All preconceived notions considered, Lucifer felt a bit bad that she trusted him over a werewolf.
To be so alienated from her own people must have been horrible.
Perhaps he could see a bit of his younger self in her.
Yeah, that must have been the reason he felt so protective.
Since he could sit at his desk while keeping an eye on Adela, Lucifer did just that.
There were letters to be answered and tasks to be delegated within the kingdom.
While everything was mostly done instantly with the magic he had been honing since arriving here, nothing beat pen and paper for him; that was why he preferred to sit there and respond to inquiries at his desk.
Occasionally his red eyes would lift to the woman lying on his couch.
They would only leave when he was certain she was breathing.
When he finished what needed to be done, he poured himself some of the aged scotch from the decanter at the corner of his desk and sat back to enjoy it.
He was watching her again, this problem that had landed on his doorstep.
But it didn’t make the invisible pull he felt towards her any less real.
Even with crying, red eyes, she was beautiful.
Her pale skin in the darkness of Hell was a sight to behold.
He lifted his hand and the golden light of the room got just a bit brighter so he could see her in detail, although not enough to disturb the sleeping beauty.
Realizing what he was doing… “Enough,” he muttered to himself.
With that, he stood up with his heavy bottom glass in hand and walked over to his grand piano that was situated next to the tallest window in this tower.
It overlooked the city below.
He sat down on the piano bench and put his cup on a stone coaster.
It had been decades since he last played.
For some reason, he had the urge now.
His fingers hovered over the keys, but he wouldn’t dare play because she needed to sleep badly.
He could sense someone’s restless soul even when he wasn’t looking with his mind’s eye.
+ There was no measure of time here.
It had been a couple of days since Adela last checked a clock.
It was unusual for her, considering her life was once dictated by a very strict schedule led by her fated alphas.
As the half-werewolf woke up, she felt a sense of missing something important.
Without having anything to do, all she could do was think, and her anxieties got the best of her.
Her blue eyes scanned Lucifer’s room.
She felt calmer and finally noticed just how cozily this place was decorated.
Rather than the harsh blacks and reds being the main focus, the dark brown wood paneling and bookshelves that lined all the walls felt less harsh.
There wasn’t much of anything that was black except for what she could see of the wall and ceiling.
What she also noticed was the lack of Lucifer.
Considering how well-rested she was, he probably eventually had to do something productive rather than waiting for her to wake up.
She felt a bit bad taking over his room.
He likely hadn’t gotten much sleep the past few days either.
She pulled the soft blanket made of cream-white fur off of her and stood up.
She brushed her hands through her hair as she walked forward.
Her feet led her across the room from one Persian rug to the next, and she stood in front of a desk with bookshelves surrounding it on two sides, where it was nestled in a corner.
As her eyes explored the shelves, she found beloved works from Man’s World.
Plenty of fiction, which surprised her.
Since his scent was all around, she couldn’t pinpoint him.
This led her to the brown French doors leading from one room to the next.
One was open, but he wasn’t in his bedroom either.
The tall, four-poster bed was empty.
Lucifer had been watching her since she was within view again.
He stood up and decided to approach her.
“Looking for something?” he quietly wondered.
She turned around quickly, as if she had been doing something bad.
“You,” she admitted quickly.
“I didn’t mean to snoop around.” All of a sudden, she was insecure about how she must look.
There were probably pillow lines on her face.
Her gaze dropped, and she tucked her hair behind her ear.
Instead of getting upset, Lucifer pushed the other French door open and gestured for her to walk forth.
“If I was worried about what you saw in here, I wouldn’t have brought you to my chambers in the first place,” he admitted.
“Did you sleep well?
It’s been quite a few hours.” Her face felt hot, and she looked up at him again.
“Sorry about taking over your couch,” she quickly apologized.
“I must have really been tired.” “Remember what I said?” he asked.
“Enough apologizing.” Since she wouldn’t go in first, Lucifer strode through the open doors and went to the windows along the wall.
It was another angle of Hell that offered more wilderness than city.
Adela only took a couple more steps.
“You stayed while I slept,” she commented quietly.
“You were afraid,” he responded easily.
“You know, you don’t have to bother with me,” she continued.
“I know my place well and don’t expect special treatment.
You could have left.” Lucifer put his back to her as he looked towards the window.
His eyebrows lowered.
Even he didn’t understand.
“I could have,” he agreed.
There was silence.
She noticed one of his hands was occupied with a drink.
“Should I return to my room?
You must be exhausted from having to babysit me all the time.” He turned towards her abruptly, leaving his scotch on the windowsill.
“I don’t tire easily,” he responded.
“A couple of hours here and there is enough sleep for me.
Today I plan on staying in my room and reading.
Your lock may still be broken.
If you would like to stay here, I don’t mind.” “I’ll stay,” she decided, but then she looked down at herself.
“Well, I will get into something else, then I’ll be back.” She was a bit embarrassed to be in pajamas while he wore black pants and a casual button-up shirt that matched.
It was unbuttoned at the chest, revealing the small, upside-down cross necklace inlaid with a red ruby.
She forced herself not to stare.
“Do you need me to go with you?” he asked, completely unburdened by his offer.
“I’ll be okay for a few moments,” she insisted.
“I’ll call you if not.” She offered him a small smile.
He relented.
“The door will be open for you when you return,” he said.
It didn’t take long for her to figure out where she needed to go.
It was only two floors below Lucifer’s main room.
She found a cozy cream colored cardigan, a cropped black tank top, and black leggings.
It would be the perfect outfit for sitting around.
Whoever had put clothing here truly knew how to dress a woman.
At least her bathroom door could still be locked, because she took a quick shower and got herself together before deciding to return to Lucifer.
However, she realized then that her lock had already been fixed.
She should have considered that because Shade always worked so quickly.
Despite that, she still went back to Lucifer’s room.
He didn’t need to know that her lock was functional now.
She wanted to spend time with him but couldn’t admit it out loud.