Reignite (Extinguish #2) (13 page)

It
wasn't half-bad, but it certainly wasn't worth losing your head over.

Something happened that afternoon in the
garden.

As Eve consumed the
apple, plucking another from the Tree of Knowledge to share with Adam, there
was a shift in the air. A chill rolled down Lucifer's spine, crawling across
his skin. He shivered from the unexpected sensation, blinking his eyes a few
times, watching as redness crept along Eve's bare flesh. It was as if the blood
had moved to the surface, flushing her a shade of pink, a sensation he felt
echoing in him.

Feeling.

"What have you
done?"

His Father's voice rang
out right behind him, low and desolate. Luce smiled with satisfaction, turning
his head, expecting to see anger targeted at His new children for disobeying,
but His focus was on the Archangel instead. His eyes were full of pain, the
same sort of pain Luce had seen in Adam's face the day he'd been injured.

"Your
children," Luce said, "have been seduced by evil."

"If it was evil
that seduced them," He asked, "what does that make you?"

The question stalled
Luce. He just stared at his Father as He turned away.

The Wrath of God was
felt for the first time that afternoon. The sunny sky was awash with darkness,
the first storm descending upon the earth. Luce stood there, still leaning
against the tree, and watched as the humans were punished.

Pain and heartache were
cast upon them, condemning them to struggle for their disobedience. Stripped of
innocence, their hearts were now tainted, hearts that no longer would beat for an
eternity. They squandered His gift, He said, so He was taking it back. They'd
no longer live forever. Someday, and soon, their hearts would give out on them.

Lucifer felt the
smallest hint of satisfaction when they were cast out of the garden, these new
mortals banned from Paradise. They couldn't be trusted not to eat from the Tree
of Life, lest they get the idea to try to steal their immortality back. The
unrest went on all day, lighting flashing and thunder rumbling, rain pouring
down in waves. When it finally calmed down, the air in the garden settling,
Lucifer and his Father were left all alone.

The anger faded, and as
He turned to Lucifer, the Archangel once more saw His desolation.

"Why?" He
asked quietly. "Why would you do it?"

"I wanted you to
see your children weren't perfect," Lucifer said. "I wanted you to
see they could be corrupted, that they could be infected by evil."

"I saw," He said,
staring right at Lucifer. "I saw the corruption. I saw the evil. I saw it
all, my son, and it started with you."

"It's not much." Serah's voice was
a soft whisper as she hurriedly picked up a few stray things from her living
room: a blanket covering the couch, an empty glass on the end table, and a pair
of shoes discarded on the floor. "Sorry about the mess."

She cast a nervous smile
toward the front door. Was it a mess? She wasn't sure. She'd certainly seen
worse in rooms at the motel.

Luce stood in the open
doorway, blocking the sunlight behind him, like he was afraid to come in any
further. Was this a mistake? She was thinking it might be. She saw the man
around town, always watching her, and after two strange conversations with him
she invites him to her home.

He came along willingly,
but now that they were here, he looked uncomfortable.

"So, uh, you can come
in, if you want," she said, gesturing with her hands. "Make yourself
at home."

He cracked a smile as he
carefully shut the door behind him and strolled into the living room. His newly
acquired boots were heavy against the wooden floor, echoing off the vacant
walls. Serah could feel her heart pounding harder along to the sound. Luce
regarded her for a moment, just standing there in front of her.

"This is
dangerous," he said quietly, his eyes flickering around the room.
"You should be careful who you invite into your home."

"I am," she
whispered. "I never have before... nobody else has ever... you know."

Did he know?

She didn't even really
know.

She didn't have family;
she didn't have friends.

She had nobody to invite
inside except for him.

Who was he? What was he
to her? All she had was a name and a vague story, most of which she couldn't be
certain was true. But she had an unshakable feeling about him, her gut instinct
putting her at ease, drawing her to him. It was simultaneously feeling safe
while having her nerves frayed.

His eyes alone set her
insides ablaze.

The blue looked dark as
midnight at the moment, a twinkle in his eyes like they held all the stars in
his gaze. He had a solar system inside of him, a universe of secrets Serah
yearned to explore.

She wasn't sure why, or
how, but she felt like she'd been there before. The closer he stepped to her,
the deeper the feeling grew.
Familiar...
so familiar
.

He felt like a part of
her.

