Game Master
Author: Scarlett Dawn
Date: 2016-06-18 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Romance; Paranormal; Fae; Paranormal Romance; Novella; New Adult; Short Stories; Humor; Adult
Description: Skeleton Key Book Series One Skeleton Key. Endless Adventures. Arizona Creed lost her assassin father, and her whole world changed. Literally. With one magical skeleton key, Arizona lands in another realm. Forget Earth. Terlant is the place to be. And Lucifer wants her there, the dashing man with no last name and more secrets than even she has. But love isn’t always enough. Arizona must find purpose in her new life. The Royal Guard could give Lucifer and Arizona what they desire. They only need to pass two tests to win the Game and enter the elite Guard. But is her real test to open her heart

The Game Master
Copyright 2016 Scarlett Dawn

First Edition

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of these publications may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the Author. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Cover by J.M. Rising Horse Creations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Gargoyle

King Hall

Blood Tree: Silver Edition

The bastards were watching me. They were there. Shadows peeking from behind the trees.

I didn’t give a damn.

Silently, I squatted and placed one red rose on the manicured grass of my father’s grave. The chilly breeze brushed my red curls across the side of my face. I didn’t push them away, allowing a stray curl to tickle my chin. Under the clouded night sky, I rested my hand on my father’s cold gravestone and traced his name with the tip of my right index finger.

Brandon Creed.

I wouldn’t cry.

Not here. Never in front of my father’s killers.

Weakness wasn’t a sentiment I could afford.

“Goodbye,” I whispered.

I exhaled slowly, lifted from my crouch, and looped my thumbs into the straps of my backpack. I turned into the nightfall, the ground sporadically highlighted as clouds traveled below the moon. The area was uneven, grass and tree roots meant to trip, but I walked deftly through the graveyard, sidestepping random gravestones on the hike to my truck.

Keeping my body language straight on my destination, my gaze darted to the right, keeping a close eye on the shadows moving through the treeline. They were good, some of the best actually, but my father had trained me. They had only gotten lucky when they killed him—three assassins versus one.

I was an assassin’s daughter.

The stalking assholes had taken my father out—one shot to the back of the head—in the lone bathroom at our local gas station. It was a coward’s shot.

My father had been the best. He’d deserved a real fight.

I needed to regroup, go to one of our safe homes off the grid. Plan my strategy. I’d seen their faces. Hell, I’d even had dinner with one of the bastards a few times in our home. And these men wanted to take me out—permanently—but not before they decided if I had talked to anyone.

Tossing my backpack into my truck, I hopped inside and started it. I peeked in my rearview mirror and snorted quietly. The shadows were racing to the black sedan under two large oak trees near the edge of the property. It was evident they only thought me a typical eighteen-year-old girl. My father had always told me to play the part when his friends were over, not who I really was—an eighteen-year-old who was trained in martial arts, weaponry, and surveillance.

So, I had.

It was a benefit now. “Thank you, Father.”

I put my truck into gear, turned my lights on, and pulled my backpack closer to me before driving over the gravel. My truck bumped along the rutted lane before it landed on the asphalt parking lot. Keeping my thoughts calm, I concentrated on the thin road leading to the exit, to the gate I’d broken earlier. The graveyard was closed at this hour, but it was appropriate to say my final good-bye in the dead of night—before I skipped town.

My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again, and my heart flew into my throat. They were tailing too close now. I jerked the wheel, barely missing a tree, bringing the tires back onto the asphalt. My eyes were wide on the headlights shining in the reflection of the mirror.

I swiftly yanked my gun out from under my shirt.

It was apparently time.

They’d watched all they needed to.

I glanced back to the road before I missed my turn onto the main thoroughfare. Using one hand, I took a right past the broken gates. I bore down as my truck bumped over the curb directly before an oncoming car. Ignoring the blare of their horn, I snuck another look into my rearview.

My grip tightened on my gun. I waited.

Clicked the safety off my gun.

My nostrils flared as I ran a red light.

They followed through. It was time.

That was enough for me. I yanked the wheel and took a hard right turn. I pointed my gun over the back of the bench seat and squeezed the trigger. The window shattered, and glass flew out onto the road and into the bed of my truck.

An alarm went off from the business I drove past, their windows breaking, the sound barely heard over the ringing in my ears from the report of my gun.

My gun was still pointed. The air rushed inside and rustled my hair. “Dammit.” I had missed.

I tried to reason this out, to think fast.

A mere beat ticked by.

There was no reasoning this out.

I yanked my gun back down to the seat and concentrated on the road. This wouldn’t be a joy ride now. I quickly jerked the wheel, swerving around a parked bus dropping riders off.

Grinding my teeth, I glanced into my rearview.

The black sedan was gaining.

Turning the wheel, I took a sharp right, deviating between two cars and putting space between my truck and the black sedan.

The black hair of the taxi cab driver I passed rustled in the wind my truck had created. Light poles zoomed by in my peripheral as I pressed down on the gas pedal. The pedestrians on the sidewalks became a blur. Traffic lights had no meaning. They were only objects running opposite which I had to evade.

I stuffed my gun back into its holster and grabbed the wheel with both hands. The rearview mirror no longer held the black sedan in its view. I was losing them. At the next turn, I slipped into an underground parking garage and stopped my truck behind a concrete partition.

I whimpered a few times. Banged my forehead against the steering wheel. It was time to ditch my cherished truck. The vehicle my father had bought me on my fifteenth birthday. I sighed heavily and shook my head vigorously.

It was just a material object.

Everything I actually needed my father had taught me.

It was all stored up in my mind like Christmas presents waiting to be unwrapped. Tiny, precious gifts. Each one used during a tragic circumstance of survival. Just to be stuffed back into their protective wrappings to use again when my luck ran dry.

I rotated my head on my shoulders and pressed on the gas pedal, heading toward the nearest parking space. I’d leave my truck here and walk on foot, hide in the shadows.

The black sedan shot into my view, swerving toward my truck.

“Shit!” I growled.

I slammed on the gas, determined to make the exit ahead on the right, but the assassins’ sedan was faster. It zoomed forward and cut me off right at the exit, Tboning my truck.

“Christ!” I shouted, slamming on my breaks, hearing the crunch of metal. There was no stopping it at this speed. My truck plowed into the back of a small car. My arms flew forward, a harsh grunt escaped my lips as my chest jerked against the constricting seatbelt and my air bag deployed. Smacked in the face with it, I sat stunned until I started coughing. A slight mist filled the air.

I blinked repeatedly. “Snap out of it, Arizona.”

I shoved the airbag down, throwing my truck into reverse. I slammed on the gas, seeing the three black-haired, black-attired assassins jumping out of the sedan. The barrels of their guns were pointed right at me.

I cursed profusely when my truck’s engine only revved, the grinding of metal harsh in the air. “Come on, come on.”

The bastards merely smiled as they stalked forward. I twisted the wheel right and left, trying to disentangle my truck from the wreckage. My tires squealed against the pavement, smoke blowing in the air followed by the smell of burnt tires.

Then it finally moved—like a broken toy. Two wheels were flat, chugging on the left side, but it moved. My chest hurt as my heart beat frantically, pumping against my breastbone as the assassins raced back to their sedan. I quickly released my gun from its holster and took aim.

I fired. Two shots.

Both shots hit true. Two of the men hit the concrete.

The one with small scar directly above his right eyebrow, the one I’d had dinner with multiple times, smiled, flashing his teeth. That guy enjoyed the chase. It was there in his hard eyes.

He was the one who had shot my father.

And now he understood I knew how to play.

I took aim on him. Zeroed right on his forehead.

Pulled the trigger, no fear in my heart.

No apology in my eyes. This was protection.

Not revenge. Never for revenge.

I wouldn’t slip that far down the black hole.

My father’s killer wasn’t fast enough.

He went down, too.

Sirens suddenly blared nearby, alerting a new situation.

“Argh!” I screamed and slammed my head back against the headrest. I wouldn’t be able to evade the police in a busted truck, and their sedan was just as wrecked.

Breathing heavily, my chin trembled the barest bit.

I couldn’t go to jail. The police wouldn’t see this as protection. They would call it a gang shooting or some crap.

My gun went back into its holster. I unbuckled, grabbed my backpack, and climbed out through the back window with care. Glass crunched beneath my boots as I walked across the bed of my truck. My gaze caught on a man peeking out from behind another concrete partition. My guess was he had called the police.

I climbed over the gate of my truck and jumped to the ground, my landing jarring my shins. I pulled one strap of my backpack over my right shoulder and raced in the opposite direction of the spying man. Cars and more cars. Until I saw a black door on my right. I veered to it.

The doorknob wouldn’t turn.

I glared and kicked the locked door.

However, my eyes caught on a shiny object on the ground. My brows puckered, and I bent to pick it up. It was a skeleton key made from thick glass. It had a skeleton head on the grip, and at the other end, there were two ‘teeth’ to unlock a door. It was only four inches long, but it had to weigh—at least—one pound.

My head cocked as I eyed the door in front of me.

The sirens were dangerously close.

I was running out of options.

The key fit into the lock on the first try.

I turned my wrist, and the lock clicked.

I heaved a sigh of relief and opened the door, hurrying through the bright opening. But when I tried to grab the key, it was no longer there. It had…disappeared.

“What the hell?”

I needed to hide, not search for a missing key.

I blinked and slammed the door closed. When I checked to see if it locked automatically, the knob wouldn’t turn. The door was locked, no one able to enter.

Too late I understood if this were a dead end, I wouldn’t be able to leave, either. My brows puckered, and I quickly turned around to see where in the garage I had landed.

Except I wasn’t in the garage.

I was standing on a covered porch.

And it was daytime.

I shook my head hard and scanned my surroundings again. I was on a porch. The sun was out, not the moon. There was a small, light brown dirt road in front of the…cottage’s…porch I was standing on.

I moved down the two steps, each wood plank creaking beneath my feet, and stopped right before the road. Brown dirt sprinkled the soles of my black boots. Across the road were trees. Lots and lots of trees. The brush was so thick I couldn’t see more than twenty feet through it.

I mumbled in awe, “This isn’t right.”

“Bad timing on your part, dear.”

I stopped moving. My head swiveled left and right, in an attempt to find the individual who had just spoken. But there was no one nearby. My brows furrowed as I cocked my head. While I couldn’t see anyone, there were people headed in my direction. I could hear shouts in the distance, all sounding as if they were frightened silly.

“Down here.”

The afternoon sun beat down on my forehead as I snapped my attention lower. I stared for a full minute. I couldn’t comprehend what I was viewing.

There was a tree stump about waist high to my right. On it sat a red frog. That frog had green moss wrapped around its lower section as if it were modest and wearing pants.

Its mouth opened. “I don’t blame you for staring. I am a handsome devil.”

My jaw dropped, and I took a quick step back.

The frog was talking. To me.

Had I hit my head trying to escape those goons?

“Are you a fly eating creature?” the frog asked, staring at my wide-open mouth. It sat back on its haunches and raised its front arms. The right one tapped on its cheek while it watched me. “I thought you were intelligent since you look like the rest of the humonas.”

My mouth bobbed. “I’m not trying to catch flies.”

I must have hit my head.

The frog’s lips curved up. It was smiling.

I stared. “You were making a joke, weren’t you?”

Its red head bobbed. “Yes. It helped, didn’t it?”

My brain was addled. “Actually, it did.” I stepped forward and squatted in front of the tree stump. My eyes were level with the talking frog. I eyed him closely, evaluating his very human nature. “Are you real?”

“You’re not hallucinating if that’s what you’re asking.” The frog used his right front arm again and pointed behind me. “You should really run. You couldn’t have arrived at a worse time.”

I tore my eyes from the frog and glanced over my shoulder. There were now people racing on the dirt road, headed our way. Their eyes were wide with terror, their old-era simple clothing stained with streaks of brown dirt. Some wore shoes and others wore only mud on their feet. There were about fifty of them.

I whispered, “Where am I?”

“You’ve landed in the country Terlant.” He tipped his head to the door. The front door to the rundown cottage. “A humona occasionally comes out of there, but the cottage has been vacant for years. And the door can’t be opened from this side. Not without the skeleton key.”

“Humona?” My attention snapped back to the frog. “Terlant?”

“Humona. Your kind.” Its head nodded. “And Terlant. In the realm of Baaz.”

I stared. The people were getting closer. “I’m not on Earth?” I lifted my hands and probed my head with my fingers. I didn’t feel any bumps from a fall. “Is this another joke you’re making?”

“I never joke about magic.”

“Magic?”

“Are you going to repeat everything I say?”

“Probably, until it makes sense.” A few racing individuals flew past me, their terror palpable. I watched as they ran as fast as they could, their chest pumping hard and sweat dripping down their faces. “What are they running from?”

“They’re trying to flee from the Royal Guard.”

I blinked. I didn’t repeat his words this time. I knew all about fleeing people. It was time to roll with the punches for right now. “Are these people criminals if they’re running from the Guard?”

More ‘peasants’ dashed passed.

“Yes. There’s been a prison break. The royal family is extremely displeased by this turn of events. Their Guard was overtaken when the prisoners revolted against their living conditions. It’s been the talk of Terlant for the last week. And, it appears, the Guard has finally found them.”

I straightened and watched a large group of them pass, only a few stragglers left behind now. “I wasn’t a prisoner. I won’t act like I was.”

The frog snickered. “That won’t help you, not with the royal family on a rampage. I suggest you run, dear. And fast. Very, very fast.”

