Luci
I was an enigma of hope that sprouted from the darkest depths of malice.
A light that would always be distinguished by evil.
I was a girl that would never truly be good.
I assumed that my mind and body had come to terms with my dubious fate.
But it was still a concept that was hard for me to grasp.
Lucille Black was who I was.
Daughter of Lucifer and Mallory.
A poisoned chalice or like a wolf in sheep's skin.
I knew my eyes mirrored a luscious pool of blood. They seemed to do that a lot lately as I became more acquainted with Saint.
My leg twitched as I felt the lukewarm liquid from our hands seep into my jeans. I attempted to rub off the water but stopped midway when I realized it would just have to dry off.
Saint had remained silent. The air inside of the car was thick and heavy.
My neck felt strained and I knew that another red mark formed. In the last three days it felt like Saint had choked me hundreds of times. I wanted to ask him why he did it to me so often, but I knew the answer would not be of my liking.
The fire inside me danced. Saint was afraid. Even if he would not admit it. My mere existence was daunting to him and the revelation that my father is evil itself was eating him alive.
I'll admit it was severely amusing. The way his eyes widened when my hand engulfed in a giant flame. To the way his heart quickened and his breathing increased.
I smelled his fear. It was highly invigorating. I didn't know why, but Saint being scared of me sent a rush down my spine.
The very thought intoxicated my senses.
I turned my head and leaned it against my seat to look at Saint.
He kept one hand tightly gripped on the steering wheel, and another hand on top of the gear shift.
After our "altercation" he hadn't spoken to me. It had been three hours since then and the world around us had started to become dark.
The sun had begun to set and the sky emitted pink and orange hues. The road in front of us was clearing as more and more vehicles began to pass by.
The scenery was beautiful. I cursed under my breath as I did not have my camera to capture the rare moment. I settled for my phone camera and held it up.
As I took my photos I noticed eyes on boring onto my phone screen. I noticed Saint looking into my phone camera and he immediately turned away when I noticed.
I rolled my eyes and sunk back into my seat. I reclined my seat back a bit when Saint reached over to the center console.
He unlocked it with one hand and took out a pair of sleek black sunglasses.
I didn't recognize the logo, but based on its exterior it seemed expensive.
He swiftly placed the sunglasses over his eyes and placed his hand back on the gear shift.
Since my seat was reclined back his body was angled upright for me. I watched how his jaw clenched when he made a swift turn to the other lane.
His jaw was sharp and clean. His black wavy hair brushed into his eyes a bit and I focused my attention on his blond roots that began to protrude from his scalp.
As much as I despised Saint, I couldn't help but admit that he was attractive. I guess it made sense now that I knew he was an angel.
It was the type of beauty that made people envious. Not because you admired that person's looks, but because you hated the fact that you didn't look like them. You want to be them in the very flesh.
"Take a picture darling, it'll last longer."
I scoffed and quickly averted my gaze. I thought to myself for a second before pulling out my phone and holding it towards his direction.
The sunset in contrast with Saint was a sight. I snapped the picture quickly and shut off my phone.
"Did you just take a picture of me?" he asked.
"You told me to," I shrugged. "I was just following directions, sir."
I whispered the last part lowly. I didn't know where my burst of defiance came from, but it gave me a rush messing with Saint. Maybe this is the way he felt when he did the same to me.
I couldn't read his expression because of his glasses but I did notice his jaw clenched.
"Bring me back the Luci who would cower every time I spoke." he seethed.
"Bring me back the Saint who wasn't an asshole," I retorted. "Oh wait... that version of you never existed."
"Watch yourself," he warned. "I don't know where all this confidence came from but don't cross the line with me."
I shifted in my seat and twiddled my thumbs together. A part of me regretted coming on this little trip, but the other part of me knew it would benefit me somehow.
I slumped in my seat and watched the sunset. The pink and orange hues started to fade and slowly get replaced by the dark blue night sky.
