Page 12 of Sin: The Mate Games (Apocalypse #1)

Chapter

Twelve

MERRI

“ T his place is romance novel enormous,” I muttered as I roamed the hallways of the penthouse. Any minute now, I expected to run into the broody billionaire who owned it.

I hadn’t been able to settle my mind or my body all evening, no matter what I tried. Exercise, meditation, reading, counting sheep, binging trashy reality shows, nothing worked for me tonight. So, exploration it was. It was coming up on one week since my little staycation began, and I still hadn’t seen the entirety of this place. Or its owner.

It was well past time to change that.

A glance at the clock had me hesitating, but only for a second. It might be after midnight, but these men weren’t exactly human. It wasn’t like I’d interrupt precious sleep they needed for survival. They were immortals. Sleep was an indulgence. A habit. Not a necessity. Right? Besides, they said I wasn’t a prisoner, that I was free to move around the apartment.

So why did I feel like I was mid-burgle as I tippy-toed my way to the elevator? I’d limited myself to the main and second floors thus far, but I had my sights set on the elusive third floor tonight. What skeletons would I discover? Dead exes like that Bluebeard guy? Some monstrous but totally hunky beast in ripped trousers? A hidden wife who’d gone mad? My money was on the last one, and my heart raced as the elevator ascended.

I winced when a ding announced my arrival, my pulse ratcheting up another notch at the fear of discovery before I was even able to snoop. I’d get in trouble. I was sure of it. Punished for my sneaky ways.

Hmm. That could work to my advantage if whoever found me enjoyed doling out discipline. I could feed.

I held my breath as the door soundlessly slid open.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed when no stern brunch daddy was waiting for me on the other side. Nor psychotic wife or Tor-like beast.

Le sigh.

Some other bitches got all the fun.

Where was my fun? I deserved fun.

Instead I killed anyone who tried to give that to me.

Again, le sigh.

Having a proper pity party now, I crept out of the elevator and took in the expensive but understated furnishings. Every wall was floor-to-ceiling glass, offering unimpeded views of the city lights.

“Wow,” I breathed, walking forward on instinct, my feet sinking into plush carpet so soft I was surely leaving footprints. I noted the grand leather sectional that seemed to dominate this den—living room didn’t seem like the right word for the space. The cushions were so deep they could fit at least two of me comfortably.

“You and I totally have a date later,” I whispered, giving the sofa a little finger gun before starting toward what looked like it could be an epic rooftop balcony. Before I made it more than a couple of steps, the whisper of two voices met my ears.

I dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Fuck.

I wasn’t so good at the sleuthing thing. I think I was much more of a Scooby than a Velma. Or maybe I was more Bumblebee. You know from that one movie where the giant robot car guy tried to hide himself behind a tiny boulder? That was me right now with this ottoman.

“This can’t happen again,” a smooth, deep British voice said, the timbre skating over my skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“It won’t. I’ve reinforced the firewalls on every one of your servers. I also hacked into the cyber-pirate’s accounts and returned every cent they stole from you, and a little off the top for me. Their systems will be fried the moment they attempt to access any of their banks.” That was a voice I knew much better. Malice.

That must mean the other smooth-as-butter Brit must be the infamous Grim. Why did that excite me so?

Rising to my feet, I padded closer to the sound of their voices, most definitely eavesdropping with zero shame.

“Good. We can’t afford any distractions right now. Not even some petulant wankers who think they can steal from me.”

“Are we sure they’re not working for someone else?” Malice drawled.

“You think they might be his minions?”

There was a slight pause where I could only make out the rustle of clothes and the sound of fingers moving quickly over a keyboard. Then Malice sighed. “I think it would be foolish of us not to consider the possibility. He is a problem we have to solve.”

“He? He who?” I blurted, stepping through the open doorway and crossing my arms over my ample chest.

I had the briefest of moments to take in the surroundings. A dark and moody office, walls of books, another of windows just like in the den, and more importantly, a stunner of a silver fox standing there, only adding to the view. Malice was seated at the desk, half-hidden by the sleek computer monitor.

“How did you get up here?” the man, who could only be Grim, snarled. His silver hair was artfully tousled, the thick locks holding just a hint of curl. His face was beautifully sculpted, the sharp angles of his cheeks matched by his bearded jaw. And then there were those eyes. Whew. A dangerous liquid silver, framed by ridiculously long black lashes.