Apparently, I had jumped from one horrible situation to another. Just on a different…realm? I glared down at the frog. “You have a name?”

“Of course.”

I cracked my neck and stretched my arms over my head, preparing to run like the rest of them. “Is it a secret?”

“No.”

My eyes narrowed further.

The frog was smiling again.

“Not funny, Ribbit.”

His smile faltered. “How did you know?”

I laughed outright. “Now, that’s funny.”

He winked. He freaking winked. “My name’s Kingsley.”

“It’s an honor…” Right! “…to meet you, Kingsley. I’m Arizona Creed. And I’m sorry for what I’m about to do.”

His head tipped back. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see, I’m in a place I know nothing about. You, on the other hand, seem to know the gossip. So I’m going to kidnap you.” Before he hopped off the tree trunk, I grabbed his body in a firm hold. I brought his face up to eye level. “I truly am sorry for this.”

He sighed, his tiny arms hanging over my finger. “It’s not the first time. And it won’t be the last.” Kingsley wasn’t upset. He was annoyed, his tiny forehead crinkling. “But don’t jiggle me. I have a very sensitive stomach.”

I snorted and unzipped my backpack.

I dropped the frog inside.

I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t piss on my clothes in there.” I lifted one red brow. “And do not shit.”

He lay down on his left side, crossing one red spindly leg over the other, and propped up his head with his left arm. He looked like he was ready for a lady-friend to meet him at dusk. He drawled, “Dear, I am the epitome of graciousness. I don’t shit on a humona’s clothing.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” I mumbled and then zipped my backpack. I pulled the other strap over my free shoulder and ran as quickly as my feet would take me across the road into the treeline.

The woods would be a better cover than the open lane. Especially, when the thump-thump of horse hooves pounded the dirt and a horn rent the air.

The Guard was almost here.

“You. Are. Bouncing. Me.” Kingsley wasn’t a happy frog.

Didn’t frogs kind of bounce, anyway?

“I’m running to save my life,” I hissed, wondering if he could even hear me through the material of my backpack. “You said to run. So I’m running.”

He groused, “I did not tell you to kidnap me.”

Guess he could hear me.

My lips twitched. “I can’t hear you. You’re all muffled in there.”

“That’s because I’m shoved against a pair of socks.”

I snickered silently. Those hadn’t been washed yet.

“And, may I add, no humona wears this color here.” He paused. “What it is this? Pastel pink?”

I didn’t fall for it. I didn’t own anything pastel pink.

“Hmm. I guess you can’t hear me.”

I jumped over a slight dip in the ground and grinned.

My boots were ruining the pretty flowers. Even though the beat of horse hooves were no longer pounding behind me. The flowers would grow back. Maybe.

I truly had no clue in a different realm.

I stopped behind one of the many trees and placed my left hand on the rough bark. I leaned heavily, trying to catch my breath. I had run at least two miles already—all at a racing pace.

“Is there an issue out there?” Kingsley questioned.

I licked my lips. Decided to answer. “No.”

“Mmm-hmm. You can hear me. Did they not teach you manners on Earth? Because, when you’re spoken to in Terlant, others will expect—”

“Shh.” I cut him off mid-tirade. I swayed forward and turned my right ear straight ahead, listening closely. There was definitely a road up ahead—minimal traffic turning dirt. “Are we close to a town?”

No response came.

I rubbed at my forehead. “I’m sorry. All right?”

“Thank you,” Kingsley returned curtly. “And, yes, there are a few towns near here.” He paused, and then his voice turned dry. “Let me guess. You’re planning to steal a horse, so I will definitely be sick all over your laundry?”

My forehead crinkled. That had been the plan.

“Maybe?” I mumbled.

“Bad idea. Then you really will be a criminal running from the Guard.” He hummed quietly, deep in thought. “Perhaps you could get a job somewhere. That’s what most humonas do.”

“I’d have to be paid under the table. Do they do that here?”

“Occasionally. If you find the right individual.”

I tapped the tree bark with my knuckles. “Can I really not get back through that door?”

“You can only pass through with a skeleton key.” He grunted. “Yours disappeared faster than most.”

I scowled. “It’s magic like you said before?”

“Oh, yes. The skeleton key is very powerful.”

I inhaled another lung full of crisp oxygen. The air was cleaner in this place, almost as if I couldn’t feel it when I inhaled. It was rejuvenating.

“I need to find a place to stay first. If the Guard is searching, then I need a hiding spot.” I didn’t want to sleep under the trees on the hard ground.

I trotted at a sedated pace this time and kept a careful ear out for any abnormal sounds. The woods were eerily quiet. There weren’t even any birds chirping. No insects on the ground. It was a dead forest, yet trees lived.

The more I thought about it, the faster my feet moved.

There may have been a good reason the prisoners hadn’t fled into the woods. This place could be haunted for all I knew. Or little green men could string me up from a tree.

There was a talking frog.

The possibilities were endless.

I shoved brush aside and stopped.

The road. I had made it to the road.

I sighed in relief and stepped onto the powdered dirt. My footfalls caused little clouds of dust to fly up with each step. “Hey, Kingsley, you know those woods across from where you were sitting—”

“Don’t go in there!” he cried. My backpack rustled against my shoulders. He was trying to get out. “My dear, can you hear me? I’m serious!”

I halted from my stroll and blinked several times. “I won’t.” I lied. It calmed him down, my straps no longer tugging at my shoulders. “But what was wrong with it? Why weren’t the prisoners—”

“The Charmed Ones live in there,” he whispered.

I kept walking. “What are they?”

“Those are creatures you don’t ever want to cross.”

I rolled my eyes. “That explains nothing.”

His voice trembled. “They eat baby humona.”

My throat went dry. “What about adult humona?”

“It’s said the Charmed Ones will allow one humona to enter their woods every ten years. If anyone steps inside the forest, and they aren’t the chosen one, then they steal their eyeballs—and then roast the body over a fire.”

My face scrunched in disgust. “Why doesn’t the Guard take them down?”

He hummed. “Only one has tried. It didn’t end well.”

“Are they magic?”

“In the moonlight, they are.”

I shook my head. “Then someone should take them out in the daylight. Letting fear dictate your actions only lead to shame.”

“The humonas might feel as such, but they’re still alive. And you saw that cottage. No one has lived near the woods for over forty years. The Charmed Ones no longer have a flock of sheep to pick from, yet they stay in the woods. That is a win for the humonas after centuries of death.”

My brows puckered. “Maybe they moved too.”

“Never. The Charmed Ones also eat the animals in the woods. There is no wildlife there. They are still there.”

“Ick,” I mumbled. I had seen that firsthand.

The dust was flying up ahead, a large rolling ball. The road was being traveled. I glanced at the woods, the only shelter nearby. “Hey, Kinsley, say that humona was chosen. Does that mean they can go back into the woods anytime they want?”

He was quiet for too long. “You went in there, didn’t you?”

I gurgled, trying not to comment.

“My, my. You were lucky.” He cleared his throat. Loudly. “As was I, since they eat wildlife.”

I stared at the traveling…carriage…headed directly toward me. “Just answer my question. Can I go back in?”

“No.” Instant and hard.

I didn’t believe him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I saw the last one enter. He was too proud of being chosen by the Charmed Ones. He went back in, and he never came out.”

Okay, perhaps I did believe him.

Which left me with no options.

I couldn’t outrun a carriage being pulled by four strong horses. I whined softly in my throat. It was now or never. My red brows furrowed over my green eyes.

If the skeleton key wanted me here…

I glanced down at the dirt beneath my boots.

I couldn’t believe I was considering this magical stuff.

But, if it wanted me here, then I was on the right path.

The rolling dust cloud was almost on me.

I stepped to the side of the road and raised my arm, hailing the driver in the front. He controlled the horses so he would be the one to stop the contraption. I placed an innocent smile on my face, just in case.

The right path…

It worked.

The carriage rolled to a stop a few feet before passing me. The driver tipped his black hat to me, his shrewd gaze taking in my appearance and clothes. My style was a little different from everyone else I had seen. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

He asked, “How can I help you, miss?”

I held up a hand to shade my eyes from the glaring sun. “I need a ride to the closest town. Can you give me a lift?” I was officially hitchhiking.

My father wouldn’t like this one bit.

The acid in my stomach turned over, but I focused on the now. My father was no longer living. I would do what I had to do.

The driver tapped on the side of the carriage. He asked in a loud voice, “Sir, there’s a straggler on the road who needs a ride. Do you have room for one more?”

A man shouted from inside, his tone frazzled. “Does this person know how to handle babies?”

The driver glanced at me and quirked an eyebrow.

Babies? No clue.

I nodded my head. “Of course, I do.”

He looked skeptical, but called, “She says yes.”

The door to the carriage swung open. “Get in. But if you make one wrong move, I’ll gut you so fast you’ll be holding your intestines before your next breath.”

The man’s blond hair was tousled from running his fingers through it multiple times. His blue eyes were piercing and intelligent. He only appeared a few years older than I and was tall and physically fit. He sat forward on his carriage seat, staring across at me. The carriage wobbled as it hit a rough spot on the road and then returned to smooth riding.

Blue eyes ran over my features in slow increments. “Who are you and what were you doing out here?”

I glanced away from him to the two babies lying in a bassinet between us. The white lace bordering their bed was dirty and spoiled with milk. The tiny brown clothes they wore weren’t in any better condition.

I cleared my throat and eyed the two infants staring up at me with wide, pretty eyes. “My name is Arizona Creed.” My lips pinched, not sure what else I should say. I finally peered back up to the handsome man across from me. “I only need a ride to the nearest town.”

He placed his elbows on his knees. His hands gripped the bassinet, slowly rocking it in a comforting gesture for the babies inside it. Though his intelligent regard never left my face. “Are you one of the prisoners who escaped recently?”

I blinked. “If I were, I probably wouldn’t tell you that.”

His blond brows lifted, an increment of humor flittering past his eyes. “You’re right there. But you didn’t answer my question.” His gaze slid down to my lips and then back up to my eyes. “I’d like to hear it from your mouth.”

I shook my head slightly, stating honestly, “No, I’m not one of the prisoners. I’m just…” I sighed and glanced out the window. The trees were still thick in this area. “I’m just…lost.”

He continued to rock the babies, their eyes beginning to shut. His voice was quiet but straightforward. “Do you want to be found, Arizona?”

My green eyes flicked back to him. “There’s no one to find me.” I may have sounded as sad as I felt.

His blond head nodded ever so slightly, his clever eyes holding mine. “That I can understand.” Suddenly, his lips lifted into a small smile. The man had dimples on both cheeks. “Is there a particular town you had in mind?”

“No.” I resituated my backpack on my lap and fiddled with the zipper. “Wherever you think would be best for me to find easy work, maybe?”

Blue tracked down my clothing, studying each article. “What profession are you used to? You don’t appear old enough to have much experience.”

My situation hit me hard, and I swallowed on a dry throat. “Actually, I don’t think any of my skills could be used here.” Not for honest work, anyway. “But I’m willing to try anything.”

His lips twitched, his gaze done with the perusal of my clothing. “Ms. Creed, beware of saying that to men you don’t know.”

My eyes widened. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. I was just warning you.”

I relaxed, heaving a sigh of relief. “You can call me Arizona.”

He tipped his head in appreciation. “And I’m Lucifer.”

I stared. I was sitting with the devil.

His head cocked. “Is there something wrong?”

Gradually, I shook my head. “Do you have a last name, Lucifer?” He sure looked like a fallen angel.

He hummed quietly. “Not one I like.”

“Do you…um…know God?” I shivered.

He bit his lip and sat back on his chair. Clear amusement played on his features. “I’m not that Lucifer.”

So they did have religion in this realm.

He asked candidly, “How old are you, Arizona?”

“Eighteen.”

He nodded as if he had guessed right.

“And you?”

“Twenty-one.”

I nodded. I had guessed right, too.

My eyes went from the currently sleeping children, their ratty attire, then to his fine apparel—even if odd. Very old-fashioned. His white shirt and black pants weren’t flashy but created with fine material and cared for with a loving touch. There was no dirt beneath his fingernails. No stains on his clothes. His jaw was freshly shaven, his skin smooth and tanned from the sun. He even smelled lovely, a light cologne lingering in the air.

This man was wealthy and downplaying it.

The filthy babies didn’t make sense.

I cocked my head, my red curls falling over my right shoulder. “Are these your children?”

A heavy sigh flew past his lips, and he ran his fingers through his hair. “They weren’t before, but they are now.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You didn’t kidnap them, did you?” This realm was scary as hell if this was an acceptable practice.

First, the Charmed Ones eating humona babies.

Now this.

His eyes instantly narrowed. I had offended him. He shook his head, his voice turning hard. “I am not that type of man.”

Thank God.

“Then, did you adopt them?” I fiddled with the zipper again.

“I will make it official, yes.” He rolled his head on his shoulders, and his tense shoulders began to relax. “Their mother was a dear friend of mine. She just passed away, and she left her two daughters to me.”

My mouth bobbed. “You have your hands full.”

“I know.” His blue eyes cast down on the sleeping infants, and his features instantly softened. “But Kate and Ashelle deserve the life I can give them. They will be well cared for and loved.”

I didn’t doubt that. This was a good man before me.

A throat cleared inside the carriage.

It wasn’t me. And it wasn’t Lucifer.

Though he did peer directly at my backpack. “Did your bag just make a noise?”

I tried to appear innocent. “No.” He may be a good person, but I hadn’t been. It was for survival, though.

“Actually, her bag did not make a noise,” Kingsley stated loudly through the material. “I did.”

