Page 9 of These Monstrous Ties

I brush my bangs out of my eyes and I swear something in Lucifer’s gaze softens.

“Can I have a drink?” I ask quietly, glancing at the vodka.

For a tense moment, he says nothing. No one says anything, although I hear a girl whimper and I know it’s the one with Atlas. He shushes her. Otherwise, it’s quiet.

Then Lucifer smiles. He hands the drink to me.

“Of course, Lilith.”

People start to chat amongst themselves and I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I take the drink from Lucifer.

He leans down, his lips over my ear as he speaks. “Drink it all,” he growls. “Every drop.”

Then he pulls away.

I glance at the girl across the table. She’s watching me with wide eyes and her mouth hangs open. I have no idea why.

I’m just glad the attention isn’t all on us anymore. I give her a small smile. She snaps her mouth closed and returns it with a slight nod of her head, then she scurries away to find some friends.

I notice the guy in the hoodie is still watching me.

I take a long drink, the cup in both hands, then look to Lucifer.

“What did she wanna know?” I try to keep my voice disinterested.

He watches me, like I’m his prey. Like he’s trying to find my weakness so he can rip out my throat. The skeleton pain is unnerving. It’s fucking with my mind.

I take another drink.

“She wanted to know,” he finally says, “what happens next.”

I relish the burn of straight vodka trailing down my throat. It’ll help me pull the trigger later, I tell myself. Absentmindedly, I touch one of the fake plastic horns on my headband. Lucifer tracks the movement and slides his hands into his pockets.

He seems totally at ease. Yet somehow, totally...eerie.

“What do you mean?” I ask, shaking my head. “It’s a party...”

Lucifer flashes me a cruel smile. “Not quite.”

Then he turns around and walks away, leaving me staring after him.

I take another drink, watch his tall, lean form, noticeable even beneath his close-fitting hoodie. His black curls are so fucking beautiful, catching on the light from the fire. And when he turns to speak to some chick, I catch his side profile. Straight nose. Strong jaw.

But this girl he’s talking to…

She’s fucking pregnant. Really, really pregnant.

And the way they’re standing so close to each other, I feel something in my gut twist. I pour the entire drink down my throat, quite certain I’ve just downed four shots of vodka in seconds. I set the empty cup on the table, then wipe the back of my hand over my mouth but I can’t stop watching them.

They look like they’re arguing. She tosses her long, wavy blonde hair over one shoulder and folds her arms across her chest. She’s all baby, wearing black booties, black shorts and black stockings.

Lucifer, for his part, isn’t speaking. It’s all her.

“Caught you staring,” someone whispers behind me.

I jump, startled. It’s the girl with the braids. She has two black plastic cups in hand. She holds one out to me.

“I’m Ria,” she says with a smile.