Page 28 of The Devil and His Goddess (Sinners Do It Better #2)

Perseus

THE STRUMMING OF GUITAR STRINGS quieted as I finished playing another one of Sinners Do It Better’s songs. I was bored and growing restless as I checked the time on my phone. It was half past ten on a Monday. Harper typically turned in for the night at ten so that she was well-rested for the next day, yet she still hadn’t reached out via phone or by calling my name.

In fact, she hadn’t reached out at all since she told me she got home safely. I didn’t usually jump to worry, but unease prickled at my insides like a dozen needles. Aiysha was home, so I was fairly sure that nothing had happened.

Still, my instincts told me to check in, and I wasn’t one to ignore those feelings.

Setting my guitar down, I stood and stepped through shadows. In the next instant, I stood on the moonlit lawn outside of Harper’s. Every window was dark, save for a sliver of light that came through the closed blinds of the dance studio.

I smiled to myself. My goddess must’ve been busy training this entire time. She and Aiysha liked to dance together for old times sake when they had time, and when she got invested in dance, most things went forgotten. Her entire world would zero in on her beloved art. It was one of the things I lov—

“Woah!” I snapped at myself, cutting off the thought. Frowning, I smacked my forehead and grumbled, “What are you thinking? Dumbass.”

Annoyed by my own line of thinking and satisfied that she’d just gotten caught up dancing, I went to leave but stopped midstep. Only Harper’s car was in the driveway. I knew Aiysha was leaving at some point tonight to go to her soon-to-be boyfriend’s place, but Harper hadn’t called to say she’d left yet.

My gut churned with worry, but I quickly took a breath and pulled out my phone. “Calm down, calm down. Aiysha probably just left and Harper’s about to call.”

Eager to confirm the idea was true, I dialed Harper’s number and watched the mostly dark house. My heart was in my throat as the ringing in my ear sounded more like a ticking time-bomb.

Pick up. Pick up. Pick—

“I’m sorry. The person you have dialed is unavailable. Please try your call again later.”

My stomach bottomed out. I didn’t care if there was a reasonable explanation for why only Harper’s car was here or why she wasn’t answering. All I cared about was making sure she was okay.

Stepping through shadows once again, I appeared in the foyer of the house. The faint soundtrack of Swan Lake came from the ballet studio. I started in that direction, but when I rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the room, a vile stench filled my nose, nearly making me double over and vomit.

I quickly covered my mouth and nose with my hand and steadied myself against the wall with the other. It took many attempts to catch my breath through the sour scent.

Only as I recovered from the sudden shock of the odor did realization smack into me with the weight of a meteor barreling into earth. This smell was one I’d scented before, one that would be oblivious to the human nose, and it was much, much stronger this time.

My eyes widened and locked on the closed door at the end of the hall. The air in my lungs froze, and my heart stopped in my chest. Time stood still.

Then, all at once, I was running .

I barrelled down the hall and crashed through the door. The foul stench hit me like a gust of wind as the sweet melody of Swan Lake filled my ears. It was such an unsettling combination, one that quickly became forgotten as my eyes landed on the floor at the side of the room.

Harper’s pale body was stretched out on her stomach with her bare arms above her like she’d been trying to crawl. Her dance tights were tangled around one ankle while her other leg was bent and pushed open. Her unconscious face, glistening with tears, was pressed into the floor, facing her hand, which clung tightly to a pink leotard. Blood and cum gathered between her spread legs, and already, bruises in the shape of fingers marred the backs of her legs and inner thighs.

The world rocked and shattered around me. Everything inside of me spiraled. I let out a hard breath and stumbled to her side, collapsing on the ground.

“Harper!” I yelled.

I looked over her naked body in a panic. Gritting my teeth, I tore off my shirt and quickly rolled her over in my arms to drape my shirt over her bare, cold torso. The pink leotard never left her tightly clenched hand, even while her limp head fell into my chest. I held her tightly, and my fingers shook as I cupped her cheek.

“Harper, please. Wake up.”

She was still breathing, thank Hell. I managed to shove my panic down enough to hone in on her smell. It was covered in that horrible bastard’s stench, but I also caught a whiff of the metallic and bitter smell of a drug. I was too shaken up to pinpoint which one, but I didn’t give a damn about that right now.

