Page 33 of Fear the Fall
Stay
Demons soak into the earth,being dragged back to Hell, where they belong. A few tombstones are overturned, the aftermath of yet another run-in with evil.
Except this time, it wasn’t a sanctioned fight, and that truth alone could put me in front of the Divine Council for crimes against God. I managed to escape that fate once, but I’m pushing my luck.
“You came,” a masculine voice speaks from between two mausoleums. As he steps out under the moonlight, his face is illuminated, and my breath catches at the sight. He’s more handsome than I remembered, standing here in a simple pair of gym shorts and a black T-shirt. He’s tall and lean, a work of art.
“What are you doing in a cemetery at night?”
“I am visiting an old friend,” he explains, stepping closer to me. “It’s peaceful at night. Nobody around to distract me.”
I sit, trying to regain my strength. Battling six demons took a lot out of me. I typically have my brothers at my back, but tonight, I came alone. Because he called out for me.
“Why did you call for me?” I ask, looking out the corner of my eye at him.
He takes a seat next to me, spreading his muscular legs out in front of him and leaning back on his elbows.
“I found myself in need of help,” he said, sucking in his cheek, giving away the lie.
I raise my eyebrows in challenge, and he grins.
“Okay, so it’s a little more than that,” he admits, and I can’t keep the smile off my face.
“Well?” I press, wanting him to say what’s on his mind, hoping there’s more to it than him simply needing help but knowing how wrong it is that I hope for such things.
“I can’t stop thinking about you, Victoria,” he says, turning toward me. “I’m going crazy.”
My eyes close, savoring the way I feel at his admission. Too good. Too happy.
Foolish.
I let out a breath and open my eyes. “This is crazy. I don’t even know your name. Yet I come running when you call out mine. This is dangerous. You know that, right?”
He grabs my hand, placing it in his lap, and the strangest sensation washes over me. My stomach is in a freefall, chills racing across my skin.
“Luke,” he says, so softly I almost miss it.
“What?” My head snaps to him.
“Call me Luke.” He smiles coyly, as though it’s not something he shares with a lot of people.
I know that’s not the case. Humans throw their names around like it’s no big deal, because on Earth, it isn’t. Perhaps Luke’s current manner is a result of remorse, because he recognizes the position he’s put me in. My name is sacred, and anyone other than celestial beings having possession of it is forbidden.
That ship’s sailed. He does know my name and he did use it. Even if that’s wrong, I don’t want to think about it while I’m here with him. He’s shared something with me, and I’m going to cherish that for the rest of my existence, because nobody has ever shared anything with me.
“Luke,” I say, testing the name out and loving the way it rolls off my tongue.
The quiet of the cemetery washes over us, but it’s not unnerving in the least. Crickets chirp and the leaves on the trees rustle, creating a soothing melody that calms me for the first time in centuries. I could stay here forever with Luke at my side, and that reality is what finally has me snapping out of the fantasy I’ve allowed to play out for far too long.
“I have to go,” I say, attempting to stand, but Luke pulls me down.
I trip and land on top of him. He rolls me so that I’m under him, breathing heavily and looking up into his deep green eyes, wanting things I shouldn’t for the first time in my entire existence, with a human I’ve met only twice.
His eyes roam my face, and I squirm under his intense scrutiny.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, cupping my cheek in his hand. I lean into his touch, basking in his compliment, never wanting this moment to end. “You’ve bewitched me, Victoria. I don’t know how to move on from this feeling.”
I turn away from his passionate gaze, cheeks heating. I’m probably caked in demon blood, and that thought makes me self-conscious, a sentiment entirely foreign to me. My hand runs back through my hair, trying desperately to tame the errant wisps that escape my braid, wishing I’d spent a little extra time putting myself together today. Never have I worried about such trivial things.