The Devil's Lover: The Wish (7 page)

"I was informed about your situation.
You were orphaned and currently don’t have a solid place to live,”
Lucifer noticed she lightly flinched when he touched upon that sore
spot. "I want to be an option.”

“
Is that supposed to be an
insult to me?” Chevalier shouted. The volume of his voice disturbed
the other diners around them. Hana quickly tugged him back down
into his seat.

She stood frozen for a long moment,
searching Lucien’s eyes for sincerity. "You’re willing to take me
in?"

"Isn't that romantic, Kali!" Hana
gasped. She picked the key up from the floor and placed it into her
hand. "He's proposing!"

Kali stared at the key in her hand and
then looked to Lucifer again.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Hana
said. "I’ve been worried lately.”
"You have?" Kali hadn’t realized Hana was uncomfortable.

"They were starting to talk at school,
about you staying at my boyfriend's place," Hana sighed. "I know
there are nothing between you two, but when they talked behind my
back, it really bothered me.”

"Give him back his key," Chevalier
said. His voice demanded that she obey.

When she looked back at him, he had
closed his hands into tight fists. He saw the decision forming in
her eyes. "Kali, no! Give him back his key! For God's sake, you
barely know him!"

"I think you should stay out of their
affairs, Chevalier. She's allowed to make her own choice, right?”
Hana placed a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly brushed it
aside.

"This is nonsense!" He protested. "You
already have a home!"

"I think," Kali looked to Hana before
answering, "...I will take Lucien up on his offer.”

With a low growl in his throat,
Chevalier stormed out of the restaurant.

†††††

Kali returned to the apartment to pack
up her things. She left the luggage in the hallway along with a box
of her grandmother’s things that she haven’t had the chance to open
yet. She took in a deep breath then exhaled before she went to the
living room where she knew Chevalier was waiting for
her.

He sat on the floor, cleaning parts
for his motorcycle. He merely glanced at her when she came out of
the bedroom. “Are you really leaving?” he asked once
again.

“
Yeah,” Kali replied.
“Lucien will pick me up in a little bit.”

“
You don’t have to go, you
know,” he said in a reserved tone. "This is your home.”

"For how long?"

"What?” he was stunned by her sense of
doubt. "For as long as I live, that's how long!"

"What about when you find the one you
love and decide to get married?” she asked. "Are you going to slave
away to support a wife and a girl who’s barely related to
you?"

"It won't always be this way. I’ll be
able to provide better for you.”

"That was never what it’s about!" she
found herself shouting at him. She knelt down next to
him.

He closed his eyes for a moment. “Why
do you keep pretending you don’t know how I feel? That’s cruel,
Kali.”

“
I don’t know what to tell
you,” she whispered.

“
I can accept that you
don’t love me. I can even accept the fact that you’re with another
man but…” he paused and pulled her close, “I just can’t accept him
taking you away from me so soon.”

“
Chevalier…”

He wrapped his arms around her
shoulders, burying his face on the side of her neck. "How long are
you going to keep pretending like you don't know how I feel?” he
asked softly. "What it is that he can give you that I can’t? Why
can't it be me, Kali?"

She leaned back against him. “To me…
you’re like an older brother, and more importantly, you’re the only
true friend I have. I never wanted to think about you romantically.
There were always so many women that the thought of being with you
is frightening. I don't want to be one of those women.”

"And you will never be," he assured
her. He turned her around, caressing her face with his fingers to
force her to look at him. Her sooty eyelashes lifted from her
large, honey-glazed eyes. "But no matter what I say or tell you,
you won’t change your mind. You don’t have any faith in me, so I’ll
let you go. I’ll go on being your brother and friend while you look
for happiness elsewhere. But when you can’t find what you’re
searching for, promise that you’ll return to me and let me play the
role that I’ve never been allowed to have.”

Lucifer had been observing them from
the roof of the adjacent building.

“
What is your verdict,
Lord Lucifer?” Soren asked when he saw the displeased look in
Lucifer’s eyes.

“
He must die.”

Soren nodded obediently.

Chapter 7:
Taken

It was too big of a place for one
person. The house was so delightfully decorated with sophisticated
art and ornamentation. From the detailed trimming of the interior
design to the robust fireplace, everything had its perfect place.
She hadn’t realized Lucien was from a wealthy family. Well, that
may not be precisely true, since everyone attending her school was
either rich or famous. She should have known before.

Kali dropped her heavy suitcase in the
front foyer. She looked around the house again and began
second-guessing whether she had made the wrong choice. She even
felt more out of place when a very handsome young man with pale
green eyes approached and dipped his head to her. Even though he
lowered his head as part of his duty, something just didn’t feel
right.

  “
I am Soren,” he
introduced himself. His voice was beautiful, dry, and cold. It
confirmed her suspicions. When he lifted his head again, a small
gasp caught in her throat. Fear was creeping up her spine and she
didn’t know why.

 “
This way, my lady,”
he directed her with the smooth motion of his arm. As she followed
his motion, she felt his eyes following her. She turned around when
she could no longer hear his footsteps, and saw him standing in
front of a gilded double door. He pushed them open and stood to one
side, inviting her in to the spacious bedroom the door
guarded. 

“
Will I be staying here?”
she asked in a soft voice.

“
Master Lucien,” he paused
when the words rolled off of his tongue unnaturally, “will be with
you shortly. I will send for tea while you wait.”

“
Yes…thank
you.”  

