The Old King and the New Bride Ch. 05

Satan and I share a confused look, then turn back to Lucifer. Amazingly, he's managed to confound both his queen and the person he shares his mind with. I sigh to myself. Only my husband could do that.

"Meaning what?" Satan asks, as curious as I am to know my husband's thoughts.

Lucifer snaps out of his trance and locks eyes with his darker half. "You busy the rest of the night?"

Satan pauses for an instant. "I have a meeting with Beelzebub in an hour, but nothing else after that."
My husband smiles softly. "Good. Come by the room when you're done."

A fresh look of confusion settles on Satan's face. "What for?"

Lucifer's smile widens, and he stares at his 'brother' intently. The bright gold of his eyes darkens to a deep burgundy and his pupils disappear completely. Concerned, I swing my head around to look at Satan. His eyes are the same dark red color and are also missing their pupils. I stare at them in panicked wonder.

What the hell?

...the opposite sides of my personality split into two separate beings that shared one mind...

Oh.

The answer finally clicks into place in my head. They must be sharing a thought. That's why their eyes are the same. I nearly smack myself for being so foolish. They share the same mind, but they must have the ability to pick and choose what thoughts the want to keep hidden. This clearly isn't one of those thoughts. Obviously, this is an image Lucifer wants to communicate.

A few seconds later, I watch their eyes shift back their normal amber gold and crimson red. Apparently, they've finished sharing thoughts and have retreated back to their own minds. I'm slightly relieved. Seeing my husband go mentally blank like that makes me nervous, like I've lost him for a moment in time. I only hope he doesn't do it too often.

Content, I turn to see Satan staring at his twin, a wicked smile crossing his face. It's menacing and hungry and excited all at once. And it's terrifying me.

"Oh, I like that." His smile widens another inch, turning hungrier by the second.

Lucifer smiles back, his grin decidedly less malicious. "Glad you enjoyed it."

Still grinning, Satan shifts his famished gaze to me. "I may have to reschedule Beelzebub if that's what you're planning."

Lucifer shakes his head. "Keep your appointment. Knowing Beelz, this is something that can't be missed. Join us after your meeting. We'll be waiting for you."

A look of disappointment crosses Satan's face, but he recovers and nods quickly. He turns and makes his way back to his menacing throne. Lucifer loops his arm around my shoulder and leads me back towards the entrance to the main hall.

"Don't start without me!" Satan calls after us.

Lucifer looks over his shoulder. "Wouldn't dream of it."

On an instinct, I turn my head to see what's going on. Satan is standing beside his massive chair, looking back at us. His eyes flick down, then back up, giving me a quick once-over. He purses his lips for a moment, then turns and steps around to the front of his chair and settles into the hard surface.

"Undress her," he calls out. "I want to get a good look at her."

"Will do."

Lucifer picks up his pace and we exit into the black maze we'd come through before. He takes his time going through the tunnels now, but he's just as assured of where's he's going. I cling to his arm, still terrified of losing him and getting lost in here.

"So...if you two are so closely connected, why do you live so far apart?" I can't help my question. I'm seriously curious about this whole brothers-but-the-same-person thing.

"We have different talents that work in different areas," he answers. "I'm a bit more diplomatic, he's more authoritative. Think of our world as one giant prison. I'm the guard you meet when you first come here and tells you how everything works. He's the warden that makes sure the punishments are carried out."

"Oh...Okay, that makes things a bit easier." He's got a point, though. Those two particular occupations fit their personalities perfectly.

I hear his small laugh. "I know. He's a bit more brash than I am, but I promise you he's just as loyal. You're his queen as much as you are mine, so there's nothing he won't do for you. He's just darker and a bit quieter than me. You'll get used to him."

God, I hope so. I'd hate for the two of us to have any major issues.

"How long have you two been split?" I ask cautiously.

He thinks for a moment, calculating the number of light-years that have passed. "A few millennia, at least. I can't remember exactly how long. Perhaps once man became 'man' and started to screw themselves over."

"Oh..." I trail off, not sure how to respond.

We burst into the light-filled main hall, once again stuffed full of demons and succubae. I'm relieved to be out of that maze, and I'm honestly looking forward to hearing the endless chatter of the demons that surround us. It's almost a blessing compared to the deathly silence of that cavern.

