Infernal Games by Jenna Wolfhart

16

The knock on the door was the sound of my death knell. Or maybe I was just being dramatic. As I wrung my hands by my sides, Valac vanished from the living room, leaving me to face my cruel fate alone. Coward.

Priyanka had leant me a casual pink dress for the evening after I opted out of purchasing something specifically for a date with a demon king. I refused to do anything that Lucifer would consider actual effort. It might make him angry, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Steeling myself, I opened the door. Lucifer stood on the threshold in a fitted black suit. His silver hair hung past his ears, matching the gleam in his eye. The essence of death pulsed around him, dark and electric. His gaze swept across me, and he smiled. Disgust roiled through me.

“Darling, you look exquisite,” he purred.

I really didn’t like this darling thing.

“Thanks. You look okay, too.” Actually, he looked terrifying, even in the suit. How did he walk down the city streets without freaking out every human he passed? He was impossibly tall and brimming with pure horror. Couldn’t they see that he was clearly an immortal being who wanted to consume their souls?

Of course, it was New York. There were a lot of strange sights in this city. Maybe they thought he was a Witcher fan doing a demented cosplay. I could believe that if I didn’t know the truth about him.

He was a wolf, blending in with the sheep.

And I was one of the fucking sheep.

“Come along.” He held out an arm and winked. I didn’t take it. “I know a lovely little place you’ll enjoy.”

I rolled my eyes, but went along. There wasn’t anything else I could do at this point.

That ‘lovely little place’ turned out to be the Waverley Inn. The very place Az had taken me one on of our fake dates. Lars, the vampire mob boss, had seen us there together. He’d come over to the table to get a sniff of me and wax poetic about how good I must taste.

It was exactly as creepy as it sounds.

And now this whole thing made a little more sense. This wasn’t a date. It was a trap. Lucifer was dragging me in front of every supernatural who had met Mia McNally, hoping to catch me out. It was all part of his stupid infernal game.

I slowed as we approached the restaurant doors to give myself time to think. This was a supernatural haunt, and Az had mentioned Lars like to come here. If the vampire saw me, I was in big trouble.

“Is something wrong?” Lucifer stepped in front of me to block my view of the patrons through the windows. “You’re looking a little pale, Sansa.”

“I’ve been here before.” I grabbed the first words that popped into my mind. “Quite a few times. The food isn’t great. Maybe we could go somewhere else.”

“Really? How strange. Because I have also been here. Quite a few times. And the food is excellent.”

He took my elbow and gripped it tight, steering me toward the door. How gentlemanly. Much to the shock of no one, it turned out that Lucifer was pretty much the opposite of a good date. We were going to eat in this damn restaurant, whether I liked it or not.

Wonderful.

He practically shoved me inside. I stumbled in my boots. The brunette hostess at the podium letting out a little gasp of surprise and dropped a stack of menus on the floor. She blushed furiously, kneeling to gather them back into her arms.

“Apologies.” She shot a nervous glance up at Lucifer’s face. “Your Highness.”

Your Highness. My eyes rolled all the way out of my head.

She jumped to her feet and dropped the messy stack of menus on her podium. “Come with me. Your table is ready for you.”

She led us toward the dimly lit back corner while speakers pumped out folksy music. Or that was where I thought she was going to take us. Instead, she found a table right in the center of the restaurant, surrounded on all sides by fully packed booths and tables.

Lucifer motioned for me to sit.

So this was his play. Parade me in front of everyone to make sure I wasn’t missed.

If it wasn’t so annoying, I’d call him smart.

After we were seated, I held the menu up to my face. I tried to cast a few subtle glances at the other booths to see if I could spot anyone who might recognize me. So far, so good.

“Tell me, Sansa.” Lucifer shoved the menu aside. His eyes sparked with anger as he leaned forward. “What’s your favorite dish on the menu?”

“Don’t you mean least favorite?” I snapped back. “Because I’m pretty sure I told you I’m not a fan of the food here.”

He laughed and leaned back in his chair. “How rude. At least lower your voice so the servers can’t hear you.”

“I don’t think they care. They’re not the ones cooking it.”

“You really are a feisty one, aren’t you?” He cocked his head, revealing the edges of the swirling tattoo along his neck. “Has anyone else ever told you that before?”

Unease slithered through me like a venomous snake. Someone had in fact called me feisty before. Not too long ago, actually. It had been Lars.

Heart hammering, I forced myself to keep my gaze forward instead of looking around. That was what he wanted me to do. Search the restaurant for the vampire mob boss who’d invited me to that damn Covenant Ball.

“You sound disappointed.” I arched a brow. “Not enjoying the date? Feel free to bail if you’re not having a good time. I’ll happily go elsewhere for dinner.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, little wolf,” he growled.

I stared at him for a long moment, tension throbbing in my veins. He knew I was Mia McNally. And he knew that I knew that he knew. A part of me wished he’d just get it over with and say it out loud. Put me out of my misery. End this right here and now. But I knew what would come next if he did. He’d hand me a one-way ticket to Hell.

