Chapter 15 A Snake Among Us
Lorenzo’s POV
The ride was built with charged tension. No one talked. I was just focused on my phone, scrolling through the news feed to see if someone had actually leaked information about me losing my power to the press.
Immediately we got inside the house, my men were already standing in a group, waiting just as I had ordered.
When I saw those bloody motherfuckers, I knew I had to increase my security game, because more would be coming. And if I didn’t act wisely, they would be coming for Evelyn once they found out that she held my source of power.
“Lorenzo!” Evelyn shouted my name from behind, eager to start a fight she knew she would never win.
I ignored her. I had more pressing issues to attend to than to hear her bluff.
Once I revealed myself to my men, as usual, they all lowered their height in a bow.
“Lucifer.”
The room fell silent.
I took turns looking at them, one after the other, searching for the Judas among them.
“Who among you sold out any information about me?”
They all remained still, soldier-like.
I locked my molars, grinding them too hard. “Answer me!”
They exchanged uneasy glances, shoulders twitching, as if asking each other who the traitor might be.
Gideon stepped forward, his voice shaky. “Lucifer, is there something that we should know?”
“Yes!” I snapped.
“I was attacked today on my way home.” I turned back to the men. “And from the faces of those traitors, the way they moved, their braveness….everything told me that someone out there has gotten information about my transfer of power…. and someone in this room made that happen."
I crossed the room and stood directly before them, my eyes locked on theirs, watching every flicker in their pupils as I breathed in their fear.
“You can lie all you want, but I will always find the snake among us,” I said, lifting my hands in quiet reminder. “Do not forget who stands before you. I am Lucifer, the devil, the shadow in every corner, the ghost unseen. I am immortal…. and nothing in existence has the power to bring me to my knees.”
They all stood with their heads buried down.
I did not bother sharing the air with them again. I turned, seeking privacy. But hell no, the baby dragon I brought home wouldn’t give me such peace.
Her voice came out loud and fearless. “Where do you think you’re going?”
My legs stopped at once, still backing away from her.
Evelyn muttered something I didn’t quite catch, and before I could even take another step, she was already close to me.
“Lorenzo, tell your men to take me back to my place.” Her eyes burned with so much pain.
With slow, reluctant steps, I moved closer to her, swallowing the distance between us. “You are never going to learn, are you?”
She didn’t flinch, her chest rising and falling in uncontrollable rage. “If you don’t let me go, I promise I’ll bring this place down!"
My lips curved slightly, amused. “Maybe….” I lowered my tone, letting her hear me clearly. “.…that’s what I want to see. I want to see exactly what gives you the guts to talk back to me every damn time.”
“It would be fun,” I whispered.
Her eyes flickered as if she was trying to digest my words.
I ignored them and moved past her.
Before I could reach the exit, Evelyn roared, her voice shaking the air.
“Stop now or I will kill you!”
I spun around, only to find her clutching a gun, her fingers trembling violently around the cold metal. The poor girl couldn’t even hold the damn thing properly. Yet she stood her ground, fierce and unafraid.
Gideon’s eyes flew wide as his hand shot to his pocket in sudden realization, searching himself. She must have stolen it from him while he was driving us home.
Then my men emerged, weapons raised, every barrel fixed directly on Evelyn.
“Let me go. I’ll end your life here if I have to.” Her hands shook so badly the gun quivered, but she kept it aimed.
I hissed. One step at a time and I was already standing just a few inches away from her. The fury in her eyes flickered with something wounded, fear masked as defiance.
“So what now?” I murmured, voice low and cruel. “I’m right here. Why don’t you just pull the trigger?”
She tried to speak, but what came out was shaky, almost a sob she couldn’t hold back.
“What on earth did I do to deserve all this?” Her head moved around the room, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I have my own life, Lorenzo. I have a job, a sick sister to take care of. I have kids at my orphanage that I work my ass off to feed.”
She breathed out loud, running a hand through her hair. “For goodness’ sake, they’ll die of hunger if you keep me here. I need to go back!”
My eyes burned, jaw twitching with rage. The mention of kids triggered something inside me, something I had fought for years.
