At the scent of alpha pheromones, even if they weren’t dominant, Adela stiffened up.
Not only that, she hid her pheromones.
She had been warned too many times in the past that she needed to control herself, or she was going to tempt someone by accident.
It wasn’t until they made it to the end of the hallway that she saw a well-built man.
He was guarding the door that led to stairs which would put them in Lucifer’s personal areas—places you couldn’t access without prior permission.
Out of self-preservation, Adela slowed her pace and walked behind Lucifer, moving to his right side instead so that she wouldn’t be next to the guard when they passed by.
The Devil’s eyebrows rose.
He pretended to be ignorant for now.
It was clear she was unaware that her pheromones, now lack thereof, were sending him messages all by themselves.
As they climbed the stairs, Adela’s heart fell when she realized the guard intended to follow them.
She was silently begging for him not to get any closer, but she didn’t want to cause a fuss.
She was already grateful for Lucifer’s protection and for accommodating her.
Asking him to send a guard away would be too much.
Instinctually, she was hyper-aware of the alpha’s every moment.
He has matched their pace so he remains the perfect distance away.
Her heart hadn’t stopped racing.
At the top of the stairs, there was a window.
Adela opted to look out of it.
By that point, her hands were shaking, but she tried to ignore it.
The guard passed them, and she had a moment of respite.
“Are there always guards moving around this area?” she asked, her voice noticeably weaker than it had been the last time she spoke.
“It’s a shift change,” he explained.
They began walking again.
Adela’s legs were feeling a bit less like Jell-O.
Lucifer lifted his hand and pointed to the midpoint down the hall.
The guard had stopped there.
She had thought his pheromones had just lingered because she was sensitive, but it turned out he was still there and not far away.
“I-I understand,” she responded, backing down immediately.
A few moments of discomfort weren’t worth bringing up.
She had suffered through worse.
However, when they passed by the guard, Lucifer stopped.
“Take a break,” he directed the guard.
“Go into the Dining Hall.
I can hear your stomach growling from here.” The werewolf perked up at that, suddenly eager.
“Yes, My Lord,” he instantly responded and bowed before he left.
When the werewolf was no longer in earshot, Adela turned to Lucifer.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“He was still mid-shift.” “You kept looking at him,” he responded.
“I was just—” “No need to explain,” he assured her.
She felt strangely understood.
They continued a bit further and found an area of the hallway that had multiple guards.
Adela tensed up again, but luckily, she couldn’t detect pheromones anymore except for the ones that naturally lingered from before.
But there was someone silently observing her who noticed the subtle changes that most others likely wouldn’t.
“Shall we go into my library?” he asked.
“It’s a bit quieter there.” “Why?” she asked quietly, a bit embarrassed.
“I thought you might prefer it that way,” he responded smoothly.
“No one can access it without me there.” Her face felt warm, but she nodded.
This thoughtfulness was so hard to accept.
She wondered if this was normal or if he excelled in this area.
They made it to a large, wooden door that seemed more ancient than the few they had passed before.
Lucifer opened it for her, and only when the Devil stepped in did the red candles in sconces along the wall start to light up.
Except each one lit higher and higher, seemingly never ending.
With the red-tinged light, taller and taller bookshelves were revealed.
“There are a few rooms here that make me question space and reality,” she admitted quietly, her head still lifted as she saw the last of the candles light up.
Lucifer had been observing her quietly.
Each time she was amazed by something, her blue eyes seemed to glisten.
He subtly raised his hand when she wasn’t paying attention to him, and he cooled the tone of the fire in the room.
It suited her eyes more.
He broke his gaze away.
“Ah, yes,” he responded.
“The castle looks one way, but the rooms wouldn’t make sense compared to the physics you’re used to on Earth.
Everything moves differently in my domain.” She slowly began to step away.
If she kept looking up, she might hurt her neck.
Instead, her focus went to books within her view, but she didn’t touch them.
“They’re all so old,” she realized.
“And in different languages.” Lucifer remained where he was.
She had just been overwhelmed by the guards and seemed relieved now; he didn’t want to impose.
“You’re right,” he responded.
“Mostly Latin.
This collection is full of ones I have collected through history that humans used, claiming to pledge loyalty to me.
Grimoires, Satanic bibles, and the like.” “I just love history,” she admitted, amazed.
“And that’s all I see as I walk through this castle.” “There will be no end of it here,” he responded.
Adela paused for a few moments as she considered her next words.
“How do you feel about humans pledging their loyalty to you?” she finally asked her company.
“I can look past my desire not to be put on a pedestal when someone is doing it out of desperation,” he admitted.
“I give those who are feeling hopeless a choice.
It isn’t any more complicated than that.” After the day she had had and all the instances in which Lucifer wordlessly showed her that he was there for her, Adela’s smile was small, but it was genuine.
She forgot about the books and walked towards her host.
“I agree it’s not complicated,” she responded.
“I think that uncomplicated doesn’t make it any less noble.
You are powerful and could be evil, but instead, you have decided to do the opposite… or, according to you, maybe I’m just desperate.” She let out a sigh and tucked her long, brown hair behind her ear.
He chose his words carefully as he gazed at her with his piercing red eyes.
“We have all been desperate at one point or another,” he admitted quietly.
It felt like they were getting too serious.
She felt the need to put distance between them, unable to talk further about what she was desperate about.
“If anything, I’m desperate to go to sleep,” she lightly joked.
He could sense her hesitance and didn’t argue.
“I’ll have dinner sent to your room,” he responded.