“Congratulations,” he said, nodding to me before turning his attention to Laila. “It seems you made it into Lucifer’s palace after all.”
“Seems that way,” Laila replied, her thumb swiping over the back of my hand in even strokes that left a feeling of calm in its wake.
“You don’t really care about dancing with the Devil, do you?” he asked her.
“No,” she said smoothly. “I was more interested in Hell’s palace than I was in its ruler.”
The ever-present smile vanished completely. “Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work. There’s no winning against Lucifer.”
I narrowed my eyes at the demon prince. “What makes you think she’s planning something?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s Lucifer’s opinion you should be worried about, and he’s asked every one of us for a report on both of you.”
Ice spread through me. Abadon was right that there was no way to win against Lucifer, not if he knew everything all the grand princes could sense about us and our connection to each other. The question was, what did he plan to do?
“Why are you telling us this?” I asked. “What do you expect us to do with the information?”
Abadon shrugged. “I just thought you should know. In case it changes your plans for the future.”
Laila reached for his hand. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I don’t deserve it.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Abadon as if she were seeing a ghost. Then she dropped his hand as if it had burned her. “Because of something you’ve done or something you will do?” she asked softly.
“Possibly both.”
“Possibly?” she asked.
“I won’t go against an order from my king.”
Laila’s hand tightened around mine. “Lucifer knows about the marriage?”
Abadon nodded. “It was mentioned in Asmodeus’s report.”
Her lips curved into a cold smile. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have a husband to make out with.”
Abadon’s expression matched the shock I felt as Laila tugged me away from the prince and into an alcove that ended in a set of doors leading out of the great hall. She stopped in front of them and wound her arms around my neck.
“What are you doing?” I asked even as my body let me know it was totally on board with whatever she had planned.
“The grand princes already know we’re married. There’s no reason to hide our feelings, and if we’re going to die at the end of this party, I want to spend the time I have left with you.”
“You are not dying,” I growled, as if saying the words alone could somehow change the future.
“Shut up and kiss me.”
I didn’t need her to tell me twice. My mouth crashed against hers in a desperate kiss full of everything we were both feeling. All the love and fear and hope. I kissed her like she was the air I needed to breathe. My breathing was harsh when she pulled back and reached for the doorknob behind her, tugging me into the room beyond. It was a small sitting room of sorts with plush couches upholstered in royal blue and dark purple.
“How did you know this room was here?” I asked.
“Educated guess,” Laila said. “This palace mirrors God’s. This room is His receiving room in Heaven. It’s where He met with Roth before everything that happened between us.”
“And what are we doing in here now?” I asked, tracking her every move as she leaned back against the wall beside the doors and dragged a hand up the slit in her dress.
“Being the type of guests who sneak away from the party to make love.”
All my blood abandoned my head as my dick went instantly hard, straining against the confines of my pants. “Laila,” I groaned. I knew there were a dozen reasons why this was a bad idea, but I couldn’t remember any of them at the moment. I couldn’t think at all beyond the stark desire tearing through my body.