After I reincarnated, I didn’t just hate humans. I despised seeing children. Because if Delilah hadn’t gotten pregnant, maybe we would’ve had our happy ending. But no, one monster decided to grow inside her, leading to her death.
Evelyn’s tone softened, almost lowering the weapon. “Don’t you care about anyone? At least you should have a tiny spot for humanity. They are kids, Lorenzo. They deserve to live, and that can’t happen if you keep me here as a pet.”
“Enough of the preaching!” I spat.
My face hardened, hands dipping into my pocket, veins throbbing as I leaned over to her.
Her breath hitched, and she raised the gun to me again. The cold metal brushed the surface of my skin.
“I don’t care about your responsibility, Eve. If you need money to send to whoever you wish, name it….any amount. But get it through your dumb skull that I’m never letting you go.”
She shook her head. “No. You will.”
A sharp click echoed from the gun. She had cocked it, ready to fire. Or at least, she thought she was.
I didn’t need to turn to know my men had done the same. The cold click of metal filled the air as they aimed straight at Evelyn without hesitation.
Evelyn’s widened eyes roamed around the room, but that didn’t stop her. Her hand held firm, the muzzle aimed straight at my soul.
“Ms. Martins, please lower the gun so we can settle this amicably,” Gideon pleaded, walking toward us.
Evelyn shifted the gun toward him. “If you make a move, I’ll take you out first.”
Gideon froze mid-step, raising his hands slowly.
I almost smiled. Pride swelled in me at the sight of her. She was far more than I ever imagined, a single woman standing her ground, holding control over a room full of men who could take her down with a flick of a finger.
My jaw clenched, hands curling into tight fists now. “Enough of the drama,” I said, quiet as a blade.
A bitter laugh broke out of her as she shook her head. “You call this drama, huh?” She drifted away from me, out of reach.
“You want to see a real drama?” she said, lifting the gun to her own head and pressed the barrel against her skull. “Now this is what we call drama.”
For the first time since she broke out, my heart dropped into my stomach, twisting with fear.
“Eve, what are you trying to do?”
Tears circled her eyelids, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes playing on her lips. “Ending it all.”
I raised a hand quickly, trying to calm her down. “No, you can’t do that.”
“Oh.....Lorenzo, watch me.”
She cocked the gun, pressing it harder. “You claimed I stole something from you, right?” She stepped an inch backward. “Then let’s meet in hell. Maybe that’s where you’ll probably get your stupid powers.”
I swallowed hard, my brain spiraling. Did she actually mean her words?
No. I can’t let her do this. How will I get my powers back if she dies?
“Eve, don’t do this, please.”
A brutal laugh escaped her lips. “Did I just hear you right? Did you just use the word please?”
I took a step forward, slowly, so she wouldn’t notice.
“Do you even know what that word means? Does it even matter to you?” she asked, voice cracking. “Lorenzo, I have pleaded with you countless times to give me back my life…. and you turned a deaf ear to them all. Now you stand there, using a word you don’t even understand.”
“Fuck you, Lorenzo Scofield!” she spat.
She squeezed the trigger, but I was faster. I lunged forward, reaching her in time. I shoved her down just as the gun went off, the explosive sound ripping through the room.
My weight pinned her to the floor, feeling her heart pounding fast and uneven against my chest. Her eyes shut close, lips trembling in shivers.
Hell, she was still alive. That was all that mattered to me now.
Rage coiled inside me. How could she have pulled such emotion from me? Before now, I enjoyed watching humans end their own lives, but in this situation, I was scared as hell.
Maybe because of my power within her…. or maybe because I’m slowly turning mortal. Between the two, I don’t even know which is which. But at this moment, I need to act up, punish her, teach her the consequences of going against my orders.
Finally, her eyes opened, too fragile, too naive. Her blue eyes drew a string inside me that I couldn’t explain.
I leaned lower, letting my breath hover in the air between us. “You’ve bitten off more than you can chew.”
She shook her head defiantly, breathing hard. "No...."
In one swift motion, I threw her over my shoulder. Her screams tore through the air, echoing around the room, but every guard lowered his head and stepped aside as I marched past, carrying her toward my chambers.