"Come," Lucifer pulls me down the hall. "I promised him we'd wait in our room."

I'm gently dragged through a parting sea of demons, each bowing to us as we pass. They immediately resume their conversations once we're gone. Lucifer pulls my hand harder, anxious to speed me up so we can get back to our room.

"What exactly did you tell him?" I ask, curious to know the thought they shared.

My husband grins over his shoulder at me. "Something he'll love. I'll explain when we're back."

"Hey! But I-"

I'm cut off as Lucifer yanks on my arm, flying down the hallway with me trying desperately to keep up. I nearly lose my footing a few times, but I manage to regain my step before I end up being dragged across the floor behind him. I can't see anything out of place, but Lucifer is moving so fast I could swear there's a trail of fire behind us.

We reach the door to our room in record time. Lucifer pauses just long enough to haul the door open before dragging me into our bedroom and slamming the door behind him. I stumble slightly, trying to regain my balance after having to run so quickly. My husband's cold hands wrap themselves over my shoulders, holding me steady as I clear my head.

"You alright?" His breath cascades down my back, making me shiver.

I nod. "Fine. I wish you wouldn't rush like that. It makes me dizzy."

"Ah, I'm sorry." He trails kisses along the back of my neck. "I'm just excited."

"About what? You promised you'd tell me what the two of you were thinking."

He sighs. "I thought it would be a good idea for him to explore you a bit."

I spin on my feet, staring up at him with a mix of shock and confusion. "Explore me how? What did you say?"

There's a sly smile caressing his lips. "A threesome would be nice, no?"

I'm stunned into silence. A threesome? With that thing? Even is Satan is technically his other half, I can't quite fathom sleeping with him. He's not my devilishly playful debonair husband, so any images of coupling with him make my stomach turn. I shiver inside myself at the thought of those clawed hands touching me. For Lucifer to suggest such a thing...if I had the guts to do it, I'd slap him.

His smile fades instantly. "You don't like my idea?"

I shake my head. "No."

His shoulders slump, and he looks almost hurt. "Why not?"

Really? You have to ask?

"I just..." I pause, trying to formulate my thoughts. "He's so different from you. And we've just met. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing something so intimate with him this soon."

It's the most conservative I can keep it. As much as I'd like to scream that he's disgusting and scary and downright weird, I remind myself that dark creature is my husband's opposite half. Of course he knows how his other half looks, so yelling insults will only injure him. That, and I have to stay in queen mode. Losing my temper here and now will just make it worse.

Lucifer sighs and looks away for an instant. "You don't like him, do you?"

I shake my head again. "No. Not at all. I'm frightened of him. I can't tell if he'll be as playful and thoughtful as you are, or if he's just going to throw me onto the bed and do what he wants. I don't know if he'll accidentally hurt me. I've barely met him. I don't trust that side of you yet."

I'm sorry, but I had to say it.

I know what I've said probably hurts, but it's better than lying to him about it. At least now he knows my concerns. I won't have to dance around his questions or try and switch to another subject.

He sighs again and walks toward the bed, sitting down on the thick blankets and staring at the floor. "I didn't know you were that uncertain of me."

I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M REALLY SORRY!

My gut twists itself into a pretzel. Great, now I've wounded him. And just when the dust had settled and things were staring to get better. I chew my lip and shift on my feet, unsure of how I can fix this. A blowjob, while fabulous, wouldn't help anything. This is something that will have to be discussed.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings about this..." It's the most honest start I can make right now.

He's silent for a moment, then looks up at me with a soft smile. "I understand. He's a part of who I am on so many levels, but he's not me. You have every right to be concerned about his appearance or his behavior. He's the one giving me a bad reputation, so year concerns are completely reasonable."

I take a cautious step forward. "Lucifer..."

He shakes his head. "I told you, I understand. I know him. He won't be gentle or kind with you. You're as much his queen as you are mine, but he'll use and abuse you for as long as he can. I just thought it would be a good idea for you to get to know each other just once so you'd know who you were really dealing with."

My conscience and my heart are screaming at me to fall to my knees and apologize. Looking at him right now makes my soul crack a bit. This was incredibly important to him, and I've shot down any semblance of joy or hopefulness he has left. I scowl to myself. The devil isn't the only one who can wound people.

