, burying my
face against the contours of his chest until I find his heartbeat.
“Why is Lucifer doing that? Is he trying to impress me
by making her do things she doesn’t want to do? I already told him I wasn’t
interested in having her as a servant.” His voice vibrates against my cheek as
I listen, pressed against him.
“I think he truly wants revenge. He says he never
forgets a transgression, and she beat him once. You don’t best the Devil and
get away with it. It’s a cold, hard fact, Noah. Which is why I worry when you
do stuff like demand things from Lucifer that you know he doesn’t want to
give.”
“Baby, you aren’t a thing .” He dips me, making
me squeal, and grins an adorable grin that makes my heart rate triple. “And
this is different. I am Lucifer’s equal. In fact, I think I’m the slightly
better, more modern version. Don’t you agree?”
The words frighten me, but I let a giggle escape
anyway. Maybe it’s the way he wiggles his eyebrows. “Yeah,” I breathe. “Yeah,
you’re definitely the better model. Just don’t make me admit that to him .”
I can’t admit to Noah that, as much as I care about him, he’s no match for
Lucifer.
Noah scoops me into his arms and carries me to the
couch while I kiss him deeply, but my mind winds back to Grace and how I left
her to deal with Randy. I try to shake her out of my thoughts while Noah works
his mouth down my stomach, but I remember what Lucifer wants of her, and it
isn’t just to help him con the casino. I know Lucifer—he wants to break
her completely, and the best way to do that is to make her cheat on Josh. I
can’t help but imagine her face; so pale and innocent when I first met her with
Josh in the library.
Damn it! Focus, Keira. I’ve been waiting for this
since we were interrupted by the little Angel herself. But as Noah kisses each
of my fingertips, I recall the burnt flesh of my finger and how Grace healed me,
and I remember how she’s grown on me.
I push away from Noah and sit up on the bed feeling
like I’m going to puke.
“You okay?” he asks, sitting beside me, all concerned.
“Yeah. It’s just… I’ve never felt this before, but I
don’t like it.” I can’t name the emotion and that bothers me even more.
Noah presses a palm against my forehead, like he’s
afraid I’m ill. Demons can’t get sick, but I sure feel like it. I’m still
nauseous. I pull a pillow over to hug.
“What happened?” he asks, so sincerely concerned it
makes normally pleasant butterflies flutter around amid all the chaos in my
stomach.
“I was thinking about what
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