Page 81 of Touched By Sin
Next to me, Daemon is a statue. I can’t read him and it’s making me jittery. His hand returns to my back, leading me out of the room. I like his touch too much. It’s dangerous to seek safety in a pack of wolves when you’re a lamb.
Lucifer walks ahead and I’m unable to look away from his impressive wings. The black feathers shine, reflecting light from the candle-lit chandeliers overhead as we enter the dining room. I instantly want to tuck tail and run, but I keep my mask firmly in place when I feel Dmitriy’s father watching me closely, hunting for cracks and weaknesses in my armor. Terrified, whimpering human women, shackled naked to the long bench at the table, fall silent. One of them is struggling to keep her panic at bay, and when she rattles the handcuffs behind her back, a guard steps out from the shadows and slaps her hard. “Behave!”
Something inside me breaks at the sight. I’ve seen and tasted cruelty on my tongue since I got here. I even liked it. But the darkness, alive and breathing in this room, chips away at the goodness inside me. Amenadiel smirks knowingly on his way past. I’m not surprised at all when he walks straight up to the terrified girl and fists her hair, pulling sharply to bare her neck for his elongating teeth. The man is a sadist. He hasn’t just fallen from grace; he’s so far down the pit he can’t be reached.
Lucifer gestures for a waiter, who collects our tumblers. “Unlike my brother, I pride myself on being a gentleman. Go on, Aurelia. Pick a girl.”
I’m paralyzed by the fear that trickles down my spine.
“Go on,” he urges, nudging his head. “I left Paradise once too, remember? I know you hunger.”
“You know nothing,” I hiss before I can stop myself.
Beside me, Daemon turns to stone. Not a single breath slips from his lips. Amused, Lucifer chuckles. Then, to Daemon and Dmitriy, he says, “Choose your meal, boys.”
The warmth of Daemon’s hand on my back slips away, leaving me cold and unable to take a full breath. Lucifer circles me, a predator sizing up its prey. He steps up close behind me, the heat of his breath teasing my cheek as he leans in and whispers, “My son is not for you.”
I watch in horror as Daemon slides his chosen girl onto his lap and sinks his teeth into her neck while his eyes stay locked on me. Breathy chuckles dance across my skin. “This game you’re playing with my son won’t end well. For anyone.”
“I’m not playing games.”
“Tut, tut,” he whispers, his fingers sliding over the silk fabric that covers my stomach. “Lying doesn’t befit you.”
My throat is clogged with something other than aching sadness for the horror in front of me. Burning flames lick their way up my throat. I whirl in his arms, baring my throbbing teeth in a show of defiance. “Your son kidnappedmefor his own amusement. If anyone is playing games, it’s Daemon. I’m simply trying to survive this world I have found myself in. I’m a fighter, unlike you.”
His eyebrows shoot up, and he regards me. “You don’t think I’m a fighter?”
“You’re a coward!”
That makes him laugh, and it strikes me how much Daemon resembles his father. “Tell me, sweet girl, how am I a coward?”
My soles itch to run away as I press up on my tiptoes and whisper, “I left the garden on my own. You didn’t have the fucking balls. No, you had to convince seven other angels to join your boys’ club.”
His smile falls and he grabs me by the throat. “You have guts, I’ll give you that much, but your foolish bravery will get you killed in my world.” As if he didn’t just threaten my life, he lets go of me, then makes his way over to the others, where he bends over the back of his girl of choice and drains her blood while squeezing her small breasts.
Unsure what to do, I shift. The lone girl who’s meant for me sits with her head bowed. Her stringy brown hair falls in a curtain around her face. I killed that man the other day without blinking, but this feels different—cold and callous.
The girl in Amenadiel’s arms slumps forward. I don’t need to look up to know she’s dead. Slapping his hand down on the table, he says, “Bring the whisky and cigars.” His cold eyes come to me and he cocks his head to the side. “Why don’t you join us, Angel. Let’s get to know each other a little better.”
With his teeth buried deep in the girl’s neck, Daemon’s eyes track me as I take hesitant steps closer to the table. The worst part is that my fangs throb with hunger, their sharp tips grazing up against my bottom lip.
Amusement sparkles in Amenadiel’s eyes while he drags the pad of his thumb over his chin to catch the droplets of blood. He shoves the girl off his lap and rests his elbows on the table. “Sit down.”
It’s not like I can say no and walk out the way I came. I’m here now and they won’t let me leave. I slide in on the bench across from him and look around the room nervously while his eyes stay fixed on me. A waiter turns up out of nowhere with a tray of alcohol. After pouring whisky into one and handing it to Amenadiel, he puts a glass in front of me and pours blood-red wine into it. It glugs, sploshing against the sides.
“To new adventures,” Amenadiel says, holding his tumbler up.
I raise my wine glass and clink it with his, watching him closely the entire time. He looks down the length of the table to his brother, who discards the dead corpse like she didn’t have a beating heartbeat five seconds ago. Straightening back up, Lucifer runs a hand through his hair and accepts a tumbler of amber liquid. When he smiles at me, a shiver runs down my back. His teeth are coated in blood, revealing his true monster behind the veil.
“Shall we discuss business matters?” Lucifer rounds the table until he’s right next to me, and I sit frozen with my breath caught in my throat as his fingers brush my hair behind my ear.
“Father!” Daemon’s voice is filled with smoke and tension. The girl on his lap lies slumped on the table, her cheek pressed against the worn wood, her dead eyes staring at nothing. There’s only one poor human girl alive, and she’s not making a sound.
Lucifer ignores his son while brushing the tips of his fingers over my jaw and cupping my chin. “Such a pretty girl.” He looks at his brother. “Though I have to say, it sounds like a foolish wish to give up your royal title for a girl.”
My heart beats like a frightened rabbit’s inside my chest when Amenadiel chuckles and rises to his feet. His footsteps are slow and measured, just like his approach on this chessboard. How can Lucifer be so blind? Amenadiel has changed tactics. Lucifer is quick to act, going after what he wants with putrid hatred in his heart and guns blazing. On the other hand, Amenadiel waits and observes. He acts behind a closed curtain, choosing instead to strike his opponent when they’re weak.
“She’s an angel. You can buy gold and diamonds, but you won’t find anothertrueangel.”
