Lucifer's Bride [Complete]

53

    I look at Kerion again. "Once he did notice there's something wrong with me, do you think Lucifer would know where to look first?"

He nods. "Lucifer's had a few demon women chase after him, but Leyna's been the most aggressive. If he ever though someone's messed with his queen, he'd chase her down first."

My twisted gut has relaxed itself a bit. I've got a few safeguards on my side until I can get my body back, and Lucifer is far too intelligent to be fooled by Leyna's charade for very long. Once I catch her and get my old self back, I'll beat the shit out of her and toss her to Lucifer. But I have to hurry. Leyna must know I've awakened and figured out what happened. She knows I'm gunning for her, so she'll be trying to make the first move before I have a chance to kill her.

Silently, I shudder to think what will happen to her once she's been found out.

Behind me, Kerion sighs. "This isn't working. They should have left by now."

He's right. The hall is still swarming with demons. It should be barren by now, but they're staying for some reason and it's making me nervous. I shift on my feet, my gut twisting in anticipation of being discovered.

Kerion sighs again and inches forward, gently brushing against my arm as he crawls forward. "Come. We don't have time to wait for them to leave. There's obviously something keeping them here, and we'll never get your body back in time if we try to wait them out."

I freeze and stare at him. "I have to go out there?"

He nods. "I'm afraid so, your highness."

On cue, my stomach completes another back flip. "But what if someone notices that I'm not..."

He turns to look at me. There's a smile in his eyes that clams me a bit. "Leyna might be overly-ambitious, but she's smart enough to know her place when the time comes. She's still in training to become a full-fledged temptress, and all training succubae hold their gazes down when walking through the halls. Until they graduate to the likes of Babylon's whore, they're not allowed to make eye contact with higher ranking demons."

"Oh." I give a relieved sigh. If keeping my head down and my mouth shut will keep my alive, then that's a task I can easily accomplish.

"Just keep your head down and speak only when spoken to. You'll be fine."

Cautiously, he steps forward, barely stepping one slender leg into the mass of demons. He looks back at me and nods, ordering me to follow. I nod and take a deep breath, ducking my head and pulling an invisible zipper across my mouth. Kerion nods one last time and steps out into the crowded hall. I race after hum, bursting into the main corridor and instantly overcome by the noise.

Everyone is talking, and I can't make heads or tails of who's saying what. I shake off my momentary confusion and step up behind Kerion as he makes his way down the hall. I stay right behind him, staring at the marble floor as I follow Kerion through the crowd. He's obviously got some respect in this world; the demons that see him coming step out of the way and smile at him. Their smiles fade to frowns when I pass by, but I'm relieved to know they're not angry at me. It's Leyna they hate -- I'm just wearing her skin.

"Kerion," I risk a whisper. "Where are we going?"

"To Lilith. She's the only one that can help us."

I nearly screech to a halt. Lilith? She's going to help me? I hold back a burst of laughter. Lilith would never help me! She hates me too much to care about what happened with Leyna. With my luck, she probably planned the whole thing.

I scowl at the ground, seething that we have to ask Lilith for help. I'm honestly a little upset with Kerion, even though I know he has my best interests at heart. I don't want to see Lilith. Once we tell her what happened, she'll probably laugh at me, or attack me or-

"Kerion!"

A deep booming voice startles me. I glance up to see Belphagor rumbling towards us. He's bigger than I'd ever imagined him being, though I've only seen him sitting down at dinner. His ebony wings -- or what's left of them -- are folded against his back, his bright green eyes trained happily on the old spider.

"Where are you clambering off to?" He walks over and claps an enormous hand of Kerion's abdomen.

"Leyna and I have business with Lilith." Kerion sounds genuinely happy to see Belphagor. The two of them must go back a long time.

Belphagor's eyes flick to me and widen a bit. "What does Lilith want with her?"

"Nothing. We want to see Lilith?"

A burst of laughter rolls from the demon's mouth. "Why are you visiting that old crone? You may be one of the oldest of us here, old spider, but she's not going to pay you any respect."

Kerion nods. "Yes, I know. I'm used to her outlandish behavior. I wouldn't expect anything more from that spoiled brat. I do wish the master would put her in her place every once in a while."

A broad smile crosses Belphagor's lips. "He did! The bitch was fool enough to insult the queen. Lucifer nearly tore her head off! She scampered away as soon as dinner was over."

My stomach does a front flip this time. So the look of horror I saw on Lilith's face was real. My husband probably erupted at her for trying to tear me down. And by what I'm hearing, he scared the shit out of her. I smile to myself. It's nice to know I have a husband, fallen though he may be, who will defend me instead of letting the insults fly.

"Though, I'll admit, Lucifer didn't do all the work."

Kerion's eyes widen a bit in surprise. "How so?"

Belphagor's smile widens an inch. "The queen held her ground just fine. She was calm the entire way through, but she verbally scratched Lilith's face off. She's human, but she's a strong one. And that chest! I swear, old man, you could recite Shakespeare off that balcony!"

Pride bubbles to the surface. So Belphagor sees me as strong and sexy. Good, that means I've made a notable first-impression on the angel. My mix of politeness and strength has served me well. I hold back my smile, staring at the ground as the two males continue their talk.

"So, why is it you want to see Lilith?"