Page 41 of The Demon Mark

Devoured her.

His lips and teeth and tongue played with her almost angrily, as though she’d done something wrong. He kissed like his body was a weapon and she was the target. She couldn’t turn away from him. She couldn’t even move to encourage this violence because he had her pinned to the bed. All she could do was lie there and let him pour all of his passion into her body until she was brimming with it.

When he pulled away, there was suddenly the softest light in the room. Just enough silver light for her to see it glinting from the saliva that connected their mouths before it snapped.

“Soon,” he repeated, his voice low and gruff as he stood from her bed.

And then he disappeared. Leaving her lying there, panting, and unsure if she wanted him to have stopped.

16

This had turned into a problem. The woman he was keeping had wriggled her way underneath his skin, and now he wasn’t sure what to do with her.

Envy had a very strict set of rules for anyone and everyone that was in his life. Especially mortals like her. It was easy to keep them at arm’s length. He didn’t have to entertain their needs or desires. He didn’t have to entertain them at all. They were good to scratch an itch, both physical and mental in his need to kill them, or steal their powers.

But he was finding softer emotions the more he was around her. And that was unnerving.

The longer she was here, the more he spoke with her and spent time with her, the less he wanted to hurt her. He even had the thought that he might not take her power from her after all. Perhaps he would leave her alive, in his care.

He’d told her that was how he would keep her, but he had never meant it as the truth. Envy did not treat mortals like queens. None of them deserved it.

He firmly believed that they were all put here in this kingdom for him to feed off of. He didn’t understand any of his brothers who gave their humans free rein in their kingdoms when he had seen what they could do if they were let loose. Humans were disgusting. They treated each other like the value of their lives were less than worthless.

As far as he knew, he’d made it so he was the only dangerous creature in this kingdom. After walking with her through the streets of his home, now he questioned that.

He’d never questioned any of his choices in his life.

This was difficult. He didn’t like it.

So he retreated to his office, with the taste of her seared onto his tongue, like she’d branded him. He would never forget the little sounds she made in the back of her throat. How innocent she had seemed at his touch, and how much that had set him on fire.

Sitting down hard at his desk, he pulled at his bottom lip. Trying and failing to get control of himself.

What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t sit here and wait for her to feel better. She wouldn’t. Her old master—his lip curled at the thought of calling the other man that—had made it almost impossible for Envy to take care of her.

She had to die. He had to take her power so that it couldn’t be transferred to another and escape his grasp again. But she had made it seem like that would be even harder than he had guessed.

Sighing, he looked at his desk and the particular crystal on it that would allow him to speak with his brothers. Three of them had already fallen into a similar trap.

Lust, Greed, and Gluttony. All his brothers that he had admired so much and now they were... fallen. Changed. Different because they had found someone softer than themselves.

The four of them that remained had to realize that there was something going on. Even Envy could feel it. The tides were shifting in their world, and the realms were mending themselves into a different story and path.

It was unnerving. After a thousand years of living without change, he did not know how to feel about this.

Blowing out a long breath, he finally gave into temptation and reached out for the crystal. He knew he couldn’t call any of the three who had already found themselves deep in the throes of romance. Even Gluttony would tell him to grab onto this opportunity and never let go. He hated the thought of that being the answer.

Keeping her was just as terrifying as losing her.

But Sloth would understand. That particular brother went through women like candy. Rumor was that he had a whole harem of them, just waiting for him to do what he pleased.

Sloth knew what it was to live the life of a bachelor, and he was the brother to get Envy’s head back on straight.

He murmured the summoning words and then leaned back in his chair to wait. Sloth rarely was one to answer quickly, but that was also part of his affliction. They all had their failings, and Sloth’s was easy to tell.

The man was more than just lazy. He luxuriated in doing nothing for days on end. He meditated. He dreamed. He hoarded beautiful woman all to pile them upon himself while he stared into other realms and breathed in the smoke of his hookas.

The man was a menace, in other words, but he had his moments.

---