"Did I commit a crime, my Lord?" Evelyn demanded, her voice laced with frustration.
Lucifer, seated on his bed, exhaled slowly, eyes shut. His royal robe hung loosely off his shoulders, exposing his bare chest.
"My Lord…" she tried again, her voice softer this time. "You haven't said a word since you dragged me here."
Lucifer's eyes flickered open. "You talk too much, little rat. It's annoying."
He stood, his movements slow and deliberate, before stepping toward her. With a smirk, he lifted her chin, and in an instant, she was floating—suspended at his eye level, helpless beneath his gaze.
Evelyn's heart pounded as she hovered in the air, her feet no longer touching the ground. Lucifer's golden eyes glowed with amusement, his smirk deepening as he tilted her chin up with a single finger.
She refused to look away, even as unease curled in her stomach.
"You act brave," he murmured, his voice low, smooth, dangerous. "Yet your pulse betrays you." His thumb brushed the side of her neck, feeling the frantic rhythm beneath her skin.
Evelyn swallowed hard. "You haven't answered my question, my Lord."
Lucifer chuckled, the sound deep, indulgent. "Crime?" he mused. "Perhaps not in the way you think. But your existence alone is a disturbance."
With a flick of his wrist, he let go of his hold on her. Evelyn gasped as she dropped, barely catching herself on her hands and knees before she could crash into the cold marble floor.
She glared up at him, but Lucifer had already turned away, walking toward his bed. His robe shifted as he moved, revealing glimpses of firm, scarred muscle beneath the deep fabric. He ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling as if exhausted by her mere presence.
"Sleep," he ordered.
Evelyn hesitated. "Where?"
Lucifer glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "The floor, of course."
She clenched her fists, biting back a retort. Defying him now would only worsen her fate. With a slow inhale, she lowered herself onto the floor, curling up on the thick carpet. It wasn't entirely unbearable, but the chill in the air still made her shiver.
She heard the rustle of silk as Lucifer settled onto the massive bed. The flickering light of the torches cast long shadows, making his presence even more overwhelming.
Then, his voice came again, quiet but absolute.
"You're still breathing too loud."
Evelyn froze. "What?"
Lucifer sighed dramatically, as if truly inconvenienced by her. "Do I need to spell it out?" His voice lowered, laced with dark amusement. "Stop breathing."
A sharp force pressed against her chest. Evelyn gasped—but no sound escaped. Her lungs burned instantly, her body fighting against the magic gripping her. She clawed at her throat, her wide eyes darting toward him in panic.
Lucifer didn't even look at her. He simply lay on his side, eyes closed, his expression utterly serene as if her silent struggle meant nothing.
Just as black dots spotted her vision, the hold released.
She sucked in a sharp breath, coughing violently, her body trembling from the near suffocation. Her fingers dug into the carpet as she steadied herself, heart racing.
Lucifer let out a soft hum. "Much better."
Evelyn gritted her teeth, glaring at him through watering eyes. "You're a monster," she rasped.
Lucifer chuckled. "And yet, you still insist on speaking to me."
He shifted, rolling onto his back, his golden eyes glinting through the dim light. "Sleep, little rat. If you make another sound, I'll make sure you don't wake up at all."
Evelyn bit her lip, swallowing every insult she wanted to throw at him. She forced herself to lie still, barely breathing.
She didn't know when exhaustion finally took her, but when her eyes fluttered open again, something was wrong.
The floor beneath her was gone.
Instead, warmth surrounded her. Soft silk brushed against her skin. The scent of spice and embers filled her lungs.
She was in the bed.
Evelyn's breath hitched as realization sank in. She lay beneath the heavy sheets, her body no longer clothed in the same dress from last night. Instead, she wore a delicate royal nightgown, smooth against her skin.
Her gaze darted across the massive room, searching for any sign of movement. Had he—?
No. That was impossible.
Her lips parted slightly, her fingers curling around the sheets. A small, involuntary smile played on her lips before she caught herself.
Don't be stupid.
Lucifer was cruel, arrogant, merciless. He didn't care. He couldn't have.
Yet, why was she here?
Pushing the thought aside, she carefully slid out of bed, her bare feet pressing against the cold marble as she padded across the room. She needed to find him.
The castle halls were eerily silent, morning light barely seeping through the high windows. The air was thick, charged with something ancient, something powerful.
Her feet carried her toward the royal bath chamber. The moment she stepped inside, heat wrapped around her, steam curling in the air like whispers of magic.
