𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗢𝗠

𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓'𝘚 𝘓𝘈𝘐𝘙

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Tailing the devil himself was no easy task. A certain distance had to be maintained so that Luna could keep her cover, so she spent the past couple weeks studying his habits and trying to get a better understanding of him.

It would be foolish for anyone to think it was enough to follow him wherever he went. God, no. She knew better than that.

Luna never came too close to him; she knew he would sense her presence, so she did her best to study him from afar. She noted every place he visited recently and inspected them as well, searching for whatever traces he could have left.

But the devil was clever and he left little to nothing for her to find. He must have known he was being watched, but how could he not? It was expected he'd be followed around by angels until he decided to return to Hell.

After weeks of not collecting much information, Luna figured a change of approach should be better. It was time for her to meet him in person.

That's how she ended up in The Devil's Lair.

A suggestive name for a nightclub, she thought to herself.

The place was living up to its name. Had it not been for her divine persuasion skills, Luna wouldn't have had a chance to get in this place. People waited months to make it to the top of the waiting list; the things they did to have a little taste of depravity, even if it only lasted a night.

She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this. As soon as she stepped inside the nightclub, her senses have been disturbed. She was blinded by the bright and colorful lights, almost deafened by the loud music and surrounded by the intoxicating smell of expensive alcohol spilled on the floor.

Luna was quick to regain her vision, but she didn't exactly liked what she saw. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she took a good look at everything that happened around her and she finally understood why the waiting lists were ridiculously long.

This place promoted itself as a land of freedom in which nothing pleasurable was forbidden. It was now pretty clear why. Everywhere she looked, Luna saw people who have embraced the wild side. But these were no regular people. They couldn't be, not if she took into consideration the costs of partying at The Devil's Lair for one night.

All around her, the Archangel saw drunk people dancing, drinking, kissing, rubbing against each other, doing drugs together.

Sinners, all of them, her intuition screamed, but she was quick to block it out.

No, you can't be sure. Don't be so quick to judge.

Shaking off her thoughts, Luna pushed people out of her way and walked aimlessly through the crowds until her eyes finally landed on the one she came here for.

There he was—and what a sight! The devil sat on a seat that somehow resembled a throne of bones, with both women and men literally dropped at his feet. Some of them seemed to have passed out, while others were still holding up, having drinks with one of the Seven Princes of Hell.

His fingers were wrapped around a glass of ice whiskey, silver rings tapping twice against the cold glass before he finally brought it up to his lips.

Luna's gaze followed his movements and as she followed the glass, their eyes finally met; oh, but he was already looking at her, shamelessly checking her out while he took a sip of his drink.

She wasn't sure how long he's been looking at her for, but she knew one thing for sure: he could feel her now. She was close enough to alarm all of his senses, but far out of his reach.

It was the first time Luna laid eyes on the devil. It seemed like all the rumors were true. To say he was a beautiful man was an understatement. Lucifer's presence was alluring, intoxicating, magnetic even. When their eyes first met, she could swear she felt a tingle of electricity in her body.

What a dangerous man.

Holding his gaze was difficult, even for her. So she chose to not only look away from his tumultuous blue eyes, but also to put some more distance in between them by turning her back to him and walking away.

The goal wasn't to talk to him. For tonight, it would have been enough to lock eyes with him. It should serve him as a warning that he was kept under an Archangel's close observation, and she could take some time to plan her next move carefully. As long as she dragged him back to Hell where he belonged, it didn't matter how long it took.

But the devil seemed to think otherwise.

As Luna made her way to the bar, Lucifer rose from his seat and went through the crowd, pushing people out of his way and looking for her. He could no longer see her, but he sure as hell felt her nearby.

Such holiness could never go unnoticed in a place like this, a place that reeked of demons and debauchery. It was inviting to him. Arousing.

He had to find her.

When he noticed her earlier, he felt drawn by her aura. As much as he hated it, something inside him ached for divinity such as the one she held. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted like this.

She stood out from the crowd, not only because of her blood, but also the way she looked. Her hair was as light as the first morning rays of sun and the way her curls fell down her shoulders and back reminded him of the foam left after waves violently crash against the shore.

And while everyone in this place was dressed in either dark or neon colors, the angel wore a white silk dress. It wasn't until she turned around to walk away that the devil noticed the high slit of her dress and when he did, Lucifer groaned in frustration.

