Page 33 of Unholy Fate

“Still think the world is as simple as you thought?” Ian said. His voice was deeper now, vibrating through my chest, but it was unmistakably him.

I trembled, my fear palpable, but beneath it all, a strange sense of safety. As terrifying as Ian appeared, some instinct told me he wouldn’t harm me.

My mind spiraled. It wasn’t his strength or power that scared me; it was what his existence represented. Even in my faith, a part of me had always assumed demons were a metaphor, a storyto help understand God. At the very least spiritual beings. Not physical.

But if Ian was real, then everything I’d ever believed was wrong. Everything I’d built my life around was a lie. The thought infuriated me, leaving me feeling like my very foundation was crumbling beneath me, untethered and adrift.

I stood abruptly, unable to stay still under my emotions. Pacing the small office, I clenched my hands into fists.

“Stop looking at me like that!” My words echoed around the room as I snapped at Ian. “You think you know everything, don’t you? You think you can just waltz in here and tell me my whole life is wrong?”

Ian watched me with a calm, almost amused expression as he steepled his blue fingers. “I’m just pointing out the obvious. You’ve been depriving yourself of everything good in life, orgasms, laughter, simple pleasures like apple caramel lattes or a lazy afternoon on the couch.”

His words cut deep with the sting of truth. I missed those things. I missed being regular, normal, whatever normal was.

With each word from Ian, my anger grew hotter and hotter until it felt like it would explode. My pacing became erratic, my breathing ragged.

“You don’t get to judge me!” I shouted. “You don’t get to tell me what I’m missing.”

Ian rose from the couch and walked over, closer to me. “I’m just showing you what’s possible. You’re the one holding yourself back.”

That was the final straw. I whirled around and shoved the giant demon with all my strength. To my shock, Ian actually stumbled backward, his massive frame crashing into the wall with a loud thud.

For a moment, the room was silent except for our heavy pants. I stared at my hands, completely shocked. Deep down, I’d assumed I would hit him and he’d barely move. He’d looked like a walking wall of muscle.

“It’s just a dream,” I said. “Just a dream.”

Focusing all my willpower, I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to wake up. The sensation was like being pulled out of deep water, sudden and jarring. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my room, the darkness of reality surrounding me.

My pulse still raced as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The memory of Ian’s words, his form, had been too vivid to dismiss. I touched my forehead, finding the bandage still in place.

Am I losing my mind?Tears welled in my eyes as the enormity of the situation hit me. If Ian was real, everything I thought I knew was about to change.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

AZIZ

I leanedagainst the stone wall outside Evelyn’s bedroom, arms crossed and one foot propped behind me. Beside me, Levi lounged on a narrow bench, his long legs stretched out as we listened to the muffled sounds from behind her door. “He’s in there,” Levi said. “What do you think? Sexy dream?”

I snorted, my jaw tight. “No doubt. That bastard’s been in her head since day one. And now? He’s just sitting in there, helping himself.” I had to force myself to relax.

Evelyn let out a guttural growl that cut through the quiet hallway. I flinched, grimacing as the sound grated against my nerves. The anger simmered inside me, my blood heating with the urge to burst into that room and show Evelyn what real pleasure could be.

“Man, we have got to step up our game.” I rubbed my temples.

Levi raised a brow, his lips curving. “Step up our game? How about we just kill Ian? Problem solved.”

For a moment, I considered it. I imagined tearing Ian apart limb by limb, the satisfying crunch of bone under my fingers. Maybeeven pull his steaming guts out and begin to devour them as he watches? But the thought of our boss pulled me back.

“No,” I said reluctantly, bitterly. “Lucifer would kill us if he even knew we’d considered it.”

Levi sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine. But it’d feel damn good.”

He was damn right about that.

Evelyn let out another loud, almost primal sound from inside the room. I clapped my hands over my ears, my irritation boiling over. “For hell’s sake, he’s fucked her already, and here we are twiddling our thumbs like idiots.”

Levi chuckled darkly. “Sounds like someone wants to get his dick wet.”

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