Chapter Forty (R)

I miss you when the lights go out

It illuminates all of my doubts

Pull me in, hold me tight

Don't let go, baby, give me light

Chapter 40 - Finality

Nephele's POV

I stood beside him for the relentless hours to come. And I was barely staying awake by the time Thanatos and Lilith got here.

Both were covered in blood, and their swords were not in any better shape. By no means was the metal bent; but the swords dripped blood onto the stone floor, evicting a grimace from my expression. Sure, blood shouldn't affect me that much. Doesn't mean I was immune at this stage in my life.

I didn't say anything about it however as they sat down at the makeshift table and looked at both me and lucifer with regards. I grimaced as Lilith splattered some blood on the table but I refused to show sympathy in public – knowing that everyone was watching my every single move.

Lucifer gave me a little nudge as his previous words filtered through my mind, eyes lingering on everyone who could overhear this. There is a spy in this room, if not two. He was right to say what he said; I just hope he didn't mean it.

"Of course, I didn't mean it." I internally roll my eyes at the tendril of darkness that feels to touch my cheek. He quickly changes the subject before I can give rise to anything more.

Fine, I will bring it up at a later time then.

"You think there is a spy?" Lucifer's silky voice slips through into my mind and I smile towards him, nodding my head. I watch him as she turns around and mumbles something to an advisor before raising his hand and dropping a clear barrier of some sort of particle over our head. It acted as some sort of blanket that muffled sound and vision but not entirely.

"They cannot see or hear us. Be careful, however." I nod to what he says.

"That was not very feminist of you Lucifer." I chastise him with a smile on my lips. He only picks my hand up and presses a kiss to my palm.

"Forgive me, my love." He pauses minutely, looking over at the two to bear witness to our love. "Now, cor meum, tell them what you told me." I nod again and turn to face the hologram that I displayed into the middle of the table showing the map.

"You see here," I point to the steep lines on the map demonstrated a valley between us and the north east border, "We could utilise the natural landscape here and bring them through like a funnel. Despite their size matching ours, only a certain number can get through at a specific time." I got a look from Thanatos.

"If we just open the border in that section, they'll know it is a trap." He had a point but I had a better one. I purse my lips, thinking about ways to counter it.

"If you slightly weakened it there, they would think it was a natural coincidence. And before you think it'll damage the surrounding populations; I already have that covered. We have to give everyone a day to move out of the area but the area is pretty desolate anyway. Furthermore, the mountains act like a natural barrier. They are hard to trek, and it would be too hard to get an entire army up a single mountain."

"She has a point. We can also use the natural paths on the mountain to ambush them. We have trials here," she points at a route on the mountain, "here and here." Pointing at a few more I look at her with a gracious smile.

Considering I also had another idea, I knew that this could work.

"Do you remember when I was in the city? How I was attacked by my mother's people over and over again?" I turn to look at Lucifer and Lilith in particular, noticing the way her face clouds with some forgivable emotion.

Lucifer grumbles out a 'yes' with great reluctance as if the memory was traumatic for him. Babes, it was traumatic for me too. I internally roll my eyes, but persist.

"It is clear we already have some of my mother's people in our walls. If we can lure them there, to that spot, we might be able to plausibly weaken the walls. We can make them think they weakened the border themselves, or we can have them legitimately weaken it. Its similar to how, I assume, you think they got into our wards in the City that day."

"I like your thinking." Lilith mumbles, inputting data into the tablet in her hands with pursed lips and a furrowing expression. Lucifer doesn't say anything. Instead, he just taps his head with his index finger. Thanatos doesn't show anything – no signs of boredom or exasperation. No signs of ideas either. I narrow my eyes at him as he stares at Lilith, only to have him turn to me with a foolish wink.

I furrow my nose up at him, sticking my tongue out in annoyance, and turn away to face Lucifer once again.

"You two are like children," Lilith mumbles again, but I don't say anything to her revelation.

"Correction, I am a teenager." I was twenty-two. I could not be placed in the same category as Thanatos.

