Page 17 of Letters to Satan

“Oh, we’re discussing love now, huh?” he murmurs, voice deep, and my eyes dart up to his. There’s a swoop low in my belly, and the fluttering that rises into my chest almost makes me dizzy.

It’s foreign, and I hate it as much as I crave more.

His forearm rests against the wall above my head, and he leans closer. “The Devil has a heart hidden in that sassy little frame, after all. Tell me, doyou cover it up with all that sarcasm because you’re afraid others will realize it? Or are you scared to admit it to yourself?”

“I’m not scared of anything,” I snarl, and he only laughs, close enough that his warm breath blows over my face.

“Such an insolent thing,” he murmurs, licking his lips before he inches closer, eyes locked on mine. “You know what I think?”

“I bet you’re going to tell me.”

His hand creeps up my arm and gently encircles my neck, and I can’t help it as I lift my chin and expose myself to him. It’s the ultimate display of vulnerability, and the opposite of what my instincts urge me to do. They want me to reveal my strength, push my power on him, and make him bow at my feet.

But I don’t.

Instead, I stand here, throat exposed and pulse pounding against the pad of his thumb.

Somehow, it feels right.

His bottom lip is caught between his teeth as a sultry smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.

“I think you aredyingto give up that control. You’re exhausted from being the one in charge and crave someone else taking the burden of choice from you. You want to be bent until you submit, and you…” Niklaus leans in until his lips brush over mine, and a heavy, choppy exhale blows out of my nose. “You want to obey… and I want tomake you.”

My mouth drops open, ready to protest, to tell him to fuck off and bring him to his knees. Show himhe’s not the only apex predator here and prove to him just how much power I hold inside.

Instead, all I do is stare, my eyes darting between his.

“Tell me I’m wrong.” His green eyes are ignited as he maintains this tiny gap between us, mere inches separating us and refusing to come any closer. “Tell me you don’t feel this, too.” There’s a certain desperation behind his words as he shakes his head, his lips brushing over mine again with the motion.

“And if I didn’t?” I manage, my voice only an exhale. “If I felt nothing?”

“Then I’d walk away, and we’d never discuss this. We would sit down and solve this problem in an hour instead of using this silly procrastination as an excuse. Donotdeny it,” he snarls when I open my mouth to argue. “We’re both doing it. I’m allowing chaos to reign in my workshop, watching my deadlines slip further behind as I indulge in this game with you.”

“I don’t play games.”

“Don’t you?” I struggle against his palm, pushing toward him until my breathing turns raspy, but he counters me and pulls away, eyes glued to mine. “I should want to throttle you, to send you back to Hell where you came from, and instead, you areconsumingmy thoughts, Damien.”

And I want to admit that I’m consumed by him as well, but my mouth refuses to form the words.

It’s safer this way, isn’t it?

The world hates me… it’s just a matter of time before he realizes he hates me, too. Happiness isn’t for the likes of me. Mischief and chaos, yes, but not joy.

Certainly nothim.

His chest rises in deep breaths as his nose nuzzles against mine, both of us unblinking. The seconds tick away in silence before disappointment flashes over his eyes, quickly replaced by a hardness that cracks right through my resolve.

“Very well,” he says, and I track the movement of his Adam’s apple as it bobs in his throat. He moves a half step back, his palm sliding from my neck, and I miss the heat immediately.

Niklaus turns and takes a long stride away, and it’s all I can take. “Wait,” I rasp, lunging forward to grab his hand, and the full weight of his body slams against mine as he pins me against the barn once more.

“Wait, what?” His voice is so low that it barely rises above a rumble in his throat. “What do you want, Damien?”

My tongue drags between my lips as my eyes dart around his face. He’s not letting me out of this, refusing to move a muscle as he waits. “I want you to kiss me,” I finally say, jutting my chin out in a final act of defiance.

He clicks his tongue, dragging his thumb over my jawline. “Then ask for it.”

My nostrils flare in a heavy exhale as his green eyes bore into mine, his grip on me bruising. “Kiss me, Nik.”

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