Blue eyes blinked and then peered up into my gaze. His brows rose ever so slowly. “Would you care to explain?”

I huffed and unzipped my backpack.

The frog glared up at me. “Are you going to release me now, Arizona?” His black, beady eyes swiveled across the carriage. “This woman has kidnapped me.”

Lucifer examined the frog closely. “She did, did she?”

A curt nod of his red head. “And jostled me horribly inside this wretched bag.” His forehead crinkled. “It smells terrible in here.”

Before the scent of my dirty laundry expanded inside the carriage, I lifted the frog up from my backpack and zipped it closed. I held the tiny frog on my right palm and raised him so he was staring straight into my eyes. “I’ll free you.”

He sniffed. “And what if I don’t want to go?”

I gawked. “You just complained that you wanted to be free!”

The frog sat back on his legs. “I wouldn’t mind staying, dear. As long as it’s not trapped in your bag.” His forehead wrinkled again. “I don’t have anything better to do right now. I could use the company.”

My lips pinched. I could use a friend, too.

“Okay,” I answered casually just as if I wasn’t extremely happy to have him stay with me. “I don’t mind if you stay with me.”

“Wonderful.” His mouth curved in a smile. It looked very odd on the frog. He turned his red, small body on my palm, and faced Lucifer. With a grand dip of his head, he introduced himself. “I am Kingsley. It is a great pleasure to meet you, Lucifer.”

Lucifer placed his hands behind his head and rested back on his bench seat. His blue gaze flicked back and forth between the frog and me. When he spoke, it was a slow drawl, “And it is a pleasure to meet you.” His eyes flicked up, staring into mine. “And you, Arizona.”

Three years later…

“Time to get up, up, up!”

“Wake, wake, sleepy head!”

“Pull blanket!”

“Wake, wake!”

“Help me, sissy! Pull blanket!”

“No! Rise ‘n shine! Wake up!”

“SISSY! HELP ME!”

“Okay.”

The blanket over me was tugged from the bottom of my bed. Little fingers pinched my feet in the effort to get a grip on the blanket.

“Toes! Tickle!”

“Pull blanket first!”

“Okay.”

I yawned and rubbed my eyes against the beginnings of sun rays streaming through my window. My blanket was slowly pulled down my body. I stretched, arching my back as the blanket left my bed entirely. I grinned even though I was completely exhausted.

Quiet whispers floated. No one visible.

I waited to see what they would do now.

Battle cries sounded—well, as much as they could.

Kate jumped on my stomach.

Ashelle attacked my feet.

Both girls’ tiny fingers dug in with the effort to tickle.

I sat up, throwing my arms in the air, roaring like a snarling monster. I even threw in a goofy face for good measure. The evil and horrendous Arizona was on the loose!

They shrieked louder.

I dove, retaliating and tickling them back.

Tiny legs kicked in the air.

Their adorable faces scrunched as they shrieked.

Once their chubby cheeks were nice and pink, I let them up for air. Ashelle rolled and put her feet on the ground. Kate wiggled and followed suit, planning as they went.

“Wake Lucifer now!” Ashelle beelined for my door.

“No!” Kate grabbed Ashelle’s pajama top.

“Yes!” Ashelle crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed defiantly.

Kate stared at the open door, thinking hard.

Ashelle sighed dramatically, and I bit my lip to hold back a laugh, knowing what she was going to say. These two toddlers who ruled the roost. Standing, their heads didn’t even reach my hip, but they had every adult in this house wrapped around their itty bitty fingers. These two dolls were spoiled by love and, sadly, possessions, too. She threw her arms out as if she had conceded some great defeat. “Mrs. Wallas?”

I bit my lip harder.

Kate grinned, her eyes twinkling like she had planned it all along. “Okay.”

They ran out the door in loud pitter-patters of footfalls. I heard a door open and then bang shut. I chuckled. Poor Mrs. Wallas. They always picked on the widowed caretaker because she was a sweet woman, never a harsh word from her lips—and she indulged them.

A moment later, another door opened and quiet footfalls padded against the wood flooring in the hallway. They stopped, and a heavy sigh followed. Then the individual was moving again. I waited, knowing who it was.

Mrs. Lerran poked her head inside my door. “Have you seen the little ones this morning? They’re not in their room. Again.” She shook her head in exasperation. Her cloud-white hair still sported her rollers that she slept in of an evening. Her short hair would stay tight against her head all day long. Her wrinkled face had milk-cream on it as she had been in the process of moisturizing, and her pink thick cotton nightgown peeked out behind her blue bathrobe.

Mrs. Lerran was our in-house au pair and cook.

The woman had her hands full.

I opened my mouth to let her know, but young girlish shrieks and one female shout came from down the hallway. Mrs. Lerran’s gaze darted in that direction, her eyes narrowing. “I should have known Mrs. Wallas was involved. That young woman will be the death of me. How Mr. Lucifer allowed her to take over her husband’s job is beyond me.”

She marched away. “Miss Kate. Miss Ashelle. You get out of Mrs. Wallas’s room right this instant!”

I chuckled and slipped out of bed.

But too late, I noticed the calendar.

I stopped in the middle of my bedchamber and stared. Three years. It had been three years since my father was murdered. In some ways, it felt like it had been just yesterday, but most nights, as I lay alone in bed, it felt like forever ago.

I turned to my closet and got out a pair of plain jeans and a green shirt. All bland with no flavor. My usual attire. My normal disguise. This was me now. I had joined the ‘herd’ to blend in per Lucifer’s instructions. He had taught me so much. Given me so much. Given me a chance.

Three years in another realm can change an individual. Me. Very different with only tiny parts still the same. I was very much dead on the inside except for the people occupying this house. They were my family now.

I put my clothes on in no hurry.

I knew where I was going today.

Where I always went on this anniversary.

No one asked. No one bothered me.

They all understood pain.

I had bet right when I stepped into Lucifer’s carriage. It had turned out better than I could have hoped for. At least, after he began to trust me completely and invited me into their home. It had only taken a month. I stayed in their barn until that time, trying to decide what to do with myself. Lucifer visited me often while I bunked in the sweet smelling hay.

I found out later Mrs. Lerran was also someone who Lucifer had taken in from the streets, giving her a fair wage and a safe harbor. The only one who had ever asked what I was running from was Lucifer. He asked just once, and we hardly talked about it after that.

With my well-honed skills and his expertise with a knife, we trained together every day. He had finally trusted me with guarded information. Who he was in this realm—Lucifer No-Last-Name. He was the twin to the heir of the bordering kingdom, Haswell. Lucifer was only two minutes younger than the crowned prince. But those two minutes were enough to put fear into the hearts of the King and Queen. They had sent Lucifer away with the hope the two brothers wouldn’t try to kill one another over the kingdom. Of course, they had sent him away with a fortune and a safe background cover.

He was filthy rich, as I had guessed.

None of that mattered to me.

I cared for Lucifer because of the man he was.

I trusted him completely.

He was the only humona who knew my past.

It lifted a weight off my heart that helped bring me out of the depression I had fallen into. If I could have picked a new family, it would have been this one to run to. We were partners. Down to the soul.

His past was just as wretched as mine was.

He would never be caught and taken back to his birth kingdom, even when his brother died last year. Not to a family who had cast him out over a mere two minutes. He was that skilled. He’d trained me to be that good, too, while I’d taught him martial arts. He’d taught me how to dress, talk, spit, curse, walk, and stab in this peculiar realm. I could blend in completely or disappear like I had never been there.

Simply put—I was a damn scary bitch.

There was no other way to explain me.

Or Lucifer.

I walked to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror as I picked up my comb, not really caring if I was a mess. I absently used the large toothed comb and untangled my long red curls. My green eyes didn’t even look the same. They were harder. More intelligent. More fierce.

I strode to the kitchen were Mrs. Lerran was cooking scrambled eggs. Everyone was at the massive wooden table by now. Lucifer glanced in my direction, slowly taking in my person. He didn’t say anything, like usual on this horrid anniversary day, and went back to biting into his homemade bread.

Kingsley, on the other hand, hopped off Lucifer’s shoulder to the table. “Arizona, dear, you look like Hell poured lava into your undergarments.” His black, beady eyes kept staring. “Did you have a nightmare?”

I instantly rolled my shoulders, ignoring his question and probing eyes. “I’m off. Lucifer, you have the address of where I’ll be. Stop by if there are any problems.”

“You know I will,” he said around a mouthful of food, his blue eyes trapping mine. “If we don’t see you by tomorrow morning, we’ll send a search party.” He grinned, but even as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze told me that he wasn’t kidding—and what that search party would entail.

I smiled softly at him. He was wonderful.

I kissed his forehead and then patted Kingsley on the head—a little too hard. I bent over Ashelle and Kate, scrunching them up in a big hug, kissing their strawberry jam lips. “I love you two. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Then I added for good measure, “And don’t pester Mrs. Lerran too badly.”

Their tiny chins started trembling.

I said softly, “I’ll be gone one day. I’m sure Mrs. Wallas will love playing with you while I’m gone.”

Mrs. Wallas rolled her eyes but grinned. “I plan to take them to the park today. There’s a kite flying competition. It should be fun to watch.”

Kate just eyed her, but Ashelle clapped her hands and squealed. Kate turned and hugged me tight again. Ashelle started picking at her bread while Mrs. Wallas talked about the vivid colors they would see in the sky today, getting smiles from both eventually. Kate handed me a slice of bread that had tiny fingerprints all over the top of the jam.

I ate it and kissed both again.

I had left before they remembered to be upset.

The driver helped me into the family carriage.

It wasn’t flashy. It was very ordinary.

The driver hopped up onto his seat in the front and tapped the reigns. The wheels turned, and the cushioned seat beneath me vibrated from the gravel road. We drove down the driveway, past cacti and desert lily’s and Joshua trees that Lucifer and I had planted along the drive. The vegetation in this section of Terlant was much different from the lush wooded forest I had arrived at, that was certain. It was already reaching eighty degrees, and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet.

We lived an hour and a half away from the city in a small town called Kett Basin. Our home was isolated enough that if we needed to speak with a ‘neighbor,’ we had to drive to their house instead of walking. The town was homey, if just a little boring. The rocky ridges surrounding our town made up for the lack of entertainment within twenty minutes, though. It was picturesque to the extreme. Perfect for everyone’s needs in our home. No one would ever think to come looking for us here.

I didn’t go all the way to the city.

I stopped a half hour away at the same keep I always used for this day. It was small, but a clean establishment structured of white stucco that had only twenty rooms. I paid with cash for a bedroom at the end of the long one-story building for the night. I walked into the room and locked the door.

I didn’t bother lighting a candle.

The only thing I did was close the thick dark curtain to help keep the deadly sun and heat out.

I lay down on the bed in the darkness.

And I let my mind go insane. I let myself feel.

And remember.

Feel and remember the father who I still loved so desperately. I let myself go back to those precious years and recall our time together. And feel. And remember.

This was my one day of imagining him.

Us. Together.

As we had been once long ago.

Every other day, my heart was black to my past.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t make it.

And I had more to think of than myself now.

But today…

Today, on this anniversary, I let it all out.

I physically felt myself splinter. Felt the ripping tear inside my chest. Felt the burning sensation that made my breath catch as memories slowly invaded and began racing until it exploded with all the recollections of our time together. Our time of Earth.

My chest compressed like it was being crushed.

I gasped from shame and misery.

I cracked open completely.

It was deaths one moment of breaking loose and running wild and free. My heart wasn’t lying dead in this bed as it did every other night. No. Instead, it beat a frantic rhythm of agony and loss.

I would never have that again. Father’s love. That comfort. That happiness. It was gone. Forever.

I rolled over and screamed into my pillow.

Punched the bed.

Sobbed. Shrieked.

Cried my fury and self-pity.

I died a little every anniversary.

Every time, the piece of my heart which held my father so dear—it burned, charred, and blackened. One day, that secret place where I kept him would be nothing but ash.

I looked like hell, and I knew it.

Though, if I really wanted to be honest with myself, I would say that I looked like dog shit and cat shit mixed together—sprinkled with gunpowder.

That was how I would really put it.

I had taken a bath at the keep and scrubbed the memories away again. Nevertheless, the physical remnants were still there. My eyes were puffy and red, my lips were swollen, and my face drooped.

However, if anyone stared too deeply into my eyes, they would see another sight.

Death. I was dead once more to anyone outside of my house. Inside with my family, I had enough heart left to love fully. Moreover, to be loved in return.

Everyone else could go to Hell.

And stay there and burn while I watched.

With a smile on my face.

Therefore, I wasn’t really in the mood to find a General in the Guard waiting at my home…

“Arizona, I’d like you to meet General Finley.” Lucifer gestured to the behemoth of a man at our table. Sipping from a mug of our coffee. His complex was extremely dark, and his eyes were dark brown. The hair on top of his head was gray, even though he had no wrinkles on his smooth face. Lucifer pulled out a chair for me, his blue gaze holding mine. “His carriage broke a wheel only a mile from here.”

I smiled and sat on the chair. “General Finley, I was just on the road, and there were no stranded carriages.” I cocked my head, my tone as sweet as could be. “Unless you were racing it down a ravine, I believe you’re fibbing.”

The general took another sip of his coffee—in ninety-degree heat. His dark eyes ran over Lucifer standing behind me, his hands delicately placed on my shoulders. Then, his gaze returned to mine. “You’ve caught me. I lied.”

No further explanation exited his mouth.

