"My feet are killing me," I sigh as I walk away from the dance floor with Lucifer. He chuckles slightly at my words. 

"Finally, I was wondering when you were going to stop bothering Lucifer." Both of our heads turn to see Kasedeya rushing to us. A red dress hugs her curves before flowing out at her mid-thighs. Her lashes bat up at Lucifer as she steps to my side, slyly pushing me away from Lucifer.  "I'm sure he would like to dance with someone who doesn't step on his toes," Kasedeya giggles, but Lucifer doesn't bite. His expression is stone cold like before. 

"I am not dancing with you, Kasedeya." Lucifer coldly states, causing her to pout. 

A hand wraps around my arm, making me turn quickly to see a smiling Michael, though the smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Thana, I must speak with you," He looks deep into my eyes, warning me not to say no. I look to Lucifer, who eyes us, before sighing and following Michael. 

He leads me away from the crowd and into the archangel's palace. Down a few halls to make sure we are out of earshot. "How are things with Lucifer going?" 

"Fine, we are friends, I'd say you have the link between us you wanted," I say keeping my voice steady and my emotions hidden. 

"Really, because it seems my brother is very comfortable with you, Thana," Michael smirks as he takes a step closer. His hand comes up to my cheek, and he lightly strokes it. "It is making me a little jealous." 

I quickly take a step back as I glare at him harshly. "I'd rather go back to hell," I spit as anger rushes through my veins. How dare he, how dare makes a pass at me. 

Michael narrows his eyes at me. "I told you not to fall for him, Thana. My brother is a snake."

"Yes, a king snake, you Michael are a copper head." Michael narrows his eyes at my words.

"Do not compare me to a filthy serpent Thana," Michael warns lowly, and I take a step towards him. 

"Michael, you made a mistake when you sent me to hell. I faced my worse fears, and you know what," I ask, pausing for effect. "You were not one of them," I whisper, at my words; Michael slams me against the wall, livid at the reality. 

"You will bow down to me one day, you will fear me," Michael breathes heavily before turning and stomping off. I sigh harshly at his retreating figure. I let him leave my sight before following behind. 

I yelp as someone grabs me, pulling me down a darkened hallway. "Shhh," Lucifer whispers as he puts a finger to his lips. A guard walks by us, causing me to give Lucifer a confused look. When the Guard is out of hearing range, he looks back down at me and smirks. "I'm not allowed in the sacred palace," Lucifer says with a roll of his eyes before looking back down at me. "What did Michael want."

I couldn't be candid with this yet; I needed to find out Michael's plan, why I was required as a link. Plus, I didn't want Lucifer to think our friendship was fake. "Just making sure I knew I wasn't above him really, he is a real power trip," I say, knowing it wasn't a complete lie, so technically I wasn't lying, only telling part of the truth. "Then he tried to make a move; that was weird," I say, scrunching up my nose, and I suddenly feel Lucifer's grasp get tighter on me. I look up at his eyes to see them glowing with rage. 

"He said he was jealous that I was dancing with you," I add in a whisper keeping out the part of how he thinks I'm falling for him.

A perfect brow peaks up at this as the rage takes a backseat to pride. "My brother has always been jealous of me." I roll my eyes with a playful smile at Lucifer. 

"Cocky much?" I ask, causing Lucifer to chuckle as I feel his chest move against mine, and I realize how close we are. I'm against the wall, and Lucifer is flushed against me, His arms wrapped around me as his shoulder leans slightly on the wall, I swallow harshly at how close we are, and I noticed Lucifer also realize it. His hand comes up and strokes my cheek gently, and I automatically lean into his warm hand. Lucifer licks his lips slightly as he looks down at mine before looking back into my eyes. 

He leans down slightly before stopping and watching my reaction, I am entirely frozen, tensed from both fear and anticipation. "May I kiss you?" Lucifer whispers. 

I part my lips slightly, but instead of words, I slowly nod my head. Lucifer licks his lips again as his hand comes to the back of my neck and brings me to him. Soft lips cover mine, and I close my eyes immediately. 

I felt as if someone pulled me up from drowning in water for over a century from the kiss. The way his lips moved with mine like he was teaching me how to breathe again. My hands grab at his jacket as I pull him closer as if it were possible. The kiss is slow as we take our time, making sure this kiss burns itself a place in our memories forever. 

I expected him to be rough, but instead, he treated me like a snowflake. Like I could disappear in an instant. Like I could melt from the heat of his hands, the man behind the fire is being careful with me. 

And at that moment, love said hello to me. 

Michaels words again rushed through my mind, along with memories of my past, and I quickly pushed Love and Lucifer away. 

Lucifer looks at me in confusion, "Don't kiss me," I abruptly say even though my body wants nothing more than to let him kiss every inch of me.

Lucifer tilts his head in confusion and slight anger. "You told me I could, I asked first."

"Well, I didn't mean it," I curse at the nonsense, leaving my mouth as I glare at Lucifer, angry at the things he made me feel and do.

"Why not?" Lucifer pushes as he takes a step towards, I put my hand out, stopping him in his tracks. 

"Because I don't want you!" 

"I'm the maker of Lies. You can't lie to me, Thana." 

I glare at Lucifer, and without thinking, I open my mouth. "Fine, you want the truth? I can't because I will fall in love with you!" I angrily confess as I turn and start to storm away, but Lucifer grabs me turning me around and pulling me towards him as his dark red eyes ignite in rage. 

"Why? Are you too good to be with the devil?" Lucifer harshly spits, and I see the hurt behind the rage. His face harsh from the angry expression taking over his gorgeous features.

