Page 8 of Unholy Fate

The man’s eyes bulged as the taste hit him. He spit the mouthful halfway across the room in a stunning sour milk spray.

“What the hell?” he sputtered, flecks of spoiled latte foam speckling his lips and chin. “This is disgusting.”

I let out a dark chuckle as I pushed open the door, the chimes tinkling cheerfully, adding a surreal soundtrack to the ensuing scene. Behind me, I heard the man start to lay into the teenage barista, demanding to see a manager and threatening to leave scathing reviews everywhere. Another customer gagged on her cappuccino. Satisfied with my bit of impromptu evil, I stepped out onto the sunny sidewalk.

The quaint sign for the Jumping Bean Coffee Co. caught my attention. It would make the perfect prop for a post-mischief selfie. I pulled out my phone and angled it to get my smiling face and the sign in the frame together. It took a couple of tries to get the light just right and capture my best angles. What could I say, when you were as handsome as me, you had to show it off.

Finally, after capturing the perfect self-portrait of my devilishly good looks and the unsuspecting establishment I’d just thrown into disarray, I uploaded the selfie, adding the caption “Really great coffee here today” and a winking emoji for good measure.

My followers would get a kick out of the irony. As I went to pocket my phone, I noticed a string of missed texts from Aziz. That was odd—he wasn’t a hugely communicative person. He’d chosen to keep an eye on Sister Evelyn at the homeless shelter today and since she’d left, I didn’t expect to hear from him.

Swiping open the messages, my amused good cheer quickly morphed into a scowl.

Aziz: A crazy vagrant Frank Brown attacked Evelyn. He’s been taken to Mercy General Hospital.

My fists clenched. Evelyn belonged tous. How dare that lowlife lay a hand on her? I pictured the smudged bruises I’d noticed on Evelyn’s pale skin. Rage bubbled up inside me, hot and seething.

I stalked over to where I’d parked my sleek black Maserati, the vehicle was a perfect reflection of my style—powerful, luxurious, and undeniably sexy.

Wrenching open the door, I slid into the supple leather driver’s seat, still stewing over the news. It wasn’t that I cared about Evelyn’s wellbeing. No, I was furious that someone else had marred her flesh before I got the chance to touch it. A human at that. Those marks should’ve been made by me and me alone.

As I peeled out of the parking lot, tires squealing, a plan began to take shape in my mind. Frank Brown needed to pay for what he’d done. And I wanted to be the one to mete out that punishment. Amusement filled me. This was going to be fun.

I merged onto the highway, pushing the speed limit, hellbent on reaching the hospital in record time. Someone had touched what belonged to me. They thought they could get away with damaging my newest plaything before I’d had my fill. Well, he’d find out just how much he’d fucked up shortly.

I careened into the hospital parking lot, the Maserati’s engine purring as I whipped into an empty ambulance bay near the ER entrance. Cutting the ignition, I swung my door open and stepped out, slamming it shut with a satisfying thud. Did I need a Maserati to move around Earth? Of course not. But fuck if it wasn’t cool.

“Sir, you can’t park there.” A frazzled-looking security guard in a blue uniform hurried over, gesturing wildly at my car. “This area is for emergency vehicles only.”

I flashed her my most charming grin, but annoyance simmered just beneath the surface. “It is an emergency, sweetheart. I’ve got important business inside.”

“I don’t care what kind of business you have. You need to move your vehicle right now.” She planted her hands on her hips, trying to look intimidating.

My eyes narrowed. Who did this human think she was, ordering me around? With a casual flick of my middle finger in her direction, I turned on my heel and strolled into the ER, ignoring her indignant sputtering behind me.

The hospital was a hive of activity. I wrinkled my nose at the distinct scents of sickness, disinfectant, and desperation that clung to the air. Places like this were always ripe for the picking, full of vulnerable souls at their lowest points.

But I wasn’t here to toy with the feeble and dying. No, I had a specific target in mind. Frank Brown had dared to lay a hand on Evelyn, and for that, he would suffer. The fact that I wanted to punish him for marking her before I could was a truth I barely acknowledged, even to myself.

I strode up to the nurse’s station and turned on the charm. The nurse behind the counter looked up, brown eyes going wide as she took in my immaculate suit, perfect hair, and the gorgeous human face I used when on earth. Her pupils dilated, and I noticed her breathing pick up as she sat up taller. I could actuallysmellher arousal. A woman working herself to the bone who probably had some loser limp dick husband at home. She was starving for an orgasm.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the counter. “Hi there, gorgeous. I’m here to see my cousin, Frank Brown. I heard he was brought in earlier today. Mind pointing me in the right direction?”

The nurse blinked, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Um, let me check.” She tapped away at her keyboard. “Ah, yes. Frank Brown. He’s in room 115, but security has said it’s not safe for him to have visitors.”

Well, that was true, but it wasn’t going to stop me either.

I reached out and gently grasped her hand, my thumb brushing over her knuckles. A subtle pulse of magic flowed through the contact, nudging her mind to comply. “I’m sure you can make an exception for family, right? I won’t be long, I promise.”

Her resistance crumbled like a house of cards. With a dazed nod, she gestured down the hallway. “Of course, go right ahead. 115 is on your left.”

“You’re an angel.” I winked, releasing her hand and sauntering off in the direction she’d indicated.

Too easy. Humans were so delightfully malleable, especially when faced with a pretty face and a touch of infernal persuasion.

The hallway was bustling with activity, nurses and cleaning staff hurrying past, pushing gurneys and mops. I navigated through the controlled chaos with ease, my senses attuned to the various dramas playing out around me. So much pain, so much suffering. It was like a buffet for a demon like me.

But I had to stay focused. Frank Brown. Oh, the things I had planned for him. I reached room 115 and pushed open the door.

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