Lucifer tapped his fingers on my shoulders. “Why are you here then, General?” His tone was so innocent even I would have been fooled if I didn’t know him.

The General sat down his mug of steaming brew. “Have you two ever heard of the Game?”

I kept quiet, scanning his face. I hadn’t heard of it, but that wasn’t a surprise. But I wouldn’t let on I hadn’t if it was well known.

Lucifer snorted and massaged my shoulders. “Are you referencing the Game the Guard used to select their newest recruits for the Terlant Royal Guard?”

General Finley’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, his teeth nice and straight. “That would be the one.” He toyed with his mug on the table. “I would like to sponsor you two in the Game.”

My brows furrowed, real curiosity peaking. “Why would you want to do that?”

He rested back on his chair and spread his legs, his civilian clothing not hiding the fact he was built like a soldier. “A man named Kingsley contacted me a few months ago. He stated there were two individuals who I just had to check out for the Game.”

I stared. “Do you check out every solicitation you receive?” That motherfucking traitor.

Frog legs for dinner were tempting.

He shook his head and shrugged. “This one was special.”

Lucifer continued to knead his fingers into my muscles. “How so?”

“Well…” The General peered directly over my head at Lucifer. “I was informed you are the missing heir to the Haswell kingdom.” My eyes narrowed, and he looked down, straight into my gaze. “And you are not of this realm. You are an illegal unknown.”

No wonder the frog was nowhere to be seen.

Definite frog legs. Add a little sauce.

Bon appetit.

Lucifer removed his hands from my neck and casually walked to rest his right hip against the table next to me. “That is ludicrous.”

The General smiled again. “Perhaps it would be if I hadn’t spied on you for the past month. The conversations people have when they think no one is listening can be enlightening.” His gray brows rose. “But I believe you two chameleons already know that. It is extremely remarkable you’ve been able to keep yourselves hidden. That takes a certain intellect the Guard is in need of.”

His brows now furrowed, deep in thought. “Not to mention, your sparring sessions are beautiful to behold. The way you two move together…” He blinked and glanced back and forth between us, his voice rising in pitch. “Are you a couple? Or married? Because that is the one part of your lives I couldn’t decipher.”

“We love each other, but we’re not together romantically.” The man deserved to know his much-wanted answer since he had managed to slip by us. I scowled as I stood from my chair. “Why would you come here alone and spout what you have? You would have known we wouldn’t let you leave here. So what have you done? Who have you told?”

With us towering over him, he was still relaxed on his chair. “Oh, the usual. If I don’t return by a certain day and time, a file will be sent to all the Generals of the Guard—with all the information I have obtained in the last month.”

Lucifer’s lips pinched, his first real sign of emotion. “You’re blackmailing us.”

“That’s such a harsh word.” The General waved his right hand in the air. “Why don’t you tell me this, instead? Is there a reason why you would not want to be in the Guard? No one in the Guard is highbred enough to know what the former prince looked like, and as far as Ms. Creed is concerned, no one could tell by looking at her that she’s not from this realm. The Guard is serving the kingdom you live in. The kingdom that has protected you. By all accounts, you both enjoy assisting the helpless. This would be a perfect fit for you.”

He cleared his throat, and added, “And the schools the Guards’ children attend are the best in Terlant. Your money cannot buy your adopted children into this school. It is dedicated solely to the Guard families.”

Brown eyes captured mine. “Don’t you want a purpose in this realm? A reason to feel good about yourself? A reason to…,” his gaze flicked over my puffy features,“…let go of whatever haunts you? To move on and accept life here could be just as wonderful?”

Lucifer and I stayed mute.

Neither of us moved.

This person was fucking good.

His gray brows lifted once more. “Do you have any questions?”

Lucifer ground his teeth together. “Would you be able to obtain citizenship papers for Arizona?”

My eyes snapped on him. “Do not do this for me. We could run.” I flapped my left arm at the General. “He would never find us again.”

The man in question stayed quiet, observing silently.

“He’s right. That school is amazing. The girls would benefit from attending.” Lucifer’s blue eyes held mine, his tone softening. “And I would do anything for you. You know that.”

I heaved a heavy sigh but never looked away. “And I would do the same for you.” With my eyes firmly locked on my soul partner, I stated clearly, “General Finley, meet the newest participants in the Game.”

Kingsley’s red head popped up out of the sugar jar. “I knew it was a superb idea. Sometimes, people just need a shove in the arse to get them moving.”

My nostrils flared. “I’m so upset with you, Kingsley.”

“But you want to join the Guard, don’t you?”

My left eye twitched. The frog had a point.

I needed purpose in my life.

General Finley muttered, “Is that a talking frog? I haven’t seen one of those in years.”

Our transportation arrived.

I grinned from ear-to-ear. “This will be fun.”

Kingsley peered out of the pocket on my shirt. His groan was painful to listen to. He grumbled, “This will not be fun, dear. Wind transports rarely are.”

I snorted. It was a yellow hot air balloon.

Lucifer stepped next to me, our bags over each of his shoulders. “Have you been on one of these before?”

“No, but I always wanted to.”

“You’re not afraid of heights?”

I shook my head. There was no way to explain I had been on a plane before. No one on this realm would understand it, and I didn’t technically know how to explain the mechanics of how a plane flew. To me, it was just another way to travel on Earth.

His blue eyes skimmed my features. “You’re thinking about there, aren’t you?”

My lips pinched. “How did you know?”

Lucifer looked away from me and at the hot air balloon, grabbing the straps of our bags. He shrugged his shoulders. “You always get a certain look on your face when you do.”

My brows puckered, sensing it hurt him. I rested the side of my head against his shoulder and surveyed our transportation, too. “I’m here. I always will be.”

He sighed quietly, his words just as soft. “Will this world ever be enough for you?”

I quickly linked my arm with his, pressing my body closer against his side. I stated clearly with passion, “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”

His chest heaved, and he turned his head. He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I had a moment of weakness. Excuse my stupidity.” He kissed my skin again.

“Do you worry that I’ll leave you?”

His brows puckered. “Actually…no.”

“Good. Because if a skeleton key ever appears again, I’m not touching it.” My eyes narrowed, and I lightly shook his arm. “And if you ever touch one, I’ll find a way to hunt you down and drag you back. We’re partners.”

His lips twitched, his blue eyes running over my serious gaze. “I wouldn’t touch a skeleton key, even if my life were in danger. I’ll never leave you.”

I nodded. “Damn straight.”

General Finley marched straight toward us, his regard too perceptive as he evaluated us. When he stopped a few feet away, he asked, “Everything all right? One of you isn’t afraid of the wind transport, are you?”

Lucifer and I shook our heads no.

Kingsley raised his right front arm. “I am.”

“You can stay behind then,” I offered.

His forehead crinkled, worry etching his tiny features. “Where you go, I go—for now.” He narrowed his beady eyes. “You’re my friend.”

My lips curved into an honest smile. Most days, Kingsley did something to annoy me. But when he was like this—sweet and vulnerable—I absolutely adored the frog.

“You’re my friend, too.” I stared down at him and lifted a red brow. “As long as you don’t tell anyone else who Lucifer and I really are.”

He pinched his little mouth together and tried speaking through his lips—his voice terribly muffled. “My lips are sealed.”

Lucifer chuckled, but his eyes narrowed. “Keep it that way, Kingsley.”

I was certain he only put up with the frog because I cared for the little guy. There had been plenty of times where Lucifer had been so furious with Kingsley. I was honestly surprised he hadn’t yet booted him across the room with a heavy kick. Especially, when Kingsley decided that Lucifer’s shed was the perfect spot for parties—lots of loud animals everywhere.

And the frog knew how to throw a party.

Kingsley stopped goofing around and nodded his head in a stoic tilt. “Of course. Though I won’t apologize for this time. It’ll be good for the both of you.”

Lucifer’s head teetered back and forth. “Perhaps.”

“It will,” General Finley promised. “The Guard will be a good fit for the both of you. As long as you win your two tests in the Game.”

We started walking toward the ‘wind transport.’

Lucifer asked candidly, “Can you tell us anything about the two tests we’ll have to pass?”

“No.”

He hummed, his eyes sliding the General. There was a sly look in his gaze. “If we do win, will we get wings?”

I blinked. “Wings?”

I didn’t have to play it cool.

The General already knew about me.

General Finley snickered at my expression. “All the members of the Guard have wings. But we only let them free and use them in dire situations.”

“Why?”

“Honestly? Because they irritate our back.” He winked. “I didn’t tell you that, though. Wings are a precious gift to have.”

I moved behind him and peered at his back. There was nothing abnormal under his clothing. “I don’t see anything.”

“They aren’t there unless I wish them there.”

My brows lifted. That was interesting.

“You still didn’t answer my question.” Lucifer placed our bags inside the capsule. “Will we receive them or not?”

“If you win your tests, then you will receive them.”

I climbed inside the capsule, and questioned, “How many candidates do you have trying the Game?”

Lucifer was the person who answered, his lips grinning in arrogance. He slipped inside with me, sitting directly on my left. “There are only ever two candidates. They work as a pair, even when they’re in the Guard—usually on special missions. And they only allow the Game once a year. The rest of the time, the recruits have to go through two years of training before they’re allowed in the Guard.”

My mouth dropped open. “This is prestigious?”

“Very,” General Finley drawled. He stepped inside the capsule and shut the door, locking it. “People are normally watched for years before they’re invited to the Game. If you pass, it’s an immediate position in the elite.”

I couldn’t stop staring. “Outside of who we are or where we came from, why would you choose us?”

His answer was simple. “Because you two are that good. I wouldn’t have chosen you otherwise.”

The General lifted a small, round bottle from his pocket and uncorked it. He tipped the glass into his waiting palm. Red glitter landed in his hand, and he raised it to his mouth. He blew out hard, and the red glitter flew out from his palm.

I jerked back in my seat and squinted my eyes, fully prepared to be sprayed with glitter. Except gravity had no meaning for the sparkles. They hovered in the air between the three of us. My jaw gaped in awe, and my voice was breathless. “Oh, my God.”

Lucifer placed his arm over my shoulder. “Just keep watching.”

The red glitter started spinning in a circle as one unit, completely uniform in structure. It spun faster and faster until it glowed as one. Then our transportation suddenly rose from the ground, climbing high into the sky.

I blinked. “Wind transport.” Not a hot air balloon.

“Magic,” Kingsley clarified, his voice grumpy.

I petted the top of his head with one finger. “Just close your eyes. It’ll all be over soon.”

The humona peering at me didn’t have an issue with his wings. Those magical properties were on full display, the beauty continually catching my eyes. The wings didn’t have feathers, either. They weren’t like birds. His magnificent wings were translucent blue with streaks of gold throughout.

I wanted to touch them.

Lucifer smacked my hand when I started to do just that. He flicked his gaze in my direction, and then back to the Chief, the man who rules the entire Guard. “So sorry, Chief. Please, continue?”

He practically rolled his eyes, his office just as opulent as his wings. “Should I put them away?” His piercing gaze didn’t leave mine. “Will that help you, Ms. Creed?”

My brows puckered. “They really are striking.”

“I can tell you like them, Ms. Creed. I asked if you need me to put them away.”

Instantly, I shook my head and straightened on the regal—uncomfortable—chair I sat on. “No. I’m good.”

“Are you sure?” He fluttered the wings.

My nostrils flared. I bared down but kept my attention directly on his face. “I’m sure.” But, damn, they had sparkled when he did that.

Lucifer cleared his throat. “I believe you were saying that there are two tests.”

The Chief sat back on his chair behind his desk, gradually dragging his eyes away from mine. He turned that gaze onto my soul partner. “Yes. Each test will be judged solely by General Finley.” He tilted his head down and peered up at us with serious eyes. “And do not expect him to pass you merely because he’s your sponsor. General Finley has been around long enough to have seen the repercussions of that foolhardy act with his younger peers.”

I really wanted to know how old the young looking General was. “May I ask a personal question about General Finley?”

“No.”

Well, that was shot down fast. “How about you?”

“Fuck no.”

Lucifer snorted softly, then covered it with a cough.

My lips twitched. “I had to try.”

The Chief eyed the two of us. “You two are either going to be the best candidates we’ve had in years or the absolute worst ever. I haven’t decided yet.”

I grinned. “Will you flutter your wings one more time for me when we’re done talking?”

Lucifer sighed heavily. “I can’t believe he did that. You’re never going to shut up now about the damn wings until we get them.”

I turned my head in his direction, and whispered, “They sparkled! Did you see that?”

“I saw,” Lucifer droned. “What did it remind you of?”

“The wind transport. I wonder if it’s part of the same—”

The Chief raised his left hand. “Excuse me! The meeting isn’t done yet, and I’m right here while you talk about me.”

“We know,” Lucifer and I said together.

We turned our attention back to him. Waited.

He stared, his eyes flicking back and forth between us. He finally muttered, “I’m going to kill General Finley.”

Lucifer shrugged. “We are that good. He knows it.”

“I’m beginning to see that. What I mean is that if you pass, I’ll have to deal with the two of you until I finally quit one day.” He scowled. “That won’t be for a very long time.”

I pinched my fingers together in front of my right eye. “You could always make it shorter.”

His glare deepened. “Can we stay on track, please?”

Lucifer and I both smiled. Tiny ones.

That was what we were waiting for.

When we ran the show.

Lucifer relaxed in his chair and rolled his wrist. “I’d love to hear more. Thank you.”

The Chief blinked. “Fuck.”

