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“I can’t get enough of you,” I murmur, returning her smile with my own. “Can I take you somewhere? I want to show you something.”
“I’d like that,” she says, hugging me again. “I’ve missed you, you know.”
I set her on her feet and lace my fingers through hers. “Don’t worry about that ever again, my beautiful heathen. I plan to never leave your side.”
***
I shouldn’t test Raven. I know I shouldn’t. But a dark part of me wants to know her breaking point when it comes to my rule over Hell. I want nothing more than to help mold her into a powerful being that the universe bows down to. I worry about her shutting me out and denying the eternity I’ve built around her soul, one that calls to me more than my existence.
“What am I looking at?” Raven asks, squeezing my hand like she’s afraid she might otherwise fly away if she doesn’t.
“The foundation of my power.” I study her expression as her brows lower in confusion. “Rising from Hell isn’t as simple as you might think. I need an energy source to ground me to this plane while allowing me to tap into the power of my kingdom.”
Averting her eyes from a man with a towel around his hips with a woman watching TV in bed, she finally turns to me. “You’re talking about their souls?”
“Just his. Before I came to you, I had been busy with negotiations generously given to me by Lucian. This unfaithful man traded his soul for his wife’s death, so he didn’t have the mess of a divorce and the burden of alimony. We have come to collect.” I remain expressionless as Raven pieces things together.
“You’re fucking kidding me. Why would you want to show me this?” Raven’s voice rises with her words. “I don’t want to watch you murder a man and steal his soul.”
“I’m not killing anyone, you heathen hypocrite. How is this any different than the things you’ve witnessed Kase and Dante do to humanity?” I twirl my finger at the man in the window. “We are only here to mark him for his descent. No murder. No soul taking, which I might add is not stealing.”
Raven releases my hand and grimaces. She’s conflicted because she knows I’m right. If I were Kase or Dante, she wouldn’t even bat her eyelashes. “Micah—”
“You need to realize that I’m no longer an angel. The standards you had for me before must not apply to me now. That is why I really brought you here. I need for you to accept me for the devil I’ve turned into. This job, collecting and marking souls, is necessary for balance in the universe and in Hell.” Not to mention keeping my name on her contract with Lucian. I don’t say as much. She’s already uncertain enough of me as it is.
I turn to face her and test to see if she’ll let me take her hand again. Her pouty lip quivers, but she doesn’t deny me her touch. Sliding her fingers through mine, she squeezes my hand. I bring it to my mouth to kiss her knuckles.
“I’m sorry. You’re right,” she says, her uneasy smile remaining instead of turning real.
I yearn to see her face light up as brightly as her shiny soul. “I hope you will still give me the chance to claim your soul regardless.” I tug her closer and snake my hand around her waist and to her lower back. “You are the one thing who reminds me of my purpose—not only as a ruler of Hell, but also as one of the protectors of a soul cursed with the light we need to build Hell as it was intended.”
“I’m not a possession,” she comments, thinning her lips to turn expressionless, “and if you realize that, and understand that I can’t be yours alone, then I will give you the chance to continue to grow a bond with me.”
My heart races for the first time since my descent. “I accept your compromise.”
The brightness of her soul radiates more intensely, and she throws her arms around me. I inhale a breath at the sensation of her body awakening mine. The citrusy fragrance of her hair engulfs me. Burying my face in the crook of her shoulder, I savor how Raven’s soul pushes away the darkness inside me, reminding me of the light I once carried.
“I never wanted for you to abandon grace, but I’m happy you did to save me. It means everything to me. I hope you know that,” she murmurs, easing away. “I look forward to building something amazing with you.”
I smile and capture her gaze. “Does that mean you won’t hold this against me?” Waving my hand, I motion to the window.
“Never. Let’s mark that bastard.” Her lips spread into a beautiful smile. She makes it so easy to drop my guard with her and show her who I truly am, despite the things she might see as flaws on my being.
I hum under my breath and tug her forward. “Careful, my beautiful heathen. You sound so incredibly sexy that I might need an alternative cure for my erect—hard-on for you.”
She tips her head back and laughs, her musical voice filling the air. “I think that might be possible. You’ve earned—”
Glass shatters a second before pain bursts in my side. Whipping my attention toward the house, I catch sight of the man aiming a gun in our direction. He pulls the trigger, the loud gunshot startling Raven, making her scream. Another bullet hits me, exploding across my chest. Rage turns my vision red, and I narrow my focus on the bastard trying to withhold his end of the deal. I should’ve thought better of the situation. Of course he would fight, and now Raven stands amid danger that can end her life.
My muscles flex and quiver. Releasing a guttural roar, I expel my human façade and embrace my beastly form. I knock Raven to the ground and out of the way of another round of gunfire ravaging my body.
But it doesn’t slow me down. It pushes me forward.
Crashing through the wall of the house, I charge forward and launch at the man. He hollers and thrashes, pulling the trigger of his gun in one last-ditch effort to send me to Hell. Raven screams from behind me. I stomp my hooved hand onto the man’s hand, crushing it under my weight. Another screech rips through the air, one not belonging to Raven, and I whip around and summon hellfire between my palms. The mistress of my contracted soul tangles her hand through Raven’s hair, waving a kitchen knife. She must’ve come out through the front.
“Leave us be and break Corbin’s contract or I’ll kill her,” the woman shouts, swiping the knife again.
Something dark crosses Raven’s face, and instead of pleading with me to do as the woman says, she subtly shakes her head.
