Page 14 of Touched By Darkness

“Isn’t it obvious what I want?”

“Nothing is ever obvious with you.”

“You have entrapped me here. I want to be freed.”

I snort. “Never happening.”

“Then I can’t help you.”

“You want to drink my blood and fuck me? I’ll let you.”

Now it’s his turn to snort. He turns on his heels and walks deeper into the shadows.

“Please,” I beg. “I’ve tried everything. Why did Heaven let me out the first time, but not this time? Why won’t the gates open for me? My wings are changing color. I crave sex.”

He turns just as the shadows are about to swallow him whole. “The gates won’t open for you because you haven’t relinquished your light.”

“That doesn’t explain why the gates let me out the first time.”

Amenadiel surges forward and bares his sharp incisors. “I don’t know why the gates let you out the first time, but I know what will ensure your banishment forever, so if you want my help, I suggest you help free me from your prison.”

I gaze down at the thick layer of fog that crawls along the ground and swirls around my ankles when I shift. Sheer desperation claws at my heart as I look back up and swallow my pride. “I’ll help you on one condition.”

“I’m listening.”

“You must promise not to hurt Daemon.”

He tuts and shakes his head. “Have you learned nothing, Angel? Morals don’t exist in Hell. What makes you think I’ll keep my promise?”

“Because if you intended to lie, you would jump at the opportunity to promise me anything, but you’re not. You’re a cruel, soulless man, but you were born of the light, like me. There’s goodness deep inside you.”

In all honesty, I don’t know if I believe the nonsense slipping from my lips, but right now, I want to trust that Amenadiel is good somewhere deep inside. That a small essence of the light, even if it’s just a faint flicker, resides in the dark depths of his core.

“And you’re a naive, young girl.”

“Promise me you won’t hurt Daemon and I’ll consider releasing you from your prison.”

He steps out from the shadows, his footsteps disturbing the fog that climbs up my bare ankles. “Any other promises you want me to make, Angel?”

“The deal with Lucifer is off. You will not buy me. And you will not pursue the throne.”

Amenadiel regards me for such a long moment, my lungs start to burn as I wait with bated breath.

“I tried to kill you. And now you trust me to keep a promise?”

I can’t decide if he’s surprised or angry with me.

I whisper the words I never thought would leave my lips. “I trust you.”

He steps close and palms the back of my neck roughly. I’m not even surprised. He belongs to Hell, and its touch is never gentle. Its words are never kind. “Don’t.”

“I trust you,” I repeat, and his grip tightens. A whimper escapes me as he leans down to whisper in my ear. “Remember when you saw the door after you locked me in here? I told you then that you wouldn’t find what you were looking for behind it. And you won’t find what you’re looking for now either. Are you sure you want to make a deal with the Devil?”

“You’re not Lucifer.”

“Trust me, I’m worse than my brother.”

Inhaling a shaky breath, I meet his cold eyes. “Do we have a deal?”

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