Lucian's Soul Read online

  Finn stood still, taking in everything. When Gabriel and his lackeys were safely out of range, Lucian sighed and nodded to Xore, who eased away to contact Seth and Lucian’s other brothers.

  “Do you want to know?” Lucian asked Finn.

  “I have never been followed before.” He groaned and ran his fingers threw his hair. “You do not know how badly I want to tell you…no, I don’t want to know a thing and walk away right now. The problem is I’m not that type of person. I heard what he said. I thought angels stayed out of everything?”

  “Ha, I thought you were the world’s leading tracker of shifters. Don’t they tell you who the enemy is?”

  Finn’s eyes widened. “I’m on a need-to-know basis. Aren’t they supposed to be the good guys? Well, better than you?”

  “I have no idea why people made them into the good guys when they want to wipe you all out.”

  Finn nodded. “I would like to ask your permission if I could get the rest of my team here to hear this. I have a feeling I won’t be able to repeat this and give it justice.”

  Lucian knew Finn’s team was one of the best. It was why he’d hired them. Allies were good. “Fine. But first, I want you to stop the case I have asked you to do.” Lucian couldn’t risk Gabriel getting Tessa.

  Finn looked unsure for a moment, but must have seen something in Lucian before he narrowed his eyes and grunted. “Okay. Whatever you say, boss.”

  Chapter Five

  Three months later

  Tessa stared at the building and gently stroked her stomach. ”Are you sure we should go in there? I can look after you without him. I’m sure I remember him saying he was sterile, so he probably won’t believe me anyway.”

  Warmth surrounded her, and she sighed as it confirmed one of the main reasons Tessa needed to talk to her baby’s daddy. Her baby had powers—it warned her of danger and wrapped her in love and warmth when she needed it. Sometimes she would swear it talked to her. Whispered things to her like mother, safe, love. Lately the words had been mother, love, safe…father?

  Tessa was scared. She looked a lot more than three months pregnant. She hadn’t gone to the doctor to get check-ups, terrified they’d find something unusual with her baby. Would it have wings like its father? Would it be massive and bright red, and have fangs or something else weird?

  Tessa loved her baby and didn’t want anything to happen to it, and she didn’t want it to be a lab experiment. So she’d finally gathered up enough courage to see Lucian. She’d used a fake name just in case she chickened out, or if he didn’t want to see her.

  Slowly walking into Devil’s Inc., she choked on a cough as the name sank in. Oh, God. Was that what Lucian was?

  A beautiful redheaded man sat behind the front reception desk. He had big green eyes that homed in on her as she entered. He looked her up and down and paused at her stomach. Clearing her dry throat, she went to him with her head held high and her arms protectively around her baby belly. “Hi. I have an appointment with Lucian Samson at ten AM.”

  The man’s eyes never left her stomach as she spoke. When she finished he typed into the computer. “Miss Bluebell?” He raised his eyebrow and a smirk spread over his face. The look almost took her breath away. Dimples on each side of his cheek deepened as his perfect white teeth showed.

  She groaned when she heard the lame made-up name she’d given. She really should have come up with something better, like Smith or Black. “Yes. That’s me.”

  His lips curled in the corners. “Go right on up.”

  Tessa nodded, turned, and walked to the elevators. She got in and pressed the top button, only to try and get out when the doors started shutting. Holy shit! She remembered that guy. That was the man she’d seen with Lucian months ago. As the doors shut she heard him say, “He’s been expecting you for a while.”

  The further the elevator went up the happier her baby got. Tessa could feel it radiating out. “I’m sorry, bubba, I can’t do this.” She pressed the button so she could get off at the next floor when she started to feel sad. Letting her hand drop, she cradled her belly and stood still as the door opened. When she didn’t—couldn’t—move, the door slid shut and continued to their destination, opening on the top level. Tessa stood frozen for a moment. Warmth, love, and devotion settled over her and she groaned, moving into the foyer.

