LUCIFER'S HUMAN BRIDE
Chapter 46 THE AFTERMATH

"How can we get out of here?" he asked, tightening his grip on her hand as they stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the boiling volcano below. The heat was intense and the sound of the eruption was deafening. "Try to teleport us once more," she stated, her voice filled with determination.

"But it's no use," he replied bluntly, scanning the area for any other escape routes. Suddenly, a demon appeared out of nowhere, snatched the sapphire from Ralph, and disappeared with it. "No! No! No!" Ralph screamed at the top of his lungs, sounding as though he were about to go mad without the sapphire.

"Try one more time, trust me," she said, placing her hand on his face, urging him to believe.

"Alright," he said, hugging her tightly before closing his eyes and focusing on their destination. With a loud whoosh, they disappeared into thin air just as the volcano erupted with a deafening roar.

They both landed on Ralph's desk, disoriented and dizzy from the teleportation. Lucinda opened her eyes and immediately moved away from Ralph's grip. He stared at her, a smile spreading across his face. "We are out!" he exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

"Yes, we are," she muttered, relieved but still on edge from their close call. Ralph took her hand and kissed it, sighing against her skin.

"Thank you, even if we weren't able to get the sapphire," he murmured, causing her to blush shyly.

"Can you please help me get these plants off my back? They're killing me," he said, closing his eyes and turning his back to her.

"Okay, and you will help me too," she said, grabbing a plant from his back and wincing at the pain it caused him. She pulled it off his back, and he growled in agony.

"Arrgh!" he grunted, gritting his teeth in pain. As Mr. Jones tried to walk into the office, he heard the strange screams and backed away, pushing files into the door to keep it closed.

Lucinda looked at Ralph, who gently removed her hair from her back and started to remove the plants from her back at a slow pace.

"I have never been so embarrassed in my whole life," he stated with a frown.

"I know the volcano being demon-free sounded too good to be true," she said, yelling in pain as he removed another plant.

"Sorry, I will be gentle this time," he promised, continuing to remove the plants from her back.

"Deacon's food," Lucinda mumbled as Ralph removed the last piece from her back.

"Yeah, I totally forgot about that," he said, handing her a bag full of meat. She slowly walked away, looking back at him with a pitiful expression. He noticed her and waved his hand, telling her to leave. "Can you come with me? Deacon will be furious," Lucinda asked, her voice small and pleading.

"I know he will. Deal with him yourself," Ralph declared, looking away.

She stomped her feet on the floor, and he looked at her, captivated by her puppy dog eyes.

"Please, pretty please," she begged, battling her eyelashes.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed, giving in and walking out of the office with her.

Minutes later, they both ran away from Deacon as he continued to spurt fire at them. The surroundings were a blur as they ran, the only thing clear was the sound of Deacon's furious voice behind them. "Why are you involving Lucinda in this?" Ralph yelled, running with Lucinda as they held hands, running side by side.

"I am teaching you two a lesson, so next time you will remember me first before going on missions," Deacon stated coldly, and Ralph tossed the bag of meat in the air. Deacon burned it, and then he started screaming. "No!" he yelled.

"So will you stop now that your food is gone?" Ralph asked, looking at Deacon, who was staring at the ashes of the meat as it disintegrated into the air.

"You are so cruel," Deacon said, breathing out fire from his nostrils.

"I just wanted to calm you down. I will get you another meat," Ralph said, and disappeared.

"What are you staring at?" Deacon said to Lucinda, who smiled broadly at him.

"We are sorry, Deacon," she apologized.

"Leave me alone. You guys don't care about my feelings because I am a dragon. Do you think being a dragon is cool?" he asked, and she walked closer to him and stroked him firmly, feeling his smooth body. "I don't know if it's cool or not, but trust me, I know how you feel," she said.

"No, you don't," he stated, and she stared at him.

"I wish I could walk once again on my human feet, feel my human skin, and eat with my human hand. Sometimes when Ralph abandons me to look for sapphire, I get angry. Because he has been looking for sapphire since he was 15 years old and has made no progress; what makes him think this time will be different? I know how cunning Lucifer can be; he can't let a sapphire slip through his fingers, and Ralph is just like his puppet," Deacon stated.

"I know how you feel. Don't worry, we will still try. There is no harm in trying. We even found a sapphire today, but if we get it, it will cost us our lives. Can you see these tiny marks on my body? This is the sacrifice we made to get the sapphire. I think Ralph loves you, and whatever he is doing is for you," she said, giving him an awe-inspiring smile.

"Thank you, Lucinda. I feel good talking to you," he said, and she smiled widely at him once more.

"That doesn't mean you will try to burn me alive again," she stated, and he laughed in a loud and echoing voice.

Ralph approached them with a new bag and dropped it in front of Deacon.

"Now eat up. I'm sorry for burning your food," Ralph said, giving him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry for getting angry," Deacon declared, and Ralph smiled at him, exposing his beautiful set of teeth.

"Let's go, Lucinda," he said, and she held her head roughly, striving not to fall. He grasped her waist to support her.

"Lucinda, I feel you are getting too close to these humans. I'm afraid you won't be able to kill him in the end," Lucifer stated, pinning Lucinda to a spot. It was as if she wasn't in control of her own body. Ralph called out to her and freed her from the bondage.