Page 15 of Sinful Obsession

“Impossible,” Vito breathes, his eyes wide with something between fear and excitement. “None of us could open that door. Not even all four of us together.”

“Then how did she do it?” Kaua mutters, his jaw pulled tight as his gaze fixes on the door handle. “She’s just a human.”

“Maybe she’s more than that,” Nevan sing songs. “Or maybe whoever she believes is real is behind this.”

Carefully, I pull the handle, the door moving freely with the motion. The creak echoes in the darkness, inviting us to see truly what lies inside. I don’t expect to see the heated stones, almost alive as they shift and breathe with the energy of hell itself. And there she is, the new girl.

She’s lying on the floor just inside the doorway, her body relaxed, her eyes closed as if in sleep. Her clothes are strewn around her, leaving her bare and vulnerable, her skin bathed in the faint glow of the heat emanating from the open doorway.

For a moment, I can’t move, caught in the strange beauty of the sight before me.

Her skin is flushed, a faint sheen of sweat glistening in the dim light, and there’s a strange serenity on her face, a peaceful smile curving her lips as if she’s found something that none of us could ever understand. Her short hair fans out around her, framing her face, and her lashes rest against her cheeks, giving her an almost ethereal quality, like she’s something out of a dream.

A mere human shouldn’t be able to open that door. She shouldn’t even be able to get this close to the portal without burning up, without her very soul being torn apart. And yet here she is, untouched, unscathed, lying across the portal as if she belongs there, as if she’s part of it.

It feels wrong to watch her like this and yet I can’t seem to look away. Her eyes open slowly, wide brown eyes locking on mine as she slowly sits up. A faint smile plays on her lips as she reachesfor her white scrubs, not at all ashamed of being naked in front of us.

“Hi,” she mumbles, stuffing herself into her pants and then the shirt.

There’s a strange pull toward her, something I can’t explain and I’m not sure I want to. This curiosity is one I don’t think I’ll be able to fully dissect but she’s about to become my new obsession. I stare down at her, caught in the intensity of her gaze, something so different than the other patients dropped off here. There’s no flicker of fear, no terror wafting off of her, just a resilience that makes no sense in the current circumstances.

Vito steps forward, his eyes narrowed as he studies her, his expression a mixture of suspicion and intrigue. “Who are you?” he demands. “How did you open that door?”

Her smile doesn’t shift as she addresses him with the same resolve she did me. Most people are terrified of Vito and Kaua’s size but nothing in her gaze reflects that. “I just… turned the knob? Was I not supposed to?”

Nevan’s grin widens, his eyes gleaming with something dark and twisted. “I like her.”

Kaua watches her in silence, as if he’s weighing her every word, every movement, trying to make sense of what she is, of why she’s here.

I step forward, my hand hovering just above her shoulder, unsure whether I should touch her, whether I even have the right to. “What are you?”

“I think I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

The others shift behind me, a mixture of confusion and unease filling the air and I know they’re just as captivated and drawn to her as I am. She’s something different, something…dangerous. And I can’t shake the feeling that whatever she is, whatever power brought her here, it’s only just beginning.

11 – Vienna

I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

A few hours ago, I was cursing my parents and Michael and every other person that had a hand in sticking me in this place. They’re all on my shit list, although my mother is at the top with her dick sucking skills and Judge Jansen for agreeing to hand over my rights without so much as an investigation intowhyI was a danger to myself.

None of that matters now as I stare at the four men crowding around the door. They’re beautiful, each in their own dark, twisted way, with silver eyes that seem to see right through me. Their presence is like an electric charge in the air, familiar somehow, like the comforting, intoxicating darkness that comes with Asmodeus’ presence. They give off the same demonic air, a feeling of warmth and danger intertwined.

None of them speak but I can’t tell if it’s because they’re still assessing me or weirded out that they found me naked across the portal to hell. Either way, I’m now fully embarrassed and withAsmodeus gone from my side, I want to return to the cold room I was so graciously gifted with.

“Vienna,” I finally say, my voice wobbling, a strange thrill rushing through me as their eyes flick to my extended hand, each one tilting their head in slight surprise, curiosity glinting in their silver eyes.

“Rude,” I bite out when they don’t shake my hand as I cataloge each of them for myself. My gaze drifts over each of them, memorizing their features, their sharp, ethereal beauty. One of them—the thickest of the four—steps forward, his hand closing around my arm. His touch is firm but oddly gentle, and without a word, he pulls me out of the room, his grip guiding me down the hallway.

The others follow silently as I’m led back through the winding corridors I would never be able to find my way though. Asmodeus’ presence is stronger than ever, still wrapped around me like a war hug, his voice brushing past my ear as he fills me with reassurance.

“Don’t be afraid of them, love,”he murmurs.“They can help you. They’re more like me than they are like anyone else in this place.”

Which explains why I feel comfortable in their presence. The large hand around my arm becomes comfortable the longer it’s there until I’m pushed into a room filled with four beds, each one carefully made, the blankets tucked with an almost military precision.

He guides me to sit on the bed toward the far corner as they all surround me, obviously still wondering who I am, why I was in that room, and why I’m here in the first place.It’s a long story,I joke with myself but quickly clear my throat when none of them start smiling.

“Who are you?” one of them finally asks. This one is lean and sharp-featured, his gaze almost predatory as he studies me, asif trying to decide if I’m prey or something else entirely. He’s the one that first opened the door, long black hair framing his angular face. To anyone else, I’m sure they would be terrified but his gaze is just as captivating as it is intense.

---