Pressing my fingertips to Harper’s breast bone, I took a deep breath and absorbed the drug keeping her unconscious. My head spun slightly as the substance spread from her to me in a rush, but the human drug had no real effect on me. Even if it had, I’d take it all in a heartbeat.

The minute I cleared it from her system, Harper’s red and glassy eyes snapped open, and her face pinched in terror. She started screaming and shoving against me. “No! No, please! Don’t! Stop! No, no, no, no!”

“Harper,” I croaked, holding her closer even as she smacked wildly at me. “It’s me, Harper. It’s Perseus.”

Her breath hitched as she sucked in hard and heavy breaths. Her shaking fists pressed into my chest as she finally looked at me. Her blue eyes welled with tears. Her face crumbled in agony, and she began to wail.

My throat constricted as though someone had a rope wound tightly around it. I pulled her tighter into my arms and tucked her head beneath my chin, unable to do anything at that moment except hold her while she cried.

I didn’t need to ask what happened.

I didn’t need to ask who’d done this to her.

And as my world crumbled right there in my arms, I broke alongside her.

If only I’d killed him that first night. If only I hadn’t believed him to be a coward who was incapable of striking a second time. If only I’d fucking been here.

“Get me out of here,” Harper pleaded in a whisper as she clung to me. “I don’t want to be here.”

I didn’t hesitate. I scooped her up and stood, stepping through shadows to appear in my own bathroom at home. I set her on the edge of the marble vanity and grabbed a nearby towel to cover her shoulders and wrap around her. Her face was red and covered in tears, which showed no sign of stopping their descent as she stared at nothing.

My Harper wasn’t here.

My Harper had asked to be taken away, yet she’d remained behind in that room.

Swallowing hard, I turned and filled the large tub with warm water. The steam billowed around the room as I looked back at Harper, who hadn’t moved an inch. Silent tears continued trailing down her face. Her eyes were locked ahead, unseeing and unmoving. Even in her numb state, she gripped the pink leotard so tightly that her knuckles were as white as freshly fallen snow.

With the tub full, I turned off the water before gently picking her up once more. She didn’t resist as I set her in the tub, towel and shirt still wrapped around her naked frame. She and I had seen each other and explored each other naked countless times, yet that didn’t matter right now. I wanted to shield her body from everything while helping rid it of the disgusting man who’d just defiled it.

My blood burned with all the fires of Hell, yet I kept my shaking hands gentle while lathering a wash rag. I wanted to wash her. I wanted to wipe away the experience and memory from her flesh, but for the first time, I refused to touch her. She’d just been raped . The last thing she needed was someone touching her like that.

“Here,” I said softly, holding the soapy rag out to her.

Her teary eyes didn’t even flicker, nor did she give any sign that she’d heard me. The pain of a bloody, sharp needle wound its way through my chest, diving deeper to puncture and tear at my heart.

Forcing the lump down my throat, I reached into the water to grab Harper’s free hand. I set the wash rag in her palm, but her arm and the cloth dropped into the water like lifeless husks. The soapy water splashed onto my chest and into Harper’s face, but there wasn’t even a flicker of a reaction from her.

I clenched my fists as my human guise cracked with my rising turmoil. My black talons cut into my palms until blood pooled on the edge of the tub where my fists rested, while my fanged teeth ground hard enough for me to taste iron.

I sat back on my heels and watched my girl soak in the soapy water until the hot and humid air turned cool. She never moved. She sat there and stared at the fading bubbles with silent tears mattering her cheeks.

The water had gone cold, but she gave no sign that she noticed. Refusing to let her sit in the cold, I plucked her out and moved her back to the counter. I grabbed a fresh white towel, heating the lush fabric in my palms so that it was warm and inviting. Taking my wet shirt and towel off of her, I replaced everything with the new towel.

When I went to take the soaked leotard from her hand, I got my first reaction. She jerked away from me, squeezing the leotard tighter as her chin trembled with all new tears.

I pressed my lips tightly together to keep from letting out my own helpless cry. Instead of taking the item away, I touched part of it, drying it instantly. With a snap of my fingers, a large t-shirt and sweatpants appeared on her small frame.

There was the faintest tremble in her shoulders, and the sight made agony split my chest open. I wanted to take away whatever she was feeling and give her peace. With a quick pass of my hand over her face, I put her to sleep. Her eyes closed as her body fell forward, but she didn’t go far. Her forehead landed on the center of my chest.

