This had to be what it felt like to be a princess, Adela realized.
Lucifer walked her all the way to her room and said he would wait for her to sleep before he would leave.
She was tired after tossing and turning much of the night.
It gave her a bit of comfort that perhaps she would fall asleep more easily than the last time she slept.
Adela went through her drawers and found comfortable pajamas—an oversized T-shirt and cotton shorts—before washing her face in the sink and settling down.
As she was about to sit on one of the couches, she heard a knock and found a cart waiting for her with plates underneath metal tents to preserve their warmth.
When she opened them at her table, she found chicken over a bed of rice and some sort of salad on the side.
It was a simple meal, but she was hungry and would eat just about anything then.
Simple turned out not to be the word to describe it, however.
She had never tasted such perfectly seasoned chicken.
The sauce had seeped into the rice, and she found herself savoring it all down to the last bite.
It was all washed down with water and what looked like pomegranate juice.
Adela was ready to sleep after brushing her teeth.
Of course, she checked her door to make sure it was locked before she lay down.
She even brought the silver knife to her bedside table just in case.
All these things had been provided to her so she wouldn’t have to leave this room to get everything she needed.
It didn’t go unnoticed.
Unsure of the magic that existed in her room, she noticed that the candles dimmed each time she lay down in her bed.
“Goodnight, Lucifer,” Adela whispered.
The dark sheets hugged her in a way she had never been hugged before.
It lulled her to sleep quite easily.
+ A searing pain struck her.
There was total disregard for the limits of her body.
Whoever handled her didn’t care about her.
Pheromones couldn’t hide this fact, but she was in heat, and the words she said out loud contradicted the human side of her that was internally in horror.
It was worse than normal.
It was like… her first time.
She managed to push the large, sweaty body away, and she hurt herself in the process.
It didn’t stop her from getting up and running.
But what was she compared to an alpha?
Her body smashed against the ground as she was tackled.
In her ear, a deep voice ground out, “Oh, you like a game of chase?
I will chase you to the ends of the earth and even into Hell if that’s what it takes.” It was Garret.
He was the most unsettling because he was the wildest behind closed doors, yet scarily so even when he needed to be.
She couldn’t trust someone who had such different faces depending on the situation.
She screamed.
She didn’t want to do it again.
She always ached after him so much that they would usually give her a night or two to herself.
But hearing about Hell made her call out to her savior.
A surprising light at the end of her struggle.
“Lucifer!” she cried.
“Please!” + Upon hearing his name, even though he had been dead asleep, Lucifer woke up with a start.
The same way that Shade did, Lucifer’s body sank through the floor, and he dropped himself onto the eleventh floor.
He was just in front of the door of the person who called him.
Her room was surrounded by magic that even he couldn’t break through.
He needed permission to enter.
He could hear her ragged breathing inside.
“Adela?” he called.
“Do you want me to come in?” She was on the floor, not remembering how she got there.
Maybe she had even ended up there after moving around in her sleep.
“Please,” she pleaded from where she had sunk onto the floor, her arms hugging herself and her fingers gripping the sleeves.
Since the door was locked, Lucifer let out a quick sigh as he focused his strength.
“Stay far from the door,” he warned.
“One… Two… Three…” With what seemed to be little effort, he shoved the door open, breaking the lock through the rock wall until it was hanging by one of its hinges.
Lucifer then rushed to Adela, making sure she wasn’t hurt.
Other than being shaken up, she seemed to be fine.
He was unprepared for when she held out her shaky hands, reaching towards him for comfort.
She didn’t force herself into his space, so he met her halfway by pulling her closer.
The moment she was in his arms, she settled into him with her legs halfway on his lap.
Her face was hidden against his chest.
He could feel her trembling, and her racing heart was easily heard.
Lucifer knew he shouldn’t get angry, but he had a feeling it had to do with the werewolves.
Could they even access her in dreams?
This harmless creature couldn’t even rest at night.
He quietly exhaled so he wouldn’t overreact.
Lucifer managed to stand with her in his arms, as if she weighed nothing.
He placed her on the edge of her tall bed, but she clung to his shirt.
“Don’t leave me, please,” she pleaded.
“Shh…” he hushed her.
“I won’t.” But a visitor had arrived.
The assistant was smart enough not to speak right now.
“Shade, take care of this, he directed.
“She can’t be in a room with a broken door.
I’ll take her to my room for the time being.” Lucifer lifted her bridal style, and her arms settled around his neck as she hid her face in the crook of his neck.
He went to the elevator so he wouldn’t scare her by going through walls.
She had been through plenty.
Once in his hallway, he was surprised to hear her timid voice thanking him.
“Th-Thank you,” she muttered.
“I feel so pathetic.
I’m so sorry for clinging to you.” But it didn’t loosen her grip on his shirt.