The following morning Kathrine Ann woke earlier than usual. She tossed around a bit, trying to go back to sleep, but finally gave up, so with a stretch and a yawn, she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. Lucifer was still sound asleep, his black hair messily strewn across his pillow, and his features were soft and serene. He looked so innocent and cute while he slept. Usually, he woke before her, so she rarely got a glimpse of him like this. If only the same held true when he was conscious, she thought.
Kathrine Ann hadn't even heard him come in last night, which was fine by her. She didn't care who he spent his time with, right? She just wished it wasn't Angelique. She felt like a threat, like just having him wasn't enough. She wanted more and didn't care what she had to do to get it. Kathrine Ann huffed as she crossed the room, gathering clothing for the day.
It's not like she wanted any of this, but still, this was her life now, and she accepted that. The last thing Kathrine Ann needed was little miss entitled trying to mess it all up. Fuck, Angelique already had her husband, so why couldn't she be happy with that? Her lip twitched at the thought. If she was asking questions, why did the idea of Angelique with Lucifer bother her? It shouldn't, but it did, and now he was forcing her to invite the woman here. Her house, maybe she could poison her drink?
"Enough!" She spat to herself as she tossed her hands up and dropped her bra, "Enough, Kat. Contemplating poisoning someone, shame on you." She fussed herself as she picked up the bra and walked into the closet.
She shuffled through the dresses before choosing one with a pale blue skirt that stopped at the knees, a white lace bodice, and cold shoulder sleeves. Making her way into the bathroom, she showered, dressed, and had just finished brushing her teeth when Lucifer walked in wearing only his pajama pants. This was a relief to her. Usually, if she was lucky, he wore his tight-fitting boxer briefs. If unlucky, he walked in how he slept, nude.
"Someone's up early." He smiled, walking over to stand behind her with a toothy grin.
"Went to bed early." She explained with a sarcastic smile as she reached for her brush, but his hand was quicker and snatched it before she could, "What are you doing?" She questioned, annoyed.
"I would like to brush your hair." He answered casually while she looked at him like he had just slapped her, "Turn," He directed, and unable to respond, she did as he asked. He carefully and gently pulled the brush through her wet hair, "I know you went to bed early. I was surprised to find you asleep when I returned."
"Didn't figure I needed to wait up." She mumbled as the brush scratched softly against her scalp, and admittedly it was very soothing.
"You didn't, but I decided to come home early. Thought maybe we would," Kathrine Ann scoffed and rolled her eyes in the mirror, "What? You didn't want me to go and now scoffing that I came back early?"
"You can't have your cake and eat it too, Lucifer." She sighed, glaring through the mirror as he paused the brush.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. If I have cake, what else am I to do with it besides eat it?" He snapped, resuming the careful tending of her hair.
"Once you eat the cake, it's gone, so you no longer have it. You can either eat it or have it, not both." She explained, and he said nothing. Instead, he just brushed her hair more than necessary, but she allowed it.
"If I have a whole cake, I can eat it one slice at a time, meaning that I can have it and eat it as well." He finally replied, placing the brush down with a victorious look on his face.
"Sure, but after one piece, you'll want another and another, appreciating each piece less and less till it's gone." She countered, locking eyes with him through the mirror.
"Then I'll make another cake once the first is gone." He smirked, and she sighed, exasperated that he had somehow turned this simple idiom into an argument.
"Maybe that one will be a better fit for a king." Her eyes didn't leave his as his smirk fell. "Look, Lucifer, you can't have it both ways. You can't have her and me. Eventually, you will have to choose." She sighed and broke eye contact before turning away and leaving the bathroom.
She rolled her eyes as she entered the room, thinking about how childish he acted for a man over fifty thousand years old. She tried to clear her head as she walked back to the closet and grabbed a pair of light brown boots.
"'If I have a whole cake, I can eat one slice at a time…' asshole." She mocked him as she walked out of the closet to hear the shower running. Moving over to the small table, Kathrine Ann leaned against it as she slid on one of her boots, but when she lifted her other leg, the small table shifted, throwing off her balance, and she quickly grabbed the edge of the table to stabilize herself. Suddenly the sound of glass shattering filled the room as a crystal glass fell from the table, smashing to pieces on the floor and spraying the bit of liquid that it still held, "Shit!" She fussed. Looking at the scattered shards, she slipped her other boot on, not wanting to step on any of the pieces, before grabbing the small trash can in the room and stooping down to pick up the larger chunks. She was cautious, but as she reached for a large fragment under one of the table legs, she overlooked the piece directly above it, hidden by shadow. The sharply jagged edge cut through her delicate skin right between her middle finger and ring finger. She stifled the scream of shock while quickly pulling her left hand back as blood flowed from the laceration. Quickly she crawled across the floor to grab the towel that hung on Lucifer's liquor cabinet, leaving a trail of blood droplets behind her. Finally reaching the cloth, she pulled it free and wrapped it tightly around the bloodied hand as she mentally tried to overcome the shock and pain. "It's not that bad, probably just a small cut," she reassured herself as the white rag began turning red and her hand burned more than expected. She sat on the floor, leaning her back against the footboard of their bed, "Hands and feet bleed a lot. It's fine. You have to look." She took a deep breath as she unwrapped the towel, but the bathroom door slammed open before she could.
