Eros curled his arm under my right leg and tugged it into the air, giving him better access. He spit on his fingers and smacked them hard against my swollen clit, rubbing it harsher than he had before. My leg trembled in his hand, my claws digging into the wood.
“I’ll take that as an invitation to be part of your court,” Lucifer said, sipping on his Vemon. “I also wanted to talk about—”
“Sure.” I gazed over at him, watching the candle flicker off his eyes. “Whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?” His lips curled into a smile, his apple scent coming off of him in waves. He gazed up at Eros. “You hear that, Eros.” Eros tensed behind me, as if he knew something that I didn’t. “Whatever I want.”
Lucifer leaned forward in his seat, forearms on the table, hand grasping my chin. “And if I want you?”
My eyes widened, my pussy clenching. Me? Lucifer wanted me? Out of all the people in the entire world, Lucifer wanted a taken woman. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from him. Eros had offered to spend another night with him. I just had to say the word…
But I hadn’t asked for another night with anyone yet. I was trying to hold myself off, trying to teach myself that this was enough, that I didn’t need someone else to feed off of—even if it was just sexual energy.
Eros groaned in my ear, his fingers moving faster. “Cum for me, Dani.”
Lucifer slid it hand down to my throat and tightened his grip. I parted my lips, my teary eyes staring right into his icy ones. I let out a moan, my entire body trembling as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through me. Eros stilled inside of me and pulled out, his cock coated in my juices. He zippered up his pants.
A thousand thoughts were buzzing through my mind, but the most prominent one was… that maybe this would be how the Courting Pit would go. I’d be in a room with a bunch of demons who watched me fuck.
It might not be as bad as I thought it’d be… right?
“This is what the Courting Pit will be like, isn’t it?” I whispered, wanting confirmation. I pulled down my dress and gazed around at all the demons who were throwing glances my way. “Someone will challenge me…” Like Kasey or another envious demon. “... and I’ll have to fuck everyone to show them I deserve the crown.”
“Yes,” Eros said.
I took a deep breath. All I hoped was that I didn’t lose control in the pit and start sucking people’s souls for no reason at all.
Lucifer crossed his arms. “Are you expecting someone to challenge her?” he asked Eros. “You know that’s the only way to end up in the Pit.”
Eros tensed and glanced from me to Lucifer to the candle, his eyes darkening a shade. Without him muttering a single word, I knew that he thought someone would challenge me. Nobody knew who I was. Sathanus was spreading lies about me. And the Envies wanted the throne. It was bound to happen.
Lucifer raised a brow. “You don’t believe in Dani?”
“I believe in Dani. The kingdom is just in chaos right now, like it always is after someone murders a commander.”
Lucifer turned his attention toward me. “If you don’t want to attend the Courting Pit, you don’t have to, Dani. All you have to do is prove yourself beforehand, so nobody challenges you.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “They have no reason to question you right now. They don’t know who your mother is. All they know is that your father was Asmodeus and that you killed a heir with a single kiss.” His lips curled into a smile. “Now, all you have to do is to make them fear you.”
Chapter 16
I hopped into Trevon’s car and into a tsunami of his cologne. My mind buzzed with dark, sinful thoughts. And though Javier hadn’t bothered me since yesterday at The Lounge, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Lucifer said. The words, “make them fear you,” shouldn’t have made me feel so… so… powerful.
It was so wrong, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I made Javier fear me, when I crawled on top of him and took everything that ever mattered right from him in one sinful, steamy moment.
Trevon stared at me from the driver’s side, his solid grey tie a bit off centered. I pressed my lips into a smile and silently choked on that man’s cologne. God, why was he wearing such a putrid scent today? His natural valerian scent was fine enough—it almost smelt heavenly, not that I knew what Heaven smelt like. But this… I scrunched my nose… was terrible.
“You ready?” Trevon asked, showing me his pearly whites.
