Page 9 of Touched By Death

Lucifer speaks first. “My son is the only heir to the throne. He will be the ruler of Hell one day. Naturally, there is the question of marriage.”

“Marriage—” I start, but he continues before I can speak another word. “My son is already betrothed to a woman of high enough standing to be worthy of serving by his side.”

My heart ceases to beat, and Lucifer tilts his head with a smile, attuned to reading a room.

“You didn’t know?”

“Father,” Daemon warns, his tone low and threatening.

If anything, it makes the smile on Lucifer’s face grow. His eyes flick over my shoulder, and he holds his hand out. “Come here, Dariana.”

I gasp, my mouth falling open as she rises from the couch and walks up to us with obedient steps.

“Meet Daemon’s future wife. His betrothed. The female angel who will one day produce an heir to the kingdom.”

Tears prick the backs of my eyes as they lock on Dariana. The girl I once fell for. It turns out she knew all along and never thought to tell me. She let me fall for him when he played his twisted power games. She let me fall for her.

My feet carry me backward, first a single step, soon followed by two more.

When Daemon notices, he flies up from the couch and gives me a warning glare. The kind that tells me not to go anywhere or I’ll be in deep trouble. I don’t heed his warning, intent on protecting the damaged, bleeding organ in my chest.

I’ve desperately tried to gain their love again, but it turns out it was never mine to own.

I look back at Dariana, and for the first time, I see what she is. She’s a royal in waiting.

She’s the woman chosen for Daemon. The one deemed worthy. She’s the one who’ll get every damaged and imperfect part of him.

The one who’ll get to feel his child kick inside her.

Not me.

It’ll never be me. I’m a placeholder. The heartache I’ve endured to get them back has been for nothing.

Everything was for nothing…

A sob escapes me—a pained, haunted sound that cuts through the silence like a sharp knife. It slices my heart, tearing the organ into tiny pieces that float through the air like confetti.

My eyes collide with Dariana’s, who watches me carefully while Lucifer arranges her hair to lie over one shoulder as if he’s making sure she’s perfectly presented. A cruel smile tugs at his lips when he pins his dark gaze on me and says, “You didn’t think they cared for you, did you?”

My hands seek the cold stone wall behind me. Tears blur my vision as I choke out, “I need to leave.”

“Wait!” Daemon hurries after me when I escape out the door, but his thunderous footsteps come to a skidding halt at the commanding tone of his father.

“Let her go! It’s for the best.”

As soon as I round the corner, I fall apart, opening up like an empty void, my soul swallowed whole by blackness. I tried everything to win them back. I fought Daemon. I put up with Dariana’s toxicity. And it was all for nothing.

What was even real? I don’t know anymore. All I know is that my heart lies splintered on the floor, fragile and broken, and at risk of blowing away at the slightest breeze from an open window.

Returning to Eden is not an option anymore. I have nowhere to go but back to Amenadiel’s. I can’t stay here, where I’ll be taunted by the four tormentors of my splintered heart.

Faced with my poor choices, Amenadiel and his son feel like the safest option.

I push off the damp stone wall at my back and hurry down the hallway toward the front doors, desperately swiping at my wet cheeks. As I round another corner, I’m met with a wall of guards. They block the doors with their big builds. Their wings are nowhere near as impressive as mine but threatening nonetheless.

“Let me pass,” I rush out, looking behind me briefly to ensure Daemon and the others aren’t in pursuit. Unwelcome disappointment shadows my heart when I find the hallway empty, but I shrug it off and focus my attention back on the guards. The flickering flames on the walls highlight their sharp features, lending them an air of cruelty and deceit. Exchanging amused glances, the tallest and biggest guard smirks in my direction. “You’re not to leave this building. Boss’s orders.”

“Which boss?” I bite out, taking a careful step closer. “While Daemon might not want me to leave, Lucifer does.”

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