I leaned back in my chair and smiled. “So are you.”

I expected him to laugh at me or maybe even growl. Anything but what he actually did. A flash of what looked like fear went through his eyes. The smug smile vanished. He looked almost...confused.

“What’s going on inside that pretty little head?” he murmured.

I wrinkled my nose. “I think you know exactly what is going on. None of these dishes sound appealing. I’d like to go somewhere else.”

Just as quickly as the confusion appeared, it vanished again. “You have terrible taste.”

“Clearly. If I’m on a date with you.”

That strange expression flickered across his face again, and he set down his menu. “You’re not what I expected.”

“Good.” I picked up my menu, but my mind made no sense of the words. I was too distracted by what he’d said.

You’re not what I expected.

All this time, Az and I thought Lucifer was somehow responsible for whatever had happened to me. Human or not, I had a weird scent and missing memories. It all seemed linked to the King of Hell. He’d tracked down the contract. He’d killed that old man. He seemed to know way more about me than I did.

And yet, he made it sound like we’d never met before.

“What did you expect?” I asked, my voice sounding far more strained than I’d intended.

“Someone a little more soft.”

I jerked up my head. “Soft?”

“Oh, yes.” He gave me a smile full of teeth. “The way you were raised doesn’t exactly inspire strength and ferocity.”

I set down the menu, wondering where the hell the servers had gone. If I was going to get through this night, I needed a drink. Maybe five of them. Promptly.

“I’d say the opposite is true. Growing up as a werewolf isn’t exactly easy.”

“Hmm.” He flagged down a server as she passed. Nervously, she pressed her palms against the black cloth tied around her waist. And then she took our orders. I just asked for a salad. I couldn’t stomach anything more than that.

I took the opportunity to glance around. No sign of Lars or any of his vampire friends. It seemed impossible that he wouldn’t appear right at the worst moment imaginable. Lucifer had brought me here for a reason, and it wasn’t because he liked the food.

The first hour passed without any drama. I had a glass of wine. And then two. My starter came, one I absolutely did not order. It was a plate of shrimp with their eyeballs still attached.

I did not eat it.

I was on my third glass of wine when I started to relax. The warming buzz of the alcohol swirled through my stomach, and there hadn’t been a single sighting of creepy vampires. That was, of course, when things got weird.

Lucifer stood and dragged his chair over to my side of the table. He smiled as he settled down beside me and draped his arm along the back of my chair.

I furrowed my brows. “Um, what the hell are you doing?”

“It’s a date, Sansa.” He pushed my hair behind my shoulder and leaned in. Sniff. “Typically, dates share some physical affection.”

I whole-body cringed. With a shaky breath, I shifted a little further away from him. “I didn’t get the sense that this was that kind of date.”

“Why wouldn’t it be, Sansa?” he murmured against my ear. “Is there someone else in your life? Are you not single?”

“Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I want to jump into bed with the King of Hell.”

“I’m not telling you to jump into bed with me.” He dragged his nose along my neck, just below my ear. “I’m telling you to give me a little kiss. Nothing more.”

Tellingme. Not asking. God, this guy was a dick beyond the whole evil demon overlord thing.

“I don’t kiss on the first date,” I said stiffly.

“I said I want a kiss.” His voice filled with darkness. “It was not a request.”

Nodding, I pushed up from the chair. “Yep, I think I’ve had enough. Here’s a hint. Next time you want to date someone, don’t order her to kiss you.”

He gripped the back of my neck and yanked me down. My butt hit the chair so hard my teeth clattered together. Leaning closer, he growled. “I don’t think I’ve been clear. I gave you a command. You obey it. If you don’t, I will find the thing you love the most, and I will destroy it. And we both know what that is.”

My heart pounded my ribs. The thing I love the most. My sister.

Tears burned my eyes, and I quickly blinked them back. I couldn’t let Lucifer see that he’d gotten under my skin. Anger quickly rushed in to replace the fear. He’d threatened my sister. That was one step too far, even for the King of Hell.

“You’re really going to make me do this?” I asked with a bitter laugh. “Don’t you think it’s a bit pathetic? Having to force a girl to kiss you with threats?”

“It would be pathetic,” he said, lips curling, “if I actually had any inkling of desire for you. But you’re just a little toy. One I’m having a great deal of fun playing with.”

He grabbed my face and yanked me toward him. His lips crashed into mine. I screwed up my face and tried to pull back, but I was trapped there. The scent of ash filled my head.

“I can’t believe it,” a familiar voice growled from somewhere outside my field of vision. The melted chocolate tone of Az.

With a grunt, I yanked out of Lucifer’s grip and jumped to my feet. But Az was already out the door. My heart slowed to a stop.

Lucifer stared up at me with a smug smile, waiting for my next move.

Realization crashed over me. So this was what he’d planned. It had nothing to do with Lars and the vampires. He’d wanted Az to walk in on us kissing. So he could see Az’s reaction. And then mine. I was Sansa, not Mia. I shouldn’t care what Az saw.

Checkmate.

“You’re a monster,” I hissed at him.

And then I ran.