Page 30 of Daemonium

I had never been one to care much for appearances; a pretty face and beating heart were all it took for a bit of temporary amusement. Most women were just fleeting diversions, a means to an end. I had dabbled in what some might call a relationship once, a brief entanglement of convenience rather than connection.

That was before I saw Sunshine.

She’d been it for me ever since she wandered onto the balcony that I’d retreated to at a country club gala we’d both attended.

She didn’t immediately turn and go back inside like the four people before her had. Or light a stick of poison with the delusional belief I would allow it to be smoked in my presence. She had looked right at me and pulled the door shut before coming a little closer and asking if I was okay.

No one asked me that.

Even with the Playground still a tightly guarded secret to many, my reputation always spoke so I never had to. Sunshine wasn’t oblivious to what I was, but she asked about my well-being regardless. Then she sat outside with me, neither of us saying a single thing until she stood to go back inside and thanked me for sitting with her. There wasn’t a day since she didn’t cross my mind.

Her and me. It was never part of the plan. One day she was simply the daughter of a man marked with death, and then without warning, she became the very epicenter of my existence.

She was an irresistible blend of innocence and allure, a living, breathing masterpiece that I couldn’t get enough of. Approaching her had been a task in itself. Gracelynn Astaroth was the Infernal Syndicate’s untouchable fucking Barbie. She wasn’t someone to be pursued unless you had a death wish. Lucky for me I didn’t have that issue.

At first, after Judicium, she kept her distance from me. There was a clear delineation between us that might as well have been carved in stone. I tore through it without hesitation or remorse, breaking down her defenses until there was nothing left but rubble and dust. I made it so she couldn't avoid me even if she tried.

I spent hours contemplating the best way to possess her entirely, infiltrating every aspect of her existence. I needed my presence to be a constant reminder of the only man she’d ever know.

Even now, something inside me screamed to flip her onto all fours and fuck her until she was nothing but a quivering mess of limbs and tears. I held back, my gaze fixed on the ceiling as I reined in my impulses. I needed her to feel every touch, every kiss, every thrust with a heightened intensity, to etch the memory of our first time together deep into her consciousness. And she deserved nothing less than my slow and deliberate pace, each movement calculated to bring her unbridled pleasure and leave a lasting imprint on her body and soul.

For years I had waited for her, not laying a finger on another woman. It would have been a betrayal to Sunshine’s memory, so I avoided them. When I needed a release, I sought solace in creating yet another corpse. Death was my impartial companion, showing no mercy or preference based on gender.

It was one of the only constants in my twisted world of creation and destruction. In the Playground, I had the freedom to unleash my dark desires without consequences. Here, instead of being shunned and judged, I was praised for my ruthless brutality and twisted ability to inflict pain and torment without a second thought. They saw me as a living freak show, labeled me a fucking psycho.

I wasn’t sure who I was anymore outside of this city, but I knew until our dying day I would be hers. Whether in here or out there, I would live the rest of my life playing a lead role, so she never had to suffer again, enduring all the mundane bullshit that made me want to crawl out of my skin just to see her smile.

I lifted her off of me and gently set her down on the bed, careful not to disrupt her peaceful slumber.

I pushed myself into a sitting position and rolled my shoulders as I stood up. I needed to find my brothers, but first I had to dress her. If someone were to look at her like this, they’d never see anything else again. I gathered the clothes I found, a pair of pants that were a hybrid between leggings and black jeans, guaranteed to highlight her curves in a way that would have me clinging to her like a second skin to keep others from seeing. There was a simple top with the symbol of our organization on the tag, and the standard shoes they always provided.

Her beautiful hazel eyes opened as I was putting on her bra. She glanced down at herself, then up at me. "You don't have to do that."

"I do." I didn't feel the need to explain further. Touching her now was necessary for me to handle the task of leaving her here while I went to find the others, even though they were just downstairs.

I didn't want to involve her in the tangled mess of our past any further until she had a better understanding of what occurred.

“Have you slept?”

“Later,” I added her shirt.

“Later when, Ky?”

I leaned in and claimed her lips in a bruising kiss, savoring the taste of her before pulling away. She scowled at me, knowing exactly what I was trying to do. I grinned and then grabbed her underwear and pants.

She grumbled under her breath, but let me do what I needed to, understanding my actions. I made sure my fingers grazed every inch of her exposed skin before I covered it up. When I was done, I wrapped my hand around her delicate throat, feeling the pulse of her heartbeat beneath my fingertips. I pulled her mouth to mine once more, kissing her deeply.

There’d been a time when the mere thought of someone's lips on mine was repulsive. Now, I craved it. I wanted to inhale for her, become a vessel to supply every breath she needed. I reluctantly pulled away, massaging the side of her throat with my fingers before loosening my hold.

“I’ll come right back to you.”

Her puffy lips turned slightly down. “I’ll be right here.”

I turned before I gave in to the urge to make her scream my name again, quickly dressing myself. I felt her eyes on me the entire time and made sure she got a good look.

“You’re such a tease,” she called softly with a laugh.

I strolled to the door and pulled it open, barely blinking at Lana and Mel standing across the hall. I’d known they were there the second they’d hesitated to knock.

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