Gluttony

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Gluttony Page 1

by Katie May




  GLUTTONY

  THE DAMNING

  KATIE MAY

  EXPRESSO PUBLISHING, LLC

  Copyright © 2020 by Katie May

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,

  including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except

  for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons

  Edited by Expresso Publishing, LLC

  Writing these, I realize I don’t have that many friends. So…I suppose I’ll

  dedicate this one to my cat, Carol. Love you, sweet girl.

  CONTENTS

  Recap of Previous Books

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Katie May

  Blindly Indicted

  Monsters (Prodigium Academy Book One)

  RECAP OF PREVIOUS BOOKS

  When Z wins The Damning—a competition that pits the best assassins

  against each other—her world is overturned. Suddenly, she’s forced to be the

  champion for the exact Kings she wishes to kill.

  Fortunately, she has the seven princes to help her with the tasks ahead.

  Seven supernatural species descended from the Seven Deadly Sins...and her

  fated mates. There’s a prophecy surrounding the seven princes that they’ll

  either save the world or destroy it. They despise their parents and their

  inhumane treatment of humans.

  At the end of the first book, Z had been poisoned by a competitor of The

  Damning named Zack at the order of Aaliyah. Her mates are completely

  unaware that she was poisoned...and that the poison is slowly killing her.

  The Kings assign seven tasks—seven games—Z has to partake to prove

  her loyalty. Despite her hatred for them, a spell administered by the Mage

  King places prohibits her from harming any of the royal family.

  She completes the first task the Mermaid King assigns. In the process,

  Dair kills his evil older brother Tavvy who had attempted to rape and kill Z.

  Just before he dies, Tavvy tells Dair that he and the rest of the Z’s mates

  weren’t born; they appeared out of thin air.

  Meanwhile, a mysterious female named Aaliyah is sending extinct

  supernatural creatures after Z, including a Gorgon, Kraken, and Fae. She

  instructs her monsters not to kill Z, but to bring her to Aaliyah alive.

  At the end of book two, Z discovers that Jax—her Vampire mate—has

  gone missing.

  CHARACTERS:

  Z — Member of the Alphabet Resistance that advocates for human rights;

  assassin; mate to the seven princes; winner of The Damning; poisoned at the

  end of book one

  Dair — Mermaid; descended from Envy; forced to live as a Mermaid

  twelve hours a day and a human the other twelve; his father consistently cuts

  his legs off, grows them back, and then cuts them off again; Z’s mate

  Devlin — Genie; descended from Greed; has a soul trapped in his lamp

  that he accidentally lost; Z’s childhood sweetheart; Z’s mate

  Killian — Incubus; descended from Lust; was forced to watch his father

  rape and kill his nanny; virgin; Z’s mate

  Lupe — Shifter; descended from Wrath; his father implemented the first

  human concentration camps; prefers to fights with words rather than

  violence; Z’s mate

  Ryland — Shadow; descended from Pride; hides his face in the shadow to

  hide his hideous facial scarring; the first to know all of the princes were

  mates with Z; Z’s mate

  Jax — Vampire; descended from Gluttony; facing madness because he

  refuses to drink human blood; only coherent around Z; engaged to Atta;

  kidnapped by Aaliyah at the end of book two; Z’s mate

  Bash — Mage; descended from Sloth; distrusts the mate bond and the

  lack of free will; struggles with his affections for Z; Z’s mate

  Atta — Shifter; descended from Wrath; Lupe’s younger sister and the

  mate to Mali; engaged to Jax

  Mali — Vampire, descended from Gluttony; Z’s best friend who

  unwittingly betrayed her, leading to the death of the Mage Diego; mate to

  Zack (now dead) and Atta

  Diego — Mage; Z’s best friend and mate to HH; murdered by Zack

  protecting Z after Mali betrayed them

  T — Z’s friend from the Alphabet Resistance; brother of S

  S — Z’s deceased ex boyfriend who was killed by Shifters; T’s brother

  B — Leader of the Alphabet Resistance

  A — Z’s former mentor before he died

  Aaliyah — main antagonist; wants to capture Z for reasons unknown

  Zack — Mage; Evil assassin who killed Diego and poisoned Z; mate to

  Mali; now dead

  Axel — Shadow; ex-assassin of the Kingdoms

  PROLOGUE

  JAX

  I knew pain intimately—greeted it like an old friend or lover. The

  pain broke through the dissonance. Steady and reliable, the only

  constant in my chaotic life.

  For that brief moment, as fire ran through my veins and set me aflame,

  my mind was coherent. I had been staring at my life through a distorted

  mirror, but now, the vision was clear. My mind flashed to Z and her golden

  hair and willowy frame. The fire in her eyes. The way she felt in my arms as I

  held her through the night.

