"You . . . you . . . you. . ." Anger clouded her expression. "You asshole!"

Lucifer’s eyes widened. "Tell me how you really feel, angel."

"I can’t believe you!" she spat. "I’ve dedicated everything to winning this game, so we could finally have an honest conversation, and the whole time you’ve been cheating! It’s impossible for me to win!"

Lucifer overturned his last card—a six, of course. "You beat me this time."

"Because you let me."

"No, because you asked me to play fair."

She glared at him as her hand slammed down on the table. She snatched up the last two cards, shoving them on the bottom of her deck. "I want my answers."

"Ask your questions."

"Where’s my brother?"

"Can’t say."

"Why are you still fighting?"

He shrugged.

"Stop it," she insisted. "End the war."

"That’s not a question."

"Please?"

"No."

A loud groan of frustration echoed through the room as Serah stood, shoving her chair back. Angrily, she threw the deck of cards at him, all fifty-two of them scattering around him, some smacking him in the chest. "I did all of this for nothing? Seriously? You’re giving me nothing?"

She turned to storm out when he grabbed ahold of her arm, yanking her back in her chair. She shoved away from him, prying his hands off of her as something surged underneath her skin. It was so intense her body felt like it was vibrating.

"He came here."

"Who?"

"Your brother."

Serah’s anger faded a bit at his words. "What?"

"He came to the gate. He summoned me."

"When?"

"A few weeks ago," he said. "It was the first time I ever smelled you. Your scent was all over him that day."

"Why?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Probably because he’d just seen you."

"No, I mean why did he come here?" she asked. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to ask me a question."

"What question?"

"He wanted to know why I didn’t back down. I had everything, and I gave it up for this." He waved his hands around, motioning toward the gloomy room. "He wanted to know if I thought falling was worth it."

"What did you say?"

"I said I’d rather endure an eternity of pain by choice than feel nothing forever by force," he said, tapping his temple. "The next day, the angels were frenzied. Samuel fell, they said. Nobody knew why, or how, but I knew."

"Why?"

Lucifer scooted closer to her. She stared up at him, desperation shining from her eyes as she waited for an explanation, something that would finally make sense of it. Samuel was so loyal, dedicated to innocence. What had he done to deserve such a fate?

"He fell because he decided falling would be worth it," Lucifer said. "He asked Michael to take his wings."

Serah furiously shook her head. "No, he wouldn’t."

"He would," he said, "and he did."

"You’re wrong."

Lucifer sighed. "I’m not. He was the first, you know. The rest all fell out of punishment. Samuel fell because he was ready to go."

Devastation swirled through Serah as she continued to shake her head, refusing to believe her brother would do that. "He wouldn’t. . . he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t just leave me alone. He wouldn’t."

"You aren’t alone," he said. "I like to think he left you in capable hands."

Serah frowned as she processed those words. Could it be? "Michael."

Slowly, carefully, Lucifer leaned forward, his face near hers as he whispered, "I meant me."

A shiver ran the length of her body as his breath fanned against her skin. Lucifer’s cheek brushed against hers, sparks tingling where they touched. She glanced up at him as he moved even closer, the tips of their noses brushing together. Serah’s breath caught in her throat, her chest aching with an unfamiliar burn as the brown in his eyes melted away slowly, familiar blue creeping back in.

He didn’t hesitate as he cocked his head to the side, pressing his chapped lips to hers. She remained still, reeling as he gently kissed her, his tongue swiping across her bottom lip. She let out a shuddering breath, his tongue exploring her mouth the second it opened, softly caressing hers. Something jolted inside of her at that moment, something astonishing, something brand-new. She brought a shaky hand up and ran it through his dark hair. Every part of her touching him prickled, pins and needles under her skin, like it was waking up for the very first time.

There was fire then, passion erupting when her hands touched him. His kiss was firmer, his lips moving feverishly. She tried to kiss him back, tried to keep up with his frenzied movements, but all at once, it was too much—too overwhelming, too foreign, too intense. She shoved away from him, shaking her head. Lucifer froze, breathing heavily, the blue in his eyes being overtaken with black as he gawked at her. His expression morphed quickly to confusion. "Oh, fuck."

She tried to move away as his hand shot out, his large palm covering her cheek. His thumb brushed against her skin, quickly wiping something away as Serah’s vision blurred, hindering her view of him.

The burning in her chest intensified as her throat closed up, words barely able to make it past the obstruction. "What’s happening to me?"