Page 23 of Tortured Soul (Soulless #1)

Lola

I wished I could pretend it made sense. That I knew . But I didn’t. Because without my soul, I was clueless to this type of thing.

When Dimitri and I met, I still had it. I felt it instantly; that link connecting our souls together, the brightness of it and the way my world started to revolve around him.

He was the one who asked me to marry him the human way, no matter how incompatible we were on paper.

I sat in the living room of the shared house, toying with the wedding ring hanging on the delicate chain around my neck.

The girls were asleep. Aymeric and Marcus were probably working. Dimitri was still not here.

So I stayed on the couch, alone with my thoughts, my legs folded against me.

I should’ve known.

There had been signs, after all. From everyone .

Even thinking about that woman who sold me clothes on my first day. “ You must be so grateful to finally meet them! ”

Grateful? No. I was terrified.

Carter hated my guts. He would have beaten me to a pulp when I first stepped foot into the camp if Marcus hadn’t intervened.

Our relationship had barely improved since.

Arc had said that Carter had been disappointed because he thought that I was a Divine.

Now, it made sense. For an angel—fallen or not—being binded to a demon was probably one of the worst things that could happen.

To a Succubus, even worse. We were one of the only types of Immortals who could not procreate. Giving me four mates was a waste…

But I wasn’t a Succubus when Fate had played its cards.

The older I got, the dumber I felt.

On so many levels, selling my soul had been the stupidest thing to do. Not only because it appeared I was fooled by that bastard of a demon, but also because it made me lose so much of myself. That single action had affected so many people in the span of millenia.

And now, according to Carrie, I should never have lost it in the first place, and Arc and Carter were my mates and they knew .

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Carter wouldn’t have acted like he did if I didn’t.”

“But why did it make him so mad? I don’t get it.” His eyes narrowed in confusion. “I haven’t been here long, but it doesn’t seem like the cohabitation between Divines and Hellrisers is a problem here. I don’t understand why he would be mad about me being—”

“Fuck,” he mumbled, turning around to bury his face in his hands. “You don’t know. Of course, you don’t know.”

Dumb me. If I wasn’t still so shocked about all this, I’d slap myself in the face.

“What’re you doing, sulking here alone in the dark?” Marcus grumbled, pulling me out of my own mind.

He sat ungraciously next to me, handing me a bottle of beer. My fist tightened around my ring as I accepted the drink.

“Heads up, they’re pissed,” he said, taking a swig. “Arc and Carter already hate Nephilims and you’ve just invited a mad one.”

I scoffed, hiding the ring under my shirt discreetly. “Carter hates everyone, including me. His own fucking mate .”

Marcus stiffened next to me, the bottle halfway to his mouth.

“You know?”

Unbelievable .

“I didn’t until Carrie told me about him and Arc earlier. Is there anyone here who doesn’t know?”

He winced. “Not really. Arc messed up by telling Carter when he had his vision, and that dumbass couldn’t keep his mouth shut for two days straight. He was really excited about meeting you.”

I pulled my legs closer to me, pushing myself deeper into the couch.

“Finding out you were actually a demon and that you didn’t seem aware of the mating link was a huge plot twist in the gossip mill. And when Arc went to meet you only to feel the link binding him to you too? Carter got his ass handed to him.”

“Wait,” I interrupted, turning to him with a frown. “Arc didn’t know?”

Marcus shook his head. “Nope. From what I’ve heard , his first vision of you was of Carter and you being…

kind of intimate.” My eyes widened. “He had no idea that you were his mate too. He told me he felt it when he got closer to the tower you were held in, and truly understood what it was when he opened the door.”

“Why was he hostile toward me, then?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, adjusting his back on the backrest of the couch before taking another sip.

“Anyway, they’re livid . The second a guard suddenly saw you appear out of thin air next to the Nephilim and the information reached Arc…

Damn, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him use his demonic powers. It feels weird being summoned.”

Summoned? Marcus must have seen the confusion on my face and he released a long sigh.

“I’m not talking about this with you.” He shook his head. “I’ve already said too much. If you have questions, it’s best you ask him directly.”

“How do you know so much about him?” I asked, leaning forward to place my half empty bottle on the coffee table. He groaned, avoiding my gaze..

Nostalgia clouded his eyes. “I joined the camp about a decade ago,” he said. “A hunter had just killed my Archdemon and all my tied group.”

My whole body stiffened. Hunters. The handful of Immortals capable of killing demons. Last I checked, there were about ten of them roaming the earth. Two of them I had every desire to never see again, for two very different reasons.

The ring felt hot and heavy against my skin.

“I had just been transferred to that Tie,” he continued, rolling the neck of his bottle between his fingers, “so my soul was not promised to serve another after my time with him yet. By killing him, the hunter freed me. I managed to flee unharmed. At that time, I was working in Las Vegas, and the camp here already existed. I’d heard of it from other Immortals, and so it made sense for me to seek refuge here.

The Guardians welcomed me with open arms and I joined the guard on the spot. ”

He paused, eyes lost in front of him.

“There’s this party that Guardians organize once or twice every month. Everyone joins, has fun, talks, dances. The Guardians might seem unapproachable most of the time, but they do care about all of us. I might be a simple guard, but when I’m out of my uniform, they’re my friends too.”

His throat bobbed. There was obviously more to this story but he didn’t seem ready to talk to me about it.

“Anyway, I was not sent home early just to chit-chat,” he said, returning to his usual annoyed demeanor.

“Said party is tonight.” He ran a critical eye up and down my form, stopping and frowning briefly at the sight of my marked palm.

“I’m guessing you have enough energy to create yourself a dress. ”

Not a question . I must have looked in pretty bad shape before if a night just cuddling skin to skin with Arc had me literally shining.

Mate .

Right. The energy I got from my mates was more potent. Another fact that should have tipped me off .

“Is there a dress code?” I asked, slightly anxious.

“Most people will be wearing elegant clothes,” he said, standing up, picking my bottle from the table and heading to the kitchen.

“I believe there’ll be a binding ceremony too, tonight.

Not yours .” He rolled his eyes at the panic on my face.

“Go get ready. I’m guessing your Nephilim friend will meet you there after he’s done with Arc and Carter. ”

That didn’t make me feel better.

Carter was never pleasant to be around and Arc looked angry when they all left Carrie’s office. She said she could feel that Dimitri and I were mates. Did Arc and Carter feel it too? Did Dimitri feel that Arc and Carter were my mates as well?

Until now, I was certain I had only two. Who, for some reason, kind of accepted each other when they met. But the lack of my soul prevented the actual link to connect all of us. What if things went wrong?