“I scaled the windows, obviously,” I said with a roll of my eyes, annoyed with myself for drinking him in like a fine wine while he was being an absolute prick.

A snorted laugh came from Malice, but he didn’t say anything.

Grim narrowed his eyes at me, his jaw setting in a harsh line.

“Uh, the elevator. No one said this floor was off-limits.”

“Well, it is.”

I raised both of my brows, meeting him glare for glare. I grew up with Lilith Duvall. I was not easily intimidated by silent dick-measuring contests.

“Seems to me like you need to bust out your label maker, then. A sign or something would really help if you want privacy up here.”

He took two steps forward, his aura heavy with the power that came along with his title.

“Stay out of my rooms, little girl. For your own safety.”

“Damn, you are a grump. I was right. Snow White at least had different personalities to go by with her seven roommates. I got stuck with the grump brigade.” I glanced from him to Malice. “Is it just a Brit thing? Bred to be annoyed all the time? Well, that’s not right because Chaos is”—the word Greek god came to mind, but I wasn’t about to compliment any of these assholes—“in a pretty bad mood most of the time too.”

“You need to leave, Meredith,” Grim said through gritted teeth.

“Oooh, Meredith, huh? Sounds like I’m in trouble. Too bad you don’t know my middle name. You could have really driven the point home, Daddy .” I drew the name out, really laying on the saccharine sweetness.

Did his palm just flex?

Heat suffused my cheeks. I think it fucking did. Well, looks like we found our brat tamer. Honestly? I loved getting to play the brat and didn’t get to do it enough.

“Malice, get her out of here.”

I locked gazes with Grim, my body reacting to the molten pewter of his irises. Oh, sweet agony, this one was just as hot as the others. My lower belly gave a warning clench as arousal sang in my veins.

Dammit, I couldn’t be hungry again.

Power flared in Grim’s eyes, making them glow in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Then, I swear the shadows cast by the light on his tall frame darkened, spreading impossibly.

“Right, let's get this naughty little succubus tucked into bed before she ends up six feet under,” Malice grumbled, heaving himself out of his chair. “I swear, you’re more trouble than you’re worth,” he continued under his breath as he approached.

I could feel the weight of Grim’s gaze tracking my every move as Malice not-so-gently took me by the arm and hauled me out of the office.

The second we were clear of him, it felt like an entire house fell off my chest. “Wow. So that was Grim, huh? I see why you guys keep him hidden.”

Malice chose not to answer my question. Instead he gave me a gentle shove toward the elevator and asked one of his own, “Do you have a death wish?”

“He’s not going to kill me.”

“Don’t be so sure. He has claimed countless lives. Yours isn’t special.”

“That makes no sense. You four are protecting me,” I said, using air quotes to accentuate my point. “Why would he agree to guard me if he’s just going to kill me?”

“Maybe because being around you has the rather unpleasant side effect of making one murderous.”

“Please,” I said with a huff as we stepped inside. “You’re barely around me long enough for that to possibly be true.” I ran my gaze down Malice’s body, pausing on the obvious bulge behind his fly. “Besides, I don’t think murderous is the word you're looking for.”

It was his turn to make a sound of amused annoyance. “Don’t think you’ve accomplished anything, hellcat. You’re a succubus. This is just an involuntary reaction to being in your presence.”

Did I have a whole involuntary reaction of my own to the nickname he just gave me? Yes. Yes, I certainly did.

“Hiss,” I teased, making like I was going to scratch him.

He caught my wrist, his expression stormy as he leaned in close. “You don’t want to pick a fight with me, I promise you.”

If I’d been in my right mind, I might have thought twice about poking at one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. But I was bored, starved for companionship, and insanely horny—I mean hungry. So can you really blame me?

“Oh, I dunno. Seems like it might be fun.”

“It won’t be. I’m far more than a girl like you could ever handle.”

The elevator door opened and he ushered me out of the car, down the hall, and to my room without another word. As soon as we reached my doorway, he released me but didn’t step back.

“Go to sleep, Merri,” he growled.

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Why?”

He closed the distance between us until we were nearly nose to nose. “Because you don’t have a choice.”