"They are indeed." Lucifer muses before I pinch the skin on the back of his hand with some force. He doesn't say anything just soothes my own hand with a thumb as he looks at Lilith as if expecting some answer with whatever she is doing on her tablet.

"They can plausibly weaken the border if there is about forty people. I just need to figure out a way for them to break the barrier at their own doing. And the barrier cannot just magically weaken – it doesn't work like that." She gives Thanatos a pointed look. Her eyes then meet mine and I see a spark light up behind her eyes. I smirk, knowing exactly what she's going to say. "... And it appears I have one."

We both turn to Lucifer, who just dishes out a grumbled 'no'.

...

"It won't be dangerous." I nag as we exit the meeting bubble-room. Lilith and I have a plan and we are rolling with it.

Ride or die, it appears.

Oh, how fast friendships can be formed when needed. I flutter my eyelids at him, but he turns his head with a groan, knowing that I have already won.

"Nephele and I will need to go scout the border, my Lord." Lilith voices rather loudly – but not loud enough to be obnoxious, just enough to ensure everyone heard her. The men around us raise their heads from their internal conversations and look at her as she explains the very simplistic plan.

"If you do not allow me to go I will make you sleep on the couch for the next day." I whisper-yell under my breath.

"A day? I guess even you cannot last that long without me." He enters my head, before stopping for a second, "Although we both know I will be back in your bed at your beck and call within the hour."

"Make that two hours, and we have a bet, My Lord." I mock, narrowing my eyes slightly and glaring up at him.

"To whoever can last the longest, My Lady." He dances with the threat right back, and I cannot help the tingle of sparks that fly along my spine at the thought of how this was going to end.

I break out of the mind trance when Lucifer replies to Lilith.

Lilith and I were to scout for potential breaching zones. This was a simplistic 'mission' and designed to get me to get 'used' to the Hell-ish lifestyle and role I was told I was going to have here. Thats what Lilith said aloud to the entire thrown room.

That, of course, was pure bullshit.

Whilst we were 'scouting' the border, we were only going to one spot at a very specific time, and hoping that the word got out about this secret adventure.

It was under the assumption that my mother still wanted me alive of course. But it should work. We would walk right into an ambush, and I should be able to unleash enough power to 'weaken' the border in this specific area. Of course, this was also under the assumption that I had enough control over these abilities to do such a thing.

"She cannot go." He plays the role perfectly – probably only because that was his true thoughts about this entire power play.

"She can speak for herself." Taken aback by my sudden lashing out, as too was half the room, he mocks shock and scoffs at me.

"Of course your Highness, let me go make sure that you can fight before we discuss you going out on your own missions." I wince. I wasn't the best fighter or anything still – but I had been training for a few weeks or months (time passed differently in Hell) and I wasn't as bad as I was when I first got here. I did have natural skills, as Lilith and Thanatos often reminded me of.

"Let's remember that I managed to evade you for weeks, without being caught Lucifer," I huff right back, "My fighting abilities were quite adequate against yours." It was the power threat I had to make. His commanding officers and the potential traitor in the room must think we had a fight – and I got away with leaving his side. They would see me leaving his side as a potential vulnerable moment, and thus lead them to where we wanted them.

It was the only way.

"Fine. Nephele, feel free. The mission takes place tomorrow, twenty four hours from now." He sneers back before turning to the room, "You are all dismissed." He all but yells and moves to storm out of the room to the right of the throne room. I turn in the opposite direction and storm my way through the opposite door. It slams shut behind me with such force that everyone would think we just had the biggest argument in the history of Hell.

"Let the twenty-four hours begin little Nymph," he calls into my mind and I smile giddily, thrusting my fingers out in front of me and swirling my right hand around my left, opening a mirrored portal that would teleport me to our bedroom.

I step through, the portal disintegrating around my body as I step through. Swallowing away the small amount of nausea that follows, I begin to strip away at my clothes and unhook my bra. Taking the bra off, I adjourn the oversized sleeping t-shirt I had snatched from Lucifer and put it on before climbing onto the bed.

