Page 2 of Sleeping Redemption
Whimpers continued to weigh on the air around the two of us, especially as my dagger slid lower to her bare thigh. Leaning over, I sharply inhaled the scent of her skin. It was somewhere between roses and peonies, both of which were saturated in tequila.
Grabbing her leg with one hand like it was a fucking drumstick off the Thanksgiving turkey, I pierced the tip of my knife into her flesh and dragged it over where her femoral artery ran, being sure to open that sucker up.
With all the booze in her system and terror pushing her heart to its limit, the beautiful crimson began to pour from the wound. I leaned over and sucked up a mouthful of it. The tang of the copper coated my tongue, and the blood-alcohol carried an additional hint of flavor.
Scrunching up my face, I spat out the lingering fluid from my mouth, the spray of blood and saliva dotting the girl’s paling body. “Nope, still don’t like tequila.”
The good ol’ Pearly Gates were far beyond me in the distance of my morality’s rearview mirror, and I had no intention of turning this car around.
Leaving the master bathroom, I dropped my towel onto my bedroom floor before crawling into bed naked. I shimmied underneath the pure white sheets and closed my eyes. Allowing the silence to fill my mind, I didn’t give the frightened screams in my head any more credence.
The cool fabric lying over the top of my body contrasted with the warmth I suddenly felt between my thighs. Tonight had left me all worked up.
My hand dipped down until my fingertips caressed the arousal already present along my crease.
“Mmm…” The first inkling of pleasure pulsed in my core as I found my clit.
I deserve this after a hard night at work.
“That’s right, you do, Kinley.” A deep voice spoke from the shadows, reading my thoughts.
Opening my eyes, my hand stopped its beginning strokes as I let out a harsh sigh. “I should have known you would be here.”Lucifer was never far away, especially in this city, where there was direct access to Hell itself.
He chuckled, remaining in the darkest corner of my room. “My offer always remains on the table. I am more than happy to reward those who are most loyal. You do remember what that was like, don’t you?”
How could anyone forget fucking Satan’s forked cock?
Propping myself up on my elbows, I looked in the direction of where his voice emanated from. “Other than suffering from a hard dick, why are you here?”
The disappointment of me turning him down – again – hung heavy in the air. There was a time when I wrapped myself up in the sins of his body more frequently than I cared to admit. Those days, I’d grown bored, but I didn’t dare tell him as much. He was a one-trick pony show.
“There’s been a shift in the balances.” The tone of his voice indicated it wasn’t one in his favor. “Keep an ear to the ground, I don’t want this to be the start of another wave of born-again Christians.”
“Murder and mayhem shall ensue, got it. Anything else?” He was keeping me from getting my beauty rest, and I had a meeting to get to in the morning.
A breeze swept through the air, and following the movement, I turned my head to the opposite corner of my bedroom where his voice now spoke from. “Darling Kinley, I need more than souls being sent my way. If I’m going to keep the lights on in Hell, I need irreparable discord.”
In a singsong voice, I teased him. “Irreparable discord.” I dropped the tone before continuing. “If you want that, let me unleash the newest litter of hellhound pups in downtown Chicago. Nowthatwould be irreparable discord.”
A smile spread across my face even thinking about the horror and violence. I imagined myself sitting in the middle of it all,snuggling with the cutest little puppies ever. They are good dogs, I swear, just misunderstood.
There was a suffocating flash of heat in the room that carried the faint scent of brimstone before his voice boomed, “Do not fucking mock me, Kinley! You know precisely what happens to those who dare cross my final nerve!”
Good news? My hair was no longer damp after that blast of warmth, albeit a little frizzy. Bad news? Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood for my snark and shenanigans tonight.
I frowned apologetically. “Sorry…It won’t happen again.” At least for another week.
Lucifer’s growl simmered down into a grumble as his temper began to subside. “If you hear of anything unusual happening, I want to know about it. Understood?”
I nodded.
Finally leaving the corner of my room, he approached my bedside. I could only make out his faint outline, but his hands came to my shoulders guiding me back to lie down again. After he tucked the sheet in around me, he lightly patted the top of my head. “Good girl. Now, get some sleep.”
My eyes slowly fell closed as I got comfortable, letting sleep lure me under after his departure.
Lucifer always pushed for one step further than the best; always wanted to raise the minimum standards. It was a good thing that he had come to the right angel for the job.
Chapter Two
