Bloody

 swallowed. She slept, but it took a lot of effort to leave her behind. I touched her cheek with a sore heart.

"Nyria, wake up," I said softly.

She opened her eyes sleepily and looked at me. Damn it, did she have any idea how cute she looked?

"I have to go. Take care of yourself, do you hear? ”I explained softly and looked at her intently. She smiled, which made her look even more irresistible.

“Stop worrying, honey. I'm okay. And now go before the devil rip your ass off. "

Sighing, I stepped back from the bed. She was right, I should hurry up. I stroked her cheek one more time, then left her alone.

I stared in surprise where Zayn had just been standing. Okay, I understood how important my safety was to him. It was actually really cute that he had woken me up because of it. Unfortunately, he had made me worry about him again. Who knew where this devil was sending him?

"You say I should take care of myself, but what about you?" I mumbled and threw back the covers. Sleep was out of the question now. After visiting the old castle for a while, which by the way was damn cozy, I jumped in the shower. And yes, it was there too! After showering, I disappeared back into the bedroom, where I found an uninvited guest.

"I was expecting something like that," I muttered and returned Lucifer's gaze.

"Now that Zayn is on the hunt, we both have time to get to know each other a little better." Announced the devil, but made no move to get closer to me. Still only wrapped in a towel, I sat down on the large bed.

"Do you want to know anything specific?" I asked and looked at the man intently.

He ignored this comment and took a few steps towards me.

"You have unusual eyes," he stated.

"I hear that often," I replied calmly.

Would it help if I put my mask on?

“So you wanted to protect Zayn from the angels? Do you realize that these beings are capable of killing you? Like Zayn too? "

The guy was probably in a good mood.

“You are also able to kill me and you won't. Is that why I'm scared of you now? Certainly not."

I definitely won't be intimidated. Lucifer raised his eyebrows.

“Pretty brave for a little lady. What made you help this kid? "

I doubted Zayn had told him everything. Was it Jere's fault? Had he told him the story? There was no other option for me. I shrugged my shoulders because, strictly speaking, I still didn't know why I hadn't left him in the alley.

"I was probably just naive and in good faith back then," I mumbled. I didn't want to see that I had grown fond of Zayn and that I was constantly worried about him. Maybe I shouldn't feel that way about him, but there was no other way.

"I don't think so." Lucifer broke my thoughts and lifted my face.

“You are neither naive nor in good faith. I can see that you have seen a lot. Tell me about it. "

I slapped his hand away and let out a growl.

“I never told anyone about it. And I wasn't about to change anything. ”I hissed, glaring at him angrily.

“What is Jere to me? Have you talked to him yet? ”I continued quickly so that he no longer had the opportunity to speak to me about my past. Still, I wondered how he had seen that I had a lot behind me. The man snorted, folded his arms, and took a step back.

“You're pretty scratchy. Zayn seems to know how to deal with you. Anyway, Jere is sitting in his cell. That he gave you a hint will turn out badly for him. Even I am forbidden to betray mortals of the existence of good and bad. "

But now it got interesting. I perked up my ears and gave a small and malicious smile.

"Look, even the devil has rules to follow."

My amused undertone vanished and gave way to ice-cold curiosity. Ice cold curiosity? Yes, it was possible. I was the proof.

"What happens if you don't stick to it?"

There was a flash of light in his dark eyes.

“This little secret must be kept from people. The Almighty, in your language he is called God, could start a war. And we don't want that, do we? "

He sighed.

"Oh, probably Zayn's brothers have already told him about it. It is quite possible that he will appear in your dreams and confront you. "

Was that guy trying to scare me? If so, he had succeeded.

"Is that possible?" I asked meekly and bowed my head.

A predatory grin appeared on the devil's lips.

“Yes, little one, he can do that. After all, I am too. How much do you actually know? "

Again I shrugged my shoulders. It had become a new habit. Just like I was used to sharing my bed with Zayn ...

"Not much. Angels and demons exist, just like God and you. You all have supernatural powers and are able to kill me in a split second. That was it."

"The less you know, the better," Lucifer muttered.

I considered. What other questions could I ask him? That was the opportunity to learn more about the whole thing. Maybe I should bring Zayn into play. On the other hand ... that was probably a bad idea. Otherwise he would only think that I was interested in him. But I couldn't really control myself.

"Why did you ban Zayn from your realm?" I asked softly.

Suddenly he had turned his gaze back to me. Wasn't it surprising that I asked him such a question? Maybe I really wasn't as predictable as I'd previously believed. He seemed to think for a moment, then a distant look came on his face. Damn it, he was just as difficult to gauge as Zayn. 

“Zayn is difficult. He has never submitted to you, neither in heaven nor to me. That he has agreed to murder for me is still incomprehensible to me. Back then he rarely obeyed me. Orders could not be given to him, he immediately lost his temper and rioted that he was only being ordered around. He could never come to terms with the fact that he didn't have free will. And that's exactly why they banished him from heaven. If he finds out I told you that, we'll both be a head shorter. Not that I mind, but you'd have a problem. You best keep quiet about it. " 

Now I was stunned too.

"Either I'm imagining it or you actually have damned respect for him." I breathed and looked at him again. His posture was relaxed, but his face showed how nervous he really was. Didn't like to talk about him? That must have meant something.

“I admit I'm one of the cruelest men in the world. But Zayn can be worse than me. Pray that you will never see any of his corpses. "

In one second he was gone. I was getting used to this kind of exit. As long as no one appeared directly in front of or behind me, everything was fine. My brain was working at full speed. Should I be happy that I had never seen Zayn so cruel? I was already curious ... But reason prevailed in the end. Lucifer was probably right, it would be better if I had been spared a bloody sight. I sat down on the bed and pulled my legs in. A few moments later someone reappeared in front of me. I raised my eyes and looked into Zayn's face, which was covered in blood splatters. I eyed him. His hands were covered in blood, too, and his clothes were even soaked. Why did this sight leave me so cold? Was I really that tough? I had no idea who this blood came from, but I still had no pity. No, I actually worried about the man in front of me.   

"Why aren't you sleeping?" He pressed out between his teeth.

He was tense when I examined him. Didn't he want me to see him like that? Apparently not.

“After you left, I couldn't get back to sleep. And..."

I fell silent and got up. Slowly I reached out to grab his shirt and unbutton the buttons one by one. To my amazement, he let it happen. Still, I noticed how he stiffened. I pulled the shirt off his shoulders and let out a relieved breath when I saw that he was unharmed. I took a long look at his well-toned upper body. I loved the sight ... By now my hands were bloody too, so I took his hand and dragged him along with the bathroom. I knew exactly how dumbfounded he was, but I didn't care. The blood on his hand was still warm. It was slippery, but I didn't even grimace. When I got to the bathroom, I grabbed a rag and wet it. I turned back to Zayn and motioned for him to take off the partially torn and blood-stained pants. He did it.