Page 17 of Sinful Obsession

Vito leans forward from his perch on the bed, a faint smirk on his lips as he extends a hand. The room is small enough that I don’t even have to stand, his fingers brushing the edge of my knee. “If you’re sure about this, we’ll keep you out of trouble. Make sure the doctors and orderlies don’t interfere.”

“Why would you do that?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. My gaze darts to Kaua—War—who has been silent this entire time. He’s like an immovable force, a heavy presence that is both comforting and terrifying. With his silver eyes trained on me, I know he’s just observing and cataloging information until he’s ready to speak. “Why would you protect some random human?”

“Because,” Ewan begins, “At some point, you may revert to the humanity you’re so desperate to leave behind and we’ll be there to give you what little there is left.”

I nod and then take Vito’s hand, giving it a firm shake. A dark thrill races through me as he holds onto my hand a little longer than necessary. He pulls me to my feet, a silent promise now formed between the four of us, a dark alliance forged in shadows and secrets.

Vito leads me back to my room, my hand still comfortably in his. Maybe it’s wrong to think that I’ve finally found a purpose or a reason to exist in this small little world.

12 – Vienna

Vito steps into my room, his presence filling the small space. He’s holding an extra blanket and a pillow, his face shadowed, unreadable as he watches me from across the room. When he grabbed that before stepping over here, I have no idea but if it means a little extra warmth at night, I’m all for it.

I’m standing by the edge of my bed, my pulse thrumming as I take him in, the hard lines of his jaw, the sharp edge of his cheekbones, and the way his blonde hair is mussed over his silver eyes. There’s a hint of amusement beneath the darkness that draws me closer in a way that doesn’t make sense.

He holds out the blanket and pillow, his voice low and gruff as he says, “Figured it’d be colder in here than what they give you.” His words are clipped, almost reluctant, as if he’s fighting his own emotions the same way I am. Death himself already kissed me and now I’m fantasizing about Vito’s large hands around my neck as he fucks into me so hard I scream.

Asmodeus is going to be disappointed in me.

I take the blanket, my fingers brushing against his. “Thanks,” I say softly, draping the blanket over my bed. “I expected Death—I mean Ewan to care and maybe Nevan but not you.”

He chuckles, leaning against the edge of the doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t,” he says, his voice edged with irritation. “But it wouldn’t do for you to freeze to death before you get a chance to open that damn portal.”

A smirk tugs at my lips. “Is that it? Or are you trying to be nice?”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Nice doesn’t suit me.”

There’s so much I don’t know about him, so many questions swirling in my mind. Maybe I should have listened in Sunday school but nowhere in there did it explain that Conquest was an over six foot beautiful beast. “Vito,” I say, testing his name on my lips, watching the way his gaze sharpens as I say it. “What… who were you before you became Conquest?”

His eyes narrow as if I’ve crossed some invisible line. “Why does that matter?” he snaps, dismissing my question. “You’re just a human taking up a death wish for love. What do you care who I was?”

I swallow, twisted sense of defiance bubble up within me. “Because I’m not scared of you,” I say, my voice steady. “I’m not scared of any of you. Maybe I should be, but I’m not. You’re all terrifying, but… there’s something familiar in it. Like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. LikeI’mexactly where I’m supposed to be.”

He huffs, his jaw clenching as he steps closer, his gaze searing into mine. “Not scared, huh?” His voice rumbles through the low light of my room, wrapping around me like a warm hug. “You realize you’re standing in the presence of the end, don’t you? That if you do manage to set Asmodeus free, you’re not just releasing him—you’re unleashing us. The world will burn,Vienna. You’ll be the one to start it. You will hear their cries, their agony. You see the world you know become nothing.”

“I know. But no one else ever cared about me, Vito. Not until Asmodeus. He sees me in a way that no one else does. I don’t care about the world. I only care about him.”

He shakes his head, a flash of frustration and something darker, more painful, crossing his face. “Of course he sees you. He’s Asmodeus. He knows things about humans, things you could never understand. He… manipulates, Vienna. That’s what he does.”

“You don’t know him like I do. You can’t understand.” I huff, realizing how I sound. I sound like those girls who obsess over darkness that doesn’t exist or darkness that will ultimately destroy them. However, this feels different. It feels like I’m supposed to be at his side as if some part of me has always been searching for my other half before he showed up. After all, the first time we ever met, he whispered ‘I found you’.

“Fine,” he mutters. “Believe whatever you want.” He leans back against the wall, his gaze shifting away as if he’s done with the conversation, but he doesn’t leave.

Silence stretches between us, until finally, he speaks again, much softer, pain flickering through his expression. “I’m Conquest,” he pushes out. “I can influence people. Their desires, their motivations. I can make them want something so desperately, they’d destroy everything in their path to get it. I can make them fight, make them crave chaos. That’s who I am. Conquest isn’t about peace or harmony. It’s about control. And I’ve always enjoyed the chaos more.”

I take it back. I’m glad I didn’t listen in Sunday school because this version is much more captivating. “So, you can make people… want things? Make them crave destruction?”

He nods, a dangerous smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “That’s what Conquest does. But don’t worry, I’m not using my powers on you.”

I tilt my head, curiosity flickering in my gaze. “Why not?”

Vito shrugs but I can see the turmoil in his expression. “Because I don’t want to. The others here are weak, easy to control, easy to push. But you’re different. There’s a pureness to your soul despite the darkness.”

When I catch the rawness in his eyes, it makes me hurt for him. It can’t be easy waking up one day to fulfill a purpose and not knowing what came before. “What did they do to you, Vito?” I step up to him and place a hand on his crossed arms. My curiosity belies my sanity, my questions no doubt going to ruin whatever partnership we’ve just created. “Who were you before all of this?”

“None of us remember much,” he admits. “Just… fragments. I woke up one day and I knew I was Conquest. Knew it as surely as I knew my own name. But the doctors, the orderlies, they all tried to convince me I was someone else. That I was… crazy.” He lets out a bitter laugh, his gaze flickering with anger. “They said I was an ordinary man, but I knew they were wrong. I can feel the power inside me, the need to control, to conquer. I tried showing a few friends the truth but they called the police, saying I was a danger to myself and them. The court committed me to Briarwood Institute for a 72-hour hold. It’s been just over five years.”

I can’t imagine the confusion Vito felt at that time, trying to come to terms with who he was and at the same time realizing the support system around him had fallen away.Like me.

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