General Finley barged through the office doors and shook his head at the Chief. “Maybe you should shorten your time in this position if they got to you that fast.”

“Were you eavesdropping?” I asked, a smirk on my lips. “I hadn’t noticed. Especially, when your shadow kept moving behind the door.”

Lucifer picked at his fingernails. “Or when he sneezed.”

I nodded. “That too.”

The Chief slammed a palm down onto his desk, and his wings instantly disappeared. He glared at the General. “This meeting done.” He pointed at us, his finger jabbing hard in our direction. “Don’t tell them shit about the Game. I want to see how they do with no information given.”

General Finley balked. “None?”

The Chief’s eyes narrowed, and turned on us. “I will tell you this much. It’s all about the display of how you handle yourself. For both tests. If you don’t impress the General with the show, you won’t pass. If you don’t pass, you’ll live an absolutely normal life. And I already know this about you both. You’ll be bored by the time you’re thirty, with no other option but to concede you fucked up and to settle for that boring life.”

My forehead crinkled. “Maybe a little more—”

“Get them out of here before I lose my shit, General Finley,” the Chief barked. “Now!”

General Finley yanked us both up by the back of our shirts and shoved us toward the door. When he closed the door, he growled, “You really don’t want to piss that man off. He can do anything he wants to you—including sending you to jail for the rest of your life—for no reason at all. He has that power.”

I crossed my arms and studied his face. “I was serious in there for a second. May I ask you a personal question?”

He rubbed at his forehead in irritation. “Go ahead.”

“How old are you?”

He peeked at me over his rubbing fingers. “How old do I look?”

My lips twitched. He was a little vain. “You don’t look much older than Lucifer, except I keep getting the vibe you’re much older than us.”

He lowered his hand and smiled. “I’m twenty-five.”

Lucifer lifted a blond brow. “How many times have you been twenty-five?” His head cocked. “You’re not humona.”

My eyes widened.

Gray eyebrows rose. “But it’s a really good disguise, don’t you agree?”

I nodded my head like an idiot. “What are you?”

“That’s my secret.” He shrugged a shoulder. “But you aren’t the only one to have received a skeleton key.”

The General winked.

I stared. “I’ll remember your hearing is exceptional.”

No wonder he had been able to spy on us.

Glancing past the black curtain—music vibrating up my red stilettos from the nearby musicians—I stared out at the audience. I was nervous as hell as my gaze darted to the golden pole in the middle of the stage. I pulled at the black, short skirt I was wearing and made sure all the buttons on my white shirt were firmly in place.

The woman next to me, Angel, was fluffing her huge blonde hair and adjusting her half-face mask. I did the same to mine and ran my hands over the black wig I had in place. It was still pinned carefully—chin length with precisely cut bangs.

I shook my hands out.

Angel smiled. “I know this is your first night, but you’ll be fine. Your sweet little body will collect plenty of money.” She winked at me. “But don’t trip. The shoes are the worst to get used to.”

I played my part and nodded. “Thanks. That’s good to know.” This was part of the Game. At least, the nighttime version of it.

I tried to steady my nerves and closed my eyes, remembering all of the women I had seen dancing in movies. I’d practiced last night in front of the mirror, but they had pretty much thrown me in with this supposed job already in place. When the Chief stated before how this challenge would be more for ‘show,’ he wasn’t kidding.

I knew the General was in the audience tonight.

I breathed deeply and shook out my arms.

The song was halfway through, and it was almost our turn to go onstage. I rolled my neck, and then my hips, getting ready.

Angel noticed and nodded.

I winked and fell more into this role.

I could be a naughty vixen.

My palms stopped sweating.

My eyes changed to a woman who knows what a man wants and exactly how to give it.

Angel laughed. “Oh, yeah. You’ll do just fine, sugar. Whatever you’re thinking of, keep it up. You may even come out of this with more money than I make tonight.” She bent over and adjusted her pert Double Ds.

I just chuckled. Yeah, right.

The musicians finished their last note of the sensual song, and the women on stage picked up any stray bills and sauntered off the stage.

Angel slapped me on the ass when the intro to our song whispered in the air. “That’s us, sugar. Let’s go.”

I closed my eyes for only a moment.

Angel helped me at first when I got under the heat of the candlelights onstage. I almost lost my nerve then but bucked up, careful not to light myself on fire. She and I played off each other. I was lucky the joint wasn’t full nude. Angel and I finished undressing each other, which I did mine beautifully from under her when she crawled across the stage.

Being onstage in nothing but a short bustier, G-string, and stilettos took fucking guts.

I stayed in my role of a naughty girl even when I bent over—ass in the air—at the end of the platform so men could put cash bills in my undies. I danced like a sex kitten. I twirled on the damn bar as if it were my favorite cock. I crawled like I was everyone’s desired treat serving myself up to them.

I was their fantasy in red stilettos.

The song finally ended with Angel on her knees and her face in my cleavage. I glanced down and gave her a saucy wink. She kissed my cleavage in congratulations of a job well done, and I helped her up. We picked up our clothes from the floor and exited before the musicians played their next song.

And…I wasn’t done yet. I had to mingle.

Which meant lap dances.

I rolled my shoulders, changed my bustier, and slipped on a skirt that only covered half my ass—why even bother?—and left the red stilettos on. I walked out to the main floor and was besieged by requests for dances.

Lucifer was out there somewhere.

I scanned the area but didn’t see him.

He had danced a couple of sets before me while I was changing. Then he’d been in the audience while I danced. But the lights were so bright up there it was hard to see out into the dim area.

This place had male and female strippers; therefore, the clientele was of both sexes. Luckily, the place was also hands-off the strippers—unless you went upstairs to their private rooms. I bolted after every lap dance before they could ask for the upstairs treatment. I wasn’t quite ready for that yet.

I made it to the center of the room a couple of songs before I went on again and finally spotted General Finley. The General was wearing black leather pants and a black shirt. He motioned for me to come over to his private table, so I ignored the woman who was trying to flag me down. Two men were sitting at his booth in the darkened corner.

Christ.

I put a smile on my face, even though apprehension trickled up my spine. This was supposed to be the Game, part of training. Not the real deal. Those men were the real goddamn deal.

Shit.

Arriving at the table, I leaned over it so my cleavage was fully on display. My green eyes stopped on General Finley. I asked in a sultry tone, “Is there something I can do for you, honey?” I licked my lips, drawing the action out.

General Finley didn’t miss a beat, his posture never changing from relaxed—even though I had practically shoved my breasts in his face. He shook his head and pointed at the two men. “These gentlemen would like your services in a private room.” He paused. “But they want to watch.”

He pointed into the audience. “They’ve taken a liking to that man over there.”

I glanced behind my shoulder, concentrating on not peeing my skirt. Lord Almighty. I squinted through the darkness to where General Finley indicated. There was a man there who had a cascade of slick black hair that reached down to his waist. He wore a pair of black leather something-or-others that looked like skintight underwear. Tall, knee-high black combat boots, a black spiked collar, and a black half-mask completed his ensemble.

Oh, and he had a body to fucking die for.

I could see why these asswipes had noticed him.

I turned to the two ‘gentlemen’ and smiled. “It’s more expensive than a lap dance.” I would try anything to keep from going upstairs.

Both men were fair-haired, but one kept his short, and the other kept the length past his shoulders. The one with the longer hair stated, “We’ll pay.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a wad of cash folded in half. A money clip of the Baaz realm held the currency together—a leather string.

He sat the cash on the table and evaluated me closely. “Is this your first night here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”

My gaze was caught on all that money.

Yeah, these men were no good.

I licked my lips again, and stated honestly, “It’s my first night.”

The shorthaired guy smiled, his gaze caught on my cleavage. “Why don’t you go and get that man and tell your manager you’ll be awhile.” It was a clear order.

I straightened up and winked. “My pleasure.”

I walked away, swaying my ass.

While I freaked out internally.

But…

Something inside me sensed the predators the assholes were. That part of me smiled. I knew I was where I belonged. Doing anything to get the bad guys. Even subjecting myself to a situation I would never find myself in normally.

The strong protecting the weak.

That was how I had changed.

That was me now. The strong.

I spoke to the manager about what had been requested, and she nodded and gestured for the dark haired man to come over. As he stalked in our direction, very much dominating the entire room, I blinked.

Jesus, it was Lucifer.

At least, I thought it was him.

I squinted. Yes. It was him. Thank you, Lord!

We had both managed to attract the only criminals in the room. I was pretty sure that was saying something.

And his wig was better than mine.

Lucifer stopped in front of us, acting as if he didn’t know me. He nodded his approval while the manager spoke to him.

Then she left us. We stayed in our roles.

No chitchat. No fun times. Pure business.

Another reason why we worked so well together.

We strolled to the private table together.

I watched as the two bad guys took us in. It was similar to how General Finley had once. Like we were prized sheep. In a sick sense, we kind of were. But to put it more accurately, we were wolves dressed as sheep. I smiled inside.

They got up from the table and followed.

Lucifer must have already been there before because he knew exactly where he was going. I followed him like I knew what the hell I was doing, still swaying my practically bare ass as we walked up a flight of stairs. Their gazes heated my backside. It made me want to run.

But we were here. In the now.

General Finley was throwing us to the fucking sharks.

We entered a room at the back of a long hallway.

The room was red. Just red.

The couch that wrapped around all four walls was red. The ceiling and walls were red. The carpet was red. The lit candles were red. Even the pole in the center of the room was red.

I tried not to take that as a bloody omen.

The two men flipped through the song selection and spoke to the lone musician in the corner. The music started as the men sat down, one on either side of the room. Lucifer began to explain the rules, but Shorthair interrupted. “You on her for the first song. Then her on you for the second. And the third and fourth, you will each dance alone.” He snapped his fingers at the guy with the long hair.

Longhair pulled the wad back out of his pocket and tossed it to Lucifer.

Shorthair stated, “Make it believable, and there will be opportunities for more cash.”

Lucifer thumbed through the bills absently before flinging it on the couch beside him. He commented with ease, “We can do that.”

He grabbed my hands and placed by back against the pole.

I had never received a lap dance before, but I always thought that required one to be sitting.

I was wrong.

Lucifer proved that.

Very believably, I might add.

I had seen commercials for the popular male strippers who travel the United States, but Lord, help me, it hadn’t looked enjoyable to me. Men strutting around with their junk hanging all around? No thanks. For a man to turn me on, he needed to be strong and tough and sensual.

Lucifer managed that.

I doubted those oh, so popular men could do what he did in front of me. Or, rather, against me. I forgot in this room you could touch, and Lucifer covertly grabbed my hands a quarter of the way through the song and placed them on his chest.

Oops. I forgot I had a role to play, too.

I had to make him look wanted.

I got with the program.

Mmm, it wasn’t all that hard.

I lost myself in it, not sure if I was role playing any longer.

The song ended, and another began.

It was my turn.

I couldn’t do the pole thing because he was too tall.

So, I backed him into the couch with a pointed finger to his chest. I straddled him and dropped my head back, picturing a naughty little minx. Lucifer helped make me look even better, like a man on the brink of pouncing. He managed to keep his hands from going anywhere too dangerous, even when I stuck my crotch in his face at one point—a little trick with my legs over his shoulders. It was harder than it looked, but luckily, I didn’t fall on my face.

The song ended much as the one onstage had—with a person’s face stuck in my cleavage.

Lucifer breathed just as hard as I did, even though he hadn’t been doing a damn thing. He had a death grip on my hips, so I decided the next song was mine, too, to give him a moment to recover.

It wasn’t every day your partner’s crotch landed in your face.

I straightened up and worked the bar—not easy—and studied both men’s eyes to see what they liked best. It wasn’t hard. One guy was a tits man and the other an ass man. That was easy enough.

I crawled across the room with my ass in the air for the one who liked that and let my tits damn near fall out of my top for the guy I crawled up.

His hands ran down my arms, sending a sick shiver over my skin. It was as if he were testing the softness of my skin by the way he examined it.

I let him believe I was the sheep being appraised until the song ended.

While Lucifer danced by himself, I figured out these guys were both straight. I hadn’t been sure at first, but after they had touched him the same way they did me, with the absence of any sexuality in their gaze and with more calculation, it was obvious. It was also clear they were scouts on a mission. They were looking for beauty—male or female. Lucifer’s features were rough with hard angles, and his body was sculpted to perfection. His masculine beauty stood out amongst the rest, and his natural presence was an observable turn-on to most.

Even if they didn’t want me to play in their cat and mouse game, I knew they’d want Lucifer.

The music softly stopped.

Lucifer walked over to where the money was.

I swayed my ass as I walked to stand by him. I eyed the cash just enough to look interested, but still professional.

The men were still sitting there, both thinking.

Finally, Longhair stood and walked over to us. “Are you two interested in making more money?”

Again, I smiled inside.

I nodded and glanced at the cash.

Lucifer said, “Of course.”

Longhair stuck his right hand into his coat pocket. He pulled out two black cards. His pristine fingernails gleamed under the red lighting. He handed one to each of us.

I memorized the lone address on it.

He explained, “Come to that location on Wednesday between the times of four p.m. and five p.m. You’ll be instructed what to do from there.” He walked out of the red room.

Shorthair followed him.

I stuffed the card down my bustier and strolled out of the private room. Lucifer stalked behind me, both of us still playing our roles perfectly.

The sun peeked just over the horizon by the time Lucifer, General Finley, and I sat down in Lucifer’s room at the keep we were staying in. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Lucifer yet about what he thought of the experience. Though I was more than pleased to be wearing a pair of baggy night pants and an oversized shirt of Lucifer’s. My hair was freshly washed and up in a ponytail.