After nodding my head, I stared straight through the windshield and smiled. Today would be a good day. We would visit the nursing home like we always used to, see all the old smiling faces, hopefully see Mr. Saunders—one of the older men who loved Trevon.
Fifteen minutes later, Trevon held the door open to Harmony Grove Nursing Home for me. I walked into the quiet lobby, my heels clacking harshly against the tile. A nurse greeted us at the front desk, asking us to put on name tags and gesturing toward the front spacious rooms.
Some residents were watching TV on a dated flat screen. Others were sitting in their wheelchairs and staring out into the garden outside. Trevon placed his hand on my upper back and guided me into the room. “God, I forgot how nice these people have it.”
“Nice?” I asked, arching a brow and sticking my name tag onto my sweater dress. This place was… decent, if you had to live in a nursing home. It definitely wasn’t the best in the city though.
“They got a flat screen in every room, games, people who wait on them.” He glanced around the room, placing his hands on his hips and sighing in admiration.
“I don’t think that’s how it works, Trevon…” I said. Besides, he had a TV at the apartment. I helped him move it a few days ago. And… he had so many games at his bar: pool, darts, even foosball. Why was he jealous of some cheap board games?
I grabbed his wrist and tugged him toward two patients who had just started a puzzle of a tabby cat. The women gazed up at us, and I knelt next to one. “Can we help you ladies?”
The one with short, curly gray hair smiled at me, her shaky fingers picking up a piece. I pulled up a chair and sat next to Trevon, creating two small piles of the end pieces and the middle pieces.
We finished the puzzle with the help of a couple older gentlemen that were a bit too excited to join us in two hours flat. One of the men wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I stifled my uncomfortable laugh with a smile. A nurse wheeled him away, leaving Trevon and me by ourselves.
“He had the hots for you,” Trevon said, chuckling tensely. There was something in his voice that I couldn’t quite place. He glanced down at me and almost immediately widened his eyes. “Dani…” He paused for a moment. “Dani, your eyes.”
“My eyes?” I asked, furrowing my brows. “What about them?”
“They’re glowing.”
I stiffened. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. My demon was on edge. She had to be… But why was she coming out now? I didn’t feel the faintest bit lustful. I didn’t have any sinful thoughts running through my mind.
Trevon paused, gaze flickering between them. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, and I slapped his hand away from me. Now was not the time. I had to go into the bathroom.
“They’re beautiful, Dani.” He didn’t take his eyes off of me. “White.”
“White?” I repeated. “They’re glowing white?” Before he answered, I hurried toward the bathroom, locked the door, and stared into the mirror. The whites of my eyes were glowing, a white film growing over my irises and pupils.
Angel…. I… my angel.
I couldn’t speak. My breaths were coming out in short rasps. I stared at my reflection, not having seen such innocence since I was younger, since Mom had been around, staring at me with her eyes glowing white.
My lips quivered, then eventually curled into a smile. “Damn,” I said, eyes twinkling. My demon abilities festered so quickly that I thought it would take me over completely. I never thought I’d see myself as an angel.
Trevon knocked on th
e door. “Dani, are you okay?” he asked. After staring at myself in disbelief for another five minutes, I opened the door and walked out, a huge smile on my face.
Nothing could ruin this day.
Nothing could ruin the fact that I had an angel buried deep inside of me.
I hadn’t lost her… not yet.
“Trevon,” I whispered, curling my arms around his waist, overcome with so much emotion that I couldn’t hold myself back from pulling him into the tightest hug I had ever given anyone. “Trevon, I have an angel. She’s real.”
“She’s beautiful, Dani.”
“Look who it is!” someone shouted. Mr. Saunders strolled down the hall toward us with his walker, the green softballs on the bottom almost as bright as an Envy’s eyes. “My favorite couple is back.”
I pulled myself away from Trevon and smiled. “It’s nice to see you, Mr. Saunders.”
When he reached us, he stopped. “I thought for a second you two had broken up. I heard Dani came by herself last time.”
“Actually, we—” I started.