I groaned when I felt my stomach start to grumble. My body as a whole felt sluggish. I hadn't eaten breakfast and my lunch earlier was barely enough. That including using so much energy earlier was draining.
Saint removed his glasses and let it hang loosely from his shirt.
"You hungry?" he asked.
My stomach growled in response and I nodded.
"Yeah a bit."
"There's a restaurant at the next exit. I'll pull over there."
I sat quietly in my seat as Saint merged lanes. He made a sharp turn to the exit and onto the desolate street.
I wasn't quite sure what city we were in, but I knew it was hundreds of miles from my home. The area was bare and I didn't see many people or cars.
Saint pulled his car into a parking of a small diner. I looked out the window to see the name "Patsy's Diner" written in white and red LED lights.
The diner looked small but cozy and only three cars filled the entire lot.
Saint parked the car and looked through my window to get a better look at the diner.
"Doesn't look too bad," he said.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly got out of the car. I did the same and closed the door swiftly behind me.
His long legs made his stride faster than mines. I speed walked behind him to keep us at the same pace.
We reached the entrance when Saint stopped and turned around to face me.
It was quite dark and the light from the sign shone throughout the parking lot.
He gripped my chin and leaned in closer to my face.
"What are you doing?" I warned.
He rolled his eyes and stared deeply into my eyes. "Relax. I'm just checking to see how red your eyes are."
"Oh." I replied.
He continued to look into my eyes for another second before pulling the glasses that hung from his shirt collar.
He opened them up and placed the expensive frames onto my face. He pushed some of my hair back, that covered my ears and situated the glasses properly.
"Good," he said. He turned back around and headed inside.
I stood still for a second before mirroring his movement and headed into the diner.
Right off the bat the scent of warm pancakes infiltrated my nostrils.
The diner has a cyan and yellow theme with checkerboard flooring. There were many seats and booths that were vacant and an elderly couple was seated at the far end of the diner.
Saint walked ahead of me and led me to a short booth. He sat down on one end and I on the other.
A tall woman with long brown hair approached us as we sat down. She held a notepad in her hand and wore a bright cyan apron. She gave me a weird look as I had the black sun glasses on but shrugged it off.
"Welcome to Patsy's Diner! Tonight we have a Breakfast-Dinner special! It includes a stack of buttermilk pancakes as well as bacon and eggs. What can I get started for you tonight?"
I quickly skimmed the menu and I did not find anything of interest.
"What would you recommend?" I asked.
"Well the hamburger meal is pretty decent. But it can be a bit too much." she informed me. "But we also have meals for couples to share! They're the perfect size and are great for dates."
I turned my head and faced Saint and his eyes widened.
"No, we are not a couple," he stated.
"Oh! I'm sorry about that, I just assumed." she apologized.
Saint rolled his eyes and set down his menu. He cracked his knuckles and folded his hands together.
"I'll have the breakfast-dinner special and she'll have the special as well but no eggs, please substitute it with another side."
I gave Saint a questioning look, but it failed since the frames covered my expression.
The waitress nodded and wrote down our orders quickly. "Will that be all?"
"No can we also get to glasses of orange juice. Thanks."
"Alright. Coming right up!"
She left and I sunk slowly into my booth. I didn't like how Saint decided to order for me. It wasn't as if I couldn't do it myself.
"Why did you order for me?" I asked. "I could've done it myself."
"Because, when we got here I could tell you liked the smell of the pancakes so it's clear that you wanted some." he replied curtly.
"How did you know I didn't want any eggs?" I asked.
"Is this 21 questions? You don't like eggs. You never eat them."
"But how do you know- "
He raised his hand in front of my face to cut me off. "No more questions."
I groaned and slumped back into the booth seat.
The diner had a calming atmosphere. I looked behind Saint to see the little elderly couple. The man was feeding his wife a muffin and she ate small bites. The woman offered a sip of coffee to be her husband and he took a sip. She gave him a kiss on the cheek in response while they both held hands.
My heart swelled at the sight. I wanted nothing more than to be like that couple in the future.