Blu sat on the edge of the bed, basking in the small amount of filtered sunlight coming in from the window.

I plan on having a small nap before I begin training later this afternoon with Lilith and Thanatos. I was really tired this morning, and definitely needed the nap considering that entire meeting did not help.

Getting under the covers with a light squeak from Blu, the curtains close naturally on my command and I position lucifers pillow so that I'm hugging the fluff under my arm, hooking a leg up and placing another hand under my own pillow. Sighing and positioning myself so that I am lying on my stomach comfortably, I let the darkness tugging at the corners of my eyes comfort me as I slip under into a deep sleep.

...

Lucifer stood behind me, his hand running up the inside of my thigh. The crimson red dress I wore parted as I leaned into his other hand holding my hip. I shivered at the tingles that sent bursts of flame straight into my stomach.

His thigh came between my thighs as my back rested against his chest, his arms holding me up.

"I thought we had a bet on who could last longer." I said breathlessly.

"Did we? I thought that was for the real world." His words were like velvet in my ear and I rolled my head back against his shoulder as his hand came to the top of my thighs – index finger mere millimetres away from the seam of my bare lips.

"I love it when you do that." He whispers, teeth grazing my ear lobe.

"Do what?" I answer, suddenly out of breath as his finger dances along the seam of my lips as I melt into his embrace. He teases me for another pass over my seam before his finger breaks through and slides over my clit and back down before doing it all again.

I moan as his middle finger enters me and thumb lightly taps my clit, causing sparks to flutter the nerves in my stomach.

"That." He bites down on my neck, pushing the digit inside my at an antagonizing pace. "I love pleasuring you. Makes me so hard, little Nymph, harder than anyone else ever has." I dismiss his words roughly, grabbing onto his forearms.

"How comforting." I try to breath normally, but the ability appears to be lost on me. The thought of him with another woman raises red fluttering rage within my lower stomach.

"I killed all of them after I had come." He whispers my neck, and I gasp at the revelation. Somehow that sent a burning rush to my clit and I moan involuntarily, finding that some what hot.

"And yet you haven't killed me." I manage to connect words in my brain as he pushes his ring finger inside of me to join the middle, slowly moving and curling upwards making me gasp at the sudden sensation.

"You aren't anybody. Without you I am nobody." The heart-warming words are lost amongst the growing need rising in my stomach.

"You aren't very good at dirty talk are you, Mr Morningstar." He groans before biting into my neck once more. I find myself pushing into his hand, grinding, hoping to get some friction for pleasure.

His thumb circles my clit, once, twice as he pushes deep inside of me and curls his fingers, strumming my g-spot with expertise, as if getting my intention.

"So impatient for a good girl." I stammer at his words, a flurry of wet liquid warmth rushing to my nether regions at the praise. I bite into my lip to prevent the moan from slipping past my lips, but as his spare hand leaves my bare hip and circles my throat with a gentle squeeze, it falls past anyway.

I clench around him as he hits the spot twice in a row, rolling my hips onto his hand as his thumb grinds against my clit. I do the motion again, loving the way my ass hits his groin every time I retract back into him. His fingers pull out of me as I arch into him, feeling his thick length growing against my back.

He likes it too.

"I-I want you-" I speak through broken words.

"What do you want, amare?"

"I need you." I almost whine at the emptiness, with his fingers still pinching my clit as I move around on his hand – needing some form of clitoral release. He growls against my ear and suddenly the red nightgown I was adjourning is laying in pieces around my body and falling through the air to its demise.

There was a bet Nephele.

My eyes snap open instantly as I coherently remember our deal for more than a second. I bite into my lip as his finger rolls my clit between his index and thumb, swirling a wonderous pattern that rises butterflies in my stomach. I subconsciously push myself into his hand trying to gain some more pleasurable butterflies, but stop myself before this can escalate any further.

