Dreaming of the Devil

4

His lips were on my throat and my entire body felt like it had caught fire. Desire rippled over my skin, igniting an unfamiliar need within me. He shifted his stance, crowding me against the tree, pulling softly on my hair to tilt my neck towards his face. He was tall, over six feet easily. I stood still as a statue. I needed more, wanted more, but fear struck hard into my heart. He pulled back, and I noticed the flecks of gold that swirled through the flames.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you Adeline" he whispered again, dragging his nose from my throat. Stepping away, I felt my thoughts attempt to re-group as I remained with my back against the trunk of the tree.

"What are you going to do with me? I called your name like you asked and you're free now" I spoke, the feeling of dread washed over me again as his lips curled up into a smirk that showed another quick glimpse of a dimple on his right cheek. Gods he was beautiful, and he was terrifying.

"You didn't free me, I'm not a genie Adeline" he replied, amusement clear on his face. The smile dropped and his gaze turned serious.

"I need you to stay still for a moment" his voice commanded, "I'm going to place my mark on you" he announced, and I felt the connection between us tighten like a vice grip around my heart. Fight or flight mode hit me hard. I knew I'd never stand a chance fighting him, so the latter it was.

"You can't do that, I don't belong to anyone" I said, stepping slightly to the side. If he noticed, he didn't show it. Before he could reply, I stepped again, pivoting around the trunk. As sprinted back towards the meadow, I reached the field and took off towards the path to the cottage when Lucifer appeared in front of me, gripping my arm and pulling me back sharply. A hiss of pain whooshed out of me as he jerked my arm hard.

"Let me assure you now that you don't want to make the mistake of running again" his voice like ice. Pulling me flush against his body, he held me tightly in his grip, my feet hung slightly off the ground. He placed a kiss against my collarbone. The soft kiss rendered me completely immobile. The feeling from the kiss felt warm at first but began to heat up until the pain was practically unbearable. A scream tore itself from me as I struggled against him.

'Do not test me again' his voice ringing clear into my mind. Pulling away at the same time as he let go, I lost my footing and began to fall. The burning in my neck reached its peak, as suddenly stars danced across my vision and everything went black before I hit the ground.

~ ~ ~

My eyes slowly opened to the familiar sight of my bedroom. A pounding headache pulsed against my temples. The feeling willed me to sit up and find one of Thea's remedies to take the sharp ache away. The sun had started to rise, the first rays of light sent a warm glow throughout the room. As my eyes drifted closed again, I stretched my arms and my shoulders cracked as they raised above my head. An sharp throb of pain erupted from my left shoulder brought last night's memories flooding back.

Scurrying out of bed I raced into the bathroom and brushed my hair back away from my neck. There, against my collarbone, was a small burn mark in the shape of a small almost-circle. The mark was delicate and looked as though it had been painted there with a sweep of a paintbrush. It curved around, not quite touching at the top. The mark was so subtle that I wouldn't have noticed it if the pain hadn't brought my attention to it. The colouring of it only a fraction darker than my skin. Gently running my fingers across it, my skin tingled, leaving a trail of warmth in its path. As I stepped back into the bedroom, a husky voice from the bed spoke, startling me.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up" Luc murmured. He was laying on my bed, on his back with his hands tucked behind his head. As I turned to look him fully, the feeling that heated my blood returned, far stronger than before. The cloak was missing, along with the weapons and armour. His hair was slightly messed up and, in this light, his face showed the start of a slight five o'clock stubble I hadn't noticed before. His eyes glistened, contrasting against the glow of the sun rising outside.