Trevon curled his arms around my shoulders and tugged me into his chest. “Still going strong.” Trevon held out a hand for Saunders to shake, then Trevon grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips like Eros had done the first time I met him. What the—Trevon smiled down at me, lowering his voice. “Smile, Dani. It’s Saunders.”
I forced a smile on my face, despite the immense discomfort that I felt at that moment, because Mr. Saunders had been here for at least ten years and didn’t have much time left. After he chatted with Trevon for a few long minutes, I waved him off. “Well, it was nice seeing you again.” I dug my nails into Trevon's forearm. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, kiddos. Next time I see you… better be some babies on the way.”
My eyes widened, and I tugged Trevon out of the nursing home and into the snow. As soon as the front doors shut, I slapped him hard on the arm. “What the hell was that?”
He stared at me, brow raised, and walked to his car. “What was what?”
I stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “Why did you kiss me and lie to Saunders like that?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Why does it matter? He’s an old man. We were his favorite couple—a damn good couple. I wasn’t going to ruin the last few days he had left.” He opened the driver's side door and hopped in the car. “Besides, wouldn’t you rather be known for being with someone like me instead of… Eros?”
My brows furrowed. What had gotten into him so suddenly? Where was this coming from? I hurried into the car, brushing off the snow on my boots before slamming the car door. “What are you talking about? Why are you so jealous?”
“I’m not jealous,” he said, backing out of the parking spot, his voice dripping with envy.
“Yes, you are.”
“Fine.” He slammed on the breaks. “I am.” His brown eyes were blazing with an emotion that I hadn’t seen before. “But that’s because Eros doesn’t deserve you. I do.”
“You do?” I asked. “The man who cheated on me with Javier deserves me?”
“You know that I was under his influence.”
“Well, I was under Eros’s influence but I didn’t sleep with him. Hell, I didn’t even kiss him.”
“Don’t you see, Dani? They ruined our lives and our relationship. If it wasn’t for them, we’d still be together. We’d still be us.”
I stared at him in absolute confusion. Why was he acting this way? First, he’s jealous of the people in the nursing home. Next he made a sly comment about the older man being into me. Now he wanted me again?
“We would’ve broken up anyway, Trevon,” I whispered, staring out of the windshield. The words had left my mouth, but I didn’t know if I believed them. If Eros hadn’t corrupted my mind, I probably would still be with Trevon because I loved him. But now I loved him as a friend. We could never be anything more than just friends, even if it was demons who had driven us apart.
Chapter 17
After Trevon parked his car in the garage under his bar, I gave him an awkward goodbye smile—still reeling from earlier—and hurried down the sidewalk toward the exit. “You’re not gonna to stay for a drink?” Trevon shouted after me.
I turned around and shook my head. “I have to go see Eros.”
“Just one, Dani.” Trevon leaned against his car, voice tense. “It won’t hurt.”
“I have to go,” I said, staring from Trevon to the exit of the garage and watching the snow drift down from the white sky. “I’ll see you soon. Thanks for coming with me.” And, with that, I zippered my coat and walked into the slush.
What the hell had gotten into him? Was he trying to get me drunk so I’d admit my deepest, darkest desires to him? If he was… boy he had another thing coming. All my desires were filled with lust-filled nights at the Lounge and a cute waitress in a little black dress and Lucifer with that sinister smirk and wrath.
Javier flashed into the back of my mind, and I took a deep breath. His maroon eyes were burned into my memory, haunting me every chance they got. I thought my angel would stop them, but here they were again.
I gazed down at my feet, frowning at my wet and soggy boots. Maybe if I pestered her enough, Dr. U would give me some meds. I’d do anything to stop this before it got worse. And if Dr. U couldn’t help me, maybe someone in Hell could. Lucifer’s kingdom had healers, talented healers.
Someone stood in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking my way. I glanced up, my eyes widening for a moment. Standing with her hands on her hips and dressed in the ugliest navy rip-off Ralph Lauren jacket, Samantha glared at me. Her green eyes narrowed in pure envy.