He would have been a madman not to get up from his seat and search for her. So he did, and it felt like eternity until he finally found her.

When he laid his eyes on her again, he saw her glaring at a demon who most likely felt just as drawn to her as the devil was and he managed to back her up in a corner.

It wasn't jealousy that pushed Lucifer to step in, but rather a newly found sense of possessiveness regarding her, plus some curiosity. He grabbed one of the man's shoulders and dragged him back with a growl, his fingertips dipping into his shirt as he pushed the demon off her.

"Scatter," he commanded.

Lucifer wasn't even looking in that lowly demon's direction anymore, no. His eyes were fully focused on the small blonde woman he was searching for.

He took a step closer to her and looked into her dark eyes.

Mesmerizing seemed like a fit word to describe her up close. Locking their gazes made him feel the room was spinning around them, all the noise seemed to have faded and the neon lights were no longer bothering him. He's met many angels before, each of them struck to him differently, but none of them felt as magnetic as she did.

Daringly, Lucifer put a hand around her waist and pulled her closer, almost pressing her against his chest. He lowered his head and grabbed the back of her head for support, his desperate lips nearly threatening to touch the side of her neck.

He breathed down her skin and whispered, "You should have ran faster when you had the chance to, love. Because now that I've finally caught you, I'm not letting you ever get away."

Just as she feared, he was even worse now that he was this close to her. She felt as if all the people around them faded into shadows, but not him. The devil was in screaming color.

He was making her feel dizzy only by looking at him, but nothing could prepare her for the pain she felt when he finally touched her.

Luna's lips parted slightly and let out a muffled groan, her eyes closing instinctively.

Sure, she'd been briefly touched by demons before whenever she fought them, but she couldn't recall ever feeling pain of such intensity as this. It was as if her skin had been set on fire, his touch was ablaze.

"Lucifer," she muttered, clenching her teeth in attempt to regain some of her composure.

Angels warned her about what an encounter with the devil meant, but none of their stories even came close to what it truly felt like. No physical or mental training could have ever prepared her for something this intense.

"These sounds you're making.." Lucifer whispered to her, his nose now brushing over the skin behind her ear. "You're intoxicating my thoughts, clouding my judgment.."

"Let your guard down, I dare you," Luna hissed, placing both of her hands over his chest but not pushing him away yet. "There's nothing I'd want more than to bring you to your knees."

The devil let out a breathy low chuckle. "Be careful with your words, love. The image you painted in my head is unfit for a being as holy as yourself."

"Imagine it all you want, it's only going to make it more painful to know it's unattainable."

Luna's fingertips gripped his mostly unbuttoned shirt. She found it hard to keep herself calm and collected in his presence, but she'd rather let herself get killed that succumb to his charms.

"Out of all the angels in Heaven, why did they send a Seraph in this wicked place?" Lucifer asked, biting his lower lip to stop himself from crossing the line.

She was invading his thoughts and numbing his senses to the point where he couldn't hear or see anything but her. However, as intoxicating as she was, he knew kissing the enemy or biting her neck would lead to less pleasant injuries on his side.

That, and even the devil had a limit.

He could imagine she was in pain because of him and no sane angel would consent to the devil himself kissing their neck. And because of that, he had to draw a line.

"I'm not a Seraph," she corrected him.

Luna was supposed to push him away. This wasn't a pretty sight; the devil had his hands roaming all over the angel's body, while her own were desperately clinging onto his shirt, gripping it as if to save herself from falling if her knees betray her as well.

Her mind almost did. It was hard for her to resist his magnetism, particularly when he had her backed up next to a wall and she could feel his hot breath against her neck.

Her imagination did run wildly, but if the situation called for it, she could still pull herself out of this trance and draw her spear. But with so many people around, she hoped it wouldn't come to this.

"Is that what they've told you? They must be afraid of the power within you then," Lucifer said. "But enough of that. Why are you looking for me?"

Luna bit her tongue. She wanted to snap and tell him off for daring to insinuate the other angels and even God lied to her. What a stupid thing for him to say. But she held back and answered his question instead.

