Page 2 of Lust

She actually has the audacity to laugh but there’s a defiant fire in her eyes reminding me that above all things, she’s a demon. “Felix. My darling. You think far too much of yourself. You are a plaything for me. Nothing more.”

I pour another whiskey and stand up. “If I’m a plaything, you’re a child who doesn’t like others playing with her toys.”

She moves over to me. The sharp stench of perfume hits my nose followed by an undercurrent of sulfur. “Maybe you’re right,” she says, running her long talons softly down over my cheek. With the other hand, she takes my whiskey and sips at it. “I don’t like to share, but I had no hand in what happened in the Earthery last night. It was all Hades' doing. I honestly thought Remy was going to go through with that stupid bitch.”

She could honestly be talking about anyone. The games are full of idiots who are beneath me. “Snowflake… er Quinn?”

“Hmmm.” Her eyes narrow with ill-concealed contempt. “If Remy dumped her sorry ass, I suppose she’s out. I haven’t checked my Hell Cell yet. Hades was going to message me this morning. Probably around the same time he’s going to let me know he’s royally screwed me. At least that’s one less problem to deal with. I hated that bitch. Did you know she actually chose to come down here to Hell?”

“Yeah. You’ve told me a million times.” Like I give a shit. I grab my whisky back and sit down on the couch. I hadn’t thought of that. Snowflake must be out of the games if Remy didn’t bother to go looking for her. Remy is the only one sappy enough to pick her unless she came through with Angelis. I almost choke on a laugh. As if that asshole got through. Even Snowflake hated him by the end and though I hate to admit it, even she had more sense to go anywhere with that murdering bastard. Instinctively, my hand rises to my face without conscious thought. The bruises he once left on my cheek have faded away, but the memories remain vivid.

I sit back on the sofa. My anger is abating slightly now that I probably won’t have to see either of their faces ever again, but it’s simmering under the surface.

Anthura slides a leg in between my legs, shifting them apart. She kneels down between them and begins to unbuckle my belt, a gleam in her eyes. Maybe Anthura does still have her uses after all. Despite everything, my cock begins to stir.

“I’ll speak to Hades this morning before the first meeting,” she purrs. “I’ll sort all this out for us. You and I will be triumphant together.”

I let my head fall back on the sofa as she unzips my pants and pulls out my cock. I feel my anger melting away as she swirls her sharp little tongue around the head.

“So,” she says between sharp little licks. “If you didn’t come through with Candice. Who did you come through with?”

In my hand, the glass shatters, sending whiskey and shards of glass raining down on Anthura’s perfect hair.

UNHOLY SHIT

QUINN

My Hell Cell beeps, waking me from a nightmare from the very pits of hell. Heart pounding, I bolt upright, consumed by panic. I was in London with Dade and then everything went black. I scramble to a seated position, my breathing ragged. The nightmare's grip feels so real. With frantic eyes, I scan my surroundings, only finding relief when I see that I'm alone in my bed.

I wipe the sleep from my eyes as a flash of memory from another dream hits me. After everything had faded to black in the Earthery, I imagined the two of us being consumed in flames. The Hell Cell beeps again with infuriating relentlessness.

When I pick it up, I find approximately forty texts from Remy.

I’M SORRY

Then

I WAITED FOR YOU. I THOUGHT YOU WOULDN’T COME

and

I COULDN’T LEAVE CANDICE BEHIND

His words are like a dagger to the heart. I can’t read any more. He couldn’t leave Candice behind, but he was more than happy to leave me. He made his loyalties perfectly clear with his actions.

Instead of reading the rest of his messages, I scroll to the only one not sent by him. It’s from Anthura.

WELCOME TO THE SECOND CIRCLE OF HELL—LUST. WE’LL BE MEETING AT THE USUAL SPOT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS AT 10AM SHARP FOR ORIENTATION.

Holy shit!

Or Unholy shit in this case.I’m in the Second Circle of Hell already!

I scroll through the rest of my messages, hoping to find one from Rowena and Juliette. A sense of worry creeps in as I notice no messages from either of them.

Twila hasn’t messaged me either.

It’s the nature of Hell that we get moved from place to place whilst being unconscious and, although I hate it, I can deal with it. What I can’t deal with is doing it without my friends.

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