Kali seated herself in the lounge area
of the bedroom, finding the couch a bit stiff and uncomfortable. It
was a brief wait before a very young and attractive maid came to
serve the tea. She placed the large silver tray, which was filled
with exquisite pastries along with other accessories of tea, on the
table. With a curtsy, the maid left her alone.

She felt shy, but the cream and fruit
on the pastries were tempting. She hadn’t had breakfast yet, and
didn’t know how long she would need to wait. She reached out for a
strawberry muffin and took a bite.

“
Do you like it?” his
voice startled her, and she choked a little on the
muffin.

“
Yes, it’s very good,” she
managed to reply. “Lucien, maybe this wasn’t a good
idea.”

“
Just focus on the reasons
you decided to take my offer in the first place.”

She lowered her eyes to hide her
doubt. “Can this really be my home?” she asked.

“
It will be as long as you
want it to be,” he promised. “Feel free to give the servants
orders. I’ll be back later tonight,” he said, and exited the
room.

Kali decided to take the time to
become familiar with her new room. The bed must be at least twice
the size of her previous one, and the satin sheets were like cool
butter against her skin. Giggling for a moment, she threw herself
down on the bed, and then turned onto her side to inspect the room
from this angle. She didn’t like how close the tall windows were to
the bed. She never liked waking up with the sun in her eyes, but
some thick curtains or draperies would fix the problem. The design
of the furniture was unique. She had never seen the style before,
but they were certainly aesthetically pleasing. Her eyes wandered
to different parts of the room with little opinions here and there,
and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

Kali woke up to the sound of running
water. She found that opening her eyes was a chore her body wasn’t
prepared for, and her eyelids slowly fluttered open with much
effort. Someone was taking a shower in the bathroom connected to
her room. She looked out the windows to see the sun had just set
over the hills. She had told herself she was going to get
acquainted with the staff while he was away, but she had carelessly
fallen asleep. That couldn’t be a good first impression. She
quickly slipped off the bed and seated herself in the seating area.
She realized that talking to him from the bed was too inviting and
may give him the wrong ideas.

Lucien opened the door. He had just
gotten out of the shower. Little droplets of water fell from his
beautiful dark hair. His white dress shirt was improperly buttoned,
showing a preview of his lean chest. She wondered if he didn’t
realize it or had never buttoned a shirt before. He was drying his
hair with a towel. His blue eyes stood out even when they were
covered by his hair and hidden beneath his long lashes. Kali found
herself flustered at the sight of him.

“
I’m sorry,” she said as
he approached her. She covered her face with her hands so he
wouldn’t see her blush.

He grinned. “Would you like some
water?"

“
No, that’s
okay.”

“
Are you sure?” he held
her wrists in his hands and moved them away from her face. “You
look like you need a glass.”

“
You’re so different than
before,” she swallowed softly. “You look different, and the way you
talk is different, and your voice…” she looked down when she
realized she was stuttering. “What am I saying?”

“
This is who I am,” he
said, his voice husky. He was on his knees in front of the
sofa.  His hands rested on her lap.

“
I don't know who is the
real you anymore. I'm really confused.”

“
There is much time to
learn,” he brought his lips closer to hers, allowing her time to
stop him. When she did not push him away, he kissed her. Kali
closed her eyes. The scent on his body was so intoxicating it felt
like a drug to her senses. His lips were so soft against hers. He
rose up and forward, making her lean back against the
sofa.

Lucien broke the kiss and licked her
upper lip. His hands were around her tiny waist. He gave her little
kisses on her neck at first. Then he sucked on her flesh, nibbling
on it until it left a deep red mark. He was satisfied with how it
looked on her. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. He
unbuttoned her shirt with his left hand and placed a kiss above her
breast.

“
No,” she protested in
soft murmurs.

He closed his mouth over her breast,
which were rising and falling unevenly with her breath. Her bra was
in the way, so he unhooked it from behind and lifted it up. He
cupped his hand over her full breast.

She thought she would die from
embarrassment, and found herself with her hands covering her face.
The feeling of his lips, his tongue and his warm breath on her
flesh was almost unbearable.

"This is happening too fast,” she
managed to say. “Lucien...aren't we moving too fast for a couple
who just began to-”

"After so many years have passed,
you'll find that time is meaningless,” he said with a husky and
seductive voice. "As for things that were meant to be, time is
irrelevant.”

"I was thinking... if we could
actually love each other before we do something like
this.”

"But you will love me, Kali,” he
assured her. The tone of his voice was both firm and confident. She
felt even more intoxicated by his soothing voice. "You will love me
with your body, with your heart, and with your soul,” he placed a
hand on her coral cheeks. The stare of his beautiful blue eyes
rendered her speechless. "And I will work on those things exactly
in that order.”

†††††

Kali awakened alone on a white linen
bed. She sat up slowly, feeling an aching in her body below her
abdomen. The guilt quickly washed over her, biting into her
conscience.

What had she done? She asked herself.
It wasn't like her at all! She had acted like she was drunk, but
she hadn't even had one drop of alcohol. She couldn't think
straight. She couldn't say no. She mentally slapped herself as
punishment to relieve her conscience, but to no avail. Perhaps a
shower would clear her head.

She grabbed the thin layer of linen
sheet and wrapped it around her before she left the bed. With the
first step, she almost collapsed onto the ground.  She turned
to the bed to find dried blood stains on the sheets. Oh no, she
said to herself. If Lucien finds this when he returns...

She stood up, grabbed the sheet, and
left the room to wash up. She returned when her cell phone rang in
her bag. She sort through the bag and picked up the
call.