  A lump formed in my throat.

  My mate.

  My love.

  My life.

  And I would die before she realized it.

  My eyes flickered down to the stake protruding from my chest. It had

  fortunately missed my heart, but I had no doubt that this wound was fatal.

  Already, the ground was covered in a slick sheen of blood.

  A beautiful face peered down at me, alive with glacial fury. Auburn locks

  framed her rosy cheeks. But while she was beautiful, she was nothing

  compared to Z. It was a beauty earned through hours in front of a mirror. A

  predatory type of beauty, cold and empty.

  My mate, on the other hand, rolled out of bed the epitome of perfection

  and beauty. It was effortless.

  “You’re going to die, Jax Vampire,” Aaliyah whispere
d in a singsong

  voice.

  I tried to speak, tried to protest, but only blood managed to gurgle through

  my parted, chapped lips.

  She stood, the hem of her gown catching in the thick puddle. Seemingly

  unconcerned, she moved to stand directly behind me, a manicured hand

  stroking my hair. I flinched at her unwanted touch, a ferocious roar somehow

  able to escape despite my fatigue. The crazy bitch chuckled.

  “But…” she continued, wiping her hands on the sides of her skirt.

  “There’s a way you can live.” She allowed her words to settle between us like

  thickening syrup. They were just as sickly sweet. “Denounce the human girl

  and become my lover.”

  I narrowed my eyes and attempted to glare up at her menacingly. A

  surprisingly difficult feat, considering I was weak from blood loss and

  rapidly losing consciousness.

  “I would rather die,” I managed to stutter out.

  Pain. Pain everywhere. It set my skin on fire.

  Aaliyah’s face twisted with disgust, and she huffed as she turned away.

  “Then you die,” she announced snidely, stalking out of the cell. She

  didn’t bother shutting the door behind her. Why would she? I was too weak

  to even lift my hand.

  At that moment, I knew with an unwavering certainty that I was going to

  die. I only wished I could see Z one last time.

  I’m sorry, I whispered in my head weakly. Darkness pressed in on all

  sides of me as my hold on life rapidly waned. I love…

  And then, darkness.

  ONE

  Z

  T he punching bag rattled under the force of my assault. Each

  punch did little to calm my frayed nerves.

  Punch.

  Jax.

  Punch.

  Dair.

  Punch. Punch. Punch.

  A fine sheen of sweat coated my skin, and I angrily brushed at a strand of

  curly hair that’d escaped its binding.

  It had been a week since I’d returned home from the Mermaid Kingdom.

  A week since I discovered my Vampire mate, Jax, had gone missing.

  Punch.

  My knuckles were cracked and bloody, but I barely noticed the pain. How

  could I? All I could focus on was Jax and Dair.

  The golden-haired Mermaid prince hadn’t made an appearance since

  we’d arrived back at the Capital. According to the others, he was with his

  father, but that only made my worry ratchet up another dozen notches.

  I didn’t know his father well, but what I did know was that the King of

  Mermaids was sadistic and evil. His son, Tavvy, had attempted to rape and

  kill me before Dair had killed him. Still, Tavvy’s ominous revelation

  reverberated in my head.

  “...you and those men you call your brothers magically appeared. Out of

  thin air.”

  The words had been spoken at Dair, meant to hurt my kind prince. But

  what did they mean? Was it true, or were they the false words of a dying

  man?

  Punch. Punch. Punch.

  When I won The Damning and became the kingdom’s official assassin, I

  thought the games would be over. I didn’t realize how fucking wrong I was.

  The games had only just begun.

  The Kings used me, twisted me, to befit their malevolent schemes. I was

  nothing but a human female, a bug meant to be squashed beneath their feet.

  Hundreds of years ago, humans ruled this world. That all changed when

  the Seven Deadly Sins descended on this earth and gave birth to the original

  Nightmares.

  Shifters, descended from Wrath.

  Incubi, descended from Lust.

  Vampires, descended from Gluttony.

  Mages, descended from Sloth.

  Genies, descended from Greed.

  Mermaids, descended from Envy.

  And Shadows, descended from Pride.

  Each of these supernatural factions embodied the characteristics of their

  sins. Take Shifters, for example, the most volatile beasts of all the

  Nightmares. When they became angry or emotional, they shifted into their

  animal form with no cognizant thought. They were entirely focused on the

  hunt, the kill.

  Punch. Punch. Punch.

  The final punch caused the bag to fall off its chains, hitting the ground

  with a thump. I remained standing over it, breathing heavy, as my hands

  clenched and unclenched into and out of fists.

  “Z?” a soft voice questioned. A moment later, the door to the workout

  room opened the rest of the way, and Killian stuck his head in. “You feeling

  punchy?”

