Page 20 of Hell Gate

Without missing a beat, I wrench my arm free, ball my fist, and drive it into his arm as hard as I can. He barely moves, humming a little laugh that rakes across my frayed nerves.

“For the record, it was Alder who felt up your fantastic tits when we had to knock you out,” Matthias adds.

Alder’s expression darkens with outrage. “I carried her. I didn’t—”

“Enough.” Valerian interrupts Alder’s response.

I shoot Alder a death glare, mouthingI hate you, shithead. In turn, he glowers at Matthias, fists flexing with the promise of violence.

“Why did you kidnap me?” I spit venomously, the ire for my enemies giving me courage to stand up against demons.

I’ve faced plenty of vile people. Demons can’t be much worse.

“I don’t see the need to repeat myself endlessly,” Valerian says.

“People will know I’ve gone missing. The matron at the girls' home will call the police.”

With a rough, scornful rumble, he stalks over and grabs my chin, giving me a glimpse of the whorls of ink that move across his knuckles before he angles my head up. “Think. You’re close enough to the age humans cast you out of the system that grants you shelter. It was quite easy for us to stage your disappearance. Will anyone care to look for you, or will they believe you ran off on your own?”

Even I know it would be a stretch for anyone at Talbot House to bother. I only had another week and a half left there. Mashing my lips together, I level him with a scowl that gives the broody bastard a run for his money. He narrows his eyes and cocks his head, grasping my jaw with more force.

“Not such a mouthy little thing now, are you?” He serves me a cruel smirk. “If you didn’t want to be captured by demons, you shouldn’t have summoned us by calling on the gate.”

Demons.My mind still attempts to shy away from the truth.

I push out a tight breath and jut my chin against his hold. “You still haven’t killed me. What do you plan to do with me?”

Heat melts down my spine and coils in my core when I think of what happened when they tried to murder me in the alley. Valerian’s nostrils flare, his blue eyes sweeping over me.

“If only it were that easy,” he says with caustic bite. “We’d all be better off without you.”

I try to hide my flinch at his callous remark, my walls against the constant rejection the world throws at me no longer as strong with splintering cracks in them. One little taste of being wanted and my heart can’t withstand his dismissal.

He works his jaw, cutting his gaze away. “There’s something about you. Something we can’t stay away from.”

Every word of his admission sounds like he’s fighting to hold it in and keep it to himself. Matthias told me right away, much more open about what made him curiously fascinated by me. For some reason, they’re drawn to me. Something that feels like a faint thread pulling in my chest echoes when I have the thought.

“You dragged me into this mess. You could’ve just left me alone.” My throat clogs. “Or if you were worried about people wondering if the legend was still real, you could’ve just told me to get out of town. It’s not like I was planning on sticking around.”

“Humans missing you aren’t the problem. The demon council is. They expect a soul.”

“But you won’t kill me,” I say slowly.

“Can’t,” Alder cuts in with a glare. He scrubs his brown hair. “And we want to know why. We’ve never failed.”

Valerian strokes my chin with his thumb, the tip barely edging against my lower lip. I lift my eyes to his, stomach dipping at the way the bright blue darkens. After what I know now, and what happened the other night I should be disgusted by his touch. Except disgust doesn’t describe the way my insides flutter. His mouth curves, showing the hint of fangs.

“Perhaps once we understand what’s different about you, then we’ll find a way to feast on you,” he croons.

I shiver, picturing their sharp, monstrous teeth against my bare skin. Okay, so maybe I’m down to fuck monsters. I would never trust them, but a whisper in the back of my mind wonders what it would be like. The way it felt when Matthias touched me, when I wanted Valerian to kiss me, was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

Valerian’s cunning gaze is inescapable, watching as my lips part and my cheeks flush. A gravelly sound vibrates in his chest when he leans over me, tipping my face up.

“Let’s fake it.”

Matthias’ suggestion breaks the moment between us as he sprawls on the bed to my side. He winks at me, trailing a finger down my arm and teasing the bottom edge of my shirt, unbothered by the way Valerian invades my space while he does it.

“Fake it?” Alder questions, posting himself with his bulky arms crossed by the nightstand at my other side.

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