Page 8 of Falling for the Devil
“Yes, please. I’m intrigued.”
Her expression fell and he immediately wished he could take the question back.
“First, there’s Ares. Then, of course, the goddess of beauty herself—Aphrodite. My own twin, Apollo. The wise one—Athena. Then you have the god of the winds and air—Aeolus; the god of the atmosphere—Aether; god of family feuds—Alastor; god of medicine and healing—Asclepius; Atlas—the titan; and the list just goes on and on!” Diana threw up her hands in surrender. “I just want to be different, not clumped in with all of Zeus’s other progeny that he sees as his possessions. Is that too much to ask? It’s just a name, after all!”
Lucifer hadn’t thought of it that way. There were a lot of A names for such a large and dysfunctional family. Of course, he could argue the same thing for angels. The majority of his brothers and sisters had names that ended with –iel or some version thereof: Gabriel, Daniel, Haniel, Castiel, Ariel, Jophiel, Chamuel, Jeremial, and even the exalted Michael. He had escaped that fate because the Creator had formed him alone to be the most beautiful angel and thus required a name fitting to his superiority. So, he understood her plight. He would not have wanted to be just another –iel angel.
He nodded his approval. “Then, I swear an oath to you from this moment on, I will only ever call you by your chosen name—Diana.”
Was that another blush rising up in her cheeks? It was heavenly and caused unusual sensations to flood his body.
She bowed her head slightly. “I thank you for understanding. Now if you could just convince my father...”
He witnessed the confidence leech from her body as the words trailed away into the ether. “He is a fool, in more ways than this. But if you wish, I can assert some influence, twist an arm, or a neck...”
A giggle that lit up his soul escaped her rosebud lips. No longer capable of words, he quickly glanced away before he fell into her eyes, lured there by the music of her voice.
“For such a reputed honorable angel, I’m surprised at your attitude toward my family. I do not require your influence with them. I feel it would be received poorly. Also, back to your original question... They do not need to protect me from you or anyone else. I am—after all—also a strong deity. I am no flitty little girl with no wits about her. I am a goddess.”
She gestured for him to walk with her along the water’s edge toward the sound of the waterfall. The spray had dampened her hair and left perfect iridescent beads of moisture across her skin.
“Also,” she continued, “we are not exactly alone.” Her head tilted toward the small owl perched in a tall oak tree across the stream. The creature nodded.
“Ah! Your sister, Athena, watches over you in the absence of a full entourage of guards!” Lucifer raised a hand to acknowledge the goddess. “Greetings, little owl!”
“Hoo.”
Diana let loose a delicious giggle. “Yes, my big sister sees everything, even when others cannot. She is quite protective and sometimes overbearing.”
“Delightful.” It was the only word Lucifer could manifest as Diana’s laughter washed over him again, eliciting unfamiliar sensations underneath his skin.
“Besides”—Diana cast her eyes askance at him—“you are an angel, are you not?”
He nodded, waiting for her point.
“And not just any angel, you are an archangel. And not just any archangel, but the Archangel of Light, the most trusted, most beautiful, most beloved of the Creator.”
Her steps halted. She sucked in her bottom lip, holding it between her teeth. A movement that riveted Lucifer in place. He couldn’t move if he tried. Not that he wished to try.
When he finally regained his voice, and cleared his throat a few dozen times, he risked reaching out to take her hand. “And do you, Diana, think I am beautiful?”
HEAT RUSHED UP FROM Diana’s core to burn her cheeks. How in the name of the Titans had she let that slip? She’d called him beautiful. Not just that, but the most beautiful.
Humiliation begged her to run away, perhaps jump off the nearest cliff. How had she allowed those words to pass her lips? Okay, yes, he was indeed the most beautiful being—angel or otherwise—she’d ever seen. But she would never admit that... not to his face! He was an arrogant bastard according to everyone she knew. And she had just fed into his self-inflated ego!
Words. Why couldn’t she form words right now to deny him?
She pivoted away from him, unable to look him straight in his glorious face and lie. Her footsteps quickened. The breath caught in her throat, too strangled to exhale. Athena’s hoot—an octave above normal—made it known that she was also laughing at Diana.
Oh, I’ll never live this down if she blabs to anyone.
Abruptly, the owl launched off the branch, swooped down just over Diana’s head, and flew away, still.
“I’m sorry.” Lucifer caught up to her but did not touch her again. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just... I would love to know your opinion, for I believe you would be honest with me. I have heard these things said about me often, but never gave the words any significance. However,”—he paused for a deep breath—“if you believe it so, then there is no room for doubt. I trust your judgment completely.”
She kneeled to pick up a jagged stone. It was a brilliant transparent crystal that reflected the multitude of colors around them. Holding it up, Diana’s eyes narrowed, and her eyebrows furrowed while she contemplated the gem.
“This crystal is—in its raw form—complete and unclouded. A beauty to behold, offering healing and metaphysical energy.” While holding it in front of her, her other hand fished something out from a hidden pocket in her stola. Her fingers uncurled to reveal a smooth crystal pendant shaped like a wand. “This crystal is made of the same ingredients, formed in the same way, and is equally as lovely. But this one has undergone manipulations to smooth out its rough edges. It also denotes healing for those who know how to utilize its properties. But it is not better than this stone.” She raised the rough gem higher. “They are the same, but one had to be tried through fire, chiseled by sharp blades to transform into something more easily wielded without losing its spark—what makes the stone unique.”