Page 3

Chapter

Two

LUCIFER

“ I f you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself.” I stormed back into the throne room and yanked my favorite dagger free of Famine’s throat. I couldn’t fight the twitch of a smile on my lips as she gasped in pain. The Princes, it seemed, had continued my little game of target practice while I’d been gone. Such good boys.

“Th-thank you, my king,” she rasped.

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t do it for you . The only thing I require from you right now is your blood. Unless you suddenly have access to the answers I seek?” I raised a brow, making it clear I knew she was still fucking useless.

“What are y-you going to d-do?”

She was so fucking annoying. If I could kill her, I would. Bloody immortal beings.

“That’s none of your business, is it?”

Her lips parted, and tiny bubbles of blood spilled down her chin.

I booped her on the nose, gentling my voice in an imitation of a primary school teacher speaking to a naughty five-year-old. “I suggest you stick with silence right now, lest you get yourself in more hot water.” Calling over my shoulder, I added, “Pride, bring me a chalice. I don’t want to get blood on the floor.”

He glanced down at the already crimson-stained stone with confusion on his face.

“ More blood,” I corrected.

The Prince of Pride approached with a gold and jewel-encrusted goblet held at the ready. My lips twitched again as my fingers encircled the stem of the ornate chalice.

“No carpenter’s cup for me.”

Pride cocked his head, and the confusion on his face deepened. “Why would the king of hell use a cup made for a carpenter?”

“He chose poorly?” I quoted, as if that would be explanation enough.

Pride shook his head, still not getting the movie reference. “Who did?”

I sighed gustily. “You’ve been locked up for too long.”

Pride stiffened, his handsome face flickering with rage as his golden eyes narrowed. “And whose fault is that?”

“Don’t tempt me, Pride. You may have a pretty face, but I won’t hesitate to carve it off your skull and wear it like a sheet mask. Blood does wonders for the complexion, you know. Just ask Countess Báthory.”

“Is she still here?”

I barely avoided rolling my eyes. Some people had no understanding of allegory or whimsy. “I didn’t mean literally, you twat.”

“Oh.”

“For the love of me,” I muttered as I stared at him for a beat and then patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. “It’s okay, you’re pretty. At least you have that going for you. We’ll work on your social skills as soon as my apocalypse is complete.”

Famine wheezed from where she was pinned, reminding me of why I’d returned to the throne room. Her fucking daughter wasn’t coming when I called her in my dream. We couldn’t have that. My bond with her wasn’t quite strong enough yet. But it would be. I would make sure of it.

“Now, then. Wrist, groin, or throat, Sabine? You choose.”

Her eyes flared with panic before a defeated sigh escaped her lips. “Throat. It’s faster.”

“Very good.”

With a slash of my wrist, her throat opened, and blood filled the bowl of the chalice. Slower than I’d like, if I was being honest. I didn’t have all day.

“What do you need her blood for?” Pride asked.

“It’s a conduit. If Merri won’t come to me when I call her, I will open a direct path into her dreams.”

“Why didn’t you just do that before?”

The look I shot him would have turned anyone else to stone. As things stood, I was surprised Pride’s bowels didn’t turn to water at the sight of my extreme displeasure. I was not the one to disappoint.

“I’ve been building a connection with her. These things take time. Temptation is an art form. Trust is a process. Until now I’ve been luring her with breadcrumbs, but the blood is the final piece.”

Pride’s face lit up with understanding. “Oh, it’s the apple.”

“Precisely. I knew you were more than just a pretty face.”

The Prince stood a little taller and flexed his muscles. “Don’t forget my body.”

“Annnd you ruined it.”

Merri

When Lilith had first sent me to Blackwood, I’d thought it was a prison sentence. Yes, I knew I was technically only there on a recon mission and was her Trojan horse of sorts, but at the end of the day, I was going to be locked up with a bunch of criminals.

Then I discovered the joy of finally belonging. These people might be violent supernaturals, but technically, so was I. Most of the folks here hadn’t even killed anybody, though plenty of us had.

Quietly raises hand in the air.

Strangely, Blackwood was beginning to feel like a home to me. The buzz of energy from everyone, the way no one seemed to truly fear me—though there were a couple who kept their distance—the help I was getting from Dr. Masterson, all made me think perhaps there was hope for me. I mean, hell, I was sitting in the day room with twenty other creatures, and no one was dead.

I could hear Dr. Masterson’s voice in my mind as I cracked open the latest romance novel I was reading.

“You said you don’t trust yourself around people.”

“Because I kill everyone I touch.”

“Is it all people or just men?”

“Everyone.”

“Why do you think you’ll kill them, Merri?”

“I’m sure Lilith told you what happened.”

“Not all of our actions are destined to be repeated.”

I hoped she was right. She definitely had more faith in me than I did.

Plucking the bookmark from the pages it was nestled between, I started scanning the text. My lips twisted up in a salacious grin when I remembered where I’d left off.

All right, you delicious bad boy, do your absolute worst.

“This horny motherfucker is too stupid to admit how much he likes Dahlia. I swear, if I have to go through another one of his episodes with the flames and the brooding, I’m gonna bite his ankles in his sleep.”

The unexpected voice distracted me almost instantly. I looked up and glanced around, searching for the little Bichon. I seemed to be the only one who could hear him, so far as I could tell, which only made his commentary more amusing.