I turn around, whisking my bare centre away from his manipulative hands before I drop to my knees in front of him. I rest my palms against his thighs as I look up at him through hooded lashes and smile. Licking my lips, I palm his cock through his pants, before one hand reaches for the zipper and attempts to gain access to him.

He grumbles something under his breath, before pulling himself free from his pants. I bite into my lower lip as I hold him in my hands, eyeing him.

Now, all girls would understand that typically the penis of a man was an ugly thing. However, the thought of this man's dick did things to me that someone made it attractive.

At the thought, I lick my lips, before placing a soft kiss to the tip of his hardening erection.

To think it can grow bigger.

I place my tongue on the underside, before licking all the way to the tip in a long, elongated and slow stroke, aiming to bring him to the edge with sensuality.

I take him in my mouth at a slower pace, pushing him all the way to the back of my throat whilst stroking his base with wild fingertips. I lick around his shaft whilst he grunts from above me, eyes closing and hands coming around to fist my hair. I withdraw before repeatedly sucking on him, hollowing my lips whenever I withdraw him from my mouth.

"Nephele, For fuck's sack-" He moans lowly, shooting a pang of arousal to my clit. I moan with a mouthful, making him shudder lightly, "If you want to stop, tap my leg twice." It was the only warning I got before I took control of the movements.

His hand fisting my hair pushed him further into my mouth, bringing tears to my eyes whenever he hit the back of my throat. I moaned, loving the feeling of him in my mouth so much that I reach down with a free hand to between my legs and starting rubbing my clit.

Saliva falls from the corners of my mouth as he continues to pound into me, watching me with hazily drawn eyes as I stroke myself with two fingers.

"You're such a good girl, stroking yourself to the idea of me." Another burst of butterflies erupts and I moan, sliding my fingers along the wetness between my legs before letting a digit enter my heat. I moan again as I slide my fingers between my lips, bouncing on my hand lightly as he rhythmically draws my mouth around his cock.

"Such a dirty girl little Nymph." He sends me images of what he's seeing in his head, and I combust at the images of me on the floor, my mouth around his shaft as he continuously pumps into me whilst a hand lies between my legs. I almost groan at the lost of contact of his dick, his two arms rising me to his level demanding that I wrap my legs around his waist.

He fists his cock and pumps it twice as I wrap my legs around his waist. I smile at him, our heads level as I lean into kiss him.

"You said two hours Luci." I mumble into his ear, leaving a hollow kiss at the base of his neck as I smile up at him. He only groans.

"I haven't technically given in yet." I laugh at his excuse, but shake my head at him.

"Come find me when you want to give in then, Sire." I mock the name his people call him, but otherwise close my eyes as I let go of the dream and enter back into reality where I am alone in the bedroom I fell asleep in.

Burning desire races through my blood, and my clit screams for release, but I can bet that the Devil is in far worse shape than I am.

He made this into a game; he only has himself to blame here. I smirk to myself, stripping myself of the sheets to the bed and standing on two feet. I rush towards the walk in robe that I had requested and the abundance of clothes that I had also received.

An abundance of clothes that included some pretty new sets.

Silk and Lace barely-there sets.

Smirking to myself I strip, and having taken a shower this morning, I didn't bother, but I did reach over for my perfume and spray the key areas before dressing into the chosen set. Since red appeared to be Lucifer's favourite colour tonight, I couldn't help but oblige to his love for the colour.

Some would call me cruel, but I would merely say I am finishing a game a man started.

The skimpy outfit left minimal to the imagination; red see-through lace covered my breasts only enough so that the nipple was not an obvious beacon of attention. Silky smooth straps attach themselves to my thighs in the form of garters which delicately attack to the very modest g-string. I look in the mirror once before slipping on a t-shirt over my outfit fit with long socks.

I look like an innocent Nephele going to sleep casually in my boyfriend's attire. Little did the Devil know.

I fluff out my hair before giving it a brief brush through, the burning in my veins making sure I move a lot faster than I would normally. I exit our room in seconds and enter in the hallway bounding towards Lucifer's office.

