Page 62 of Her Personal Demons (The Seven Sinners of Hell's Kingdom 1)

I shake my head. “The bird-brain has agreed to help Raven.”

Flashing his fangs, Dante says, “It’s too late. The saviors sent Raven to Hell. Lucian commands your presence. He wants to make a deal.”

My muscles tighten at his words. “What deal?”

“One of us trades him places, and he’ll let us keep Raven’s soul.” Dante shifts on his feet. “I’m willing to do it, but I wanted to tell you before agreeing.”

Micah barks a laugh from his place on the floor. “And you say I’m the bird-brain?”

I spin and look at the fucker on the floor, gathering the broken chains to carry. “You have two seconds to explain before I choke you with my tail.”

“Lucian is lying. Raven hasn’t been sent to Hell. I’ve touched her soul. I can sense her on this plane. Once she wakes up, I’ll be able to hear her too.” Micah pushes to his feet and unfurls his feathers. “Now, if you’ll please hold up your end of the bargain, I’d like to ensure Raven’s soul lands in the proper hands.”

I growl, swinging my fist to punch the wall. “We’re coming with you.”

“What about Lucian, Kase?” Dante asks. “He’ll be—”

Launching at Dante, I shove him out of the apartment and get in his face. “He’ll be fucking happy. I figured out how to make Micah fall.”

Chapter 21

Hopeless

RAVEN

“MAYBE WE CAN just leave her somewhere uninhabited by mankind.” Bright light shines from above as three silhouettes surround me. The angel speaking bows forward, peering into my eyes. “Let nature take care of her.”

The silhouette clears, and I gawk at a gorgeous angel, more beautiful than handsome, and most definitely the asshole who hurt Dante. The brand mark on his cheek, which matches the same as the one Lucian gave me on my palm, glows with light as if his holiness tries to heal it but can’t.

A wave of fury pours through me, because of what he did to Dante. All three of these saviors deserve my wrath. I still can’t see the other two apart from their heavenly glow, so I focus on Mr. Gorgeous Asshole. His turquoise eyes are a shade of blue only found in tropical waters near the shores of some Caribbean islands. They glow against his sun-kissed skin and blond hair with streaks of platinum dancing through the mop of short waves. His softer jawline curves to his oval chin, free of facial hair.

My gaze doesn’t linger on his face for long because the angelic man’s bare chest steals my attention. I don’t know if he does it intentionally, but the fucker flexes each of his pecs like he wants me to check out how taut and smooth his muscles are. I don’t think I’ve ever truly invested so much attention in a man’s nipples, but his become the most fascinating thing as they move with his performance. They’re tight from the chill in the air, and I have the sudden urge to pinch them in my fingers.

“I think it’ll take the betrayers long enough to find her that they’ll end up having to search Hell,” he adds.

Jerking my hand out, I give in to my desire and snatch his damn nipple between my fingers. I don’t know what kind of madness comes over me, but listening to his suggestion pisses me off. The angel’s eyes widen, and he expands his wings but doesn’t launch away. His wings knock the other two fuckers on their backs, and he finally gets his surprise under control and laces his fingers around my wrist, stopping me from trying to punish his pec for its distracting talent.

“What are you doing, Raven?” Hearing him say my name triggers something dark inside me.

I pinch him harder. “I don’t know, but if you continue to recommend painfully slow ways to torture me to death, I will hurt you.”

“By squeezing my nipple? Don’t you think the Hell brand was bad enough? It’s going to leave Lucifer’s mark.” He touches his fingers to the glowing spot.

“You’re lucky I can’t reach your dick to brand next.” I glower and slap my Hell brand against his chest.

It doesn’t mark him. Shit. I was hoping I could use it to my advantage. Whatever made it work before doesn’t now.

“Really, Raven? Again? Your connection to Hell doesn’t work here. Does this kind of behavior and threats work on the devils?” Amusement lights his gorgeous features, and his lips quirk up in the corner. “Or have those betrayers done this to you as punishment? I’m sorry if they have. No one deserves this kind of treatment.”

White wings expand out in front of me and then vanish from view, leaving behind another shirtless man. “Stop, Zade. You shouldn’t open a line of communication with her.” The husky voice fills the room, the angel sounding on the verge of bellowing. “She is the devils’ vessel. That mark—”

Zade rubs his cheek again. “Is only a mark. Relax. She’s been with the devils for weeks.”

“So it is in our best interest to keep our communication to the bare minimum. We have never dealt with this type of situation. Who knows what Lucifer’s mark can do or what she can do bearing it.” The final angel strolls back toward Zade. At least he wears a jacket, hiding what I’m sure is a deliciously muscular body like the other brethren.

I jerk my attention toward one of the fuckers that hurt Kase outside the apartment—Cassius, I think. My vision adjusts to the light, or maybe the brightness of the room dims with the disappearance of their wings, but I can finally see my surroundings. Unlike Micah’s home, this place looks normal—boring even.

Heavy curtains drape over the windows, the blue color the same as the stained carpet. In the middle of the room, a couple blankets are laid out in a row, and a small kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, and old cabinetry sits in the back. The studio apartment has seen better days, and even though these guys are angels, they live like...well, not devils. Kase and Dante put their clothes away, take the trash out, and live in far cleaner conditions.

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