Page 44 of Cry for Help

“Can I dance with your paramour?” Gremory licked his lips. “I’d wager she dances like an angel. Or perhaps, a pixie withgossamer wings. No…No…” He shook his head, speaking more to himself. “Like an angel. I was right the first time. An angel of death.”

I exhaled a shaky breath, but my feet were stuck to the floor.

“You should leave.” Malphas snarled, forcing me back as fear coursed through my body like a river of ice.

Gremory gave me a pithy smile over the top of Malphas’s head, and I got the impression that the demon had wanted to needle Malphas at my expense.

“Where the fuck is Caim?” Malphas snarled once Gremory was out of sight.

“I don’t see Darla.” I signed.

Malphas gave me a major side-eye. “Hmm.” He said nothing else.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Malphas shrugged. “It's just interesting that she bothers you. Considering.”

I gave him a long look. When I didn’t ask, Malphas answered my unspoken question anyway.

“You’re prettier than she is.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I don’t.”

A server passed, and I swiped another glass of champagne. The bubbles fizzed against my lips, and a pleasant buzz had wormed it’s way into my system.

I downed a few glasses, trying to wash Gremory’s weirdness away.

I began to see why people attended parties. Even with all the standing about, talking about nothing in particular, it felt kind ofnice. The atmosphere affected my mood. The shiny decor, marble floors, and complimentary champagne were nice.The prickle of demon magic against my skin made my stomach squirm. I felt pleasantly warm, but the feeling had nothing to do with temperature.

I recognized the feeling, though it felt suspiciously like Lust. I ignored it.

“Who was that?” My eyes flicked to where Gremory had stood, but the grey-haired demon had disappeared. “A friend of yours?”

“From another life,” Malphas muttered. “Don’t pay much attention to his words. Gremory is a walking prophecy, though they are rarely accurate.”

Eater of Worlds. He’d said.

I really didn’t want to find out who the Eater of Worlds was.

I wanted to find Caim before he got himself into any trouble. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

The ambient chatter of the penthouse slowed to absolute silence. I heard my own heartbeat in my ears, and the sound of footsteps slowed to a halt as the servers hurrying through the crowd stopped in their tracks.

But, the air in the room grew warmer. The kind of welcoming warmth that encouraged you to take off a jacket and make yourself comfortable.

The magic in the room prickling against my skin bloomed into a painful buzz. My lip tickled, and I brushed my hand over my mouth—my fingers came away bloody. My nose was bleeding.

It was Lust, but so muchmore.

“That’s not Mammon.” Malphas cursed under his breath. “Fuck.”

“Who...?”

A husky giggle brushed against the back of my neck, and I half-jumped out of my skin. I whirled on my heels, findinga woman behind me. Her hair was long, as dark as a sheet of obsidian without imperfection. Her eyes were slanted as she looked up at me through naturally long lashes.

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