I blink back tears as memories absorb my train of thought. "No, it's because I died," Lucifer looks shocked and confused at my words. "It's because every time I tried to get close to love, it killed me. Or it was ripped away from me, and I was told it wasn't really mine. That's why" My words are strained and uneven.

"Thana-"

"No," I interrupt, shaking my head. A tear escapes me as I continue. "You're the devil, you don't get love and a happy ending, just like I'm a reaper, and I take away people's lovers and happy endings. We don't get love, Lucifer." Lucifer looks at me with hooded eyes as he shakes his head. 

Before he can reply, I turn and quickly walk away as I wipe the tear from my eyes. 

I quickly escape the palace and sneak away from the event, as I approach the gates, I let my wings break free. Wings made from feathers as dark as my hair, carry me home. 

I notice the three extra cottages for the new reapers and quickly move past them until I'm in my home. Immediately a strangled cry leaves me as I flip a couch over. Rage fills me at my stupidity, I went into this knowing there was a chance I would want him, but I didn't think it would feel like this.  Suddenly feeling suffocated by the dress, my hands go to the top part at my neck and rip it off me, beads scatter the floor. "I'm such an idiot!"  I cry out as I flip over a bookshelf causing books to scatter the ground. None of my past lovers felt like that, none of them. So why is he different? Why do I want him so bad? Why do I want to go to hell and beg for him to love me and keep me safe? 

Why does a part of me not care if I get hurt in the end? Being with him feels like it would be worth the pain. Is experiencing a sunset worth the darkness that follows? 
What if I'm only allowed to experience the darkness.

A knock sounds at my door, I look down at the dress hanging on my body. The beads scatter the floor mixing in with the books. 

"Thana?" Morana's voice laced with concern, and I can't seem to call back to her, knowing my voice will crack.

The door opens, and I hear a soft gasp followed by another one. Turning my head, I see Avalyn and Morana. "Thana, what happened?" 

Tears slowly flow down my cheeks as I breathe heavily out my mouth. "I kissed Lucifer." 

Confusion danced with excitement in her eyes, "That should be a good thing, right?"

"Awe you and Lucifer would be so cute together," Avalyn coos causing me to glare at her. Of course, Mrs. sunshine doesn't get it. 

"Well, we aren't. I pushed him away because someone will get hurt in the end," I harshly explain as I walk to my room. I hear them follow behind me. "Help me out of this dress." 

Morana quickly unzips the dress and helps me take it off, and Avalyn hands me a robe, I take it and wrap it around my body as I then start taking the hairpins out. 

"What are you going to do about the archangels, I doubt there is a way to recover from this with Lucifer," Morana asks as she sits on my bed. 

"I don't see why you and Lucifer can't be together," Avalyn states, and Morana gives her a warning look. Her words cause me to scoff and roll my eyes. 

"Not everyone gets a fairytale ending like you, Avalyn. In every past life, I die before I reach the age of twenty-four. I don't expect my luck to change, I mean, I'm a reaper for crying out loud," She was spoiled from her fairytale life, how could she ever understand. 

"Well, you're a queen now," Avalyn tries, and I find myself scoffing again. 

"Yes, and I was a queen in my past lives, and normally shortly after being queen, I died," I deadpan, and Avalyn winces at my words. "The stupid Archangels can suck it for all I care, all of this between Lucifer and I happened because of them, I was just fine before." 

"You were just going through the motions before, you weren't living," Morana explains with a shrug of her shoulders, and I glare at her slightly. 

"Of course I'm not living, I'm dead, and I'm a taxi for the dead, and now I'm the queen of the taxi's for the dead." I groan. "I want to know why, why are they so up my ass anyway," I grumble and Avalyns eyes widen. 

"Maybe I can help," She chirps causing me to stop pacing and look at her. "Raphael likes me; supposedly, he is my soul mate. Maybe I can get him to tell me stuff," She says with a hopeful shrug, and Morana gives her a confused look. 

"Raphael is your soul mate."

"That's what he says," Avalyn starts, "When I got to heaven, I desperately searched for Decker, my mate from my past life and couldn't find him, I was panicked thinking there was a mistake. So I went to Raphael, he explained that both James and Decker was him, he was able to take some of his grace and put it in a human body." Morana and I both look wide-eyed at her. 

"Raphael always seems more sincere than the other angels; just be careful," Morana warns as she grabs Avalyns shoulder and squeezes it lightly.

"Or go ahead and rip his head off while you're ahead," I grumble while crossing my arms, both Morana and Avalyn look at me in fear and shock as the words leave my mouth. 

"Heartbreak makes you more demented than normal," Morana observes before looking at Avalyn. "Don't listen to grumpy wings over there; follow your heart. Something Thana should also do," Morana finishes giving me a pointed look, and I just move my lips, mocking her while rolling my eyes. Avalyn giggles at us before standing. 

"I would love to stay and get more of your amazing love advice, but duty calls," Avalyn gushes with a smile as she waves at us and leaves the room.  

Morana waves at her before looking at me, I see her observe my appearance. 

"It's odd seeing you like this, like a complete fallen angel, the power that surrounds you is almost suffocating." 

I make eye contact with Morana and shrug. "I don't feel much different."

It's not a complete lie; the only difference I feel is anger. I'm angrier than before. I could burn down the universe and not even blink. 

That scares me, knowing the monster deep within me is scratching the surface. 

I look in the mirror and see the blaze of my red eye. It reminds me of Lucifer's eyes. 

I realize even the monster craves the sunrise. 

****

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