"Your place isn't here, Lucifer. You've been away from Hell for too long and the crimes you've committed since you left.." Luna paused for a moment, feeling the blood in her veins starting to boil up with anger. "You must face Divine Trial and be punished for your sins."

Lucifer laughed.

"Is that so? Very well, but if you offer me a fair trial, you might be surprised by the verdict."

Upon hearing his words, Luna frowned and finally found the power within her to push him away. Only slightly, but he understood the message and did his best to put some distance in between them.

But not too much distance. He couldn't exactly keep his hands to himself, so he still had an arm wrapped around the angel's waist.

"There is only one little problem, love. I can't leave right now," he continued, lifting both of his eyebrows as if to prove a better point. "I'm afraid there is something that's been keeping me busy over here and it's why I couldn't return to Hell by myself."

"I'm not asking you nicely—"

"You should."

Lucifer bent down to match her height and tilted his head to one side, slightly taking up some more of her space again. Hell, she was really irresistible.

"Make a deal with me, will you?" he asked, a wolfish grin gracing his lips.

"You can't be serious. Who do you take me for—"

"—Hear me out, love."

Lucifer gently grabbed her chin and tilted it upwards only a little bit.

"Spend the night with me."

"You're completely out of your mind if you're asking me that. How's this even a deal?" Now Luna was the one who started to grow more and more frustrated.

Was he being serious? No, he couldn't be. There had to be a catch and if there wasn't one, then he was simply delusional. Not that it was too hard to imagine it.

"You didn't let me finish. If I manage to convince you it's more important for me to stay on Earth rather than go back to Hell immediately, I win. And if I fail, I'll follow you wherever you might want to take me. Divine Judgement or whatever."

Luna frowned. "Are you always this unfair? Or were you counting on the fact that I'd be too excited to hear what would happen if I win that I'd miss how you conveniently left out what happens if you win?"

"Did Father give you flaws as well or did He forget to? Other than shaping you as a divine feminine, you're strong enough to resist my charms and smart enough to catch me when I try to trick you."

"Very sweet that tongue of yours, but it's not going to work this time."

"There you go again, saying things an angel should never even think of to begin with. Or perhaps you'd like to see for yourself just how sweet the devil's tongue could be?"

Lucifer couldn't help but flash her a wicked grin. Damned be him and his way with words. However, when he was met with a glare, the devil lifted both of his hands up jokingly in defense.

"Very well, very well! Even the devil can play nicely, so here's my end of the deal," he began, pretending to think for a short moment. "If I win, if I convince you that it's more useful for me to stay here, then.. I'll have you. Every night until I deem fit to return to Hell."

His boldness, although entertaining, was starting to get on her nerves. What a ridiculous deal.

Making a deal with the devil could be fatal. It all depended on the real end of the deal. Lucifer was infamous for his deals and the great number of lives he ruined because of it, the smartest thing one could do was to stay away.

But even angels had their pride. There was nothing Luna trusted more than her beliefs, and that being said, there was no possible way he could change her mind about this situation. He belonged back to Hell, but until then, he had to face Divine Judgement and atone for the atrocious crimes he's committed.

And if there was a better way to bring him to the Divine Court..

"I must warn you, however—" Lucifer commented before she could say anything. "I seal the most important deals with a kiss and this one is particularly of utmost importance."

As he spoke, he leaned in. He was supposed to wait for her answer, although he suspected it already. Was she smart enough to see through his final bluff? Or was she headed straight into his trap?

"You won't, not this one at least," Luna warned him.

She rose a hand up to his face and pressed her index finger against his lips, pushing him a little further away from her face.

"—Consider it a deal. You can try whatever you want until morning, then we're going straight to the Divine Court," Luna said.

Lucifer's smile grew widely as he took in her words. After all, it seemed there was no such thing as a perfect being, not even the one standing in front of him.

He pressed a gentle kiss over her finger before grabbing her wrist and lacing their hands together. "Fantastic! Come with me, I'll show you a much better time than whatever Divine Court you have in mind."

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the devil's here and he's not playing around! what do you think of this chapter?

also, just to clear it up, luna's faceclaim is ariana grande during her blonde hair days. i don't have a lot of resources of blonde ariana, but that's what i pictured in my mind when i created her character, so pretend she's blonde in the gifs too lol

don't forget to vote and comment if you liked this chapter!

yours truly,
vega