Goosebumps coated her skin, from the top of her
head to the tip of her toes. He smelled like peppermint with a hint of sulfur,
like someone had struck a match not long ago. He stopped right in front of her,
leaning down to stare her in the eyes, his expression dead serious.

His lips were a mere
breath away.

"You feel it, don't
you?" he asked, his voice gritty, barely a whisper. "You still feel
it."

What? She wanted to ask,
the words on the tip of her tongue, but they wouldn't come out.
What is this I'm feeling between us
?

The back of his hand
brushed against her flushed cheek, sending sparks across her skin. Her breath
hitched, heart skipping a beat at the sensation. Maybe it was her imagination,
but she could've sworn his eyes blackened, a growl vibrating his chest.

"I can tell you
do," he said, inching closer. "You may not remember, but it's still
there."

What is it?

She yearned to know.

Luce's nose brushed
against hers before he tilted his head. Her heart raced frantically. His lips
lightly touched hers, barely a kiss, a soft graze, but it ignited something
inside of her, rekindling an extinguished flame.

He deepened the kiss,
groaning into her mouth. She inhaled sharply, flashes of him assaulting her out
of nowhere.

A
crystal clear lake.
Laughter.
An embrace. A table. Cracked marble.
Him on top of her,
inside of her, again and again.
Violent and vicious,
passionate and out of control.
A flash of fire.
A flash of screaming.
Vibrant red
eyes staring at her.

Gasping, Serah shoved
against him, moving away. Luce froze, watching her incredulously, as she tried
to catch her breath. She stared at him, her body vibrating,
a
twinge of fear coursing through her.

Luce's expression
softened, his eyes melting to an icy blue, the same shade as the lake. She'd
been there...
they'd
been there.
"What... what was that?"

He was still for a
moment, stoic,
his
voice hesitant. "Why don't you
tell me?"

She rattled off what she
saw—a lake, a table, the flames. She said his eyes had been blood red,
eerie as they glared her way. Luce remained still, not reacting, waiting until
she finished.

As soon as she quieted
down, he stepped toward her, reaching out and cupping her cheek. She didn't
move away, didn't flinch. She leaned into his touch involuntarily.

"I wish I could
tell you everything you want to know," he said, "but then my slate
wouldn't be clean anymore."

Part of her yearned to
tell him that didn't matter, but she kept that to herself. Luce leaned down
again, placing a light peck on her lips, then another, and another, each softer
than the first.

Serah's eyes fluttered
closed.

Pulling back, he whispered,
just an inch from her lips. "I have to go."

She felt a soft breeze,
a tingle along her skin. Her eyes snapped open, finding the room empty.

Luce was gone.

She was alone again.

"Truce?"

Lucifer glared at the
scruffy looking Guardian. Abaddon had both hands raised in mock surrender, an
amused smirk tugging his lips.

Truce? No truce. There
would never be a truce. There is no draw—you either win or you lose. He'd
had many angels toss that word at him only to be laughed away, but Luce found
nothing funny today.

He'd sensed his old
friend's presence outside Serah's house, lurking around in the neighborhood.
Luce had caught him off guard, cornering him in the street.

"What are you doing
here?" Luce asked.

"Curiosity."

"You seem to be
full of that lately."

"What can I
say?" He shrugged noncommittally. "It's a curious world we exist in,
and I can't help but wonder how much Serah knows. Does she realize she's living
beside her Heavenly brother? Does she have any idea?"

"No," Luce
said. "She doesn't remember anything."

"Except for
you," Abaddon corrected him. "She oddly remembers you. That was a
nice little show you put on in there, by the way. Tell me something, old
friend... does she taste as sweet as a mortal as she did as an angel? Or was
kissing her just a part of your game?"

"What game?"

"Whatever game it
is you're playing."

"She's not a part
of any game," Luce said.

Abaddon nodded, slowly
lowering his hands as his smile fell. "So your attempt to play house with
a mortal is genuine? How long do you think He will tolerate that? Do you know
how many angels your brother had to smite in your absence because they tried to
intermingle?
Too many.
You can't keep her, Lucifer.
He's not going to let you."

Luce's skin tingled, the
hair on his arms standing on end at those words as the anger he'd tried to
control started simmering inside of him. Letting go of Serah was impossible.
He'd tried and failed and tried and failed and he didn't want to try again. He
didn't want to let go of her. He didn't want to lose her. He'd lost enough.