Chapter 10

Catalina's POV

"I'm impressed. You're better than I thought you'd be."

"Is that a compliment?" I asked as I tossed Lucifer his water bottle.

He smiled as he caught the bottle with one hand,

"It was merely an observation." I rolled my eyes. Such a typical guy's answer.

"Where did you learn to handle your dagger?" He asked as he took a seat on the grass next to me.

"Simple, There was an old gym by my old high school, I had a free period so every day I went over and practiced with it. Mainly through YouTube Videos and Gabriel of course."

"Why?" I looked over at him, expecting to see that smirk on his face but instead, he had a look of pure curiosity.

"I wanted to feel safe in this world and I didn't want to have to rely on Gabriel to keep me safe forever."

I wanted to be able to stand on my own two feet and defend myself. No one should have to rely on another person to keep them safe. I learned a long time ago that no one was going to come and save you so you had to know how to save yourself.

I could tell he wanted to ask more but before he could I jumped up and pulled him up with me, avoiding that conversation as much as I could.

"Wanna go another round?"

"You should get some rest, we've been at this for a little over five hours."

I didn't want to rest. I wanted my mind occupied so I couldn't think. I didn't want to be in my head.

"Come on one more round." I pleaded. One more round was all I needed and I would be okay. Lucifer looked down at me as I twirled the dagger between my fingers. He stared at me for a few moments. Watching every little movement I made, as if I was some puzzle he was trying to piece together but couldn't decide where to begin.

"Very well but this time I'm not going easy."

That was him going easy earlier?

I smiled as I walked back a good distance from him and watched as Lucifer pulled off his shirt.

You've got to be kidding me.

His tanned muscular chest was a work of art. Only countless years of training could create a body like his. He wasn't rippling with muscles but you could tell he was built for strength. I couldn't help but stare at the scars draping across his stomach and upper peck area and the tattoos that covered his chest and graced his ribs and stomach. So many scars on him but he tried to cover them with tattoos. Beautiful black and gray images coating his entire body. He looked like a warrior who had been born and bred for battlefields.

"Something piquing your interest princess?"

His mocking voice pulled me from the momentary trance.

"Don't call me that."

Lucifer smirked as he took his stance.

"I'll call you whatever I wish."

Arrogant. Always so arrogant. I flipped the dagger in my hand as I charged at Lucifer and the sound of our daggers clashing once again was music to my ears.

* * *

"You did well this round. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to kill me."

Was it even possible to kill an archangel?

"Out of curiosity how would I theoretically kill you?"

Lucifer smirked as he unwrapped the tape from his dagger,

"Planning to kill me already princess?"

"First off I thought I told you to stop calling me that, and second, I just like to be well-informed in case you piss me off some more."

"Very well. There are only really two ways to kill my kind, a direct hit to the heart or decapitation."

"That easy?"

I thought it would take more than a simple stab to bring down an archangel.

Apparently not.

Lucifer's lips tilted in a slight smile,

"Our grace is stored in our heart and courses through our veins just like blood but for you, blood is what keeps you alive, for us it's our grace. If our heart stops beating our grace stops, and we die."

"And the decapitation?"

"We unfortunately cannot grow back limbs, take our head off and we die. Simple as that."

"So if I stabbed you in the head or face?"

"It wouldn't kill me, it would piss me off and weaken me a bit but not kill me."

Interesting.

"What happens to the grace in your heart then?"

Lucifer shrugged,

"No one knows."

Well, that's helpful.

"The scars on your chest, how did you get them?"

Lucifer had beaten me in our final training session and even though I was thoroughly exhausted, I couldn't stop thinking about the scars I'd seen on him. Even though they were healed they somehow still looked painful. As if he could still feel the sting of them. The almost pink slashes danced across his upper chest and lower abdomen. Some even went as far as his sides. Each cut was different as if done with a different blade each time.

"I have many scars from many things. Battle. War. Torture-"

Torture? He has been tortured?

"You've been tortured?"

Lucifer nodded his head. I expected to see some kind of resistance from him. I expected him to shut down and push me away but he didn't.

"It was many, many years ago, Long before I fell. When I fought back to back with my brothers."

"What were you fighting?"

Sometimes I had forgotten that Gabriel and his brothers were trained warriors. Bred for battle, their skills honed on the battlefield. The scars on his chest probably meant nothing to him, But seeing them did something to me.

"People seem to forget that there were already evil things in this world before me. My brothers and I stood side by side and fought countless battles with things that would make the stories they say about me seem like child's play."

Well, Shit.

The stories I had heard as a child about Lucifer had terrified me when I was younger. He was the Prince of Darkness. The Prince of Lies and The Lord of Temptation. A merciless sadist who thrived on the pain and suffering of others.

