Page 34 of Love At the Gates of Hell (The Seven Sinners Trilogy #1)

There was a sickening crack as Gideon slammed his fist into Christian’s face.

His head snapped back, the chair shifting with the weight of him and Benny wasn’t sure he wasn’t going to topple over.

But he managed to stay put, his tongue running over the new split in his lip, his nose now looking incredibly broken.

Benny didn’t have it in her to stop him this time.

“Boyfriend,” Christian said as he spit out blood.

Gideon flexed his fist, and Benny could tell he was itching to hit him again.

“When can we kill him?” Gideon said, sparing her a glance.

Christian smirked. “You know, death isn’t what it used to be.”

He flexed his hands against the arms of the chair, the zip ties cutting into his skin and he didn’t so much as wince as the blood began to pool on his forearms. Benny bit back a gasp as they snapped, her head tilting in a sort of morbid fascination at what was happening.

Suddenly the ones around his ankles snapped too.

Gideon moved quickly, placing his body in between Christian and Benny, his arm wrapped around her waist. His other hand held his gun, pointed squarely at the other man’s chest. But Benny was too fascinated by what just happened to move behind him.

Was this the gift Christian had been given for selling out Benny? Was he human, still?

Was he ever?

“Is it strength?” she asked. “Or not feeling pain?”

“Oh, Benedetta, I like the pain,” Christian said as he stood, the audacity of him to take a casual stretch after all of this. “Something you never gave me while we were together.”

His eyes started to glow, the blue turning into a bright and blinding gold.

“What the fuck,” Gideon muttered, pulling back the safety. “Benny, stay back.”

“Oh, come here, little witch,” Christian said, his voice growing deeper as he took a step closer toward them. “Show me why you’re so special.”

He lifted his arm to reach for her as his wrist cracked, each finger twisting and mutating as if they were breaking and reforming in rapid succession.

Long claws began to tear through his fingertips, his flesh peeling back in ribbons.

Benny’s curiosity morphed quickly into fear, and she could feel Gideon’s grip on her tighten as they both staggered back.

But Christian’s pace only quickened as his body seemed to transform in a horrifying cacophony of sounds.

Snap. Click. Snap. Click.

And then, in a flash, he was lunging at them both with a chilling growl.

Gideon didn’t hesitate to shoot.

The sound was so loud, it echoed off of the bare walls.

Christian’s body lurched back at the impact, his gaze dragging to the bullet wound in the center of his chest, watching as what was left of his shirt darkened with fresh blood.

He touched his fingers to the wound, a wicked smile creeping into his new features.

His eyes felt rounder, his cheekbones sharper, his skin paling to an almost transparent hue.

Even his hair, usually a sandy blond, was pitch white.

Like all of the color and life was draining from his body.

His human life.

“I can’t wait to take a piece out of you, Benedetta,” he growled.

“Jesus, Ben, I thought this guy was human.”

“ I thought he was, too ,” she grit out.

The door to the room slammed open as Christian lunged again.

“What the fuck—”

Her father burst into the room with Jimmy on his heels, their faces a mirror of shock.

But Angelo’s words of surprise were cut short as Gideon pushed Benny out of Christian’s way, forcing her back just as Christian collided with him, throwing them both to the ground with a loud thud.

She stumbled over her feet, her body all but falling into her father’s as he rushed for her.

She gripped at the sleeve of his shirt as she righted herself.

“Jimmy, shoot—” he instructed.

“Don’t,” Benny urged. “It won’t work!”

And his body was so entangled with Gideon’s, it didn’t matter how good a shot he was.

The two of them wrestled for the upper hand, Gideon managing a rough right hook before Christian flipped them over, his claws dangerously close to tearing through Gideon’s jacket as he slammed him into the floor.

“ No —” she cried, the light hanging from the ceiling flickering as Benny threw herself from her father’s grip, hands tingling with her magic.

Christian looked up, his gold eyes gleaming, amused at her outburst.

She hadn’t managed so much as a spark in the last few days with Gideon, the explosive power she felt at the docks, the burning heat she attacked Mack with— it had been a struggle. But now, Benny felt her whole body tingling with an energy that felt unfamiliar. A power she was itching to use.

Was this it?

Christian seemed to have a similar question.

“What will you do, Benedetta?” he asked as he left Gideon on the floor, his body rising to his full height now, his clothing in tatters from where his limbs grew, his skin sallow. “Will you give us a little light show? Give me a fever? You don’t have it in you. You hardly know your real power—”

He was goading her.

And it was working.

Because she could feel the heat start to work its way through her veins, her skin growing hot to the touch.

Her heartbeat began to thud in double time as the light emitting from her hands grew brighter, enough for Gideon to lift his hand to shield his eyes as he got to his feet.

She had thought it was rage. Or pain. Or fear. But it was more than that.

It was Gideon, charging toward a demon to protect her.

It was Benny, doing everything she could to protect him in return.

The room filled with a spectacular light, every ounce of her power striking Christian’s heart, like a jolt of lightning as it scattered across his chest. She was struggling to maintain her breath, her hair beginning to stick to her skin as she fed into the magic.

The bulb in the light fixture sparked and then shattered.

Gideon tugged her backwards to avoid the fallout.

A mighty roar filled the room as it went dark, the only light coming from the open door behind them.

“Fuck,” Gideon muttered. “Benny—hey, you okay?”

She blinked.

Had she blacked out?

All she could see was Gideon holding her face in his hands, blood splattered all over him, his eyes a mixture of pride and worry and something else she didn’t have the energy to name.

He was studying her, making sure she was alright, his hands smoothing back her hair, his thumb grazing against her cheek.

She couldn’t help but lean into it, to lean into him, his body solid and strong against hers.

“Did I do it?” she asked, trying to slow her breathing.

“You did it,” he said.

“Wow, you sure love blowing shit up” came Luke’s voice.

They both turned their attention to the open door, the rest of the men hovering in the doorway, the looks on their faces as if they had just seen something absolutely insane happen.

Except for Luke, who seemed more amused than anything else.

Gideon’s hands dropped from her face and she couldn’t help but feel all the more empty for it.

“What the fuck just happened?” Angelo asked.