Then, with a brush of his lips over my forehead, a wave of fatigue hit me so hard my knees buckled.

I had the brief sensation of weightlessness as I was carried to my bed, and then nothing but darkness followed in its wake.

The warm pulse of lust permeated the air as I stepped out of my room and into the familiar halls of Iniquity. It was so good to be back. This was my home—or had been for the last few years. My safe place. Auntie Lilith took care to make sure I had what I needed and loved me in her own way. She was the closest thing I had to a mother.

I moved through the club, noting the writhing bodies on the dance floor, their faces all cast in shadow. Red lights moved over them, painting them in a warm, sensual glow. I kept walking, not sure yet where I was heading, but knowing whatever I needed wasn’t waiting for me out there.

A tugging sensation began in my middle, like someone had a rope tied to me and was reining me in. Pulling me to them. But who was it? Anticipation bloomed deep in my belly at the thrill of not knowing, and the feeling only grew as I was led to the bottom floor.

Lilith never allowed me down here. Too dangerous.

Not for me, of course. But for all the couples hidden in the secret alcoves acting out their most depraved fantasies. For them, it was a haven. For me, it would be a hunting ground.

A fleeting thought that I wasn’t hungry for once came to the surface, then was gone as quickly as it had arrived. I moved past all the shadow figures, letting their energy wash over me, careful not to sip any of it. I wasn’t here for them.

I didn’t know where the certainty came from. Only that it was true.

I continued past the main room, down a long hall flanked on either side by a row of closed doors. My pace was steady, focused, and confident. I knew none of these doors would take me where I was supposed to end up. The truth of it sat in my bones, growing stronger with each step until my breath caught and the door to my right swung open, the energy within beckoning me over the threshold.

A thrill danced down my spine as I stood, transfixed, beside the open door. I couldn’t make out what awaited me inside, but it was like my body already knew. My pulse quickened. My thighs clenched. My lower belly warmed with liquid desire.

I’d only ever heard of Lilith’s special rooms, but what I knew made this even more thrilling. Her magic gave the occupant of this small nondescript box carte blanche and transformed it into their ultimate fantasy or their heart’s greatest desire.

As I finally stepped into the room, I learned what that was for me. Freedom.

Everywhere I looked, glittering white sand and turquoise water met the eye. A bit in the distance, I could make out a short pier with a hut on the end. Paradise.

The sun was low in the sky, but the air was still warm as it washed over my mostly naked skin. A quick glance down showed that I was now in a black string bikini with a sarong knotted around my waist. Closing my eyes, I lifted my face toward the sky and let the peaceful environment sink in.

“Can I just stay here forever?” I whispered as I returned my gaze to the crystal-blue water and began a slow stroll down the beach.

Curious about the door, I peeked over my shoulder, finding only more white sandy beach stretching indefinitely behind me. I wasn’t worried about the disappearing door or that I was, for all intents and purposes, stranded in some deserted tropical paradise. Nothing here would harm me. This was a gift from Lilith’s magic room. All I would find here was happiness.

The warm grains of sand tickled my feet as I walked along the beach, letting water lap at my toes now and then on my way to the pier. I wanted to see what was in the structure. What I’d assumed to be a hut seemed much larger now, and it reminded me of pictures of a resort I’d seen in Bora Bora. Rooms over the water, private, beautiful, and romantic.

That had to be for me. This was my ultimate heart’s desire, after all.

Letting out a little squeal of pleasure, I began running toward the dock. I had a soaking tub with my name on it waiting. The sound of splashing water brought me up short when I was within touching distance of the wood.

My breath caught as a figure of pure perfection walked out of the waves. Whether he was my fantasy man brought to life, dreams made flesh, or just my subconscious pulling from years of reading romance novels, I didn’t care. He was giving merman meets Baywatch as he ran his hand through his wet hair, drops of water glinting in the fading sun as they dragged down his gloriously sculpted body.

My mouth ran dry as my gaze followed one of those droplets through the chiseled line between his abs and further until it met the trail of golden hair that led to his dangerously low-slung swim... What were those? Not trunks. Not a Speedo. We’ll call them shorts. Skintight swim shorts.

I was incapable of speech—and grateful for it, certain I’d have embarrassed myself—when a whimper left me.

