AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He picks up my meticulously prepared folder, giving it a casual once-over before setting it back down with a thud that echoes through the silence. At least he didn’t burn it to a crisp.
“In Hell, we have a saying,” he begins, leaning back in his chair and steepling his claws. “‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ And angel, these “outdated” systems you’re so keen on overhauling? They aren’t just working; they’re waltzing. My department runs like a well-oiled machine.”
I bite my lip to suppress a laugh, but I can’t help the smirk that teases at the corners of my mouth. Bax’s eyes narrow immediately. I clear my throat.
Focus.
While he ‘conveniently’ disappeared again yesterday, I took my time going around Damnation Financial. I’ve seen the haphazard stacking of backlogged paperwork, the cluttered archives, the overwhelmed imps scrambling to meet impossible quotas. This place is no well-oiled machine.
Time for a new tactic. I clasp my hands behind my back, meeting Bax’s fiery gaze. “Perhaps I could get a better idea of your ‘smooth operations’ if you gave me a tour?”
The moment hangs in the air between us, thick with unspoken tension—this strange, electrifying undercurrent. His fiery gaze holds mine for a heartbeat longer than necessary, but then he blinks, breaking the spell, and I’m left wondering if I’m imagining things.
Finally, he raises one elegantly curved brow. “A tour?”
I nod, pushing back the strands of hair that have escaped my bun. “Seeing the process up close would give me a better idea of why you’re hesitant about it.” I offer him my most earnest smile, my heart pounding as his gaze sweeps over me, unrestrained. I can see exactly what he’s thinking. Exactly how he’s stripping me bare. “I-I’m sure I’ll gain some valuable insights.”
For a long moment, Bax just stares at me, eyes flickering with some unreadable emotion. Then he smiles slowly, fangs glinting.
“But of course. What better way to scorch your idealistic beliefs?” He strides toward me and offers his arm. “Shall we?”
Ignoring the flutter in my chest, I take his arm. His bicep is rock-hard beneath the crisp dress shirt and I have to force my hand not to tremble as I accept his offer.
Bax leads us out of his office and down the winding halls of Damnation Financial. Each brush of our arms sends a spark of electricity through me, and I can’t help but wonder if he feels it, too. His proximity is both a curse and a blessing; it’s distracting, but it also gives me an excuse to study him—the broad shoulders and muscular arms, the chiseled abs visible through the tight fabric of his shirt. The way his eyes glow with an inner fire, the way his lips curve into that maddeningly self-assured smile.
Everything about him radiates masculine magnetism, from his towering height to his graceful movements. His raw physicality and evident power almost leave me captivated.
Our first stop is the Archive Room. He gestures as we enter the cavernous chamber. “Behold, the perfectly organized Archives. Every condemned soul meticulously cataloged for eternity.”
I blink at the mountains of teetering files and loose parchment strewn across every surface. He wasn’t kidding about eternity—some of these documents look centuries old.
“Ah, I see,” I murmur. “And how exactly do you locate specific records?”
“Demonic intuition.” His gaze slides to me, one eyebrow rising slightly. “Sometimes a summoning circle and blood sacrifice.”
I force a smile. “Well, perhaps a digital database could—”
“Moving on!” Bax steers me from the Archives.
Our next stop is the Bureau of Soul Weighing. A massive stone scale dominates the chamber, while demons scurry about loading stones etched with sins onto one side, counterbalanced by feathers etched with good deeds on the other.
“Here we determine each soul’s fate,” Bax explains. “Too many sins, and the lucky fools get an eternity of torment.” He grins.
I watch a demon straining to add just one more small stone to an already overloaded side. The scale tips, sending the soul crashing with a piercing scream toward the Pit of Fire.
Bax chuckles.
“Doesn’t seem very precise,” I comment. “A digital system could quantify sins versus good deeds rather than this crude weighing.”
Bax’s smile tightens. “It’s all in the fun. We get the job done just fine.”
We continue on. Every step we take together is charged. We’re like two opposing forces drawn together. With every inefficient process that Bax shows me, I counter with a suggestion for improvement. Each time, his smile tightens, his grip on my arm hardens, and I can practically see the gears turning in his perfect crimson head. I’m challenging him, pushing him, and it’s clear he’s not used to it.
Our final stop is the Bureau of Torture, and I can’t help but shudder as I take in the gruesome scene. But even as I recoil in horror, I can’t ignore the way Bax’s eyes gleam with a perverse delight. It’s a morbid fascination that both repulses and intrigues me.
“Angel,” he says with false sympathy as I blanch. “Mortal minds can barely comprehend such infinite torments. Don’t worry, we crafted each one to punish the specific sins of every wretched soul.”
I take a deep breath. “Actually, several of these contraptions seem redundant.”