  Killian was sexy. There was no getting around that. His red hair was

  stylishly tousled, longer on the top than the sides. His face was perfectly

  proportioned, not a blemish in sight. With a strong jawline, high cheekbones,

  and abundant tattoos, he was every female’s wet dream. The ultimate bad-

  boy Incubus. Only certain people knew the truth: Killian was an awkward,

  adorable nerd wrapped up in a sinfully delicious package.

  “I’m feeling very punchy,” I replied, shaking out my sore hands. Killian’s

  red brows furrowed in concern as he rushed towards me, tenderly grabbing

  both my hands in his own.

  “You need to be careful,” he said.

  “I’m fine.” I pulled them away, bending down to grab the fallen punching

  bag and propping it against the wall. Killian’s palm on my shoulder stopped

  me from moving again, my muscles bunching at the menial contact.

  “Seriously, Kill, I’m fine. I don’t need you to baby me.”

  Almost reluctantly, he dropped his hand from my shoulder and released a

  heavy sigh. Snapping at Killian was the same as kicking a puppy. I would

  rather sever my own limb than hurt him. Frowning, I turned back towards

  him just in time to see the flash of hurt in his gemstone-like eyes. Fuck. I

  really sucked at this whole “mate” thing.

  “Kill…” I began, trailing off. How could I say, “I’m sorry for being a

  shitty mate. I just sometimes don’t know how to human?”

  They didn’t make enough cheesy greeting cards for that.

  “Don’t apologize.” Flames entered Killian’s cheeks as he sheepishly

  ducked his head. “You’re dealing with a lot of stress. The Kings have been

  unusually silent, Jax is still missing, and we have no idea what’s happening

  with Dair. You have every right to be punchy and angry.” He flashed me a

  small smile, revealing twin dimples in both his cheeks, and heat traveled

  straight to my core. How could something as innocent as a smile cause such

  an instinctive reaction?

  Maybe it was because Killian was Killian, and his beauty ensnared me as

  effectively as a hunter trapping his prey. It wasn’t just his Incubus allure,

  though that was certainly a part of it, but the kindness that seemed to emanate

  from his eyes.

  Before I could stop myself, I pushed up onto my tiptoes and pressed my

  lips to his. He had a sweet taste, one I associated distinctly with Killian, and

  it caused an inferno to blaze in my stomach.

  At first, his kiss was hesitant and unsure, but soon his lips were feverish

  against my own. He tangled his hands in my golden hair, pulling just enough

  to sting. Killian was sweet, almost shy, but when we were intimate, he turned
<
br />   into a completely different person. I wasn’t even sure he realized he was

  doing it. He was just...Killian.

  “You’re so fucking sexy,” Killian murmured, trailing kisses down my

  arched neck. His hands traveled down my sides to my ass, cupping both

  cheeks and giving them a squeeze. “Do you want me to make you feel good,

  Baby?”

  Does a dog shit?

  And…

  I shouldn’t be thinking of shit when I’m about to get naked with my mate.

  Instead of answering, I managed to release a strangled squeak. Very sexy,

  if I did say so myself.

  “Kill…” I whispered breathlessly, eager for his lips. His taste. A small

  smile blossomed on his face—somehow, it was able to embody both sin and

  innocence. It was something only Killian would be able to pull off.

  “Get on the ground,” he said, still flashing that disarming smile.

  Seriously. It should be illegal to look as sexy as him. Everywhere he went he

  killed brain cells. Well, at least mine. I didn’t know how to function around

  him.

  Eagerly, I dropped to the ground, uncaring that I was sweaty and gross. It

  probably wasn’t an ideal time for sex—or whatever Killian had in mind—but

  I wasn’t about to complain. Orgasms were a must for survival.

  Killian’s hands traveled from my ankles to my inner thighs, the path he

  took causing heat to migrate straight towards my core. I was burning for him,

  for my mate, and only his touch could alleviate the ache.

  Helplessly, I clenched my thighs together, but that only made Killian

  smile wider. Placing one hand on either leg, he shifted them until he could

  comfortably place his head directly above my pussy.

  Fuck, I needed him. His lips. His tongue. His—

  “Kill! Z!”

  Fuck me in the vagina with a barbed wire dildo.

  Killian jumped to his feet as if his ass was on fire, cheeks burning and

  head ducked sheepishly. Normally, I would’ve laughed at his flustered

  reaction. However, I was too pissed off at the lack of orgasms to muster even

  a smile.

  For a moment—for a brief fucking moment—I had forgotten about all the

  shit currently piling up on me. It was burying me in a steel coffin that none of

  my mates had a chance of accessing.

  “Errrr… Coming!” Killian stuttered, arranging his cock in his pants. He

  helped me to my feet, diligently wiping dirt and grit off of my clothes. I

 

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