Page 10 of Touched By Death

Uncertainty flickers in their cold eyes. They look at each other again. The guard at the front clears his throat. “Master Daemon.”

“And you fear him more than Lucifer? The ruler of Hell?”

“The girl has a point.” One of the guards to the left speaks up but then clamps his mouth shut when the guard in charge cuts him a glare.

His body shifts to the side, and he looks anywhere but at me as he lets me pass. I don’t hesitate, slinking through the wall of bodies and escaping into the night.

It’s not until the cold air slaps me in the face that I manage to inhale a full breath into my burning lungs. My wings explode from my back, and I shoot up into the sky, knowing full well that Daemon won’t let me go. But he’ll have no other choice.

Now I know the truth.

* * *

Landing on the soft grass outside Amenadiel’s house, I suppress a shiver. Memories of the groups of humans I killed assault my mind as I peer up at the gargoyles that stare down at me with a wicked gleam in their soulless eyes. Thick ivy crawls the length of the stone walls, and as a lick of breeze slides through my long hair, the leaves rustle softly. A lone candle that flickers behind the stained-glass window draws my attention.

Walking up the stone steps, I debate my choice. Is this a good idea? No, it’s not. It’s a very fucking bad idea, but where else can I go?

Imaginary eyes track me as I lift my hand to knock on the door. I pause, peering behind me at the thick woods surrounding the property. The sensation of being watched quickens my heart, and I turn back around and bang my knuckles against the door before I can talk myself out of it.

I count the seconds, ears pricked for movement behind me. It doesn’t take long before heavy footsteps sound behind the door, followed by the groan of the rusted hinges as it creaks open to reveal Amenadiel in all his glory.

His eyes flick past me to the trees, and without speaking a word, he steps aside and lets me pass.

My shoulder brushes his hard chest, and I emerge into the spacious hallway.

The door creaks shut and then he walks past me, leaving behind a cloud of his masculine scent, like that of the night. Looking to my right, where his long cloak hangs from a peg on the wall, I clear my throat. “Are you not gonna ask why I’m here?”

He draws to a halt and slowly turns around, so slowly I hold my breath while my heart tries to climb up my throat’s narrow passageway to escape. “Does it matter?”

“Yes,” I answer, trying not to fidget. “It does.”

Interest piqued, he steps closer, strangely wary of me. “Why?”

My curious eyes slide over his wings, the way they rise high above his broad shoulders and grace the stone floor, his dark feathers dragging across the grit and rock. “I’m trying to understand you.”

“Don’t.”

“All this time, you tried to coax the darkness to the surface. Why? I know you have an agenda, Amenadiel. What is it? How does my monster benefit you?”

He goes to speak, but I interrupt him. “You want to dethrone Lucifer, and you tried to buy me to piss off your nephew, hoping he would break the treaty. You also know about the betrothal between Daemon and Dariana. But this is about more than that, isn’t it? Why would you lure my monster out from the shadows and fuck me in my dreams if it was all about Lucifer? Why would you steal something for yourself? That’s what you did when you fucked me.” Closing the distance between us, I look into his eyes. “You stole something for yourself.”

His hand flies out, and he wraps his long fingers around my throat. “What do you remember from tonight?”

Confusion furrows my brows as his hand shifts on my neck, and his thumb drags over my bottom lip. “Tonight?”

His dark eyes excavate me in the ensuing silence, hunting for the truth, before he drops me like I’m worthless and strides off in the direction of his office. “Thought so.”

My wings slump as his door slams shut. I don’t know why I held on to some futile hope that he would tell me the truth. Of course he won’t. If I want it, I’ll need to dig it out myself with a spade and endless patience.

Chapter Four

DAEMON

The wind whistles outside the tall windows, and the sconces on the walls burn higher. My father approaches me with twisted amusement shimmering in the black depths of his cold eyes before it gives way to something far darker. The palpable shift in the air tenses every muscle in my body. He stops in front of me with his hands clasped behind his back and his wings tucked. A smile reappears at the corners of his lips, barely there, a dancing flicker that’s soon extinguished when he backhands me hard. “How fucking dare you threaten the throne for a girl?”

I’d tried to go after her, rounding the corner just in time to see her slinking through the wall of guards. But my father clicked his fingers behind me, and the guards fell upon me. I refrain from using my fire magic since I know far too fucking well, my father’s punishment will be so much worse if I continue fighting. I’m strong, but I don’t rival my father. Yet.

Dariana, Ronan, and Alaric watch from the sidelines with matching worry etched across their faces. They’ve seen my father flex his alpha before, but it never gets easier.

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