  Taking a deep breath, she walked towards Lucian’s office. A young woman sat behind a desk before the big doors. Tessa hadn’t seen her before, she wasn’t the same woman Lucian had months ago. The young woman looked up as Tessa came to stand in front of her. Her eyes narrowed and Tessa felt her baby shrink back.

  Straightening her shoulders, she forced a smile on her face as she looked at the woman. “I have an appointment at ten AM with Lucian Samson.”

  The woman didn’t even glace at her screen. “I’m sorry to inform you, but Mr. Samson’s appointments for today have been cancelled. If you go down to the front reception Xore will reschedule you.”

  Tessa knew if she left now she’d never have the courage or strength to come back again. “Tell him Tessa Jackson is here to see him.”

  The woman’s eyes widened, her skin turned a deathly white, and her fingers flew over the keys. Tessa backed up as a weird look came into the woman’s eyes. “Don’t leave,” the woman yelled. “Please don’t leave.”

  Before Tessa had taken two steps back, the doors to Lucian’s office banged open and a hulking, angry-looking six-foot-something Lucian came stalking towards her. Oh, shit. Tessa was a big trouble. Wrapping her arms around her baby to keep it safe, she looked around for an escape.

  Turning, she ran, praying she reached the elevators, but she didn’t even get to press the buttons before Lucian came upon her. Black, bat-like wings came around her and she trembled in his embrace. “Please don’t hurt me. I will do anything. Please, please, be careful of my stomach.”

  Lucian visibly flinched back, shock and hurt clear on his face. “I would never hurt you.” His hands cupped her face and his thumb gently stroked her cheek before gliding down her body. As they got close to her belly Tessa batted them away. This had been a bad idea. Tessa need to get away.

  “Don’t even think about it, Tessa. I searched for you for three months and hoped you’d come home. The first week I thought you’d come back. I thought I’d bonded with you enough.” Lucian rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t ever leave me again. I need you.” His mouth came crashing down on hers and his hands scanned her body like he was making sure everything was how he remembered. “I’m not letting you go, now or ever again. I’ve fucking missed you so much.” He held both her hands in one of his, using his other hand to stroke her baby bump. “You wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t begged you to see his daddy?”

  Struggling in his grasp, she freed her hands and pushed at him. “Her daddy told me he was sterile. I tried to tell her that he was a lying arsehole. But…she won’t listen.”

  Lucian chuckled. “Sorry, honey, but there are no female demons. I also said I could only get my mate pregnant and you, Tessa, are my mate.”

  Tessa gasped, even though she knew with the black bat-like wings and the increase in height and width, turning bright red and sucking of blackness out of people, that he was something otherworldly. Having it confirmed the father of your child was a demon was a lot to take in. What did that mean for her baby?

  She pushed against his chest and when that didn’t work she tried looking over and then under the leather-like wings. Giving up, she huffed. “Can you put those down? Can we go to a café or something to talk?”

  Like magic his wings slowly rescinded like they were folding into his back. She watched, amazed and a little scared for her future. Would she be chasing around a flying baby?

  Lucian moved his hands to hers and brought them up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “Sure, anything for you.” He looked behind her. “Cancel all my appointments until I tell you otherwise, Brenna.”

  “Yes, sir.”

 
; “I will not be back today and I’m unsure about tomorrow. If Seth calls tell him to reach me at home later.”

  “Yes, Mr. Samson.”

  Lucian turned back to her and held her left hand tightly. A safe, calming feeling washed over and she basked in it. Tessa had missed the gorgeous man in front of her, how he made her feel, and what his touch alone could do to her. He walked them into his office and opened a door behind his desk, where she saw a hidden elevator. Lucian pressed the button, never letting her go of her hand. The doors opened straight away and they walked in and he pressed for the ground floor. The door closed and the elevator started to go down. The elevator seemed a lot smaller with Lucian in it. Lucian pressed the stop button and the elevator jerked to a stop.

  “What the hell did you do that for?” She pushed at him and fought to get to the button to start their descent, but he blocked the controls.

