Thin, white vapor trails rose out of the flaming trees and spiraled into the clouds. “Where are they going?”
“If the people are already dead, Heaven. If not, they’re headed back to the land of the living and the bodies they were taken from.”
Lightning broke like mirror shards from the sky, aiming at the black wings as they swept by overhead. There was the flash of a large body, then more fire. A booming sound erupted from the clouds, voice-like, but nonsensical. At least to me. It echoed down from the heavens, loud but muffled to my ears.
All I knew was that it didn’t belong to Lucifer.
His reply, however, came a second later, his words sending reassurance through me. “I will never give her up.”
Rain gushed from the clouds. The wind rose, driving sheets of water at us.
In response, the black wings beat three times in rapid succession. Luc sent a wave of fire and sulfur-smelling brimstone to meet the driving rain and the two elements collided like warriors on a battlefield.
The second they met, the rain sizzled, popped and…evaporated in front of my eyes.
No more followed. The heavens grew quiet. The clouds lifted and the fog fell back to the edges of the landscape.
Battle won. Point to the Devil.
Zayfeer, Nikita and I watched as the last of the forest burned to a crisp. All but the center tree. “What about my mother’s soul?”
Zayfeer and Nikita exchanged a look. Z shrugged. “Like I said, that one’s nonnegotiable.”
Chapter Twenty-one – Is That A Dragon In Your Pocket?
When Lucifer emerged from the flames and heavy smoke, he was the dragon I’d seen in the painting. Magnificent. Enormous.
Beautiful beyond words.
The scales of his dragon skin reflected the still-burning flames of the forest. His wings, with their fiery tips elongated to the finest of points, quivered with magic. He moved on four massive legs, the muscles rippling and flexing as he stalked me. His long, thick tail swung in arcs, decimating anything in its path.
As he drew closer, I noticed dozens of sigils tattooed on his dragon body. Symbols I didn’t understand but didn’t need to in order to appreciate their significance and splendor. They glowed with an internal light, as if hundreds of lightning bugs danced under Luc’s skin.
Zayfeer and Nikita went to their knees, bowing their heads as he approached. I stood mesmerized, the need to touch him, to stroke those glowing sigils and fire-tipped wings so strong I could hardly keep myself from running to meet him.
His massive head hung low and smoke blew out his nostrils. He stopped several feet away. A set of horns decorated the corners of his skull. His eyes…so dark and unfathomable…searched my face, a question in their depths.
A question I didn’t understand. I opened my mind, hoping at least to hear his voice there, but all I heard was the memory of Zayfeer saying, “…slay the dragon.”
I shook my head. Not on my life.
Another snort of smoke and the dragon blinked, waiting, watching me.
My god, I love you.
The thought wiped out Zayfeer’s voice, wiped out my fear. Fierce beast, fallen angel, wicked human…every one of Lucifer’s incarnations was like the rich, dark chocolate I craved every day.
Slowly, I reached out a hand. Reached for his long nose and broad forehead like he was a skittish horse. Anticipation expanded in my stomach, at once heavy and light. My head warned against touching him. My heart urged me on.
He tilted his head and tensed, but held still, waiting…waiting…
The scales were hot as coals. I expected them to be slick and reptilian, but instead they were soft as rose petals. Where my cool fingers made contact, steam rose.
At my touch, his body shivered.
I stroked his nose, looked into his eyes. Magic tickled my senses. His, mine, and a soft, misty layer that lingered in the air from the battle. The dragon heaved a great sigh, releasing it in a slow, heavy stream as he closed his eyes. Relief?
Before I could decide, he dropped at my feet, all two tons of him. His massive bulk quivered as he hit. The ground shook.
“Luc!”
I fell to my knees near his head and rubbed his neck. Everywhere I touched him, our magics sparked, creating a glistening black light that trailed from my fingers. His breath came in gasps, the sigils on his body burning with their weird internal luminosity.
“What’s wrong with him?” I demanded of Zayfeer. “Is he hurt?”
The fallen angel stood several feet away, Nikita by his side. His face was grim, but not overly concerned. “It’s the change. He’ll be back to normal in a minute.”
The dragon’s body seized, going rigid and taut from nose to tail. The wings folded and shrank, drawing into his back. The horns retracted. Bones snapped. I flinched at the brutal sound.