Devilish Mate

15

I got out of the car, but held up a hand when Zel started to follow me. “I need a moment in there alone. Please.”

She huffed and looked like she might argue, but then said, “Fine. I’ll be right outside though.”

With a deep breath, I approached the front door. The place was closed and empty, the windows still displaying jack-o-lanterns and other Halloween decor, even though it was days past the holiday. We should have moved on to Thanksgiving preparations already, but there was no sign of Maggie, who was supposed to have been running the place for me in my absence.

I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door before walking inside. The shop smelled musty, like greenery that was giving up, like death was already taking some of my beloved plants. They all needed tending, and it broke my heart to see them in such a state. Petals were starting to curl, and leaves drooped and had lost their shine. I sighed, knowing this was my fault. I hadn’t been the most attentive boss while in Las Vegas, especially with everything going on, and it’s not like I paid Maggie much either. It had probably gotten to be too much for her, and I couldn’t blame her for walking away.

It didn’t matter now anyway. The shop was another lie. My parents had never owned this place. They weren’t even real. For the last five years, I’d kept the business going out of loyalty to their memory and a desire to keep their legacy alive, but it was all another of Jophiel’s fabrications.

The shop hadn’t ever made a lot of money, but I’d worked so hard to keep it going. And for what? In the grand scheme of things, what had been the point? Oh, the work was enjoyable, sure. I loved dealing with plants, and seeing the joy and beauty that flowers could bring to the world. How could I not, when I was the reincarnation of Persephone? But I’d always wanted more. I’d always known, deep down, that my life was meant for bigger things than running a small flower shop.

I filled a can with water and began giving the plants a drink, talking to them as I went, reassuring them they’d be okay. They’d have some water and perk right back up in no time. I touched a leaf here and there as I passed, willing it to grow strong again. I breathed in the scent of the roses, and smiled faintly at the bright daffodils as I walked through the place I used to call mine.

I was deep in the back row of plants when the bell chimed to announce that someone had come in the front door. “Zel, I said wait outside.”

Nobody answered, and I paused. Zel would have shot back a mouthful of attitude, and she would have stopped anyone who was a threat. s**t, what if it was a customer? I sucked in a deep breath and tried to put a pleasant expression on my face as I walked toward the front of the shop. But then I spotted him through the rows of greenery.

Lucifer.

He wore a crisp black suit and a white shirt with the collar unbuttoned, radiating s*x, power, and dominance with every step he took toward me. My emotions warred inside me. Seeing him again was torture now, with the knowledge of what he’d done, along with all my recovered memories. But I’d missed him too. Of course I did. How could I not? He was my mate. We were bound together for all eternity...like it or not.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice as even as I could manage.

“I allowed you to leave Las Vegas,” he said as he stalked toward me. “But you’ve been gone far too long. It’s time you return home with me.”

His arrogant, commanding tone immediately annoyed me. I put my hands on my hips as I stood my ground against him. “And if I won’t go?”

A dark smile crossed his sensual lips. “Then I’ll make you come. In both senses of the word. Should I get the handcuffs? That could be fun.”

“You’re impossible,” I muttered, as I tried to ignore the erotic thoughts his words brought to mind. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His smile dropped and his green eyes burned with dark power. “You belong by my side. You’re my mate. My queen. My wife.”

“We are not married!” I blurted out.

“Oh, yes we are. I know you went to see Jophiel, and she must have given you your memories back. Surely you remember our hasty wedding with Samael as our officiant, done at your request after we discovered you were pregnant. I thought the whole thing was silly—angels and demons tend not to bother with the marriage thing—but you insisted. I assumed it was an eccentricity from all the lives you spent as a human.”

Shit. I remembered that now that he’d brought it up. We’d had the private ceremony at his palace in Hell, and he’d chuckled at me for wearing a white dress and insisting on a bouquet of flowers. I’d wanted the whole human ceremony because I was just so happy about the pregnancy and so head over heels in love with Lucifer. With our relationship forbidden and secret, I wanted some way to make it feel official before our daughter was born. Samael had married us outside in a private garden, under the endless stars, and for a short time everything had seemed perfect.

But I also remembered something else. Seeing Gadreel poke his head into the garden, looking for Samael, then apologizing profusely for interrupting us. That’s when he found me. And only a few weeks later, he killed me...and our daughter.

I couldn’t even reply to Lucifer, because the memory of our wedding only brought back pain now. What once had been a joyous day only reminded me of everything we’d lost. My face crumpled and I turned away, covering my eyes with my hands to try to stop the tears from escaping.