Nice work. Would you like to tell him he's an idiot and worthless, too?

I sigh to myself and pick at my fingernails. I want to fix this, to make him smile again and know he's happy. But my fear and uncertainty are holding me back. Suddenly, my mind starts to race through all of the shitty things – Leyna, my mother selling me, Lilith – that I've survived here. I was afraid of everything, but I managed to pick myself up and kick some ass. My fear can get the better of me sometimes, but I'm not one to back down from something just because I'm afraid. Eventually, I'll psych myself up and charge at it with everything I've got.

Like now?

I take a long breath and walk over to him. Silently, I kneel down beside him on the floor, reaching out to hold his hands in mine. Lucifer swings his head around to stare down at me, a puzzled look on his beautiful face.

I inhale quickly. "I know this meant a lot to you, so I'm sorry if I did hurt you."

His smile returns for a moment. "Michelle, its fine. I said-"

"I'm willing to give him a shot," I cut him off before he can stop my change of heart.

He stars at me, shocked. "You are."

I nod shakily. "I'm willing to give him a chance because it means so much to you. But I'm still scared of who he is and what he could do. I need you to promise me that you'll keep him in check once we start."

It's no longer a smile that graces his face, but a grin. "He won't get too pushy, I promise. I'll keep him on a tight leash."

I breathe a small sigh of relief. I've promised to give the unloved half of my husband a chance, mended his broken pride and managed to salvage his award-winning smile. Not a bad list for five minutes.

"So how long until we start?" I ask quietly.

Lucifer shrugs. "Not until his meeting with Beelzebub is finished. That could take hours."

Okay, so I have time to breath and prep for this.

As relieved as I am that this won't start immediately, we still need something to do. Sex – at least until Satan arrives – is out of the question, and I'm hardly the type of person to sit around and stare at the wall for hours. I shift slightly, trying to get comfortable, the action causing the fabric of my dress to rub against my nipples.

Wait...

Of course! How could I have forgotten? In an unparalleled bitchy move, Leyna removed my piercings while she still had control of my body. I have no idea where she could have hid them, and I'm desperate to get them back. They are mine, after all. That's what we could do!

I stand quickly, excited to possibly find my mementos of bonding with my husband. I pull on Lucifer's hand, trying to urge him up off the bed. I'm not a hellion, so I can't imagine where Leyna could have tossed my rings. I'm going to need his help for this.

"Come on. I need your help." I pull his hand again.

He looks up at me, confused. "With what?"

I scowl slightly. "Leyna removed my piercings when she still had my body. We need to find them."

His eyes widen in recognition, and he rockets up from the bed. There's a look of excited thoughtfulness on his face, as if he's thrilled about finding my jewels but can't think of where to start.

I let go of his hand and spin around, placing my hands on my hips as I survey the room. "Okay, how do we do this?
Lucifer pauses for a moment. "Leyna hated those piercings because they reminded her of you and your position. She wouldn't want us to find them, so she would have hid them somewhere we would never look."

I chew my lip silently. "So...maybe we start looking under things? Maybe she didn't really care about me not finding them as much as she cared about me never getting them back. If I can't reach them, I can't have them."

"It's worth a try," Lucifer sighs. "I'll take the bed and the other heavier pieces."

I nod. "I'll start with the dresser."

We separate and head towards our respective hunting grounds. I start by flinging open the doors of the armoire and rummaging through the clothing. I pull out each piece, shaking then folding it and setting it aside so I know I've checked everything and don't lose my place. Behind me, Lucifer grunts as he shifts the bed to allow him better access.

An hour passes before I'm finished looking through the clothing. I've checked every single piece, even the sky-high stilettos that are shoved into my wardrobe, and I haven't found anything. I sigh and put everything back, double checking them one last time just in case I may have missed something.

"Anything?" I call out as I hang an expertly embroidered corset.

"Nope," Lucifer growls, resetting the bed.

I actually growl myself. I'm beyond annoyed that Leyna took out the few items that I can really consider mine, and now she's hidden them just to fuck with me. Damn that woman.

