Page 17 of The Demon Mark

Perhaps even more powerful than Pride.

He scooped her up in his arms and strode out of the bathing house through the doorway he had made in the stone. He’d sung it into existence, like the dwarves of old had. He’d consumed so much of their power that it was practically second nature now to press his will upon the earth and watch as it changed.

The shadow creatures slithered after him, each of them racing forward to leap upon him, only to sink into his skin for later use. Of all the power he had stolen, this one was natural.

Like all of his brothers, there were parts of him that simply were not human. It didn’t matter that he had taken his body centuries ago. Lust had his horns, Greed his tail, even Gluttony had his teeth and claws that just weren’t right.

Envy had always leaned toward the magical. Thus, he had his tattoos. Anything that marked his body, he could use to his own advantage.

Black wings soared through the night, the aggressive sound of flapping a clear warning sign before Orphe landed on his shoulder. Her claws dug into his skin as she moved around, looking down at the woman limp in his arms.

“You are taking her?” she asked, her raspy voice echoing in the corridor.

“Indeed, I am.”

“She won’t like it.”

“No, she won’t.”

Wings beat against the back of his head as she flapped a little harder against him. “She is dangerous.”

“No, she’s not.” He looked down at Lilith, limp and unaware that she was being moved through the city to a place where she would first be terrified to find herself. He knew how hard this was going to be on her.

Envy had seen the fear in her eyes when he had first suggested that she come with him. That feeling had been genuine. Not fear of him—he had a feeling she wasn’t all that scared of him—even though he was significantly larger than her. She was afraid of something else, and that made him want to know what it was.

He wanted to steal all of her worries and fears. He wanted to hoard the knowledge of what made her heart race. If only so someday he could look her old master in the eye and know that he was better than that dirty circus freak.

“My lord,” Orphe tried again. “I have concerns.”

“Yes, I am certain that you do.” Once he had gotten beyond the bathing house, he conjured a portal into his own castle. There was no one on the streets tonight. Everyone from the circus itself was helping to pack all of their earthly possessions into what had looked like burlap sacks, which meant he had plenty of time to conjure.

The portal was larger than normal, but he didn’t want her legs getting cut off while they traveled. So he made it a little wider, made it last a little longer, knowing that she was going to be very uncomfortable for this process.

It couldn’t be helped.

If anyone saw him walk through the portal, they would do nothing. The circus dwellers were the only ones he had to worry about. They could likely feel that magic was being used right outside of their home. Soon enough, he would hear their shouts of anger and they would try to find Lilith.

But she would already be gone. Safe in his arms and hidden away in his castle, where they would never find her again.

Stealing someone really was sweet justice.

He stepped up to the portal and then looked down at her pale face. The poor thing was going to die with him, most likely. No one had ever survived his attentions for very long.

Even Orphe seemed to have a moment of pity for the girl. Because his bird flapped her wings a couple more times before wheezing out a long sigh. “Long time to be in the castle alone,” she croaked.

“Not very long at all,” he murmured. “Just till the end of her life.”

The magic sizzled around them. Teleporting was always an uncomfortable experience. It was a bit like being burned alive, and then realizing one couldn’t die.

He’d come to enjoy the feeling. It was magic taking its price, and he was more than willing to pay for the power this gave him. He was one of the few creatures, if not the only one, who could travel anywhere in any of the kingdoms without permission. He was limitless.

And yet, when she stirred in his arms and then keened out a cry that made his very soul ache, he wondered whether he should have just walked. A silly thought. He’d never cared about the discomfort of others.

It didn’t matter what he should have done. She was in pain now, and he would have to learn what caused her immense pain. He so rarely dealt with humans, and when they were in his home, it was always so he could kill them for their power.

Strange, really. Having to keep one alive was going to be so much more difficult than he had thought.

Stepping into the room he’d created for her, he let her slip out of his arms. She fell a little roughly onto the floor, dragging herself on her hands and knees away from him. He wasn’t sure where she was planning to go. There were no exits or entrances. He’d built it on the other side of the wall from his own bedroom, just so that he could get to her if he needed to. But no one else was walking in here.

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