Saint noticed my gaze and turned his head around to see what I had been staring at. His eyes made contact with the elderly couple, and he scoffed in response.
"Don't tell me you're swooning over that."
I rolled my eyes when I saw the waitress come over and with our food and drinks. She placed the glasses of orange juice in-front of us as well as our plate of pancakes. Just as requested my plate had no eggs. Instead it was adorned with hash browns and bacon.
I grabbed a straw and unwrapped before placing it in my drink. I swirled it around and took a small sip of the bright orange juice.
"I'm not swooning," I replied. "I'm simply admiring true love."
Saint took a deep swig of his orange juice and shook his head. "You believe in true love?"
I grabbed a fork and started to cut into my pancake stack. "Don't you?"
"Not really."
I took a bite from the pancake stack and chewed slowly. It tasted sweet and fluffy.
"So you don't believe in love?" I asked. "Kind of weird for an angel."
"I believe in love," he said. "I just don't believe that love lasts as long as we want it to."
"How so?"
He chomped on his pancake stack and almost half of it was gone already.
"Anyone can fall in love. It's human nature. We think we'll live for them and die for them because that's what "love" is right?"
He drank his orange juice once more before clearing his throat. "But it's not permanent nor consistent. One way or another someone will get bored and find someone else to love. It's not as infinite as we think."
"I think you're wrong." I said. "I think if two people loved each other- if they truly loved one another- they could get through anything. Hence making their love infinite. Love holds no bounds. It is selfless, kind, and all good things wrapped in a big bundle of emotion. Love is the very reason for our existence."
He eyed me carefully and finished the remainder of his juice. "So I guess you'll want to fall in love one day?"
I chewed slowly and thought about the sentence for a second. "Maybe."
"What do you mean maybe? Who doesn't want to be loved?" he questioned.
"I think I'd rather someone be obsessed with me than to love me," I concluded.
He took a sharp bite of bacon and reached over the table to my face. He slowly pulled the glasses off my face and stared into my eyes.
"Obsession? That could become twisted very fast don't you think?"
I shook my head and smiled to myself discreetly.
"If someone loved me, they could hurt me in the name of love. Love is too finicky and complicated. There are many ways to show it both good and bad."
Saint's arms were crossed on the table and it seemed like he was observing the words spilling out of my mouth very seriously.
"But obsession is simple. That person's every consuming thought is you. You preoccupy and fill their mind continually, intrusively, and dominantly."
"They praise you and worship you," I continued.
"That may be true but obsession also leads to insanity. You really want that from your future partner?"
I shrugged and continued to eat my food. "I don't care. I just want to feel both at the same time. Obsession and love. Simultaneously and infinitely for the rest of my life."
He stared at me for what seemed like forever. His green eyes boring into mines. It made me uncomfortable.
"What?"
He smiled to himself and shook his head. "You don't want that. You just think you do."
"Oh?" I replied. "Didn't know you knew so much about me."
He threw me a fake smile and rolled his eyes. "You just want to be wanted that's all. The obsession and the love thing is just an added bonus. In the end, you just want to be desired in any way, shape, or form."
I sat there shocked as his words seeped into my head. I didn't know if he was right but his words made me feel uneasy.
"And because of your track record, you've never had experience with anyone. You're so naive to want such a frivolous thing like obsession, that you fail to realize how desperate you will become when someone even shows you an ounce of desire."
I stopped my movements on my plate when the words hit me. He couldn't be right. I was not desperate, I was careful. Wasn't I?
I didn't like that he made me question myself. I huffed out a breath and felt the fire sweep through my body. My eyes flared holes into his and my nostrils flared.
"Aw," he cooed. "Is my little Luci angry?"
He grabbed the shades off the table and carefully placed them back onto my face. He tucked the stray ends of my hair behind my ear and cocked his head to the side.
"Darling, your eyes were starting to glow red again," he whispered. "You can't be mad at me. I was only being truthful. Just like an angel would be."