I took a deep breath as I gently cupped the back of her head and held her to me. If she could just stay there forever, safe and shielded, life would be better. But what was the point now? What was the fucking point when I hadn’t been there when she needed it most?

I moved her to my bed, tucking her in the comforter. Even in her sleep, she somehow held onto that damn pink leotard, which stood out like a neon sign amid my white bedding.

I leaned down to brush a light kiss over Harper’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, Goddess. Sleep and forget as long as you can.”

I didn’t know the extent of what happened tonight. I didn’t know why she was alone, what all he’d done to her, or why I hadn’t been there to stop this from happening.

One thing I did know?

Drake was fucking dead .

I disappeared in a plume of shadows and reappeared in the dance studio at Harper’s. The minute I was alone, I threw my head back and roared, letting the heat of my hatred ignite into flames around me. My shoulders rose and fell as I let out heavy, fuming breaths. The fire crackled around my feet and tried to crawl across the room. I barely managed to think clearly enough to call the fires of Hell back to me and restore the charcoaled floor and walls with a wave of my hand.

My gaze swung to the floor where I’d found Harper. I couldn’t move. I was stuck, reliving the moment I’d walked in and found her. Naked. Crying. Desecrated.

I gritted my teeth and stalked over to where blood and semen still pooled on the ground. I nearly punched a hole through the goddamn wall when I saw it, but instead, I channeled that suffocating rage to where it needed to go.

Him.

I dropped to a knee and gathered the white, sticky substance on my fingers. Unlike other types of demons, an Incubus could only track and find someone via a sexual connection. If I’d slept with someone or tasted their sexual essence before, that person—or more specifically, their soul —would forever be available on my radar.

I closed my eyes and brought my fingers to my lips. Bile tried climbing my throat, absolutely rebelling against the idea of staining any part of myself with that fucker’s essence. But I ignored the reaction. My momentary displeasure was nothing in comparison to the need to murder Harper’s rapist.

I quickly swiped the gunk over my tongue. Hot week-old trash polluted my mouth and funneled through my stomach. Even with all my years of tasting different essences, Drake’s had me doubling over to gag. I’d never come across a taste so foul, yet I breathed through the revulsion soaking my stomach, throat, and mouth.

I absorbed his essence, and his soul suddenly became visible like a blip lighting up on a map. With a snarl, I stepped through shadows and found myself appearing in a rundown motel room. I hadn’t stepped out of my hidden world, yet, first confirming if Drake was alone.

And he was.

The fucker was in nothing but tight briefs that were once white but now stained in various shades of yellow and brown. He sat in the middle of the orange and beige bedding, smiling wide at some fabric he held in his dirty hands. The smile stretched wider as he brought the black fabric up to his nose. I didn’t even need to inhale or get closer to know what he clutched was a pair of Harper’s underwear.

Fury ignited my insides like a match catching gasoline. I raced out of the shadows I hid in, appearing at his side before he registered someone was there. I snagged him by the throat and let my claws dig into the skin of his neck. He screamed, but the sound became muffled as shadows wrapped around us. When the darkness cleared, we stood in a cool stone basement.

Drake dangled off the ground as I continued to clutch him firmly by the throat, gaze level with mine. His brown eyes widened, and a gurgle funneled out of his mouth as he futilely fought against my deadly hold. The abrupt smell of urine saturated the space between us. I didn’t need to look to know the bastard had pissed himself.

“I thought I sensed you,” Dante called out from the top of the stairs behind me. He flicked the light on, casting shadows over the shelves of wine bottles and trinkets filling the basement.

Dante’s footsteps padded down the stairs. “Why the Hell are you in my cellar?” He stopped at the foot of the stairs before letting out a deep sigh. “And why do you have some human pissing all over my floor?”

I bared my fangs at Drake with a low growl emanating deep from within me. I slung the human across the room, his bare torso smacking into the wall opposite me. He yelped before crumbling in a heap on the floor, out cold. Unlike the last time we found ourselves in this position, there was only one exit, which Dante and I blocked.

He’d never leave this basement. He’d never get near Harper again. He would suffer, and—

“Perseus,” Dante called beside me.