Gray-blue eyes snapped open and locked on me. Instead of surprise, or annoyance, an intrigued smile curled those full, fuckable lips.

“Hand me that towel, would you, love?” he murmured, gesturing with a nod of his head to the white towel on the sand at my feet.

I scooped it up and took a few steps closer as he exited the water fully, all six-foot-two of him. His fingers brushed mine as he took the scrap of fabric from me, and I couldn’t help but stare into his eyes, the sun setting behind him casting his form in a golden glow. Mesmerizing. Beautiful. Captivating. Angelic. Any of the above fit him to a T.

“Cat got your tongue?” he teased when I still hadn’t said anything.

“H-hi,” I stuttered, having been rendered absolutely stupid by his presence.

“Ah, so she’s a shy beauty. Noted. I’ll have my work cut out for me if I’m going to get you to come out of your shell.”

“I hear treats work.”

I could have kicked myself for my blurted words. But any embarrassment was soon forgotten as he took me under his spell once more.

“And what is your favorite treat, pet?”

The way he smirked at me sent a very different kind of hunger through me.

“Right now, you.”

I couldn’t believe that escaped my mouth, but then I remembered this guy wasn’t real. He was my fantasy. It didn’t matter what I said or did, he was going to eat it up.

And then, hopefully, he’d eat me up.

His eyes narrowed, his smile quizzical as he studied me. “You’re thinking something naughty.”

“Am not.”

“Are too. And I should warn you, it’s rude not to share your secrets with your friends.”

“Well, you’re certainly feeling sure of yourself. Stranger to friend in mere seconds.”

He winked, and my insides went molten. “I’m not a stranger. Not anymore.”

I fucking tittered when he took my hand in his and brought his lips to my knuckles. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Luc.” He said it with a slight French affectation, but his accent was British.

Interesting shit my brain came up with.

“Nice to meet you, Luc. I’m Merri.”

“Like the virgin, how appropriate.”

I blushed to the tips of my toes. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

“I’m not that innocent, I’m afraid.”

“By all accounts, neither was she,” he said with a chuckle.

He threaded our fingers and tugged me gently down the beach, the two of us strolling in the perpetually setting sunlight. Fantasies were fun. I’d spend all my time here if I could.

“What has your brow furrowing like that, my sweet, not so innocent Merri?”

I sighed. “I was just thinking I’d like nothing more than to never leave this beach.”

“You don’t like the rest of your life?”

“Not currently. This is beautiful, warm, peaceful. When I leave, I have to go back to dreary, cold, oppressive, and then there’s... them.”

It felt good to unburden myself to another person. Even if he was a fictional dream man.

“Them?” He cocked a brow as he pounced on the word.

I snorted. “My prison guards.”

He stopped walking and turned me to face him. “Do you need me to arrange a prison break? Exactly how many of them are there? You know, so I can plan.”

A wan smile spread across my lips and I opened my mouth to tell him how much I wished he was real so it would be possible for him to rescue me. Instead, he and the paradise beach vanished, leaving me sitting up in the darkness of my room at the penthouse prison.

“Sonofabitch,” I hissed under my breath, smacking the little lamp beside my bed to turn it on. “Cockblocked by my own brain.”

My eyes fell to the cover of the book I’d been working through, now illuminated by a pool of golden light. I picked it up, chuckling at the image featuring a hot blond surfer on a very familiar beach.

“Well, I guess that answers that question.”

Flopping back onto my pillows, I sighed and tried to go back to sleep, hoping to conjure up a vision of Luc once more. As much as I’d loved lusting over his body, it was actually the conversation I wanted more of. I’d gotten used to being alone, my interactions with others mostly conducted through a computer screen. At least they had been until Blackwood. I hadn’t even realized how much I missed that daily dose of socialization until I’d gotten stuck here and it was withheld from me once more.

I craved it, even if my safety required this level of isolation. Lilith would never have arranged this for me if it wasn’t necessary, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t suffering from debilitating loneliness. I’d seen the possibility of a full life with friends and love and everything in between. Then it was snatched away from me.

I wriggled on my pillow, attempting to get comfortable as I let out another sigh. Looked like my dream lover and I had a lot of time to kill. Especially if the grumps holding me hostage got their way and kept me indefinitely.

What they didn’t know wouldn't hurt them.

Right?