I was clean.

Lucifer wore a pair of simple shorts and a sleeveless shirt, his person also fresh from the shower. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, but he plowed into his sandwich with gusto.

General Finley sipped on coffee, the steam rising from it. He leaned back in his chair, and probed, “So?”

I didn’t care about manners at this point. I spoke as I chewed a bite of my own chicken sandwich and chips. “This was supposed to be part of the Game. We’re supposed to be training for situations like this, not handling them right now.”

Lucifer muttered around a mouthful, “Those guys were pros.”

General Finley smiled then. “You have nothing to say about the actual work? No squeamish worries? No blushing modesty?”

Lucifer snorted.

I asked dryly, “Did it look like we had a problem with that?”

General Finley relaxed. “No. Not at all. You were both very good. You could have any job in a sex club.”

I rolled my eyes. “We’re flattered, but we’re booked.” I pushed the black cards across the small table, in his direction, and explained what we had learned.

I dropped onto the bed, groaning, my feet barking. I stared up at the ceiling as I munched on my chips and curled and uncurled my toes. Christ, my feet hurt something fierce. Whoever the hell invented stilettos deserved to be shot. My ankles were actually swollen.

Suddenly, strong hands held my feet, kneading into the soreness. I groaned loud and long. It hurt at first, but Lucifer knew what he was doing.

My eyelids drooped.

Ah.

General Finley cleared his throat delicately. “Shall I come back later? Give you two some privacy?”

Lucifer and I flipped him off at the same time.

General Finley’s lips twitched.

I questioned, “So, what the hell happened to the Game?”

General Finley shrugged. “The opportunity presented itself. It was dumb luck they were there tonight and a credit to you both that you managed to attract their attention so quickly. They’re on our watch list for a smallish ring here in Terlant.

“You obviously can’t go in yet,” I seriously pouted at that, “but we can send in someone with the information we’ve garnered tonight.” He paused. “Or today. Whatever time it was. I’m just happy you two found one another. You make an excellent team. I would never take the risk of you being placed with someone you don’t know.”

I agreed, “Lucifer and I get each other.”

Lucifer just yawned and laid his head down by my feet. He still massaged them, his fingers digging in, but his efforts were getting weaker and slower. His yawn was contagious, and I followed suit, my lids dropping.

He mumbled, “Where’s Kingsley?”

“In my room. Sleeping on my pillow.”

Lucifer chuckled.

General Finley blew out the candles and left the room on silent feet.

I woke up to a rooster crowing. My face was smashed against something hard and smooth and warm, and something else that crunched and smelled of BBQ. I wiped the drool from my mouth and opened my eyes. I was still on Lucifer’s bed. I had used his foot and a sack of chips as a pillow.

He groaned from the other end of the mattress. “Clean the damn drool off my foot. It’s making me need to pee more.”

I quickly used my shirt to wipe my spit off his foot. Then I picked chips out of my hair as I sat up.

He rolled over. His sleepy eyes stared up at me. I was sure I was a sight, my ponytail listing off to one side, chips in my hair, dried drool on my cheek. And I must have lain on the bone in his foot because my face hurt enough I knew there had to be a red mark covering half of my face.

I was fairly positive I looked like I should be calling Alcoholics Anonymous instead of being an active participant in the Game for the Guard.

Lucifer rubbed his eyes and opened them again, staring. “Nope. I’m not imagining it. You really look that bad.”

I plucked another chip from my hair and threw it at him. “Fuck you.” Point to him.

He stretched and yawned, lots of muscles flexing. “We need to move. General Finley expects us downstairs for our daytime Game.”

My eyes narrowed. A damn rooster had woken us. That was like birds chirping before the sun rose. It was animal time, not human—or humona—time.

I shouted in frustration, “It’s barely light outside!”

Though I did toss chips out of my hair faster.

Right at Lucifer.

He growled and threw his pillow at my head. “The only time I allow someone to yell like that in the morning is if they’re under me.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “Or over me.”

I opened my mouth. Paused. And shut it.

I wasn’t going to touch that one.

“I need to go change.” I jumped off the bed.

My exit from the mattress didn’t go as planned.

I crumbled to the ground when the bruised soles of my feet hit the carpet. It was as if shards of glass were stabbing up into them. I screeched as I fell.

Screw Lucifer. I would yell all I wanted. It hurt!

Lucifer groaned from up on the bed. “You’re not allowed in my room anymore.”

I moaned in pain from the ground. “Lucifer?”

He sighed. “Yeah?”

“Who invented the stiletto?”

He chuckled. “I have no clue what a stiletto is.”

“The shoes I was wearing last night.”

“Those are called longheels.” He paused. “I think it was a guy two realms away. But I do remember he supposedly had a funny accent. One of the old drinkers said the man only came here once to sell his wares. He said it was hard to understand him.”

“Is he dead?” I didn’t care about the other junk.

“Probably.”

“Damn.”

The bed squeaked.

I didn’t move from the ground.

Lucifer stepped over me and went into the bathroom. Then, the unmistakable sound of a man peeing could be heard.

I rolled my eyes. “Shut the damn door!”

“My room, woman,” he hollered over his neverending flow of piss.

I pushed up on my knees and stood.

I groaned. Jesus H.

I walked from General Finley’s carriage as if I were walking on hot coals, hopping to and fro like an idiot.

Lucifer couldn’t stop laughing.

General Finley was even amused.

I wasn’t.

I was considering asking if they had a short-term disability package. But I should probably get through this second test first before I asked about their benefits.

General Finley’s lips wouldn’t stop twitching as we walked through a ‘parking lot’ to a large warehouse. He stated, “You better work those kinks out quickly, Ms. Creed. You don’t want others thinking you’re weak.”

I scowled.

Lucifer snorted at my furious look.

I smacked him upside his head and danced back on the balls of my feet. I peered at him harmlessly when he turned heated eyes on me. I asked innocently, “What? I’m just doing what the boss man said.” I smiled. “Working the kinks out, you know?”

Lucifer’s eyes promised retribution.

My smile widened. He was cute when he was mad.

General Finley shook his head. “Other than your attire, no one would place you two together. And, somehow, it works.” He paused thoughtfully. “Well, we’ll see how well it works in a few minutes, anyway.”

I looked down at my black capris cargos and black thermal shirt and black boots. I had splashed a little color to it with a silver shirt. Spiked black wrist guards were my jewelry.

I glanced over at Lucifer.

He checked me out like I was doing to him.

We had been in too much of a hurry to notice what the other was wearing. He wore long baggy black military cargos with a silver chain as a belt and a tight black long-sleeved shirt, no over shirt for color. He wore his black army boots, and he even wore a wrist guard similar to mine.

We looked very much like we’d planned this.

I muttered, “We need to discuss the night before what we’re wearing the next day.”

Lucifer shrugged. “I don’t decide until about five minutes before I put my clothes on.”

My face fell.

I did the same thing. We were doomed.

General Finley shook his head. “You guys look fine. Come on.” He headed to a side door on the warehouse.

I bounced after him, seriously looking like a bunny, trying to get the soreness out. Lucifer rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing for what we were going to go through inside. I tried to do the same, but my feet hurt.

Yes, it was pathetic. But…d-a-m-n.

I stared at the twenty or so men and women who surrounded us in a circle. The numbers didn’t bode well. Two against twenty. And all of them lethal and in their prime. They were fit like they worked out a couple of hours a day in the gym, and no one was as short or as tiny as me. There were even a few as big as the General in the group. And one of those said people was a female.

They were all Guard.

I muttered over my shoulder to Lucifer, who stood at my back, “I think General Finley wants to kill us.”

Lucifer’s shoulders shook my head. He snorted before he tensed, and stated, “Shut up. I need to focus.” A pause. “You take the left side. I’ll take the right side.”

I couldn’t help it. I folded over and hooted in laughter. The group that was advancing paused in their tracks. I saw the masses feet halt. Or the ground stopped shaking.

Either way, I knew they stopped moving.

Thank God.

General Finley’s voice echoed through the cavernous room. “Is there a problem, Ms. Creed?”

I peeked back at Lucifer, and muttered in a deep tone, “You take the left side. I’ll take the left side.” I threw my hands up in the air. “It’s a fucking circle, Lucifer! There is no left or right side.”

His blue eyes, already crinkling at the corners, narrowed suspiciously, almost watering. He cleared his throat. “Well, fuck. It’s the first time a mob’s attacked me all at once.” He pointed at me, finally grinning, unable to contain it. “You didn’t come up with anything better.” His dimples showed.

I might be staring.

“Lucifer! Arizona!” General Finley shouted, echoing at least three times around us. Both Lucifer and I snapped our heads up to the rafters, where a makeshift area had been constructed above. So he could have a bird’s-eye view of the scene. There were a few higher-ups—no pun intended—standing next to him, watching the show.

I squinted and studied their expressions.

Then I mumbled under my breath. “His face looks kind of red, don’t you think?”

Lucifer snickered and then coughed hard when General Finley crossed his arms, clearly irritated.

General Finley barked, “Is there an issue?”

I kept my mouth shut and let Lucifer answer that one.

“No, sir,” Lucifer stated calmly. He sounded like he wanted to choke as the words came out of his mouth. “Sorry, sir.”

With another wise crack on the tip of my tongue, I held it in. Just barely.

General Finley asked, “And you, Arizona? Are you doing all right?”

That was a loaded question.

I just nodded.

General Finley asked dryly, “Then how about we get back to it. Does that please the both of you?”

Oh, yeah. He was pissed.

“Or maybe we could bring out a pair of longheels for you to do this Game in, Ms. Creed. Would you like that?”

My eyes narrowed. He was just being plain mean now. But I answered steadily, “I’m fine, sir.” I paused, and I know it sounded like gravel. “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

He nodded and then held up a timer in his hand, stating, “Go,” for the second time.

The group started advancing again.

We had managed to stall long enough to give Lucifer time to formulate a plan. He stated calmly, “We stay together. Anyone my size or bigger, I’ll take. Anyone smaller, you take.”

I gazed around. I was pretty sure I was getting the rotten end of the deal here, but I shrugged and muttered, “This is going to hurt.”

Lucifer nodded. “Yes, it will.”

We charged together as one.

We ducked and twisted at the same time, pushing right past them so we were facing their backs. It surprised them enough that we both knocked out two people each before they even turned around. The circle altered course and we were immediately surrounded.

And it was on.

Lucifer and I stayed directly next to each other, stopping any blows aimed at us, but these people knew what they were doing. It wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. All had been taught to fight. But the one thing they lacked was the most crucial.

They hadn’t been trained to survive.

Lucifer and I had.

We were not clean and straightforward.

We fought dirty and brutally.

Stray punches and kicks did land on us, but soon, a pile of moaning bodies surrounded us on the ground. So much so, we had to move out of the litter of people to be able to fight properly because those on the ground were still kicking and punching at our ankles, like annoying miniature dogs.

We moved.

But they got lucky.

A man bigger than the General grabbed onto my bicep. His hand was large enough to easily grip it all the way around, and one look at him told me he wasn’t quite like the rest of the group. Whatever he was going to do would fucking hurt.

He literally lifted me up by my arm when Lucifer was fighting four other people, distracted. The giant man tossed me through the air like a ragdoll.

I flew.

Soared, really.

In fact, I had the opportunity to see the mob go right on by a few feet below me.

And, yeah. I screamed. Who wouldn’t?

I saw it coming. My shoulder was already screwed up by the beast’s toss, but the window I was flying at was going to leave a mark. Everyone was screaming below me, and somewhere, in the midst of it, I heard Lucifer enraged shout above everyone else’s.

Time kind of slowed. It crawled.

I watched the window come closer, the dirt and carriages—beyond the window pane—clearly in view.

Everything shimmered as adrenaline flooded my veins and managed to make everything look pretty. I had time to plan—my brain was functioning so quickly. Right before I hit the window, I tucked and turned in the air, protecting my head and neck, bringing my knees up to my chest.

The glass made the most amazing tinkling sound as I slammed into it, the pane breaking immediately around me. Sunshine hit my face. Even though my eyes were closed, I could still feel its heat. I landed on top of a covered carriage. But it had a ‘sunroof’ in the middle made of glass.

I smashed right through it into the heart of the carriage. My body hit the two seats on either side. I screamed, the impact jamming my shoulder back into place.

I couldn’t catch my breath, and the destroyed carriage blurred in my vision. But it hadn’t been that bad. My left hip and shoulder hurt like hell, but my head, legs, and arms weren’t severely damaged.

The horses up front were distressed, though.

I opened the door and pulled myself out, ass-over- head. I landed in a heap on the dirt just as the horses had had enough. They broke free of their binds and galloped off, the carriage teetering dangerously behind them.

And I could still hear people shouting inside.

I shook my head hard and pushed air into my lungs, just as I was lifted off the ground.

Lucifer’s face stared down at me. He looked mighty worried and pissed off all at once. “Arizona, baby? Are you all right?”

I sucked in air and scowled. “I just went through a window and landed on a carriage. And went through its sunroof.” I paused. “Of course, I’m all right.” I squirmed in his grip since he was holding me like a damn baby. “Come on. I want to go kick that beast’s ass.”

Lucifer’s brows scrunched in irritation for a second, but he set me on my feet and started running his hands over me. I swatted them away and turned, and then started stomping back to the door. “I said I was all right.” I glanced over my shoulder, glass flying out of my hair with the motion. “You want in on it, or am I doing it all myself?”

