Devil's Bargain (11 page)

Lifting her hand, Lilli laid her palm against his cheek and smiled. “I think I'm in love with you, too,” she murmured. “In fact, I'm pretty sure I must be, since I think that's what fulfilled the final part of the knight prophecy.”

“What do you mean?”

“ ‘The magic's in the seed,' ” she quoted, grinning.

He scowled, then sighed and gave her a raised eyebrow of inquiry.

She repeated the entire line. “ ‘A knight is fall'n, a prince is fled, the magic's in the seed.' The fallen knight was me, clearly, having just stabbed myself and quite literally fallen, I assume. The fleeing prince was Samael. The payment of the price meant that he was banished back to Hell, at least temporarily. And the magic . . .”

Lilli broke off to feather a kiss across Aaron's lips, smiling when he returned the gesture with interest. It took several breathless minutes before she managed to tear her mouth away from his and another couple to catch her breath.

“The magic,” she repeated, her voice husky with tenderness, “was what brought me back to you and healed my wound.”

She watched as Aaron verified that for himself. He shoved her shirt up under her arms until he could see the round pink mark where Lilli's misericorde had punctured her fair skin. It was the only remaining sign of her injury.

“You know, my uncle once told me that love was the greatest magic in all the world.” Finally relaxing, Aaron cuddled Lilli close and asked about the final aspect of the prophecy. “But where was the seed?”

“Right here.” Lilli pressed her palm against his chest, right above his heart, feeling its strong steady beat beneath her fingers.

“And here.” Taking his hand in hers, she mirrored the gesture and laid his palm over her own steadily beating heart.

“The magic was in the seed of the brand new feelings we have for each other.” She grinned. “It was pretty nice of the prophet to word it that way, actually. If he'd said we had to be fully, deeply in love, things might have gotten hairy. After all, we barely know each other.”

In the dim light of the candles and the first faint traces of dawn that peeked into the basement from the open door at
the top of the stairs, Lilli and Aaron gazed into each other's eyes and knew that the seed they shared had already sent up a beautiful, leafy bloom. The prophets could say whatever they wanted; in the end, it was love that called the shots.

“Right, that reminds me,” Aaron said, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. “I know we've only known each other a few hours now, but what would you say if I asked you to go out with me? I know a place nearby that makes really killer waffles. We could head over there and have some breakfast. My treat. How does that sound?”

Lilli laughed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him with a burst of returning strength. “I'd say that sounds like one hell of a bargain!”

 

Lara Blair Images

 

Born and raised in coastal New England,
Christine Warren
now lives as a transplant in the Pacific Northwest (she completely bypassed those states in the middle due to her landlocking phobia). When not writing (as if that ever happens), she enjoys horseback riding, playing with her pets, identifying dogs from photos of their underbellies, and most of all reading things someone else had to agonize over. She enjoys hearing from readers and can be reached via email sent to
[email protected]
.