Chattering voices echo up the hallway outside our wing of the castle, but I sneak past anyone which such ease, that I am surprised I make it outside Lucifer's main office doors without complaint. I giggle to myself when I turn the handles of the door - after pressing my ear to the wood and ensuring that no one is talking inside of course – and slipping inside the office with ease.

Lucifer sits behind his desk, a somewhat of a formal shirt rolled up his sleeves and a ruggish appearance to his look. He peers at me with hidden eyes, and I merely smile at him.

"Bad dreams?" I almost laugh as I stand with my back against the door.

"Definitely not bad," He grumbles to himself before standing up from I believe is the map plan of what Lilith and I had presented to him earlier this morning. "Don't you have training?" I cock my head at his question but shrug my shoulders.

"Not for another hour or so. I didn't sleep very well and there is no point in trying to when it's apparent I am not going to be able to." I smile at him sweetly as I approach the desk. He narrows his eyes at me, but I can see some remorse in them. As well as a few other things.

"I will make sure you sleep tonight before you leave tomorrow then." He mumbles again as if talking to himself more than me. I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his middle, placing my chin against his chest as I peer up at him with knowing eyes. He merely smiles down at me; looking absolutely perfect from what would have to be the most unflattering angle on literally anyone else.

He wraps his arms around my back and hugs me back before rocking me backwards lightly as I laugh. He doesn't say anything, just places his chin on top of my head and sighs. I turn to his bicep and lightly bite the flesh, demanding that he let me go. He doesn't make a sound but definitely loosens his hold a little bit to peer at me as if I just ate him. I laugh before turning us around so my ass is pressed against the edge of the desk and him pressing me into the desk.

He raises an eyebrow at the action, but the eyebrow disappears as I lightly part my legs, resulting in the shirt riding up my thigh to bear the bottom of a red garter.

The man drops to his knees, attention solely situated on the garter wrapped around my thigh. He groans, knees hitting the ground as one hand wraps around each of my thighs and parts them gently.

"This is so fucking cruel." I smirk, knowing that I have won this wager he had put up. I let his fingers roam my skin so gently with a cruel smirk on my lips.

His nose runs along the inner edge of my thigh all the way down to my knee as he kisses along the flesh. I try not to cower under his watchful eye, and certainly try not to obviously hide the stretchmarks littered around my inner thighs. He pulls my legs apart whenever I try to conceal them away from him, the savage knife of insecurity running deep into my chest.

I bite my lip as he places delicate kisses against the slivering scars.

"Don't hide from me." It was the faintest of whispers as he kissed each mark individually on both legs, praising my obedience with a calloused finger to the outside of my red panties. "You are so fucking beautiful; I don't know how to breathe in your presence sometimes."

My heart bursts, exploding into little fireworks at the confession. I blaze red across my cheeks and smile down at him, brushing a piece of his hair off his forehead. My fingers brush along the side of his cheek before over his lips as he stares up at me breathlessly.

To experience a love like this.

"I love you." I whisper before he begins kissing along my inner thigh right to my core. He holds me there for until I am screaming his name not caring whom hears it.

Let it be a testament of the love we had for one another, or maybe let it not. We lived in that moment, not knowing what tomorrow would bring for either of us.

He did in fact lose the bet we had made, but we lost graciously.

Like the true fallen angel, he was made to be.

Sweet spoken nothings and soft sheets wrapped around us for the final night we lived in peace. And I wouldn't have asked for a better way to spend the final day before the war.

Sure, training was important, and sure it would probably benefit some, but right now, this was where I wanted to be and I wouldn't have it any other way, even knowing the outcome.

This was our final night before we made the world burn.

This was the mark of the beginning of the end, and I couldn't help but smile at the revelation that we were almost at the white and black finishing flag.

No, this was the beginning of our lives together. Something about the salty taste on my tongue at the thought made me think of our promise to each other, but I pushed the thought away with insistence, giving into the finality of the statement.

This was the start to our story.

Word Count: 4483

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