Suddenly I was full. I pushed my face away from his and crossed my arms into my seat.
"Are you done? It's getting dark, we should leave now."
He sighed and pulled out his wallet from his jacket pocket. I saw him take out a few bills and placed them onto the table.
He got out of the booth and began to walk out of the diner. I quickly followed behind him before turning around to glance at the elderly couple once more.
Saint didn't know what he was talking about. I wanted love, obsession and desire all in one. I wasn't desperate for it though.
Or at least, I think so.
I groaned and followed him back to the car. He unlocked it and I lowered my head to get in.
Saint started the car and glanced at the dashboard screen that displayed the directions.
"We have to stop and rest somewhere," he said. "If we continue on the road now we won't be able to stop. Plus it's dangerous to keep driving as it gets darker."
I just nodded and played with my phone in my lap. I didn't feel like talking to him after what he said.
"Can I get a verbal response?"
I shrugged and turned my body to the window. I stared at the diner and it's LED lights and sighed.
"Someone's a brat," he mumbled.
I quickly turned around to face him and scoffed. "What did you call me?"
"So she speaks," he gasped. "I said you're a brat."
"I'm not a brat."
I took off the sun glasses and threw them into his lap. I knew my eyes had to have been glowing red at that point but I didn't care.
"Just drop the attitude," he warned. "I don't take too well to brats."
I slid back into my seat and watched the dark, dreary road as Saint drove off the lot. I didn't know where exactly we would be going but I assumed it was a motel of some sorts.
We drove a couple of miles before coming to a stop. I looked out the window to see a small motel that was only ground level. A couple of men stood in front of it with cigarettes and lighters. It looked run down and shabby and the parking lot was full.
"This looks..." I trailed off.
"It's okay it's only for a night." Saint finished.
He parked the car and got out quickly. I did the same and followed him to the trunk of the car.
He pulled our bags out and handed me mines. He walked fast ahead of me and I jogged a bit to catch up with him.
The group of men at the entrance stared at me and a wave of anxiety washed over me.
Out of instinct I latched onto Saint's arm and looked up at him. He threw me a weird look but continued to walk with me against him.
We entered the motel which smelled of mildew and ashtrays. There was a plump lady at the front desk, filing her nails while answering the phone.
She looked up to see me and Saint standing in front of us, and gave us a toothy grin.
"Welcome to Sunrise Inn. How many hours you looking for?"
I cleared my throat nervously but Saint spoke before me.
"We're not looking for hours. We just need somewhere to stay for tonight."
"We're all booked tonight." she replied. "We only got one room left but it has two beds and a small bathroom, if you're interested."
He nodded and Saint began to reach into his wallet. I didn't want to share a room with him, but as long as there were two beds, I think I would be fine.
"Yes that's fine," Saint replied.
He handed the woman a couple of bills and she stuffed them into her bra. She fished around her desk drawer before handing Saint a small golden key.
"Your room is straight down the hall to the left. Bring this back to me tomorrow morning when you check out. Also try not to be too loud. Walls are thin."
Saint's eyes widened and he coughed nervously. "Trust me that will not be a problem."
He grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall. We made a left and glanced at the only room down the end of the hall.
Pushing the key into the door we entered a small room with two beds smashed next to each other. The only thing separating it was a tiny wooden table in the middle.
The room was exceptionally cold and an old tv buzzed in the corner. The bathroom was to the left of us and I opened the door and grimaced.
It was tiny, and the shower was small. I knew it would only be for a night so shrugged off the dismay.
I sat down on one of the beds and felt the white sheets. It seemed clean enough but I didn't trust it.
It was getting late and I was starting to feel tired. I looked over at Saint who was mindlessly going through his phone. We sat in an uncomfortable silence; neither of us saying a word.
"Do you want to shower first?" he suddenly asked.
"Y-yeah sure."
I went to my bag and grabbed my towel, toothbrush and soap. Stepping into the bathroom, I watched my steps and locked the door behind me.
