My lips peeled back from my teeth as a shiver crawled up from my spine. He was handsome—oh so very handsome. Just one look at him and I knew that when people spoke of the tall, dark, and handsome stereotype, they were speaking of him every time. Every inch of this man was hard, toned muscle, and every other inch was tempting, ethereal beauty.
He should’ve been drawing me in like a moth to the flame. He should’ve been... if it wasn’t for every single cell in my body screaming at me. I was in the presence of a predator. My body knew it. My intuition knew it. My lizard brain knew it. If I didn’t get away from him... I’d be swallowed whole.
“What do you want?” I rasped. “What more can you possibly take away from me!”
“Why, not a thing, darling.” He cocked his head, smiling away at me. “I’m here because you sent for me.”
“What on earth are you talking about!”
“Because this is what nothing to lose looks like.” My voice down to the cadence and inflection dripped from his lips, shooting my brows up my head. “I’ll sell everything I own. I’ll sell the house. I’ll sell the clothes on my back.” His eyes sharpened. “I’ll sell my soul to the devil if that’s what it takes.
“And it will,” he whispered, his normal voice returning. “That is what it will take.”
My blood ran cold. “That— That’s not— I didn’t—”
“—mean it?” he sliced. “So, in fact, you’re not willing to do whatever it takes to rescue poor little sissy? That speech was nothing but hot air blown up that overworked man’s ass?” He tsked, shaking his head. “How unfortunate for dear Adora. Your love for her isn’t unconditional at all. It stops just”—he pointed at himself—“here.”
Heat built in my chest. “That’s not what I said!”
“No, what you’re saying is you do love your sister more than anything or anyone, and you’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”
“I—” My tongue tangled. “Yes— Of course I will!”
“Excellent.” He snapped those razor-tipped fingers, and a piece of parchment appeared before my eyes—making me lurch back and bang my head against the doorjamb. Written clear across the top in cursive letters were the wordsSoul Contract.Beneath this was a mass of text in a language not known to man, and I didn’t need to look that up to be certain. The only other words I could make out was my own name scrawled across the bottom.
A bloodred feather appeared alongside. “Just sign on the dotted line, right above your name.”
“Wait—”
“Wait?” he repeated, a frown marring that perfect brow. “It’s been twenty-nine days. Hasn’t your sister waited long enough? Why in hell’s name would you make her wait a second longer? What kind of big sister are you?”
“Stop!” I blared, swiping both the contract and quill out of the air. “I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work. You’re not going to rush me. You’re not going to trick me. What you’re going to do...” I carefully sidestepped to the left, maintaining the distance between us. Grabbing another knife from the holder, I held it between us. Yes, I knew he could snap it away, but I also knew these demon-beasts weren’t invulnerable. Why else would he magic away something that couldn’t hurt him? If he didn’t want me to have a weapon, then that’s exactly the hell I would have.
“What you’re going to do,” I repeated, sucking in deep, heart-calming breaths, “is give me some answers.”
He looked at me and my little knife in amusement. “And why would I do that?”
By some miracle, I returned his smirk with one of my own. “Because you’ve got something I want, and I’ve apparently got something you want. That’s how a deal works.”
If anything, his grin widened. “Oh yes, you are something special, dear Charlotte. Should you decide you want children in the near future, consider my seed at your disposal. Together we’d make lovely little crossbred bastards.”
I gagged, nearly choking on my tongue. On any other day, a stranger offering to impregnate me would just creep me out, but on this day, every sense in my body rebelled at the very notion of his seed in my womb. I didn’t need the warning, but it was making sure I heard it anyway—that union would destroy me, the baby, and life on earth as we knew it.
“Don’t be disgusting,” I snapped. “Just tell me who you are—whatyou are.”
“I amhe, darling. The devil.”
“The...” I sucked in a steadying breath. “The devil as in... Satan? Lucifer?”
He eyed me as I began to circle him. “I have been called many names, but yes, Lucifer was one of them.”
“And you’re... a demon,” I breathed.
“No,” he clipped, stopping me in my tracks. “I’m an angel. If you’ve been doing your hellish homework, then you should know that much.” He gestured at his ruby eyes. “I just like the look, darling. It suits me.”
Of course it does,I thought, real fear starting to set into my bones.Lucifer was an angel who was cast out of heaven for betraying God. And if he’s real— If this is truly a fallen angel standing in my kitchen, then that means it’s real? It’s all... real?
I crumpled—knees buckling and dropping me hard on my ass.
