A portal framed by the hallway's walls opened to a desert so hot, the heat caused the air to waver. Azza strode through it as Lucifer snapped his fingers to place a pair of boots onto our love's bare feet before they hit the scorching sand. Little things like that made my heart swell; Azza, out of love-fueled loyalty, completely trusted that Lucifer would care for him, and Lucifer diligently did so.

The portal closed, and I found myself in the kitchen with Lucifer, who immediately enticed me into his arms. "Bath?" he suggested, knowing it was one of my favorite things.

"Please," I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Fuck?" he offered, chuckling, tucking a stray curl of hair behind my ear.

"An even bigger, 'Please!'" I giggle-snorted, which made me snicker harder.

I laughed outright when he picked me up and threw me over a shoulder, shouting, "Come on, woman!"

One short trek down the hall and two magical snaps of his fingers later, we were in our suite's bathroom beside a tub of steaming water under dimmed lighting. He set me on my feet gently, catching my lips with his as I slid down his body.

I answered his insistent kiss with an urgency of my own. I didn't even hear him snap away our clothes; I realized they disappeared when I found myself pressed against the warmth of his skin. I couldn't help but whimper, the tension in me rising.

He broke the kiss, then murmured, "If we want to enjoy the tub, we had better get in the tub." He walked away and beckoned. "Let me wash you."

A tiny flush ran through me. "Sounds perfect." Being given a bath had become one of those things that said, "I love you," without actually speaking it. Fortunately, both of my Fallen Angels loved to indulge me.

Lucifer stepped into the water and settled, then I joined him, my back to his chest and his arms around me. He pulled my dark curls off my shoulder and leaned in to kiss my neck gently.

"Mmm. That's nice, Lucifer," I hummed.

He reluctantly let me go, grabbing the small pitcher and pouring an endless stream from it for me to wet my hair. Once it was suitably soaked, he pooled a generous amount of the rose-scented shampoo Azza always provided in his palm. Roses were Azza's signature, and the fragrance had become a thing that reminded us of his love. When he could have picked any other in all of creation, Lucifer choosing that shampoo made me smile.

I lost myself in the sensations of Lucifer washing my hair. He used light, but thorough strokes, working the suds to the tips. When dry, it hung in curls just past my shoulders, but it was halfway down my back when wet. Whenever I talked about cutting it, both of them protested. We settled on keeping it trimmed to the length it was now.

Hair clean, he started on my shoulders with the soapy washcloth, but it wasn't long before he nestled me against him again to wash the rest of me. His touch was sensual, a delight to experience. He was an expert at narrowing my attention until there was nothing in existence but him and me.

I wanted to go further, to feel his hands on me in more intimate ways, but he reminded me softly, "You promised to say goodnight to Deirdre. We have been in the bath for over an hour."

I opened my eyes slowly and turned my head for a kiss. He delivered, and it held the promise of more.

Breakfast the next morning on Lucifer's private jet was excellent, and the flight was uneventful. Soon we were being dropped off at the front door of the aquarium. Uzza would stay with the car until he could check in to the Candler Hotel as we spent the day watching the underwater life.

We paid our entry fee and went inside. Mrs. Hamilton smiled as she texted on her phone. Then, with whatever business she had conducted concluded, she turned to Deirdre and me.

"I have a surprise, or, rather, Mr. Satana and I have a surprise," she explained, looking quite pleased with herself. "We've arranged for Deirdre to have a spot at each of the big tanks." Her eyes sparkled with anticipation of answering the questions she knew would be asked.

Deirdre complied. "A spot?"

"Yes," her grin widened, "a spot to sketch!"

Deirdre gasped. "Really? Like somewhere I can watch the tank without people walking in front of me?"

"Yep! Mr. Satana," she explained, "made a sizable donation to the aquarium, and I sent in images of your recent work. They readily agreed and have roped off three areas for you. The catch is you have to sit so passersby can watch you work."

"Deal!" Deirdre exclaimed. She hugged Mrs. Hamilton tight before texting furiously on her phone.

"Be sure to thank Lucas," I reminded her.

"That's what I'm doing, Mom!" she said, exasperated. Her phone dinged. "He says he wants pictures of the progress as I sketch."

Lucifer was a good Fallen Angel, and he was excellent with my daughter. It meant more to me than I could put into words. I texted him as much, and he answered with a kiss.