His firm yet concerned tone had me momentarily snapping out of my rage-fueled thoughts. My eyes stayed locked on Drake, even as I took my first real breath since finding Harper earlier. Yet the inhale felt like shards of glass cutting up my throat. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to exist, knowing what he’d done.

I gritted my teeth, eyes burning as they seared into the unconscious human. I curled my clawed fingers into fists and welcomed the searing pain as the talons dug into my palms. It was better than feeling the other shit swarming my chest.

“Perseus,” Dante repeated louder.

How fucking dare he hurt her. I’d make his existence miserable. I’d make him regret ever fucking breathing , let alone coming near Harper. No punishment would be good enough. No amount of pain would ever equal what he deserved. No—

“Perseus!”

The sound of Xander’s voice tore into my mind just as a hand gripped my shoulder and forced me to turn. I came face to face with a pair of distressed black eyes. Xander swallowed hard and shook me slightly. “Pers?”

I blinked a couple of times and looked over his shoulder to see Dante and Zagan right behind him, staring at me. Working to formulate words, I looked at Dante. “Did you call them over?”

“Fuck, yes,” Dante snapped. His brow furrowed, and a frown pulled at his mouth. His dark gaze searched me up and down, as though the answer to my behaviour were on my person. “I couldn’t get you to say anything. You were freaking me the fuck out.”

“Sorry,” I rasped, the mere word straining my voice. “Your place was the only one I could think of in the moment.”

There was no way I was bringing the fucking prick back to my house. He’d never exist in the same space as Harper again. Xander lived in a penthouse of a highrise, so there was nowhere to hide someone. Zagan’s place was secluded, but Iyla lived there, too. I didn’t want to bring a rapist around her. Dante’s large home with its basement was the only option in my hate-clouded mind.

“What’s going on, man?” Dante looked sideways at the human I’d brought with me before meeting my stare again. “Who is that, and why’d you bring him here?”

My jaw worked as I tried to find the words. Xander’s hand squeezed my shoulder like he was trying to imbue me with the strength to speak.

Zagan’s narrowed gaze locked on the unconscious human. “He smells.”

My lips peeled back in a sneer, knowing Zagan wasn’t talking about his physical smell, but the one that only Incubi could pick up on.

“He raped Harper,” I snarled through clenched teeth.

Xander reared back in shock. Dante and Zagan’s faces contorted with anger as their eyes lost their human color to morph into the same black voids broken up by a red slit. Both horned heads snapped in Drake’s direction. The air around us thickened with acrimony, though it was no longer solely my own.

Sex was a big deal for Incubi like me, Dante, and Zagan. It wasn’t just our food source but also an act we took pride in. Sex was meant to be pleasurable, beautiful, and empowering. For our kind, people who twisted it into sick, disgusting acts were the most loathed of all humans. To us, there was no greater atrocity than rape—the denial of someone’s choice, the forcing of your pleasure on someone who didn’t want it.

“You gonna kill him?” Zagan hissed, baring his now fanged canines.

“Death isn’t good enough,” I growled as my own black-and-red eyes found the good-for-nothing on the floor. “Death is too easy of a punishment for him.”

“We can make him a soul slave like Leo,” Dante mused darkly, referring to our manager.

The man served all of us due to his raping women in life. He was unable to get any sexual satisfaction for the rest of his never-ending existence. We also purposely put him through Hell to make him extra miserable. It was what he deserved.

But that wasn’t good enough, either.

Not for the man who’d violated my human.

“No. I have a better idea,” Xander stated calmly.

His pale face was perfectly neutral as he walked over to the human, who was starting to stir. Xander’s eyes glowed as they turned gold, and his tall horns sprouted from his black hair.

The mistake of a human blearily looked up at Xander, who immediately kicked him in the face. Blood spurted from Drake’s nose, which crunched under Xander’s foot. The human flopped onto his back, growing still once more.

“What a little bitch,” Xander chuckled above the piece of shit. He cocked his head and continued, “The demon’s on a job for the big man right now, but that’s fine. That’ll give us time to play with this fucker in the meantime.”

For the first time tonight, eager satisfaction warmed my furious blood. Dark chuckles from Dante and Zagan filled the room as they also caught onto what Xander was saying.

The Mischief demon, truly one for creating terror, looked up from the unconscious body at his feet to smile wickedly at us. “We’ll give him to Coldin.”