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I take a step down, looking out over the cobblestone plane that circles the castle, then trail my gaze up the bridge that connects us to the rest of the town. It’s right there. Still, there’s an innate part of me that knows I won’t make it far. He’ll come looking if I don’t go inside, and then there’s the curiosity… The barrier is down, and I’m not sure I even want to leave anymore. Sure, I’m still mad, but he’s helped me too. Leaving now would feel like I’m betraying him.
“Aghh, dammit,” taking one last glance down the bridge, I growl out my detest over what I’m about to do. My eyes slide down the length of my body, landing on the general region of my vagina. This is your fault, you fucking hussy. Her incessant need for his big, demon dick energy is the reason we’re not taking our window to go explore. No… She’s allowed us to be trained, like a damn guard dog, and it’s not a good look.
I grip the handle on the front door and head inside. Only, instead of the quiet, sort of eerie castle I’ve called home, what’s waiting for me on the other side is pure chaos. People rush through the foyer, moving in all different directions. Some carry furniture, others push carts full of items from the market. Spotting Clamara, I weave through the crowd.
“We need every available space cleared,” she says, guiding some of the younger servants.
Finally reaching them, her vibrant eyes meet mine. “What’s going on?”
“Good afternoon, milady. The king has ordered a lockdown. Another village was attacked this morning. He’s going to put up the barriers around Hell Hold, Purgatory, and Limbo.” She pats me on the shoulder, like a small child getting a ‘Go Team’ at their first sporting event. “Essentially, he’ll lock us all inside until his guard can clear the threat. So, we’re making room.”
Does he still believe Luri is behind this? She couldn’t be. We were in the box with Kai during the second attack.
“Thank you,” I say quickly, skipping a step and breaking out into a jog, heading for the stairwell. I need to speak with the king. I’ll need his assurance that they’re not going after her.
Slipping down the stone stairwell, my feet race across the steps as fast as I can. My body curves around the center column until something hard slaps into me. Not something, someone. I pitch over, losing my balance, and would’ve gone airborne if it weren’t for the hand that plucks me out of the air and shoves me against the stone pillar.
“Careful, Princess.” The honeyed tone of a voice made up of pure alpha male and sex appeal has my knees wobbling, even as I fight to lock them in place and get my bearings. I’m not big on the title, but fuck… When he says it, I am.
“I need to speak to him,” I say, straightening my back and brushing my hair out of my face. Our proximity forces me to crane my neck to hold Kai’s hypnotic eyes.
“I just did. I was on my way back to get you,” he pauses to lick his lips. Letting his sultry gaze slither down my throat. His head dips further until finally his heated stare lands on the top I’m wearing. He chose it, and maybe that should’ve been my sign to not wear it. After all, it’s one of the most revealing shirts I own, and from his vantage point, there’s no doubt in my mind. He’s getting an eyeful of cleavage. “The village masters are convening. I guess a—”
Cutting him off with a curt nod, I start down the stairs again. “Another village. Yes. I know. Lucifer needs to know it’s not Luri.”
“I already talked to him, Alice,” he says, following after me. “He knows. She’s safe. I wouldn’t lie about that.”
Stopping mid-step, I spin around to face him, finding a wall of solid muscle inches from my face. The thin fabric of his shirt does little to hide the rippled, lean abs beneath it—the ones that are now eye level. Power exudes from him, slithering over my flesh as I drag my eyes up to meet the embers in his.
“So… Um,” I clear my throat, “she can come back?” My voice shakes more than I’d like, but fuck it. The question needs to be asked.
His hand clamps onto the back of his neck, rubbing at the invisible tension building there. “I wouldn’t say that, but no one will touch her, and you won’t be charged for anything regarding last night. I made sure of it, but let’s not test his patience.” He leans forward, looping a hand around my waist and dragging me up to his level. “He’s stressed and not entirely pleasant at the moment. Trust me. It’s better to give him some space while he gets ready to lift the barriers.”
I huff out the air in my lungs, and smoke unfurls from my nose. “Fine. I’ll wait, but I want to hear it for myself.”
“As you wish,” he says, and I swallow down the emotions swirling within me. The heat of his hand presses against my lower back, and only a few inches separate my face from his. He sweeps his thumb across my spine and I arch into him, craving more.
How can something so wrong feel so deviously good?
“Come with me.” His voice yanks me out of the stupor, and it’s now I realize that I’ve closed my eyes and full-on puckered up. What the fuck is wrong with me? “I need to check on something before the barriers are erected, but I’d appreciate the company if you don’t mind.”
***
Kai
We pop into Limbo, near the processing center where the dead are judged, regardless of what realm or world they come from. Every soul is placed on the massive vegetable scale, and their deeds are evaluated. It’s fair—just as my father envisioned it. Should they be deemed as good, they’re sent to Heaven and earn their halo, but if they’re bad, the soul gets ghostbustered into a glass jar and shelved in Purgatory until they change for the better.
I know most of the demons here, mainly because my father handpicks the reapers and workers. They’re an important part of safeguarding the secret, aka my—our existence. These people are the last stop between a fallen angel and The Void, and over the years they’ve saved countless winged folk from being thrown into the darkness. But more importantly, they’ve been a buffer between Heaven and the rest of Hell.
“Has Finn ever brought you here?” I ask as Alice’s crystal blue eyes scan the space. They’re fucking gorgeous, and it’s hard not to stare at them. God forbid I do, she calls me out in seconds.
“I’ve been here a time or two,” she says, leaning against one of the metal railings that surround the scale of judgment.
Hmmm…. She certainly danced around that. I can only wonder why.
“Come on, I want to try something.”
I’m ready to learn more—to know whether we are soulmates and that all of this wasn’t for nothing. I need to know if Alice’s feelings are her own and not a result of some fucked up game my father is playing. Not just for her sake, but for mine. I want to be able to touch her and not feel guilty.