I removed my clothes and carefully placed them onto the rack and stepped into the shower.
The water was warm and I scrubbed my body softly. I traced the outline of my tattoo on my back while carefully avoiding the water from getting onto my hair.
Once I was done I carefully got out of the shower and wrapped the towel snuggly around my body.
I cursed myself for not bringing my clothes to change inside the bathroom, and braced myself to walk out and face Saint.
The bathroom door creaked as I peaked my head through it to see Saint laying back on his bed. He was texting someone and his focus was glued to his phone.
I stepped out quietly, careful not to make any noise. Water dripped down from my body onto the floor and I stood awkwardly at the door.
I cleared my throat and Saint looked up from his phone and stared at me. He looked my body up and down.
The water kept dripping onto the floor as I stood.
"Do you want to go shower so I can change?"
I phrased the question as a command. There was no way that I was going to change in front of him.
He smirked at me and got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. Before he passed me, he looked me up and down again before closing the door behind him.
A let out a breath that I did not know that I had been holding and went to go and change when I heard the water from the shower running.
I checked my phone to see messages from both Celia and Marcus.
Both ran along the lines of "I'm sorry we didn't tell you. Please call me back."
I rolled my eyes and dropped my phone onto the bed. I removed my towel and went to my bag to find something to wear.
I slipped into my bra and underwear first then pulled out my moisturizer. Lathering the cream onto my body, it quickly dried off.
The shower suddenly stopped and I knew it would be a short amount of time before Saint was done.
I pulled out a long sleeve t-shirt and some pajama shorts from my bag when I heard a phone ring.
It wasn't my ringtone, instead it was Saint's. The phone buzzed on his bed a total of seven times before stopping momentarily. It buzzed again and I got nervous since the call seemed to be important.
Without thinking I grabbed his phone and saw the caller ID. It seemed to be someone named Charlotte.
I didn't know if I should answer, but it seemed urgent. Impulsively, I answered the call.
"Hello?" I whispered. I turned around to see the bathroom door still closed.
"Hello?" the girl replied. "Who is this? Where's Saint?"
I shuffled around the room and cleared my throat before whispering, "Oh I'm a friend of his. Saint is a little busy right now though... can I take a message?"
"Um sure. Tell him his sister Charlotte called and that mom has been trying to reach all afternoon."
I heard the bathroom door creak open and my heart dropped. "O-oh okay I'll be sure to tell him," I assured.
"Wait! At least tell me who you are? I don't recognize this voice. Are you Emma?"
"N-no I'm just- "
My sentence was cut short when I felt a wet body against my back. Saint was behind me and I couldn't see his expression but I knew he would be livid. He grabbed my neck from behind and titled it back to meet his eyes.
I ended the call and dropped the phone onto the bed while my breaths became labored. His hair and upper body was wet. I could feel the cotton towel against my behind and his chest against my back.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked slowly.
I gulped as I felt his breath on my nose. "Someone was calling you and it seemed important."
He let go of my chin and still stood behind me. He used his pointer finger and began to trace the outline of my tattoo. His touch was cold and I flinched when I remembered I was standing there with only my undergarments on.
Grabbing my towel, I used it to cover the rest of my body before yelling.
"Please leave so I can change!" I begged.
"You invade my privacy by answering my phone calls and expect me to respect yours?"
He scoffed and went over to his bed. He sat down and glanced at me with a smirk.
"Please Saint, I'm sorry just let me change."
He rolled his eyes before getting up and walking over to the bathroom. I hung my eyes low, and tried not to to stare at the upper half of his body.
Before going in, he stopped at the door and turned to me. "Nice tattoo Luci,"
The door banged shut and I fell onto the bed.
_____________________________
Some questions please answer:
Thoughts on Saint's character
Thoughts on Luci's character
Do you agree with Saint or Luci's view on love and why?
Hope y'all enjoyed another chapter. The next couple of ones are going to move kind of fast but it'll make sense. Anyways please vote and comment and Tysm for 1k on TikTok :)