Lucifer blinked, and then grinned. “Fuck yes, I’m in.”

When we came back inside, General Finley was yelling at someone to get them down from their perch—probably worried that I was dead.

Lucifer and I took advantage of everyone’s shock at seeing me walking and alive. We strolled straight up to two ‘attackers’ and decked them in the face.

Two down, eight more to go.

The rest were still lying injured on the ground.

During that round of our fighting. General Finley shouted for them to stop taking them down so he could watch. I almost laughed as I elbowed a man in the neck, barely watching as he flopped on the ground. I stepped on his back, using the extra height to help with the next person in line. Yeah, General Finley, it takes more than airtime to keep me from my goal.

When there were only two remaining, a female and Beasty, I stopped Lucifer from going after him. I shook my head and muttered breathlessly, “He’s fucking mine.”

Lucifer glanced at him, and then the broken window.

He nodded silently. He wasn’t going to argue.

Trust. He had it for me as I did for him.

Lucifer took the woman down in seconds.

It took me much longer with Beasty. I just had to make sure he didn’t get his paws on me again. He wasn’t as quick as I was, and I used that as my—only—advantage. When his beefy fists came at me, I had to move or be permanently out of commission. I made him come for me, taking him deeper into the mass of bodies littering the floor since he had problems moving, making it worse for him.

I got in at least six blows to his none when he got pissed and charged me. I dove under him just as his arms came in to swipe me up. I landed hard on my back between his feet, kicking up as I hit the ground.

I nailed him like a motherfucker with my boot.

Right to his crotch.

He stilled.

It was like watching a huge tree totter back and forth.

Timber!

I quickly rolled back to get out of the way as he bellowed and toppled on his back, curling into the fetal position.

I wanted to kick him while he was down, but Lucifer caught me around the waist when I had my foot mid-swing.

Dammit.

He protested, “That blow you gave him will set him back a few months. Leave him be.”

I grumbled and crossed my arms, upset he wouldn’t let me have my fun. He carried me away, through the bodies, with one arm around my waist. I glared over my shoulder.

He laughed, sputtering, “You’re like a furious pixie.” My eyes bulged at the put-down, and he immediately shook his head. “No. No. Don’t get mad at me. Pixie’s can be very hazardous to a person’s health.”

My gaze clearly stated I thought he was full of shit.

He responded simply, “No, really. They’re tiny and cute, so everyone thinks they’re harmless, right? They never see the devious and dangerous side of them until it’s too late.”

I blinked. Well, that was all right.

I sniffed and turned my head away, trying to be as dignified as I could be—even as he carried me.

I ignored the way his shoulder shook, of course.

General Finley and his entourage were down from their ‘safe zone’ and scrutinizing us with guarded eyes.

Lucifer sat me on my feet in front of them and stood next to me.

General Finley crossed his arms and glared down at me. “You manipulated us in the beginning.”

Ah. He was just now figuring that out.

Lucifer rocked back and forth on his heels and put his hands in his back pockets, trying to look innocent.

I just stood there.

I hurt too damn bad to pretend innocence right now.

General Finley showed his teeth. “Code word?”

I didn’t say anything.

Lucifer stayed mute.

We had barely had time to come up with anything as we had raced down the hallway this morning. The word ‘kill,’ for example, was the code word for ‘stall.’ ‘Pig’ was the code word for ‘flee.’ And ‘pants’ was the code word for ‘help.’ That was all we’d had time for. No originality, really, but it had worked.

General Finley looked like he wanted to strangle us. “That test was supposed to have surprised you. To see what you would do on your feet against so many.”

Yeah, I got that impression when everyone had stormed into the building once General Finley and his cohorts were safely above.

Again, Lucifer and I stayed mute.

General Finley actually growled.

Until someone—a stern looking middle-aged woman—grabbed his arm and yanked him away as her face showed obvious shock at his behavior.

We twiddled our thumbs.

Two men in dark cloaks stayed.

They watched us.

They had been up top with General Finley. The two guys looked pretty uptight. Upper officials, all the way. They really didn’t like being stuck near us, but there was a special gleam in their eyes as they studied us. I felt like a lab rat.

I didn’t like that.

But I did eventually smirk.

I waited for a full minute for the man on the right’s covert, forlorn gaze to come back to us and alter into studying us again. I murmured quietly, “Sorry about your carriage.”

His eyes widened to saucers.

I leaned against Lucifer and held his gaze.

He sputtered for a few seconds. Then he stormed off to where General Finley and the woman were having a heated argument. Apparently, he had decided to join the fray.

Lucifer wrapped his left arm around my shoulders, fingers spread wide in front of us.

He cried out quietly in a girly voice, “I think I broke a nail! I’ll have to fix that right away.” He sighed and then gasped, bringing his hand closer to our faces. “Freddy will just cry when he sees this. It’s two nails, not one!”

I bit the inside of my cheek hard.

Lucifer had correctly guessed the older, butch man’s flaw. He stopped studying us and an expression of disgust crossed his features, taking Lucifer for a gay man. The last cloak-wearing fool turned and stormed off to argue with his cohorts.

All around us was chaos. Chaos we had instigated.

I wondered how long it would take General Finley to put it all together. I relaxed against Lucifer, more now that no one was watching us. The sound of groans was music to my ears as people started picking themselves up off the ground or waking from being knocked out. I watched them covertly making sure none came charging at us in post rage.

They didn’t.

Minutes passed.

General Finley hollered for his group to shut up.

He cast thoughtful eyes on us.

The General was clearly in control of his temper now.

Lucifer and I lifted a free hand each and wiggled our fingers. Harmless. That was us.

General Finley took a slow perusal of his co-workers pissed off faces and then at the hurt people around us. He blinked. Slowly, like a steam engine train just starting up, he began to chuckle until it became a full grab-your-belly laugh, his tan face turning pink with his mirth. I observed silently until he shook his head at us and threw his arms wide, shouting, “You two are fucking geniuses!”

We nodded.

He finally got it.

We controlled the chaos.

We stopped it before it even began.

We let it begin.

We beat them down.

When it stopped, we started it again.

We egged him on to the point he lost control, just as each one of his experienced co-workers had.

We held them all in our hands.

We were the eye of the storm.

And we didn’t like being an experiment.

Experience, yes.

Training, yes.

But when they were lifted up above, to study us, we had bristled. Maybe General Finley and his colleagues would learn from this. Perhaps they wouldn’t.

Teach us. Show us. Help us.

But don’t experiment on us.

Or do…

And face our wrath.

After General Finley had calmed everyone down and gotten medical help for those who needed it, he and his chums took us out to lunch. All of them watched us warily, except for General Finley, who couldn’t stop shaking his head and chuckling. I was sure he was embarrassed with himself.

While we ate, they asked us normal questions about our home lives, normally get to know you stuff, but with my past—or no past in this realm—Lucifer talked nonstop to keep the focus off me. General Finley was quiet in his seat, becoming more and more amused as the time passed by. When we left, he took us back to the keep and walked us to our rooms.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” The General stared off to the side. “I’ve learned a valuable lesson today.”

He didn’t say what it was, but he had apologized.

So, I forgave him.

While watching him from the corner of my eye.

Our two tests were done.

Tomorrow we would know if we were part of the Guard.

I walked into my room to Kingsley taking a bath in my cup of water I’d left out. My brows rose. “Seriously?”

“One must bathe to look as good as I do,” he sang and dropped one of my mints into the water. His red head turned in my direction. “What do you call these wonderful bath salts? Their scent is minty fresh.”

I blinked. “They're called a breath freshener.”

He stared. “They aren’t for bathing?”

“No.”

His head tipped back in disgust, peering down into the water turning white. “I may need another bathtub.”

I threw my hands into the air and walked back out of my room. I was too tired for the frog’s ego. It would be quieter in Lucifer’s room.

As long as he didn’t snore too badly.

I stood outside Lucifer’s door and knocked.

“One second,” he called.

I rested a shoulder against the doorframe.

He was closer when he asked, “Who is it?”

“Arizona.” I yawned.

The door opened.

“I was just getting ready to take a bath.”

Yeah, he was.

Lucifer stood with a towel wrapped around his waist. He held it together with just his left fist. The rest of his body was bare. His toes were even perfect.

I stared, my eyes running down all of his hard muscles on display. My mouth bobbed. I couldn’t speak as a flush burned my cheeks. My soul partner was built like a dream.

His lips curved up on one side, and he rested his shoulder on the doorframe right in front of me. Our bodies were mere inches apart. The heat from his skin brushed mine, warming my body even further.

He chuckled quietly. “Hello.”

I blinked—more than a few times. “Hi.”

He tipped his head and rested the side of it on the doorframe. His blue gaze quietly observed, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “Is there something you need?”

I swallowed on a dry throat. “I wanted to stay in your room for a while. Except baths seem to be popular right now. Kingsley was taking one, too.”

He hummed softly in his throat and leaned his head closer to mine. His voice dropped an octave, and his words were gently stated. “You can still come in.” He didn’t look away from me. “If you want.”

It was an offer. To join him, in all ways.

He’d given it once before.

When I had first moved in with him years ago.

I closed my mouth and gazed back.

His blond brows quirked ever so slightly when I didn’t immediately turn him down—as I had done before. He took a step closer, dragging his bare shoulder along the doorframe. Only an inch separated us now. He lifted his free hand and ran his fingers down my arm, starting from my elbow and descending to my hand. His warm fingers played with mine with a delicate touch.

He whispered, “Are you finally ready to accept me?”

I gazed into the most beautiful blue eyes. “Why would you want to change what we have?” I still didn’t take my hand back, allowing his fingers to toy with mine.

“Because that’s not all I want. You know that.”

I inhaled a small breath and scented him. Sweat from fighting and his enticing cologne. My brows furrowed just a little, worry fluttering in my stomach. “What if it’s too much for me?”

“Am I too much for you now?”

“No, but that’s different.”

“It is. And it isn’t.” He took another step forward and pressed his body against my front.

We fit. We always had.

“It’s time to accept this is where you belong, Arizona.” He held my fingers tighter and lifted my hand, maneuvering my arm so it wrapped around his waist. Only when I didn’t pull my arm away did he let go. His arm slipped around my hip, and his palm landed at the small of my back. He whispered, “Here. In this realm. With me.”

I breathed in heavy pants, my chest lowering and falling against his body. “I want you.”

“I know,” he whispered. His hand pressed against my back, pushing my soft curves against his unyielding body. “And I’m tired of waiting.”

My heart broke a little. I hadn’t meant to hurt him. I hadn’t been ready for this before. I was in the clutches of my father’s death and only eighteen-years-old. I wasn’t that same girl any longer.

I nodded my head. “Okay.”

His eyes softened, less guarded. “I won’t hurt you, honey. You’re the one for me. I’ll cherish you forever.”

I licked my lips and grinned. “I know.”

The blue of his eyes was captivating. “You’re really ready for this? To be us, but a different us?”

“I said yes. I meant it.” I nodded and tested running my fingers over his skin. It was heated and smooth against the pads of my fingers. “I know you’re the one for me. My partner. The other half of my soul.”

As he stared down at me, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes turned fierce on mine. “You’re mine.”

I lifted my brows. “And you’re mine.”

He groaned quietly, lifting his hand and resting it on my cheek. “Fuck, it’s about time.”

My eyes crinkled in humor.

Then his mouth landed on mine, all my mirth fleeing as a new tide of emotions conquered my mind. His lips ran over mine, and his fingers pressed against my cheek. He released his towel, uncaring we were standing where anyone could see us, and his other arm wrapped around my waist.

This was the way a man kisses a woman he loves.

No act. No playing.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

I lifted my arms to wrap them tightly around his neck and kissed him back for the first time ever.

He groaned loudly in his chest, and he pulled me even tighter against him. Our mouths ran amok in furious glides. Heat and passion jolted through me, and I parted my lips for him, our tongues meeting in a dueling sensual battle of need.

Both us moaned with it.

His arm tightened around me and pulled me inside his room. The sweetest lips never left mine even as he slammed the door closed behind us and locked the door. He walked me backward, his hands running up and down my back with greed, erotic hunger fueling our movements. He still hadn’t stopped kissing me.

I hoped he never would.

He laid me back on his bed in a demanding rush.

I mumbled against his lips. “Wait. Wait. We don’t have any protection—”

“I don’t care,” he rumbled deeply, his tongue diving in to meet mine. I gasped when his mouth left my lips. But he only leaned back to quickly began to undress me. “If I get you pregnant the first time we have sex, then it’s meant to be.”

My eyes widened, even as I lifted my hips up to help him remove my pants. “I want to be in the Guard. Not pregnant.”

“Pregnancy only lasts nine months, and we already have two kids.” He tossed my pants onto the floor. In a matter of seconds, I was completely nude beneath him. My flesh, all of my flesh, rubbed against his heated skin, both of us utterly naked. “It’ll make our family that much bigger to love.”

My conscience didn’t even blink. My skin was on fire against his. However, my eyes softened, holding all the love I had for him—for our family. “All right. Just one time.”

“Thank the kingdom,” he growled quietly. His generous lips spanned over mine in desired strokes, his blond hair gliding across my cheeks. The palm of his hand cupped one of my breasts. He moaned quietly, squeezing as I arched up against his touch.

His legs slid between mine, roughly spreading my legs. Warmth flooded my gut as he dominated me. He pressed his hard cock against my core, grinding his length in the wetness he found there.