"I can post the pictures to my Instagram, too!" Deirdre said. "Where's the first spot?"

"We'll have to wait for Mr. Phillips to tell us. He's the Director of the aquarium and wants to meet you!" Mrs. Hamilton beamed. My daughter had a sense of pride in her work, and I was proud of her in turn.

Despite the movement of people all around us, someone walking our way caught my attention. I turned to see a light-skinned man in his early forties wearing a tailored suit moving through the crowd toward us. His close-cropped hair and expertly trimmed, three-day-stubble beard were both salt-and-pepper. Our eyes met, and his face lit with a genuine smile which only made him more attractive. As he got closer, I noticed the gray in his hair wasn't white; it gleamed like strands of silver. All those things, combined with the dark, mysterious eyes, did me in.

I couldn't help myself; I scanned him top to bottom and back again. It was obvious from the fit of the suit he worked out. By the time my gaze returned to his, he was smirking. My heart skipped a beat, and Azza chuckled. He'd picked up on my reaction. I concentrated on not allowing the flush to creep up onto my face as the man turned from me to focus on my daughter's tutor.

"Mrs. Hamilton?" he questioned as he approached, his gentlemanly Southern accent making her name sound elegant.

"Yes," she answered, "it's nice to meet you, at last, Mr. Phillips." She extended her hand, and he took it warmly. I felt a little smug when she blushed. I'd managed to keep things under control.

"The pleasure is all mine. Please, call me Laz." He turned to my daughter. "And, you must be Deirdre?"

Deirdre nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you for letting me sketch!"

"Well, Mr. Satana has been a long-time supporter of the aquarium, so, when he asked for a favor, and especially after I saw your work, I couldn't say no!" Laz told her before turning to me. "You must be Lucas' partner, Olivia."

"I am," I responded, holding out my hand. I beamed when he shook it. Azza stepped forward and put a hand on my lower back. It kept me from staring at Laz inappropriately.

Finally, Laz and Azza shook hands with familiarity and ease. "Alex, good to see you again," he said, using Azza's public name.

"Oh, you two know each other?" I asked.

Azza explained, "Yes, we've been friends for a long time." He looked at me and spoke low, in a private tone. "Olivia, I'd like you to meet Death."

I gaped and looked at Laz before turning back to Azza to whisper, "Death has a day job?"

We followed Laz and Dierdre as they chatted and arrived at the museum's largest indoor tank a short time later. The tank was beautiful in and of itself, a feat of master craftsmanship and technology, but the fish were spectacular. It contained tropical species, so color abounded. Deirdre was already snapping pictures as Laz pointed out different species to her.

We let them talk; the excitement in Deidre made me happy. Azza wrapped an arm around me, and I returned the sentiment. Laz happened to glance behind him and saw. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Azza, who simply nodded. Laz gave him a knowing smile before turning back to the tank.

We then went below to the underwater observation station for the aquatic mammals. "The dolphins are very curious," Laz explained, "and they check out the visitors all the time, so you get to see them up close."

Last, we stopped at the penguin exhibit. They were playing, riding down the slide to dive into the water. Deirdre laughed at their antics.

Laz checked his phone. "Well, y'all, I need to go. Duty calls," he said, waving the device.

"Thank you so much, Laz, for setting this all up for me," Deirdre gushed.

He put an affectionate arm around her and squeezed. "You're quite welcome, darlin'. I'll see you again this weekend when I come to see Alex and Lucas."

"Cool! Maybe I'll show you how I'm doing on the sketches!"

He shook hands with Mrs. Hamilton, who blushed again. Laz pretended not to notice. I bet he did it often. He turned to me. "I'm glad Lucas has finally found someone, Olivia. He seems different... a good different."

I brightened at the mention of my love. "I've changed, too. He's an amazing an—man," I stumbled.

To Azza, he held out a hand for another shake. "And you. It's good to see you're quite happy as well." He glanced at me. "I think we have a lot to catch up on."

Azza laughed. "Yeah, we do."

Laz's phone rang. "And there's the next emergency or some papers to be signed!" He answered it and wandered away.

"He seems nice. Not at all what I expected of Death," I whispered, leaning in to speak to Azza.

"What did you expect?"

"Oh, I don't know. Something like Ghost Rider, maybe? Motorcycle, tattoos... general badass."

Azza snickered. "Who says he's not?"