"You're bleeding," Lucifer accused, walking out of the bathroom naked, his hair dripping wet, "And scared, what's wrong? What happened?" He demanded, walking over quickly.
"Jesus Christ! Put some clothes on, Lucifer!" She demanded, snapping her eyes shut and turning away from the waist-level view.
"Fine, but I don't know what my uncle has to do with it." He complained, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and returning, "What happened?" He demanded, reaching for her hand and cautiously unwrapping the towel.
"Stupidity, I knocked a glass off the table and cut myself trying to pick up the pieces." She admitted cringing as the towel fibers pulled against the fresh cut.
"Does it hurt?" He asked, completely removing the towel as her hand shook and oozed blood.
"Yes, there was something in the glass. It burns." She confessed.
"Whiskey. It was my glass from last night. I had a drink before I left." He sighed, dabbing her hand with the towel, but the blood flowed out too quickly, and before she could react, he lifted her hand to his mouth and began licking the blood away. The sudden action surprised her, causing her to let out a small gasp before remembering his weird healing saliva, but the reaction didn't phase Lucifer. He carefully and gently licked away the blood, but she hissed when his soft tongue ran across the fresh wound. After flipping her hand to clean off the blood that ran over the side and onto her palm, he pulled her hand back from his mouth, making her think he was done. Suddenly he shocked her by placing her middle and ring finger in his mouth. She froze as she felt his tongue warp around her fingers, slowly caressing them till he finally pulled them out through his lips, and her body reacted involuntarily, causing her to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time. His eyes snapped to hers as she knew he sensed it, and she glowed red while one corner of his mouth curled up into a smirk, "Better?" He asked, his voice a bit deeper than usual.
"Yes, thank you." She whispered, finding it difficult to find her voice. She was telling the truth. The sting had subsided, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his burning gaze, "How bad is it?"
"Hum," He mumbled as he turned her hand over, "Not good. We should get you to Belial before he heads for breakfast. I think you'll need a few stitches."
He wrapped the towel around her hand and helped her up to where she sat on the bed. He quickly dressed, just pulling on a plain t-shirt and not bothering to brush out his hair. She watched him as he pulled on his shoes, and something about the simple look struck her deep, but she quickly buried it and focused on the pain, not wanting him to pick up on it,
"Come on, Baby Girl." He ordered, pulling her up and wrapping an arm around her waist to support her. He led her out the door and into the hallway,
"Lucifer, I cut my hand, not broke my leg. I can walk on my own." She chuckled.
"Right." He replied, releasing her as she swore she saw a hint of blush on his cheeks, but it vanished so quickly she would never be able to prove it, "Didn't want to take any chances, you being such a weak little creature and all." He defended, and for some reason, she laughed.
"Sadly, you're not lying." As they approached Belial's door, she admitted, "I'm sorry, Luce, I've always been a bit clumsy,"
"What did you just call me?" He caught, and her face ignited as she realized what she had done.
"Nothing, I just stuttered a bit, is all,"
"No, you didn't. You just gave me a pet name." He smirked, pulling her closer and slipping his arm around her waist again, "I sensed how you felt earlier in the room when I had your fingers in my mouth, and now this? I think my Princess may have a crush on her Prince."
If embarrassment could kill, she'd be dead and buried right now as he gazed at her, waiting for a response, but what was she supposed to say? She couldn't hide or deny what she felt earlier, and how could she be so stupid to nickname him? "Luce, hum? I like it. No one ever came up with that one before." Feeling her face burning with embarrassment, she quickly reached out and knocked on Belial's door. It was the only thing she could think to do. She prayed he was there, and as if God was listening, the door swung open,
"Wonderful. What did you do, Kathrine Ann?" Belial asked, noticing the blood-stained rag around her hand.
"Just a little cut." She said, faking a smile.
"Come in." He sighed as he ushered both of them in.