Lucifer's Bride [Complete]

69

    He lips brush my hair as we make our way down the hall. "Don't worry, my queen. When we've got you back to normal, we can play all we want. I'll show you everything I know and try everything I can think of."

He picks up the pace, flying down the empty hallway so fast the walls become a blur. I cling to him, nervous about what's going to happen once we pass through those doors. Leyna probably knows her game is finished, so she'll be ready for a fight. But so am I, and my determination to keep what's mine far outweighs her determination to steal it.

We round the corner and the doors to our room come into view. Lucifer slows to a leisurely pace, his steps stead and strong. My heart is racing, but my anger and pain at what this woman has done to me -- to us -- has set my soul on fire. I don't care how angry she is or how much she wants my life. I'm reclaiming my husband, taking back what's mine and tossing her out with the rest of the garbage.

Ready or not, here I come.

Just before we reach the doors, Lucifer stops and gently releases me from his arms. I stand, still dressed in Leyna's skin and way more nervous than I should be. I don't want to fuck up this fight, even with Lucifer fighting with me, and lose everything all over again. If I do lose, I don't know if I could ever look at my husband again. But I somehow manage to push down my unnecessarily strong worries and force myself to focus on the task at hand: kicking Leyna's ass and getting my body -- and my life -- back.

Strong arms wrap around my waist, and soft lips press against my neck. "Ready?"

I swallow. "Yes and no. I want to kill her, but I'm scared I might lose."

His arms tighten around me, holding me close. "I'll be right behind you."

"Are you going to help me?" My voice is shaky, worried that he might back down and send me to fight on my own.

He kisses my neck again. "Always. And whether you win or lose, I've got your side."

I relax a little in his arms. Liar that he is, I can hear in his voice -- I can almost feelit when he touches me -- that's he's being honest. Not only will he not abandon his queen that he took so much time and effort to win over, I doubt that if I do lose, he'll be very enthusiastic about being stuck with Leyna. He has to stand by me, or he's screwed.

One last breath and I'm ready. My hand almost itches to punch Leyna in her face -- my face really, but now I'm splitting hairs. All I know is that just beyond that door is the woman who nearly ruined my life and stole my husband. And she's going to pay for it.

Before Lucifer can give me a pep talk, I step out of his embrace and march towards the door. He follows right behind me, his wings flaring out as he prepares to either take my side in the fight or drag me out of harm's way.

I stop just in front of the door, my chest heaving and my heart pounding. Looking down, I can see a shadow moving around in the room, and I can hear my voice whispering softly. She's right there, barely a foot away from me on the other side of the door. She knew I was coming, but she's got no idea how close I am. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, clench my fist and grab the handle of the door.

A heartbeat later, it's wide open and for an instant, I'm staring at myself. My eyes are wide with shock, surprised to see my adversary so close, so soon. I take a few precious milliseconds to let Leyna adjust to the truth that, yes, I'm probably going to kill her, before I fire the first shot.

I come out swinging, throwing my fist into my face with as much force as I can muster. I connect perfectly, and my body stumbles back with a sharp cry. Leyna cradles my face in her hands, groaning in pain as I storm through the doors with my husband in tow. I've got a good head start, taking her by surprise and dealing out a good, solid punch. If I can just keep her confused and off guard, this should be easy.

Thankfully, Leyna's still too stunned to block my next two punches. I knock her back again and finally send her to the floor. A flashback of my father teaching me how to fight properly pops into my head, and I smile knowing that my dad did the best he could to take care of me.

Unfortunately, he also made sure I didn't punch like a girl, and the thought of seriously damaging my body crosses my mind. I could do some serious damage, even though I'm fighting for my life and my family. I need to be careful and direct my punches to less sensitive areas of her body. The last thing I want is to come out of this fight with my crown, my body and a concussion.

At this point, my adrenaline is roaring through me, and I suddenly don't care whether Lucifer will come to my rescue or not. I'm more concerned about getting my life back. If he can help me, that's fine. If not, I can handle myself.

I watch as Leyna regains her balance and hauls herself to her feet. The bruises that have started to flower on my face fade away quickly. I panic for a moment -- she may have my body, but her demonic soul is healing her faster that I would have guessed.

Maybe I won't end up with a smashed-up face after all...