I spin around and walk towards the bathroom doors, pushing them open and making a b-line for the tub. I take a quick glance inside the exquisite marble creation, disheartened hen I see that there's nothing but warm, clear water. I drop to my hands and knees and peer into the small space under the tub. Still nothing. I sigh and stand up again, my eyes scanning the entire bathroom. Besides the tub, there's only a beautifully carved sink and a solid porcelain toilet here. So unless Leyna flushed my rings, there's nowhere to hide them.

"Could she have dropped them down the sink?" I ask, a bubble of anxiety starting to form in my gut.

"No," Lucifer yells back. "If anything valuable or unusual gets dropped into the pipes, the demons in the Gluttony department would alert us immediately. It's been three days, so they must still be here."

Phew. Crisis averted.

I spin again, knowing that there's nowhere left to look here. I walk back out into the bedroom, my mind turning in ten directions, trying to find an answer. I see Lucifer standing at the edge of our bed, scowling at the floor in frustration. He's as annoyed as I am, but neither of us can think of any other place Leyna could have hidden my piercings. I copy him, glaring at the floor as I rack my brain for an answer.

Wait...the floor!

My head snaps up as an idea rushes into my mind. I spin and stare at my husband, hoping that my hunch is right. "Lucifer, are there any false panels in the floor here?"

He looks up at me, thinking for a moment before answering me. "A few. One in each corner and one under the bed."

"Dou you think she could have hidden them under one of those?" I ask excitedly.

His eyes start to light up. "It's possible. She's a demon after all, so lifting one of the stone wouldn't be difficult for her."

Hopeful, I rush over towards him as he shifts the bed again. Pulling it away, he drops to his knees and digs his fingers into the thick grout lines between the block of marble. He grunts softly as he hauls the massive stone up and over. I stare silently at him, marveling at his strength and the way his muscles flex as he moves the rock.

No! Focus!

Lucifer heaves the rock to one side, and I kneel down beside the large hole. Moving quickly so my fear of the dark doesn't get to me first, I reach my hand down into the black abyss, feeling around the smooth rock for any sign of gold or gems. I can't find anything, but I feel around one last time before pulling my hand out, disappointed.

Lucifer's cool hand strokes my shoulder blades. "We have four more to check. They're around here somewhere."

I hope so...

Lucifer replaces the stone block in the floor, then stands up and offers his hand to me. I take it gratefully, letting him pull me up so we can continue on our quest. We move to the nearest corner and repeat the process again. Still, I find nothing. Lucifer replaces that stone and rubs my back, a look of apologetic ruefulness on his face. I give the best smile I can muster, happy to know he's trying to comfort me in this. Honestly though, I don't think I'll be content until we find my jewels.

We move on to the next corner. Lucifer lifts the rock out of the way again and I feel around in the darkness. Again, there's nothing inside, and I feel my confidence slowly slipping with each failed venture. I'm beginning to doubt my idea of Leyna hiding my piercings at all. Maybe she's jut destroyed them.

A loud knock at the door pulls me out of my pity party. Lucifer looks up just as he drops the stone into place, a soft smile on his lips. His gaze shifts to me, his eyes warm and hopeful.

"We have company."

Uh oh.

"Come in," Lucifer calls out as he helps me to my feet.

The door swings open and Satan strides in, spinning around and slamming it behind him. He pounds the door once, setting the locks into place before turning to face us. His crimson eyes narrowing confusion as he watches Lucifer and I make our way to the next corner.

"What's going on?" he ask, curious about or task.

"Leyna hid Michelle's piercings when they were switched. We're trying to find them." Lucifer lifts the next block as he speaks.

Satan nods. "Ah, yes. The bitch that started all the trouble. Her little stunt certainly got Beelzebub in a pissy mood."

"Really?" Lucifer asks as he shoves the block aside. "I didn't think the old man would get so emotional about it."

Satan shrugs and makes his way toward us. "Neither did I. Although, I'm not that surprised. The old codger despised that bitch, and he was practically singing praises of our queen."

I reach in and search the hole as Lucifer turns to talk to his other half.

"I suppose that's a good thing." His hand strokes my back. "Better you have him as a fan than a hater."

I can't help my laugh. He's got a point. I may be queen now, but it's a good idea for me to keep Lucifer's head commanders on my side. Many kings have fallen because the people under them are upset.