Page 30 of Touched By Darkness

“Good evening,” Amenadiel says in such a friendly tone that I’m thrown for a second. But then it lowers, turning cruel and cold. “Did we interrupt your movie?”

“Wh-who are you?” the man stutters as he takes a protective stance in front of his wife.

Amenadiel flutters his wings with anticipation.

There’s that haunting whistle again. On and on it goes, like a chilling lullaby on repeat.

My ears twitch when I hear a faint gasp at the top of the stairs. Amenadiel hears it too, if the slow smile on his lips is anything to go by.

“Did you know that when an angel from Heaven first arrives in Hell, they seek morality where there is none? Even after the last of their light has flickered out—thatsmidgeonof goodness that made them one with God. They still cling to some sort of compass that will lead them out of the darkness. It’s ultimately what holds them back from power. It makes themweak.” He spits the last word. “It makes their hearts bleed when they see injustices and emotional suffering. It results in actions that hold them back from their full potential. It’s only when they let go and welcome their true nature that they get a taste of true power. The kind of power that God withholds.”

I’m trembling with fear. My palms are sweaty, and my heart rate has shot through the roof. But in the midst of that fear lies a seed of something truly monstrous. And when a shadow darts past me, instinct takes over. I have no impulse control.

Not when the wife makes a run for the phone on the console table. Her sudden movement startles the monster inside me, and now it’s game over. Did no one teach her not to make any sudden movements in the presence of a predator?

Her loud scream is soon cut off when I collide with her from behind. My wings are out, hiding her from Amenadiel’s view.

It’s another instinct. Protect my meal.

His dark chuckle tells me he understands exactly why I’m snarling at him over my shoulder while flaring my wings.

“Don’t mind her,” he says to the man. “She’s a baby and still has a lot to learn. Think of her as a primitive animal that acts on base instinct. As soon as she’s fed, she’ll come to her senses and probably cry herself to sleep. But for now, let’s enjoy the show.”

The woman whimpers when I stroke her brown hair away from her face and drag my fingers through the salty tears on her cheeks. The boys told me they seduce their victims because it makes them taste better. I highly disagree. The more scared she gets, the more alluring her scent becomes, and so I take my time with her until she’s pleading for her life.

Amenadiel has drained her husband and is walking back downstairs when he spots me still hunched over the woman.

“Little angel, we don’t have all night.”

Another loud snarl rips from my lungs, and he chuckles as he plops down onto the couch.

The TV soon starts to blare.

“Please,” the human begs, barely able to take a full breath while she’s crying uncontrollably.

“Sshh.” Her skin is so smooth, and it’s so easy to make it bleed. It’s everywhere, soaking through the fabric of my dress. I suck it off my finger, then press the tip over her trembling lips. I tap once, twice, feeling the seed of evil inside me blossom.

“Your family is dead.” My voice is a dark, smoky whisper. Like the hellfire singeing my fingertips.

I inhale her scream. I inhale it deep into my lungs.

So deep that I come alive.

Then I strike. My teeth sink into her slender neck, tearing through her jugular.

Flesh and tendons get stuck between my teeth as my hands slip and slide over her bloody skin. It’s a beautiful massacre of horror and destruction.

And from a single seed, a garden grows.

ChapterEight

AURELIA

I’m lying on the lounger in front of the pool in Amenadiel’s backyard, staring up at the countless stars overhead. I missed this when I was back in Eden—the endless night. Now I miss the sun on my cheeks. I guess we’re never fully happy, after all.

My thoughts drift to Freya and the horrible act I committed last night. I’ve killed before, but this felt like crossing a boundary, even more so than when I killed Oliver.

What came out to play was something truly vicious, dark, and untamed.

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