Page 104 of Infernal

“I believe we have some business to discuss,” he continued expectantly.

Correction: A high school kid that killed his consort.

Seriously, eff my life.

But even with all that, with my body begging me to flee, I would not run. Not from this. I was here for a reason—for two very important reasons—and I wasn’t going anywhere until I got what I came here for.

“Yes, we do,” I finally managed to answer. Ignoring my body’s plea for flight, I turned around and faced my judge, jury and would-be executioner, ready to plead my case.

He was standing in the middle of the empty room, wearing Trace’s perfect dimpled smile and matching Adonis body, as though he had any right to occupy the same space as him. His broad shoulders were proudly squared, and his jet-black hair was slicked all the way back, just the way Trace used to wear it.

My already balled fists tightened as I tried to shake the overbearing urge to rip him out of Trace’s body and send him back to Hell in pieces.

“I have to say, you’re much braver than I gave you credit for.” The words by themselves were a compliment, but that’s not the way he was delivering them. “Coming here…alone. After what you did to my consorts.” His eyes thinned with condemnation. The dark look in his eyes made me think he was contemplating my punishment.

A shiver raced down my back, and I quickly folded my arms across my chest to keep myself from trembling at his feet. “It’s not like you gave me much choice.”

“We always have a choice, Daughter,” he said, his eyes holding me captive. “You could’ve chosennotto disfigure my consorts. You could’ve chosen to leave us alone. Those are all choices, are they not? You may not like the choice, but it is a choice nonetheless. You just happened to make the wrong one.”

“Maybe,” I shrugged, swallowing down the burgeoning fear. “But I’d make it again if I had to.”

Even though hand-delivering the Roderick’s sisters karma had been the best decision I’d made all month, I had no idea why I’d gone ahead and admitted that to him.

I supposed a small part of me wanted the victory, wanted him to know that he couldn’t scare me into inaction. I may have been throwing in the towel, giving myself up for the greater good of all, but at least I’d have that.

“So, you liked it, did you?” He took a slow, calculated step towards me, and my body recoiled.

There was something entirely wrong about staring across the room into the eyes of the boy you loved, hearinghisvoice,hisvocabulary, seeinghisface, yet knowing there wasn’t a single part of him there with you. It was cruel and unnatural, just like the creature inhabiting his body.

“Likedwhat?” I asked, my eyes never leaving his person as I closely monitored every inch he moved in my direction.

“The bloodshed. Giving in to the darkness.” He titled his head to the side and scrutinized me, using Trace’s stormy eyes to wash over me like a rogue wave. “I bet you loved every second of it.”

I lifted my chin, refusing to let his words—his voice, his eyes—affect me. “They deserved what they got.”

“Even at the expense of your dear friend Hannah.” It wasn’t a question. It was a hard-hitting in-your-face accusation. “I told you, you weren’t meant for this world, Daughter. But did you listen to me?” He slapped me with a slow shake of his head. “And now look how many people are dead because of you. And your response iswhat? That you’d do it again.”

I tried not to flinch. “That’s not what I said. That isn’t what I meant!” I protested, but he was already grinning victoriously, like he’d accomplished exactly what he set out to do.

My thoughts scattered into a million different directions as I realized he had egged me on, used my own words against me and backed me into a shame-filled corner. He wanted me weak and vulnerable. He wanted me broken. It was easier to manipulate your victim that way.

But I was no victim.

I refused to cower away. I refused to let his carefully woven words of deceit confuse and disarm me until I wasn’t even sure what I was doing here anymore. I knew exactly what I was doing, and not even the devil himself could distract me from that.

I pulled my thoughts back together and narrowed my eyes at him. “Look, I didn’t come here to chit-chat with you about my feelings,” I said, unfolding my arms as Trace’s lips spread into a beautiful, dimpled grin. “I’m here to save my friends.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Yourfriends?” Obviously, he didn’t miss the pluralization of my mission.

“Yes. Myfriends,” I reiterated, and then, against every natural instinct I had, I closed the remaining distance between us. “I’m here to make a deal with you, Lucifer,” I said, stopping just short of where he stood. I looked up at the beautiful raven-haired Reaper from my dreams, and I faltered.

In a matter of mere seconds, an entire would-be lifetime with him flashed before my eyes. Him standing at the altar, waiting for me to make my way down the aisle to him. The two of us leaning over a bassinet, his arm around me as we stared lovingly at our first-born child. Endless nights in his arms. Laughter that seemed to have no end. Rocking chairs on a porch, side by side, still holding hands and loving each other as much as we did the first day we kissed.

My throat thickened with grief, and I quickly choked down my tears, right along with the fantasy.

He’ll still be able to have that, I reminded myself. It just won’t be with me.

“Well?” he asked expectantly when I didn’t do anything but stand there with glassy eyes and my lips slightly parted. “Are you going to tell me what it is or not? The suspense iskillingme.”

---