"Do they bother you?" He asked as he took a seat beside me and lifted his water bottle to his lips.

"They seem painful. Do they still hurt?"

He smirked as he lowered the water bottle beside him,

"Nothing hurts me anymore princess."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." I snapped at him. He chuckled,

"And I believe I said I'd call you whatever I wished."

" I think I actually will kill you one of these days."

"The day you kill me is the same day you stop drinking princess."

I smacked him upside the head.

We were silent for a moment as we just stared at each other. It should have been awkward or a little uncomfortable but it wasn't. It was oddly comforting just being in his presence. I looked into his dark warm eyes and I swear I could see a million thoughts going through him.

"How are you feeling?" he gently whispered to me. As if he was afraid to ask me.

How am I feeling?

I felt amazing. We had been out here for hours and I wasn't even remotely tired or angry. I felt calm and in control. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to push myself and see just exactly how far I could go and what I could do. It was a high that I had never felt before. Nothing could compare to that feeling.

"I feel fine."

I was more than fine but I still didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right. His ego didn't need an extra boost.

His lips twisted up to the side,

"Regretting our deal are you?"

"Why would you say that?"

Today was a great first day, if this was how our deal was always going to be, I would never regret it.

"Gabriel says you're one that tends to keep yourself private."

I had learned early in life to keep things private. No one cared and even if I did tell someone anything about my life, They either got freaked out by everything and wanted no part in the shit storm that was my life or they would pretend to care until they got what they wanted and left.

"Talking to you is different. I feel like you can understand what I'm saying,"

It was easier opening up to him. Telling him about certain things because he knew what certain things had felt and what they could do to a person. Perhaps he knew a way to heal as well. Maybe I could heal. With him.

"Like what princess?"

That damned nickname.

"Like having destructive violent tendencies."

He laughed and it was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard. Lucifer was beautiful. He always was according to the stories but his laugh? It was something else. It was like listening to your favorite song on repeat and never getting tired of hearing it.

"Have you tried talking to others before?"

"Gabriel took me to see a therapist but It didn't work out."

The memory of what Dr. Wilson had said to me, what he wanted to do. It sent a shiver down my spine. Replaying that day in his office all over again in my head. I could feel his disgusting hands on my shoulders, pushing down the straps of my shirt.

"Catalina, are you alright?" Lucifer's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. His hand resting on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I brushed off his hand,

"Where did you go just now?" His dark eyes filled with curiosity and concern. Maybe?

"Nowhere. I'm fine." I started to stand but Lucifer grabbed my hand,

"I've been alive long enough to know that when a woman says she's fine, she's not fine."

"It was nothing. I just thought of something that disturbed me."

Disturbed. That doesn't even begin to describe what that memory made me feel.

"What disturbed you?"

I remained silent. How could I even begin to explain what had happened in that office that day?

"Was it the conversation we had?" I shook my head. Talking about my feelings might've been difficult but once someone got me talking, I couldn't stop.

"Was It a memory then?"

Again I remained silent.

Lucifer stiffened,

"What happened?"

I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him everything about that day. About how disgusting the therapist made me feel, how some days I could still feel his old wrinkled hands on me. For some reason I wanted him to know.

"Nothing I-"

"Do not insult me by lying. I saw the look on your face. Something happened."

Lucifer stood, taking my chin in his hand and gently lifting my face to face him.

"Tell me."

So I did. I told him. Everything. Every little detail. From what Dr. Wilson had said, to what he did and how I felt. I couldn't help the small tears that filled my eyes and made a trail down my face. I hated crying. My mother always said tears showed weakness. Tears during a punishment was practically a death sentence. Tears made everything worse. Lucifer was quiet for a moment. His face was hard and his eyes seemed to get darker.

"Name." He whispered,

"What?"

"What is his name and where is his office?" Lucifer's tone told me all I needed to know about how he felt and a part of me felt good. He was angry.

"Lucifer you don't need to do-" I started to say,

"Don't worry about what I'm going to do and just give me his damn name and the address of his office."

He wasn't messing around. His rage was seething out of him. Why? Why was he so angry? Gabriel hadn't been this angry when I told him about Dr. Wilson. Sure Gabriel hadn't been happy but he wasn't like this.

"His name is Doctor Wilson. His office is 32 West Mount Street. What are you going to-"

Lucifer's eyes softened,

"You should get inside and get cleaned up." He said as he gently released me and began to walk me to the back door.

"Where are you-" The sound of wings beating stopped me as I glanced up and saw Lucifer, His dark black wings blocking out most of my view of the sun, heading in the direction of downtown.

I'm really going to regret this.

I rushed inside, grabbed my keys off the island and rushed out to my car, and followed him.