Page 12 of Sinful

We watched as Asylum got to his feet abruptly, his chest heaving, his blue eyes flashing. He went to the wall and banged his head off it several times.

“What the fuck?” Stitches said, getting to his feet with Church and me.

“I said fucking shut up,” Asylum whispered.

We stood watching Asylum as he continued to stare at the wall, his breathing deep.

Finally, he turned to us, a trickle of blood running from his forehead and down the bridge of his nose.

“She wants revenge,” he murmured. “I’ve promised to let her have it. She wants to kill the person who hurt her. When she gives a name, we will secure whoever it was and let her have her way with him. There are no negotiations on this.She chooses.We’ve agreed.”

I swallowed thickly at his words.

“Did she say she wants to. . . kill him?” I asked, nausea twisting in my guts. The thought of my sweet heaven murdering someone made me sick in all sorts of ways. Not all those ways were bad, though. Some of them were a joyful sickness. The kind I tried to not let out.

Because I wanted whoever hurt her to be dead too.

But I wanted him to suffer first.

“He will suffer.” Asylum locked his eyes on mine. “We’ll make sure of it. Are you in, Asher Valentine?”

I nodded without a word. I wanted this for her. I wanted her to have her revenge. To feel in control again. She needed it, and I’d never deny her what she wanted or needed.

Asylum nodded back at me and looked to Stitches. “Malachi?”

“If it’s what she wants,” he said softly. “Then so be it.”

Asylum looked to Church, who stood emotionless in his spot, his green eyes dull.

“Dante?” Asylum asked. “Will you let this happen?”

Church was quiet for so long that I didn’t think he’d answer.

When he did, his words were fierce.

“On two conditions,” he said, stepping forward. “We play with him first if we get him.”

“Absolutely. Playtime is my favorite time.” Asylum’s eyes glimmered with wickedness. He licked his lips. “And the second condition?”

“If her hand fails her, I get to be the one to kill him.”

Asylum cocked his head to the left, the tiniest smile on his lips. “Are you certain that’s what you want, Dante? You eat everything you kill.”

“I am, and I do,” Church said, the gleam back in his eyes.

“I’ll let you use my favorite fork.” Asylum grinned.

“No need. I have my own.” A wicked smile spread across Church’s face. Chills raced along my skin.

“Then let’s get our little monster ready, shall we?” Asylum looked at us each in turn. “Let her blossom in her own unique way. We shouldn’t force it, but we should encourage it.”

We all gave him the confirmation he needed. His eyes sparkled, the blood still trickling down his face.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” he said, nodding.

I didn’t say a word, but I had a feeling he was closer to being right than wrong.

We just had to figure out how we were going to get past the Sinclair Priest problem because I actually did miss him and wanted him back.

---