Page 62 of Touched By Darkness

My hand flies up and tangles in the girl’s long, curly hair. I wrench her away and toss her aside, in no fucking mood to let her touch me. Ronan’s laughter rings out in the night as Daemon walks out through the door, shoving his human in front of him while looking as if he wants to strangle her.

What the hell is happening? I’ve never hesitated to fuck a woman before as part of the hunt. And Daemon? He fingered her on the dance floor, but he didn’t take it further.

Pigs fly.

“What?” he growls when I continue staring at him, and my gaze slides to the whimpering woman by his side. The only thing preventing her from running away is his iron-tight grip on her arm.

“Nothing,” I reply with a shrug. It’s not like I have a leg to stand on when I haven’t made a move to touch my own meal.

Daemon casts a glance at Ronan, who is now fucking the girl on all fours on the cold and gritty ground. He sniffs, and then his eyes slide to mine. It’s so brief that I almost miss it.

Daemon strikes, sinking his teeth into the human’s neck. I take that as my cue to let my beast out to play.

ChapterFourteen

AURELIA

Mist crawls along the cold hallway floor, disturbed by my silent steps, and my white dress drags behind me, the hem dirtied and torn as it slides on the filthy floor that hasn’t seen a mop in months. The sconces on the walls flicker wildly, casting terrifying shadows. They stretch and elongate, as if they’re chasing me.

“Hello?” My voice trembles, and I whirl around when a figure darts into the room behind me. “Who’s there?”

Despite the voice inside me that shouts at me to run, I walk back the way I came, then pause outside the gaping door. It’s dark inside, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains.

A shiver splashes down my spine, and I hug my arms around myself to ward off the cold as the sconces flicker out one by one.

When the last torch burns out, and the penetrating darkness settles, I draw in a shaky gasp. It’s so dark, I can barely see my hand in front of me.

The beam of moonlight on the floor disappears as a tall man steps in front of the window and looks at me through eyes that I swear glow in the dark.

My feet retreat, but before I can run, his familiar voice rings out. “Where do you think you’re going,Aurelia?”

I pause, barely daring to breathe. “Amenadiel?”

His long legs eat up the distance between us, and then he’s in front of me, cupping my chin. “Why are you wandering the hallways this late by yourself? You should be in bed.”

“I, uh, I…”

Truth is, I can’t remember why I left my room.

His smoky scent surrounds me as he releases my chin and begins to circle me slowly while devouring me with his hungry gaze. “You have questions for me.”

“What are you doing, Amenadiel?” I ask cautiously.

“I’m giving you this one opportunity to ask me questions.”

“I can barely see you.”

“The cover of darkness entices some to open up because they foolishly feel safer. Ask me a question.”

“Why did you lock me up with that man? You knew I would kill him.”

“You want to become more powerful and master hellfire? You need to wrangle the darkness first.”

He’s behind me now, taking slow, measured steps designed to make me feel uneasy.

“What if I lose myself to the darkness?”

“Does that scare you?” His voice is colder now, and all traces of amusement have washed away.

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