  “I did it so we could talk. You can’t run here. I need you to listen. I need you.” The pleading in his voice stopped her fight and she gazed up, having her first good look at him. Lucian looked terrible, his skin was a ghostly white and his eyes had purple circles under them. He’d lost weight, and his blue eyes, which were always bright, were dull and lifeless. Lucian’s hair was longer and his all-round appearance was miserable.

  Reaching up, she stroked his cheek. “Oh, Lucian, what happened?” He looked a ragged mess. So different from the man…ah, being she remembered. Tessa should be scared of him after what she saw and how he was even acting now, but as she looked at him with his loose clothes, almost translucent skin and sad eyes, she knew she needed to hear him out and give him a chance.

  Lucian leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. “You happened.”

  She flinched at his words. Surly she wasn’t the cause of why he looked the way he did. “I don’t understand.”

  “For you to understand, I need to tell it all.” He opened his eyes. “We, I, am not the bad one. Well, not what you humans made me out to be.” His fingers stroked her stomach. “I have never understood why humans think that angels are good guys, when they’re the ones trying to wipe out humanity. Angels are jealous of everything you humans and shifters have. Like the ability to breed with anyone. Well, only you humans have that but the shifters breed like rabbits. You receive all emotions and have them through your whole life, and that you love and trust so easily is a gift angels and many other beings weren’t given. Demons don’t keep our emotions. At about fifty we start losing them; when we drink and feed or when we fuck we experience emotions. It’s how we remember what they feel like, but other than that we don’t have them again until we mate. The fact that you were given this planet and seem intent on destroying it doesn’t help your case. The angels and some other paranormal beings believe we should cull you and take over the world.”

  “Will my baby be like you?”

  “Yes.”

  Tessa let her hand fall and circled her stomach, hugging it. “How are the angels jealous of what we have if they have no emotions?”

  Lucian’s hands came to rest on the swell of her stomach. “All supernatural species are different. While demons lose our emotions, so do angels to a certain extent. Angels feel strong emotions—love, hate, anger, and jealousy. They are the strongest emotions. Angels feed on emotions like demon’s feed off sin. The difference is, angels drain humans.”

  “But wouldn’t that be good if we all didn’t have those emotions?”

  Lucian shook his head. “No, kitten. While it may be okay for a small amount of time to live without hate, anger, and jealousy, we couldn’t live without love. Love is the emotion that trumps all others.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “Do you love our child?”

  Tessa nodded. She’d loved the baby from the moment she knew about it. She may have been worried what it would be, but she’d always loved it. Tessa didn’t hate Lucian for getting her pregnant or even for what she saw; she’d been scared and upset and even a little angry. Now Tessa was with Lucian, she knew she should never have left. Even though she’d only spent a small amount of time with Lucian, she could have fallen for him so easily.

  “Imagine not loving him. How would you feel about that?”

  Tessa backed away and stared up at him. She’d be devastated if what she felt now for her child was taken away. “I love my baby. I don’t even want to think about what you just said.”

  Lucian hugged her. “Angels have found a way to change men into one of them. It’s risky, but they don’t care if the man dies in the process. They have also brought some of the darker paranormal species over to their side, convincing them we shouldn’t have to share this planet with lesser beings.” He kissed her head and held her tighter. “Demons and angels have fought from the beginning of time over the same thing…humans. Once the world got bigger they added shifters to that battle too. It is said we were cast out from our homeland and placed here on Earth. Both our species drink blood and we eat emotion. Angels were originally only able to drink blood and eat the hatred and anger, but as their own hatred and anger evolved they started to eat more of the stronger emotions, craving the power. A millennium ago a powerful seer predicted that the angels would bring about their own Armageddon, getting rid of all creatures that oppose them and finally having the Earth to themselves if—and this is why you and my child you carry are so important—Lucifer, the king of the demons, finds his mate. This mate will unconditionally love Lucifer and not only bring him new life, but she will make him stronger, deadlier, and more powerful than anyone could imagine, helping to turn the tide in humanity’s favor.”

