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“Goodbye, Sophia,” he replies in his deep voice. Something about his tone almost makes it seem like he doesn’t really think this is a true goodbye—or maybe that’s just me reading into things, allowing my imagination to run away with me.
I slip out the door and lean against it for a beat, taking a few deep breaths. That’s it. The hard part is over. The shorter end of this hallway I’m in leads back to the secretary, which means if I go in the other direction, I should find that lounge Lucas was talking about.
It’s so weird not making any noise at all while I walk. I’m still doing my best to tiptoe, but these carpets are so thick I could probably stomp down this hallway without being heard. Hell, maybe I just can’t hear my footsteps over the sound of my own erratic heartbeat. Step by step, I draw closer to the end of the long hallway. The lounge door isn’t marked in any way, which would have tripped me up if the door weren’t already open, granting me a view of inside as I pass it.
I spot what I’m looking for immediately, catching the glint bronze gleaming on the mantle.
Without giving myself a chance to doubt or hesitate, I move quickly, ignoring everything that isn’t the pyramid. My heart races faster than I can ever remember feeling it beat, and my palms are damp with sweat. I ignore all that too, except to wipe my hands before I reach out for the artifact—the key to Cassidy’s continued freedom and relative safety. My fingers touch the metal, and something unclenches in my chest as I pick it up.
I did it. I got it.
It’s heavy for such a little thing. I wonder if there’s something inside—
A hand clamps around my wrist, cutting through my thoughts. Fear rockets through me, and I jump, swallowing a scream.
Chapter5
Lucifer
How much disrespectis one being supposed to fucking take?
Come into my office, steal my shit… I jerk Sophia away from the fireplace and pin her back against the wall. She stares up at me, her eyes full of fear, and it ignites the predator’s instincts in me.
Yes, be afraid, little human.
Havek should’ve been this afraid, tears of terror gleaming in his dull, beady eyes. I picture him in her place, the sniveling bastard, cringing away from me as I take him to task for going behind my back and against my orders. Making goddamn deals with lesser demons for their freedom to kill in what he falsely believes is his territory…
But it’s not his territory. It’s mine.All of it.Havek is middle management at best. His delusions of grandeur are going to ruin my plans if I allow him to continue breathing on this plane. Which, is horribly unlikely now. I don’t think I’ll be able to rest until his blood is splattered on the tops of my boots.
A gasp snaps me sharply back to the present.
I feel Sophia’s fear coursing through her body, so different from the last time she was in my arms. If this woman has a superpower, it’s poor judgment. First, crossing the street without utilizing a crosswalk, and now attempting to steal frommejust after I hung up the phone on the infuriating news that Havek has defied me yet again.
She doesn’t know that, of course, but it doesn’t matter.
Where does this beautiful little mortal get off trying to steal fromme?
Even in the haze of my rage, I’m uncomfortably aware of the affect she still has on me. Her breasts, heaving with each terrified breath, demanding my attention, and I can’t help but notice the curve of her spine as she tries to squirm away from her position on the wall. Fuck, even her shoulders being rigid with fear seems to entice me, as I can imagine her body tensing that way as she moans in ecstasy. Her scent invades my senses, a tantalizing distraction from the reality of her crime against me.
She’s young and attractive.So fucking what?I’ve seen beautiful women before. She shouldn’t affect me this deeply.
Perhaps I should make an example of this fucking human, this mortal temptress who dared to steal from me. Maybe even Havek will tremble when he hears that I’ve disemboweled a senseless human just for trespassing in my private quarters at the office. No one will have to know it was for attempted theft.
I’m getting ahead of myself, and I know not all of the anger in me right now is for Sophia. I breathe in deeply, although it’s not exactly calming since all I can smell is her.
One chance.She has exactly one chance.
In a furious growl, I offer her that single opportunity to give me a good reason tonotspill every last ruby drop from her veins onto my carpet. “What the hell are you doing?”
She sucks in a squeaky breath. “He, he wanted it—I don’t know why—it was the only way to make him leave her alone. I didn’t want to do it but I couldn’t let him hurt her. Ican’tlet him hurt her.”
My eyes narrow, and I press her wrist hard against the wall, my lip snarling with impatience. She cries out in fear, her entire body trembling.
“I’m sorry!” Sophia is sobbing now, tears slipping down her flushed cheeks as her lips quiver around every syllable. “One of my exes ripped off some drug dealers and gave them my sister’s name as a guarantor. Fuck if I know why he did, other than he’s a complete asshole.”
There’s a pause as she tries to collect herself. Honestly, she looks rather pitiful with all that crying, pouting, and panic. I don’t know if her flushed face is pulling at my heart strings, turning me on, or pissing me off even more. I need the whole fucking story, not these broken bits of information.
At last, she continues. “They attacked her as a warning and said if she didn’t come up with the drugs or money, they were going to get their money’s worth out of her one way or another.”
