A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 161 – 170

A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 161 – 170

LUCIEN’S CONSPIRACY

LUCIFER FROWN

The bathroom was dimly lit, steam curling in lazy tendrils around the room, wrapping us in an almost otherworldly quiet.

I cradled Selene’s fragile frame in my arms, her damp skin cool against mine, as I carried her out of the bath.

Her head rested limply on my shoulder, her breaths shallow but steady. The vulnerability in her silence, the way she let herself be held without protest, was unlike her. It unnerved me.

The door to my room shut softly behind us as I laid her down on the bed. Her hair spilled over the pillows like ink, her pale skin luminous against the dark sheets.

For a moment, I lingered, watching her, an inexplicable weight pressing on my chest.

I turned to leave, knowing better than to stay. But just as my hand brushed the doorframe, her voice stopped me.

“Lucifer…”

It wasn’t loud, barely more than a whisper, but the way she said my name—pleading, desperate—rooted me in place.

“Don’t leave.” Her voice cracked, and it was enough to make me glance back.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket, knuckles white, as though she was holding on for dear life. It wasn’t like her to ask for help, not like this.

I sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet room. “Selene, you need to rest.”

“Stay,” she said again, her voice trembling. “Please.”

Damn it.

Without another word, I crossed the room and stood at the edge of the bed, tugging my shirt over my head and tossing it aside. Her eyes flicked to me briefly, but there was no heat, no spark of recognition. Just exhaustion.

I slid under the covers beside her. Her hesitation was fleeting; she moved closer instinctively, her head finding its place against my chest.

I didn’t move, didn’t breathe for a moment. Her warmth seeped into me, her steady heartbeat a quiet reminder of just how fragile she was.

“I’m here,” I murmured, my hand brushing against her hair.

For a while, she didn’t speak, just rested against me, her fingers clutching the fabric over my ribs. When she finally broke the silence, her voice was barely audible.

“There was a child,” she said, her words shaky, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to say them at all.

I stiffened slightly but kept my voice calm. “A child?”

She nodded, her cheek brushing against my skin. “She was… alone. laughing, she wants me dead.”

“Dreams can be strange things,” I said carefully, my fingers tracing idle patterns on her back. “Sometimes they’re nothing more than the echoes of a restless mind.”

“It didn’t feel like just a dream.” She tilted her head up to look at me, her eyes searching mine. “Do you think she was real?”

Real?

The question was heavier than she realized.

“Sleep, Selene,” I said softly, my hand moving to cup the back of her head, gently guiding her back to my chest. “We can talk about it in the morning.”

She wanted to protest—I could feel it in the way her body tensed—but exhaustion won out. Her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing evening out as sleep finally claimed her.

I waited.

Even after her grip on my bare skin slackened, even after the rhythm of her breaths became slow and steady, I stayed.

But the moment I was sure she wouldn’t wake, I slipped out from beneath her. The bed creaked softly as I rose, and I pulled the covers over her before turning to the door.

It closed behind me with a soft click, sealing her safely inside.

A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 161 – 170

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