  Tessa stared up, shocked at his words. “Oh, my God. This is so unreal. How can I bring a child into what you just told me?” She blinked as the last couple of sentences kicked in. “Holy crap, no way. You are not Lucifer. I am not…that’s a lot of pressure.” She backed away from him until she hit the elevator wall. It was impossible. Stories of the devil had been around since the beginning of time.

  “Do not worry. I will let nothing happen to you and my family. I am powerful in my own right. Yes, I am Lucifer, the same as my father, who was one of the original demons placed on Earth. But, unlike him, I am immortal. I’m leader and protector of humanity. It is said that once I find my mate the tables will start turning in our favor.”

  Tessa’s mind was spinning. If she hadn’t seen him turn into a demon before her vey eyes she wouldn’t believe him. “You’re the king? Are all your men demons? What do you mean by the tables will turn?”

  “Yes, I am the king. All my fighters are men. Xore is who you saw me with and he is a dragon shifter and one of my closest friends.”

  The small elevator was heating up and Tessa was starting to sweat. Exhaustion washed over her. “Can we go now? I promise I won’t run. I have more questions and I’m tired of running.”

  Lucian studied her for a moment before he pressed the button that got the elevator moving again. Her mind felt like it was going to explode with all the information she’d just learned. The elevator doors opened and she saw they were in the car park. Lucian’s Lamborghini sat before her. They walked to the car and Lucian…er, Lucifer opened her door. Tessa got in and rested her head on the seat. She was so tired. All the information she’d learnt and the worry she’d felt about coming to Lucian had her feeling drained, like she’d been holding herself together for too long. Now, she let it all go.

  Lucifer got into the driver’s side and started the car. Relaxing into the seat, she closed her eyes, sighing as a feeling of safeness washed over her. The worry she’d had for three months diminished.

  ****

  Lucian couldn’t believe Tessa returned, as he’d lost hope she’d come back to him. He had called off the trackers but kept searching for her. Lucian knew Tessa had called her parents—he’d tapped their phones—but she never told them where she was and she always used a pay phone and called for less than a couple of minutes. He’d put as much recourses as he dared, but hadn’t found her. Lucian had been terrified
Gabriel or one of his followers would find her and kill her.

  In anger, he’d upped his battles, never having time off. He’d become the demon the humans feared. He couldn’t drink from anyone but his mate, so he drained people of their sins, and killed angels and anyone stupid enough to align themselves with them.

  Xore felt guilty for being spilling his secret and getting Lucian caught. Xore wouldn’t leave his side. The only reason the idiot wasn’t with him when Tessa showed up was because he was manning the entry reception. He’d phoned and told Lucian that his mate was coming up to see him and not to attack her and drain her. Lucian rolled his eyes, like he could ever hurt Tessa. She may have run but she didn’t know what he was or what she was doing to him when she ran.

  He drove towards his estate, glancing over to see her eyes closed. She was close to falling asleep. “I’m going to take you home, kitten.”

  “Mmm, home sounds good. I’m tired. The baby and I are ready for a nap.”

  Lucian felt his heart almost burst out of his chest at the mention of his son. He could tell how much Tessa loved their baby. Lucian fell in love with her right then. With her fearing the worst about him and thinking he was something out of ancient lore, she loved their child unconditionally, even when he showed the signs of being just like his father.

  Lucian wished he’d told Tessa what he was at the beginning. He wished he’d given her a reason more than great sex to stick around. “I’m sorry I never told you any of this. I was trying to get you to like me before I threw this all on you. I acted arrogantly, assuming you would do as I want and not question me.”

  Tessa’s hand came across and patted his legs. “Yep, you did. I’m tired now. I can ask questions when I see you again.”

  Lucian didn’t know what she meant by see him again. He wasn’t letting Tessa out of his sight, and if he had to leave she’d have only the best of guards.

  Chapter Six

  Tessa vaguely remembered being carried and stripped of her shoes, socks, and clothes before her head hit a soft pillow. Lucian had talked her to sleep. She was so exhausted from being scared of Lucian’s transformation, then finding out she was pregnant and worrying about her baby, that when she was safe and knew things could work she let the exhaustion take over and slept deeply for the first time in months.