“What do you want, Samantha?”
She clenched her jaw and stepped toward me. “Stop hanging out with Trevon. He’s mine.”
“Well… he doesn’t act like he’s yours.” I clenched my hands into fists. “He asked me to get a drink with him earlier,” I said, watching her get even angrier. “Even told me he wanted to get back together.”
A growl clawed its way out of her throat. She stepped toward me again, poking a finger into my chest. “You touch him again, and I’ll make your life a living hell.”
I raised a brow at her, trying to suppress my smirk. If Samantha only knew that I lived in Hell… and that it wasn’t that bad there. With the Garden of Passion, Fervor Crisps for days, Eros, and—
Her fingers curled around my jacket, and she pulled me closer. “Don’t you smile. Stay the fuck away from him.”
I clenched my jaw and pushed her away. “You don’t order me around, Samantha. I do as I please.” Rage bubbled in my stomach at her audacity. “Don’t you—for a second—even think about fucking with his head either. Trevon deserves so much more than you.” I stepped closer to her. “If you fuck with him, I promise you to make your life hell.”
All she did was fuck with people. She wouldn’t change. She’d drag Trevon down, hurt him more, make him hate himself.
“We need to stop her,” Javier said. “Kill her. Slaughter her. Drink her blood.”
She dug her nails into my wrists and broke my skin. My gaze refocused on her, my eyes even widening. My hands were around her throat, and I was squeezing tighter than I had squeezed Javier’s neck. Samantha’s cheeks flushed, her eyes watery. I let go of her and backed up slowly.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
I could hear Javier’s chuckle in the back of my mind, and I tensed.
Samantha huffed. “Fucking wrathful bitch,” she said under her breath. Then she stormed away from me, her brown hair bouncing on her shoulders and her baby blue knock-off purse hanging off her forearm.
“Oh, my god,” I said under my breath. My hands trembled as I texted Dr. U a swift: Meet me at Ollie’s tomorrow morning. I need your help. Then I shoved my phone back into my pocket and headed straight for the portal.
God, whatever was happening to me was far stronger than I thought it was. How did I lose control? How was Javier taking over my b
ody? I swallowed hard… If Dr. U couldn’t do anything for me, I would have to go to Eros about this.
My mind was buzzing with a hundred different thoughts when I turned down the alleyway toward the entrance to The Lounge. I slammed right into someone’s back and glared up at whoever it was. “Watch it,” I seethed, feeling so much rage.
The Wrath that I had bumped into in Chastion turned toward me, his eyes flashing red. Jagged teeth, a rugged exterior, a scar running down the side of his face, he growled, wrapped his hand around my throat, and shoved me against the side of the building.
Every moment that passed, he tightened his grasp. But all I could think about was that I had let these hallucinations get bad. Really bad. I blamed this asshole for me bumping into him.
“You really don’t know who I am, do you?” he asked, staring down at me. Each word was thick with venom, and the fire in his eyes reminded me of the flames from Wrath that licked my toes in my dream. The lava. The decay. The ash.
A growl clawed its way out of my throat, and I shoved him away. No, I didn’t know who this man was and at the damn moment I didn’t care. I pressed my lips together and walked deeper into the alley where the goons always hung out. When they saw me, they nodded their heads and started creating a portal from Earth to Hell.
“Such a shame.” He stormed after me, snatching one of my wrists in one hand and the other with his barbed tail. “You don’t recognize an old friend.” He grabbed my chin in his free hand, brushing his thumb harshly against my lower lip. “I could’ve done so much to you, if I wanted.”
My heart pounded against my chest. I didn’t know what he was saying. Hell, I didn’t understand it. All I wanted was to sink into my bed sheets with Eros when I got home, try to forget about everything that happened today, and see Dr. U tomorrow.
I didn’t know if I was sad about Trevon, angry at Samantha, or fucking scared that I was turning into a monster who couldn’t control her innate urges to suck someone’s soul.
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