And then she saw him.
Lucifer sat in the center of the massive, boiling lake. The water shimmered, dark and deep, its unnatural heat causing ripples that glowed faintly under the torchlight. His bare chest glistened with droplets, muscles taut beneath the dim golden glow. His dark hair was damp, slicked back, revealing the sharp cut of his jaw.
His eyes were shut, his expression unreadable.
Evelyn swallowed hard, heat creeping up her neck.
She should leave. She should turn around before—
Lucifer's head tilted slightly, as if sensing her presence.
Before she could react, an invisible force wrapped around her.
A startled gasp escaped her lips as her body lifted off the ground, pulled forward against her will. The air shifted, and before she could even think—
She plunged into the water.
The scorching heat engulfed her instantly, but it didn't burn. Instead, the magic within it seeped into her skin, a strange, intoxicating warmth that made her shudder.
Her head broke the surface, her hair clinging to her face as she gasped for air. She barely had time to process what had happened before a voice, smooth and commanding, echoed through the chamber.
"Scrub me."
Evelyn froze, blinking the water from her lashes.
Lucifer's eyes were open now, glowing like molten gold. He leaned back against the edge of the bath, arms draped over the stone, watching her with a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine.
Her cheeks flamed. "You—what?"
Lucifer arched a brow. "Did I stutter?" His voice was slow, deliberate. "Scrub. Me."
Evelyn's hands clenched under the water, her face burning hotter than the bath itself.
He was enjoying this.
Lucifer tilted his head, amusement flickering in his gaze as if daring her to defy him.
Evelyn inhaled sharply, her nails digging into her palms.
Of all the punishments he could've chosen… Why did it have to be this?
Evelyn's hands trembled slightly as she picked up the soft cloth and dipped it into the water. Steam curled between them, thick and intoxicating, making the air heavy with something unspoken.
Lucifer sat before her, his broad back exposed, muscles taut beneath the flickering light. His dark hair, slick with water, clung to the sharp angles of his neck. He exuded something raw, untamed—like a beast resting, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
She swallowed hard and pressed the cloth to his skin.
Heat pulsed against her fingers as she dragged it slowly over the hard planes of his back. His skin was warm, firm, and littered with faint scars—marks of battles she could only imagine.
He said nothing, but she could feel the way he stilled beneath her touch, like a predator allowing something fragile into its space.
A wicked thought crept into her mind.
What if she had powers? Real ones. Enough to wipe that smug look off his face, enough to pin him down the way he always did to her.
She imagined it—her standing over him, golden flames sparking in her palms. Lucifer on his knees, eyes wide with surprise, utterly at her mercy.
"You dare defy me, my Lord?" she would purr, stepping over him like he was nothing but an inconvenience. "Oh, how the tables have turned."
A sharp giggle bubbled from her lips before she could stop it.
Lucifer stiffened.
Slowly, too slowly, he turned to face her.
Evelyn gasped.
His golden eyes locked onto hers, unreadable, heavy with something she couldn't name. Her breath caught in her throat, chest rising and falling in shallow movements.
"Why were you laughing?" His voice was quiet, but there was something dangerous in it, something that made her insides coil tight.
She froze, pulse hammering as his gaze darkened.
"I—uh—"
She didn't have time to finish.
Lucifer reached for her.
His fingers traced through her damp hair, slow, deliberate, like he was memorizing the way it felt against his skin. Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Then—
His lips brushed against hers.
A fleeting touch. Barely a whisper.
Yet, it set her entire body on fire.
Her lips parted slightly, breath stolen, mind blank.
Lucifer pulled back, but his face remained inches from hers, his golden eyes gleaming with wicked amusement.
"Was that what you were imagining?" His voice was deep, taunting.
Evelyn's brain short-circuited.
"I—"
Lucifer smirked. "Kissing me?"
The words sent a full-body shiver down her spine.
He leaned in again, his breath warm against her lips, lingering just close enough to torment her.
Evelyn wanted to speak, to deny it, to slap him—something. But her traitorous body wouldn't move.
Lucifer chuckled lowly.
"How predictable," he murmured. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he turned away, stretching his arms over the bath's edge as if completely unaffected.
"Continue scrubbing, little rat," he ordered, his smirk widening. "And try not to get distracted this time."
Evelyn gawked at him.
The audacity.
The absolute arrogance.
Her fingers curled around the cloth as heat burned through her, not just from the water, but from the inferno raging inside her chest.