I shouted against his lips as he started rocking his hips against me in heated strokes, his cock sliding deliciously. I trembled under him as he dipped his head, sucking at my neck, kissing and nibbling. Lifting a bit, his other hand slid between us, gliding down between my thighs to cup me.

Breathing heavily against my neck, he muttered softly, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this pussy.” He shook his head the barest bit, breathless, before his lips were back on mine, caressing, and sliding in demanding strokes. “I’m going to sink into your sweetness and own it.”

My lips curved against his. He was so damn cocky.

When his fingers glided through my folds, and he shoved two fingers deep into my channel, my body jerked with the pinch of pain.

He stilled over me, his blue eyes worried.

“You’re fine. You’re fine.” I exhaled a shaky breath. “Just keep going.”

He blinked, and whispered, “Was…that what I think it was?”

I squirmed under him. “No questions.”

His lids instantly hooded his gaze. “You’re a virgin.” His fingers ever so carefully pulled out of me. He lifted them, staring at the smear of blood on them. His brows lifted, blue eyes traveled back to mine. “Perhaps, you should have told me?”

I snorted softly. “Technically, you just broke my virginal barrier.” My face scrunched as his intelligent eyes were on mine. “Are you just going to stare at me or are we going to do this?”

His lips curved slightly, so damn handsome. “We’re doing this.” He lowered his hand back between my legs, much more gradually pressing his fingers inside me.

Our breathing accelerated as he gently explored, softly stroking in and out of me. My legs spread further, and my hips pressed up against him. A satisfied gleam entered his gaze when I jerked, his thumb pressing against my clit, and his fingers flexing inside me to find a delicately sensitive spot. I groaned and rubbed against him harder, his tone quiet, a deep growl. “You are so perfect, honey.”

I moaned, my mouth parting as my head arched back, grabbing onto his shoulders. “Please…” I couldn’t breathe, my body needing, trembling. “Please, Lucifer!”

“I’ll take you there,” he groaned, his fingers beginning to move faster, harder. His face hovered over mine, watching me as my lids fluttered. “You’ll fly, and I’ll catch you. I always will.”

I rocked my hips back and forth, and his fingers crooked just right. My whole frame jerked as I screamed, my mind skipping to soar. I jolted against him, my channel gripping his fingers in pulses.

His mouth slammed down onto mine, caressing my lips with passion as it all went to the hazy warmth inside my mind. My body. He sent me spinning into heaven.

Only for my eyes to fly open in shocked pain as he removed his fingers, and replaced them with his cock, the blunt head stretching me. He drove his hips forward, sliding in a few inches, his body trembling over mine.

“Holy hell,” he panted, his hands on my cheeks. His muscled chest heaved against mine as he retreated, pressing forward again brutally. “You’re so small. Just give me a second and it’ll be good. I promise.”

I nodded rapidly, automatically sliding my legs up, opening myself further for his fierce invasion. His cock was so damn big, I grabbed the headboard above me, holding myself steady for his driving hips—and keeping myself from pulling away. “Hurry.”

Sliding his hands under my back, he grabbed my shoulders, gripping tightly. His body flexed sensually before slamming his hips flush with mine.

I grunted and trembled in pain, my channel stretched in agony. “You’re too large.”

With his teeth gritted, he shook his head. “Just keep holding onto the headboard.” He lifted on his arms, staring down at me. His gaze slid down my body to where our bodies joined. He groaned softly, his cheeks flushed and his lips swollen. Keeping his eyes there, he gently began sliding out of me. “Fuck, we look perfect together.”

I gripped harder as his hips began a slow glide in and retreat, the movement ever so gradually began to hurt less. My gaze tilted down to stare where his was. The sight was erotic as hell, my channel accepting his massive, glistening cock, taking him into the depths of my wet warmth. “Go faster.”

He nodded his head swiftly and grabbed one of my hips tightly, pulling his hips back to plunge into me deeply. His head fell back on a booming, deep shout. Jerking his hips back, he began pounding into me more brutally, his cock rubbing my tight channel in deep pleasure. My back bowed off the bed as I screamed his named. Breathing hard, his head dipped down, his eyes possessed me completely.

“You feel so fucking good.” He slammed his hips flush with my body and pressed deeper, watching as I groaned. “Right there?”

A small whimper escaped my lips. “Yes.”

He hit the spot again. “We shouldn’t have waited this long.”

“I was an idiot,” I panted, grabbing for him. “Come here. I want your mouth.”

Lucifer lowered, his muscles rippling as he moved, placing his lips on mine. He kissed me relentlessly as he continued driving into my depths, grinding his pelvis against me. Cupping one of my breasts, he groaned, “My Arizona.”

My lips curved. “My devil.”

“And I’ll do wicked things to you all night long,” he whispered, biting my bottom lip roughly. Sweet sweat began to glisten on our bodies. His gaze flicked between mine. “Touch me.”

More than happy to. “Where?” I took my hands from the headboard, grazing his shoulders.

He moaned, “Anywhere you want. I just want you to touch me.”

I let my hands travel where they wished, touching all of his beautiful flesh. I ran my fingers through his hair as he continued pressing into me, giving us so much pleasure. My palms landed on his ass, and I trailed my short nails across his perfect muscles there.

He shuddered, grumbling, “Don’t do that. It tickles.”

I did it once more with a grin on my face before I relented, watching as he shivered again. Sliding my legs over his hips, I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close as I kissed him with all the hunger I had. His tongue slid across mine just as furiously as he thrust into me, his fingers gripping my hip tight. My body began to quiver under him. His eyes lifted to mine, his words a mere breath. “I’ll catch you, honey.”

On a quiet whimper, as he thrust deeply, my body exploded in sensual heat. My back arched, and my breasts pressed against his chest. He held me close, driving his hips flush in brutal demand. My mind drifted, lost in hazy stunning bliss, as my channel gripped him ruthlessly, demanding more. His groan vibrated our touching lips.

His muscles tightened over me, thrusting more frantically in need, his own pleasure taking over. He drove into me one last time and shouted my name.

My eyes opened past the pleasure.

I wanted to watch him. The man I loved.

My other half. Forever.

Lucifer jerked over me, shuddering hard as he came in heated, pulsing spurts inside me. Beautiful. He was utterly beautiful as he hit his peak of ecstasy.

He exhaled heavily and shuddered. His eyes had never left mine, showing me every sentiment he had. The weight of his body pressed down onto my frame as his body went limp, his head tucking quietly against the side of my head. We trembled every so often until we eventually caught our breath in each other’s arms.

“I feel as if I should give her a pregnancy test before I tell you if you won your tests or not.” General Finley raised gray eyebrows. “Did you forget I have exceptional hearing?”

My cheeks instantly flushed red.

We had been kind of loud last night at the keep.

All night long.

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. “Just move along.”

The Chief glanced between us. “So you’re together?” He tapped the file on his desk. “It says here you live together, but aren’t in a relationship.”

I flicked a quick glare at General Finley, and then peered back to the Chief. I knew Lucifer was allowing me to answer the question. “We are together. We always will be.”

“Agreed,” Lucifer stated easily. “I knew it the moment I saw her.”

I may have preened a little. But I’d never admit that.

General Finley glanced at his boss, speaking candidly. I bet they were old friends. “Honestly, it was painful to watch before. He loves her. She loves him. It’s the tale as ancient as time.”

The Chief nodded thoughtfully. “That’ll work for the jobs I have lined up for them.” He opened the file and started writing in it. “I’ll just make a note to not send them on any mission requiring sex with someone else.”

I coughed hard, and growled, “Fuck that!”

Lucifer smirked.

General Finley winked at him. “About time, right?”

He muttered, “Way past time. Like, three years overdue.”

I blinked slowly. “I’m right here, you know.”

The Chief glanced up from his writing. “Now you know how that situation feels.” His eyes flicked back down to his writing. “And it was an extremely jealous response. One, it appears, your other half enjoyed immensely.”

I glared at the Chief, even while I snapped out my arm, whacking Lucifer’s shoulder with the back of my hand.

Lucifer chuckled quietly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I paused. “Devil.”

He snorted and held his stomach. “Perfect.”

I shook my head in exasperation. “General Finley, I take it we won the Game since he’s setting up ‘jobs’ for us?”

The General nodded. “Yes. And you both did well enough to be in my unit.”

“What unit is that?” Lucifer asked, settling down.

He hummed. “A special one.”

My brows rose. “That’s it? A special one?”

The Chief grunted, and closed the file. “General Finley’s unit deals directly with Guard spies who have turned on their kingdom. Individuals who are double-agents. His team finds them, and then I punish them.”

My lips gradually curved. “That sounds like fun.”

Both men behind the desk grinned.

The Chief nodded. “It is. Take my word on that.”

Lucifer sat forward. “Will we be gone much? We have two little girls at home. Our au pair is wonderful, but we don’t want her raising our children.”

General Finley shook his head. “Normally, the missions last two weeks out of three months. For you two, it’ll probably take less than that.”

“And the school?” I questioned. “The girls get into the school, right?”

“Of course,” he assured. Then he cleared his throat. “I’ve actually taken the liberty to enroll them already. They start in three days time.”

I nodded and sat back on my chair, appeased with his answers. I trusted the General to get my citizenship papers, too. There was no need to risk asking him in here with the Chief around.

Lucifer turned his head in my direction. “We’ll need to find a house here.”

The Chief slid a piece of paper across the desk toward us. “Already taken care of.” His teeth were so white inside his smile, they gleamed in the sunlight streaming through his windows. “It’s one of the perks of the job. Your kingdom takes care of you.”

I waggled a finger in the air. “When do we get our wings?” I wanted mine like I needed air to breathe.

General Finley chuckled. “You had them as soon as you walked through his office door. I granted them to you this morning.”

Lucifer’s head cocked. “A fairy. You’re a fairy.”

General Finley shook his head. “Not even close.”

My eyebrows lifted. “An angel?”

He winked.

Kingsley poked his head out of my pocket. “An angel in Terlant? I haven’t seen one of those in years.”

General Finley snorted. “Touche, Kingsley.”

The frog nudged me. “Stand up and put me on the desk. I want to see the wings he gifted you.”

I lifted my buddy out of my pocket and sat him on the desk gently. My brows puckered, and I glanced at the General—the freaking angel. “Do you…um…know God?”

He nodded ever so slightly.

My heart pounded in my chest. “My father? Is he there or somewhere else?” He had been an assassin.

His words were soft. “You don’t want to know the answer to that, Ms. Creed.”

My lips pinched, even as Lucifer grabbed my left hand in comfort. “He was a good father.”

“I know,” he soothed.

I swallowed and nodded. Then, I shook out my shoulders. I had already known the answer, anyway. “Do I need to change my clothes to show my wings? The Chief’s were out, and he was fully clothed.”

The General shook his head. “Just wish for them. The magic will take care of the rest.”

I closed my eyes and wished for my wings.

Lucifer’s quick intake of breath told me I had done it.

I kept my eyes closed. “Are they pretty?”

“Very,” he whispered.

I peeked open one eye and glanced to the side. They were just like the Chief’s, translucent blue with golden streaks throughout. I opened my eyes fully and smiled, happy as the frog covertly stealing the crumbs of chocolate off the Chief’s lunch plate. I pointed at my wings and gazed down at the man I loved. “I got them. I got them!”

He groaned quietly, even though humor lit his gaze. “I can’t wait until the new wears off.”

I waggled my brows and fluttered my wings.

His blue eyes glazed over at the beauty.

I smirked. “What was that?”

My wings fluttered again.

He blinked and shook his head vigorously.

My devil stood to his feet, and he instantly had wings.

Just like mine.

And he fluttered them.

I stared in fascination. But fluttered mine as well.

He gazed back with the same amount of awe.

Flutter. Flutter. Flutter.

Flutter.

The Chief cleared his throat as we continued. “General Finley, I’m so happy they’re under your lead.”

The General snorted. “Wings aside, I am too.”

The End

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Skeleton Key novella!

All reviews are appreciated.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times bestselling author and award-winner, Scarlett Dawn is the author of the Forever Evermore new adult fantasy series, the Mark new adult science fiction saga, and the Lion Security contemporary series.

She lives in the Midwest, adores her music loud, and demands her fries covered in melted cheese.

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WoodlandCreekSeries.com

A shifter made of stone. And wings.
A human bent on free love. And drunk.
A joke could be made with those two lines.

But the town of Woodland Creek, it's no laughing matter. Hostile and magical residents guard their secrets. It's too easy to be found out.

When Isaac Stone first meets Kennedy Kirk, he's tempted to shove her off the clock tower. After all, she is gripping his private parts to lean over and see his town. One little push is all it would take...

Isaac never anticipated he'd be the one to fall.

A fresh, meaty, sink-your-teeth-in-and-hold-on-tight new adult fantasy series kicks off with King Hall…

King Hall — where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing — The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace — her burgeoning friendships with the other three Prodigies: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realizes the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the revolution.

Where there is Dark, there is Light.
The two halves make a whole.
Or do they battle for dominance?

Kenna
Kenna Julius is your average teenage girl. She has a bossy mom, a new boyfriend in school, and she never dreams of enchanted lands or fairy tale castles.

She lives in the real world.
Or so she thought...

Juliet
Juliet Julius watched her daughter grow into a fierce young woman. She protected her. She guarded her. She sacrificed all she had to give.

Now it’s Juliet’s turn to live.
But she may have a sinister problem of her own...

Susan
Susan Julius has loved one man her entire life. He's brilliant, strong, and powerful. And he has never given her any indication he feels the same way.

Though, situations are about to change. One will be deadly. The other will awaken desire...

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14