Page 23 of Sinful Obsession

He leaves, the darkness swallowing him whole before I close the door and turn around to see Asmodeus standing there. He’s more human than he was at the portal and I almost miss feeling that form against my skin. I feel like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t even though he encouraged this madness with four other men. His dark eyes flash red as he looks at me, his mouth curving into a familiar, knowing smile. “You’re making friends,” he says, amused.

“Is that what we’re calling them? Friends?” My cheeks heat as I walk into his open arms, burying my face into his chest so he can’t see how embarrassed I am. Was he watching when Vito fucked me last night? Or when the others kissed me? When Death himself tried to terrify me and then made sure I was safe?

“Yes, I was there, watching you, love. I saw everything, heard every little cry, moan, and whine for more. You’re so beautifulwhen I take you apart but I think I enjoy watching just as much.” He wraps a firm hand around the back of my neck and tugs so that he can lean down to kiss me. “You don’t have to be ashamed of what you want—”

I cut him off, pushing away from him. “That’s just it. It feels more like a craving, a need. Like I went from not even knowing they exist to wanting to stay in that room with them. It feels like…”

“Me,” Asmodeus finishes. A warm smile plays on his lips as his shoulders fall. “It should feel that way, love. They are born of the same darkness that I am, the darkness that calls to you. I may have found you first but that never meant I would be the last to have you. I will always love you, Vienna.Always.That will never change.”

His words feel different than usual. The comfort I depend on isn’t there. It’s something else. “What aren’t you telling me? There’s something you’re keeping from me, aren’t you?”

Asmodeus holds out his hand and then guides me to the mattress to sit beside him. “There are many things I can tell you, love. About the world, about how it came to be. I can tell you histories that you would never find in a book but I can’t tell you the answers for questions you currently have. The delicate balance of the world depends on you choosing this path on your own.”

Every time Ewan yelled at me, demanding to know that I loved Asmodeus because of my own choice makes sense now. “You can’t just tell me?”

His gaze softens, and I see something in his expression that I’ve never seen before: vulnerability. “Because some things can’t be told,” he says quietly. “Some things have to unfold on their own. If I tell you now, it won’t happen. Or worse, it’ll go wrong.”

I stare at him, the weight of his words settling over me. He’s not holding back because he doesn’t want to. He’s holding backbecause he has to. Because the delicate balance of the world depends on it.

Before I can say anything else, he drags me onto his lap, smothering my lips with his. He consumes me entirely, growling into my mouth as he pulls me down to grind against his cock. It’s so easy to lose myself in him, to give myself over to this demon in a way I never had with anyone else.

When he finally pulls away, his forehead rests against mine, his breath mingling with mine. “Trust me,” he whispers. “Please.”

The world may be falling apart around me, but in his arms, I feel whole. Even if it’s only for a little while.

18 – Nevan

The allure of Vienna is something I can’t understand. The others—Kaua, Vito, Ewan—they’re entranced by her. Even Ewan, who wears his disdain for most things like a second skin, can’t seem to stay indifferent. Sure, she’s intriguing, but she’s also terrifying. Last night proved that.

Watching her stare Ewan in the eyes as he shifted into his true form, the embodiment of death itself, and then yanking his hood off like it was nothing… That isn’t normal. That isn’thuman. She didn’t even flinch. She just laughed, like she was chatting with an old friend. It makes me wonder if she even knows what fear is—or if Asmodeus has twisted her mind so completely that she’s forgotten how to feel it.

She doesn’t know I was there. After everything settled down, after Ewan’s temper simmered and everyone retreated to their rooms, I crept over to hers. Call it curiosity, call it suspicion, I couldn’t help myself. What I found only deepened the mystery.

The door was cracked just enough for me to see inside, and there he was. Asmodeus. Not the terrifying, otherworldly entity Vienna described, but a man—a devilishly handsome one, sure—but still just a man in that moment. The way he touched her, the way her body responded to him, it was enough to make my stomach churn. Not out of disgust, but something else. Something darker.

Her little cries echoed down the hallway, muffled but clear enough to make me wince. It’s a good thing the doctors and orderlies keep to themselves at night, or they would’ve heard everything. I watched longer than I should have. Not because I enjoyed it, but because I couldn’t look away. There was something raw, something twisted in the way he consumed her, and in the way she gave herself to him completely.

When I finally pulled myself away, retreating down the hall, I felt restless. The chaos that follows us in Briarwood is usually enough to keep me entertained, but lately, it’s grown tiresome. I’m sick of this place. Sick of the monotony, the creeping insanity, the way the walls feel like they’re closing in. I want to fulfill my purpose, to befamine, to tip the scales and watch the world burn. But here, I’m just another freak, locked away with the rest of them.

As I wander the halls, my thoughts swirling, I notice a faint glow emanating from a nearby room. It’s not the sickly yellow of the overhead lights or the dim gray of the walls. This is something else. Somethingbright. I move closer, careful not to make a sound, and peer inside.

Michael is sitting at a table, flanked by two other doctors I recognize immediately: Raphael and Gabriel. Their names alone have always felt… off, but now it makes sense. The ethereal light surrounding them is unmistakable, and the faint beat of light in the shape of wings behind them confirms what I already suspect.

Angels.

They’re drinking wine, their voices low but clear as they laugh and joke about the patients. The casual cruelty in their words sends a shiver down my spine.

“We’re doing our job,” Michael says. “Keeping the darkness locked away, keeping evil contained. It’s what we’re meant to do.”

Raphael chuckles, taking a sip of his wine. “Most of them are harmless. They can claim to be demons or gods all they want, but they’re just delusional.”

Gabriel smirks, leaning back in his chair. “And the new one? Vienna? What’s her story?”

Michael waves a hand dismissively. “She’s different. Her lies about meeting Asmodeus seem a little too real, but I’m not worried about her involvement. She’s human, after all. What can she really do?”

“She’s sitting with the four horsemen,” Raphael points out. “That’s bound to stir up some trouble.”

Michael’s smile deepens. “Let her. She might get herself into trouble, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

---