Page 80 of An Unexpected Ascension
Or rather, dragging herself into my ensuite. Disregarding me with every fiber of her being, she slipped under the spray of water, nudging me out of the way. Chuckling, I allowed her, the sight a dangerous temptation. Not for me, but for her ravaged body.
She stood there under the stream, eyes closed, swaying with drink and liquified bones. Drops of water slipped down her face, slowing over the dried blood, mixing until the rivulets turned a pale pink. I watched those very rivulets trail down her curves; down her neck, over her breasts, dipping and gathering inside her navel before falling between her thighs.
Fuck.
It had been too long since I last felt a woman’s touch, my cocklaying limp and indifferent for ages. Even before that, it was merely a quick release to keep myself from an internal explosion of wrath. All that hate festers and only death and destruction follow. So, in my younger years, I found other ways to quiet that chaos until I trained my mind to quiet itself.
That is when the dreadful off switch became permanent, swathing my soul in pure darkness where no light would ever reach again. It calmed me. Those needless emotions near nonexistent... Until Briar Fentonelli died.
Somehow, that dreaded girl reached a trigger inside of me where even I cannot reach, igniting a scorching flame surely strong enough to burn the entirety of Hell. Nothing good will come of this, but I heed no warning, ready to be set ablaze.
And now, when I find my little pet flush and furious in the corner of my room, I imagine all the ways I’ll use her until the end of time. Which, lucky for me, won’t come anytime... ever.
I unravel the map I collected yesterday at the club, to which I now owe several favors for, and determine the best route to our weapon. The map shows two worlds, one atop the other. A mirror image of each other, yet utterly obverse.
Lucifer envisioned a place parallel to the Tree of Knowledge, his instincts strongly leading us in that direction. I conjure a quill, marking our exact spot in the center of the city and draw a vertical line down from the Tree in Heaven to what seems to be another tree in Hell. The Mortifier must be buried beneath it.
Briar huffs, but curiosity claims her, forcing her to join me.
“We’re here.” I draw her attention to the first marker I made.
“And where are we going?”
“Here.” My finger slides to the right, through a forest, “I’m thinking we just make a straight shot through the Silva Timoris—” then over to a mountainous range, “—that should lead us to the Visio Nocturna Montis. It shows here there may be a tunnel that goes through it. Climbing is out of the question.” Finally, my finger trails a path and stops at the tree surrounded by empty land. “And then?—”
“The tree...” she finishes. “What? No fancy name?”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever set foot near it, let alone had a chance to name it. Perhaps we shall be the ones. Day three in Hell and you’re already on your way to making a name for yourself, Angel.”
She rolls her eyes.
“We can’t waste any more daylight. Let’s move.”
Chapter 26
The Angel
We swerve through slow, trudging bodies. Demons and fallen angels roaming the streets finding somewhere they might belong: the bar, the whorehouse, crossfit? Yes, that last one exists here. That would certainly be my form of Hell. Well, that and the mocking touches, gentle kisses, and sweet nothings the demon now whispers in my ear.
It’s true, I hate myself for having made such a poor decision last night, but for those few hours of drinking, dancing, and getting railed, I felt so alive. Letting the worst kind of pleasure consume my mind rather than horrendous bits of memory that has started flooding back.
Subtly, I lift my wrist, finding that three-inch crimson line still separating my flesh. It stopped bleeding after a while, but never clotted and it makes me wonder if I’ll bore this cut forever. A stark reminder of the dumb mistake I made.
Not missing a thing, the demon says, “Any wounds, punctures, or breaks do not mend themselves here.”
“So why do you heal?”
“Because I’ve been gifted the ability to borrow the Devil’spowers. It comes with limitations, but I do have the next best thing, sway with the God of Hell. So, really, I’m nearly a God myself.”
“Aren’t you fond of yourself.”
“Just stating facts.”
“Since you can borrow power, fix this.” I shove my arm his way while we cross a street to the next block.
“I rather like seeing that little reminder.”
Blood outlines the contours of his torso, accentuating each muscle. A glittering puddle, like liquid rubies, slips down his center as he contracts his abs and rolls his hips up into me. The sight is morbid, grotesque, horrid, yet I can’t look away as it trails through the trimmed curling hairs of his groin. It slickens his shaft and colors my thighs as I grind down on him. If I could die all over again, it would be here, impaled on the demon’s punishing cock, but I’d rather endure tomorrow’s shame than let him know that.
