Of Light And Shadows

Chapter Twenty...

"Come in," was the answer to Jia's knock on the wooden door of the study. She pushed it open and stepped inside to find Lucifer at his desk writing in the ledger. The curtains behind him were open and Jia saw angry red clouds roiling outside for a moment before she returned her attention to him. Her ribs had healed several days ago and for the first time in a long time she was completely free of pain and bruising. She was even gaining some weight.

"That's my job," she said, nodding at the accounts book in his hand.

"You've been in classes all day. I thought you'd appreciate a break."

"I think you're the one that needs a break. Since saving my mum I've hardly seen you. What have you been doing?"

"I've been searching for Abaddon in between running the academy and remembering to go to sleep. I can't find him in the human world which leads me to believe he's here somewhere. The problem is that I can't trace an individual Demon here because there's so much dark energy in the air."

"So we've lost him?"

"For now, unfortunately." He looked away from the ledger and set the pen down, rising from his seat to walk around the desk and lean against it before folding his arms across his chest. The change of position brought him close enough to her that she could smell his cologne. "Is something wrong?"

"I was wondering if you had any updates on Evan, actually," she said sheepishly.

"And there was me hoping you'd just come for my company," he teased. "Evan is doing well. He's almost to the point where the realm itself will sustain him without the need for blood. When he reaches that point he should be able to have his first visitor."

"When do you think that will be?"

"In the next few days, I should imagine." Jia's heart lifted as she smiled.

"That's really great news."

"Will you answer me a question?" There was an odd look in his eyes as he watched the changes in her expression. As always he looked immaculate in a suit of deepest black, this time with a purple shirt. Somehow the colour made the red of his eyes seem almost incandescent.

"Of course," she replied.

"You said Evan had a human girlfriend, yes?"

"He does. She's called Hannah."

"If he's with someone else why does your face light up when you talk about him?" The question caught her off guard. She blinked a few times before she was able to speak, her cheeks burning fiercely.

"I care about him," she mumbled. "He's my best friend." Lucifer's eyes never left her face and it only served to make her blush even worse. "Maybe I had a slight crush on him at some point." In truth, she hadn't thought about her attraction to Evander at all since returning to the Demonic Realm. She had liked him in the human world but she'd been so consumed by seeing the Demon brothers again and Evan being turned into a Vampire that it hadn't even crossed her mind.

"I suspected as much."

"Why do you ask?" She twisted the hem of her jumper in her hands awkwardly.

"A few reasons. The first of them being curiosity, the second being concern for your physical safety if you were to enter into a relationship with a Vampire." He looked like he wanted to say more but he didn't continue.

"And what's the other reason?" she pressed.

"I don't want to see you hurt if he chooses someone else." He spoke softly, a small ridge forming between his eyebrows.

"What makes you think it's even a choice?" she asked. "He's been with Hannah for years. There's no reason for me to get hurt over it because I'm not asking him to pick me."