Asshole stood at the door, head cocked to one side as he stared pointedly at Cain, his human—or whatever he was. It was true. Cain wanted Dahlia so badly he practically vibrated with unsatisfied desire.

Those burning blue irises locked on her as though he’d heard me, and even though he wasn’t looking at me, I flicked my gaze back to my book. The temptation to feed on the unbridled lust simmering between them had me feeling lightheaded. It would be so easy, but I knew myself. I wasn’t strong enough to stop with just a taste.

As I sank into the pages of my novel, the story swept me away, and before long I was in the middle of a passionate love scene and living for every single detail.

Caspian Hook’s voice filtered faintly to my ears as he stood from the bevy of mermaids who’d been attempting to seduce him.

“No thanks. I’m a carnitarian. I don’t eat fish.”

As he passed me by, a wave of lust hit me hard. But it wasn’t coming from him alone. Dahlia’s cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen as though she’d bitten them. Cain’s eyes were laser focused on her and his jaw clenched tight enough I could see the muscle twitching.

“Uh-oh. Now seems like a perfect time for me to go work my magic on that cutie in the kitchen. So what if she’s a St. Bernard? I’ll mount her like a pro. This ain’t my first rodeo.”

I almost got up to save Asshole from himself, but my focus was pulled to the wide windows at the other end of the day room. My dream man, Luc, stood there with the most beautiful smile on his face. Honestly, everything about him was exquisite, from his golden hair down to his polished shoes. This time he was wearing black trousers and a light blue button-down—rolled up to showcase his forearms, of course. The top couple of buttons were undone, exposing just enough skin to make a girl’s mouth go dry. Because all the fluid in her body had shifted down between her legs. Obviously.

A soft sigh escaped me as the book fell from my fingers, completely forgotten as the personification of sex stalked toward me. It wasn’t until he was halfway to me that I realized everyone else in the room was frozen.

I blinked, taking in the sexual tableau around me. To my left, a group of shifters were tangled in the beginning of an orgy, while a couple on my right had already gotten straight to business. Had I done this? Probably.

“Don’t look at them, Merri. They’ll be fine. Look at me.” Luc’s warm voice sent tingles through me. “Be here with me. I’ve missed you.”

Luc reached out and took my hand, helping me rise from my seat. Something about him held me captive. Mesmerized. Enthralled. His touch only added to the feeling.

There was a flicker in the corner of my eye, and some unknown instinct had me turning to catch a better look at whatever it was. But Luc caught my chin between two fingers, tutting softly as he pulled my attention back to him.

“Eyes on me, Merri.”

I licked my lips, and his eyes dropped to track the motion. The feral heat in his gaze made me squirm.

“Wh-what are you doing here? No one is supposed to be able to find me at Blackwood.”

A slow smirk twisted his lips. “You’re mine. I’ll find you wherever you hide. We’re made for each other, my sweet succubus.”

Distantly, I realized that line was supposed to sound seductive, but something about it sent a little chill through me. I didn’t really get a chance to register why before he was taking me by the hand and towing me along after him.

The room changed before we had even breached the doorway, morphing into a bedchamber complete with candles and a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. I didn’t remember this being at Blackwood. But this was a dream. Anything was possible.

“Let me love you, Merri. Give yourself to me. Don’t hide from what we have.”

Luc’s lips pressed to the skin just under my ear as he continued to murmur sweet nothings, trails of kisses sending desire and apprehension dancing along my flesh.

“Merri.”

I stiffened as Sin’s voice ghosted through my mind.

“No. Stay with me, darling. Don’t go away.” Luc’s hands gripped my arms, and he gave me a little shake.

“Merri, I’m right here.”

Sin couldn’t be here. He wasn’t. I’d killed him.

Luc’s lips crashed down on mine, violent in a way he hadn’t ever been with me until now. Almost despite myself, desire twisted through me, his rough treatment echoing the way Sin had used my body earlier.

Unbidden, the sensation of Sin’s hand sliding around my throat and squeezing had my breath catching. I swore I could feel his lips brushing my shoulder as he filled me from behind with hard thrusts.

My nipples hardened, my eyes went unfocused, and a whimper escaped me. Luc must've thought that was for him because he palmed my breast and bit down on my shoulder.

“So responsive to me. As I knew you would be.”

“Kitten, come back to me.”

This time Sin’s voice was accompanied by a tickle along my neck and shoulder. I couldn’t quite tell if it was the soft slide of fingers or maybe a combination of light kisses and the brush of his hair.

“Sin,” I whispered.

Luc went still above me, a barely contained snarl escaping as his hold on me tightened. “What did you say?” he asked slowly.

“Come on, kitten. I’m right here. Open your eyes.”

Luc’s fingers dug into my arms hard enough to hurt. His face twisted into something ugly and furious. “No. No, he can’t have you.”

There was another phantom touch, this one growing more insistent by the second. I lifted my hands to my lips, certain without knowing why that what I was feeling was a kiss.

Sin’s kiss.

Without warning, I was yanked from my dream, the echo of Luc’s cursing fading in my ears as my eyes flew open to find Sin’s endless brown ones staring back at me.

“Welcome back, sleeping beauty.”

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. Reaching up, I cupped his face in my palm. “You’re alive,” I whispered.

He smiled, the small gesture making my heart flutter. “Told you so.”