“I should be asking you that,” I say finally. “You attacked me.”
“Only because I want you to come with me and I knew you wouldn’t.” She sags, sighing. “Untie me please. These ropes are cutting into my skin. You know I don’t like scars, Melody.”
“You should have thought of that before. I untie you and you claw my eyes out.”
“Fucking bitch! Untie me!”
I cross my arms. “Why do you want me to come with you? Come with you where?”
“I don’t make the rules, Melody. You come and you get all the answers you need.”
“And end up like you? Over my dead body.”
A ghoulish smile spreads across her face. “That can be arranged.”
The room suddenly gets cold. I stare at her, at my former friend, and I know in my heart I’m searching for someone who’s long gone.
A hand touches my shoulder, warming me lightly. “We already asked her what we could, Melody. We won’t get anything out of her like this.”
I don’t look at him. My eyes won’t – can’t – leave Natalia. “What do you plan to do?”
“We are demons of high rank,” he says. “With that comes powers regular demons don’t possess. Brotus will be able to take care of it.”
Finally, I look at him. Shadows decorate his face, making him more menacing than I’ve ever seen him. “He’s going to dive into her mind, isn’t he?”
“You’re smart, little one. You might want to stand back.”
His hand grasps my arm and pulls me backward. I nearly wrench my arm away, but I don’t, simply because I don’t want to. I allow him to pull me back until I’m standing between him and Merlidon, watching as Brotus steps to the fore.
“You better stay they hell away from me, demon!” Natalia hisses. “This is what you’re conspiring with, Melody? Demons? Can’t you see they’ve brainwashed you?”
“Can’t be any worse than whoever did this to you.”
“Don’t you dare touch me!” She throws her head to the side, avoiding Brotus’ fingers.
“The more you resist,” he says lowly. “The worse it’ll be.”
“Like I’m going to make the likes of you –” Her next words are cut off when Brotus’s thumb brushes her temple. She goes limp, head falling. He presses the rest of his fingers to her head and closes his eyes.
Seconds clock by in silence. Quiet again, I can’t help but stare at Natalia. She would have killed me without second thought if I had let her out. There’s no doubt in my mind. The second she’s free from that chair, all hell will break loose and I’ll be forced to kill her. The thought makes me shudder.
“There’s no need to feel guilty for something that isn’t your fault.”
“Nothing better to do but root around my head?”
I see Lucifer shrug in the corner of my eye. He’s leaning against the wall and his power is suddenly dim again. I resist the urge to look at him. “As I said, you basically shout them at me. You need to learn how to block me out.”
“I’ll get right on that, my lord,” I snarl, sarcasm dripping off my tongue.
And, of course, he isn’t fazed. “Natalia’s condition has nothing to do with you.”
“My business with Natalia has nothing to do with you.”
“For now, it does.”
Rolling my eyes, I look at him. “Let me be clearer, then. What I think about Natalia has nothing to do with you.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can get anything out, Brotus flies backwards, colliding heavily into the wall behind him. Natalia is blown backwards in the chaos as well, chair skidding along the floor. There’s no time for panic to surge through my veins. Instead, I just react, rushing forward in an instant.
Steam rises from Natalia’s temple, the spot marred by the taint of her blood. More blood trails from her nose, ears and eyes and I know without having to ask, without having to check, that she’s dead. The chill in the air grows deeper. And I feel it down to the marrow of my bones. Sadness isn’t the first thing that comes, but instead, anger. Except I don’t quite know how to expel it, so it bumbles in my gut, roars in my chest and a scream, as unrestrained as humanly possible erupts from my lips.
“Brotus,” Merlidon rushes to his side, helping the large demon up. “What the fuck happened?”
His eyes scan Natalia’s body and I see them soften, as though there is a part of him that wished she’d lived.
“She has a ward on her mind. A powerful one. I was weeding my way past it when I hit a mine.”
“I’m guessing the ward was designed to kill her when tampered with?” I ask, tone dry, fighting hard to keep the sadness at my bay. And even angrier that that sadness is there.
You are human. She was your friend. It’s okay to be sad. Which is true. It’s all true. The only problem is, I am a hunter, a winner, the one who always comes out on top. Right now, however, I don’t feel like any of those things. I only feel like a failure.
Merlidon’s eyes find me and I swear I see a twinge of remorse. “Yes. Someone knew we would be looking and tried to cover their tracks.”
“Did you find anything at all?” Lucifer asks, stepping forward.
Brotus’s gaze falls on his king and he nods. “I found the creator of the ward. It’s our old friend, Lucifer. Jezebel.”
15
We don’t stick around long after that, simply because – much to my incredible annoyance – Lucifer doesn’t allow us to. As soon as the words are out of Brotus’ mouth, his back straightens, snapping as if something had slapped against his spine.
The cold air becomes downright freezing and Merlidon and Brotus don’t stay still for long. They instantly get into position, faces as serious as a graveyard. Brotus tasks himself with picking up Natalia’s body and my heart feels just a little warmer with the way he handles her - like she’s someone rather than just a thing. They no longer have use for. Merlidon announces his intentions of locating the whereabouts of Jezebel and then disappears just a second later.
Before I know it, I find myself left alone with Lucifer, his arm still wrapped around my waist and his body sagging with the sudden loss of energy from teleporting me. We’re back in the room Brotus carried me to the first time.
I step away from him, seething. “Stop doing that.”
Lucifer doesn’t look at me. He staggers over to the bed and collapses. I resist the urge to rush over to him. The sight of him weakened doesn’t sit well with me. Two losses in one day, even if one of those losses would be the King of Demons, seems a little too much to handle.
“Sorry, little one,” he whispers. “I figured you needed the rest. And I also figured you wouldn’t willingly listen to me if I suggested it.”
“Stop assuming what I’ll do.”
“Stop being so obvious.” The fatigue in his voice melts my anger.
I cross my arms, trying to grab on to any semblance of my irritation and not focus on the man ahead of me. “Where did Brotus go with Natalia’s body?”
“Don’t worry. He’s taking her to the infirmary. Her body will be preserved for a while there until you’re ready to take her back.”
“Thanks for consulting with me on that.”
“You’re welcome, Melody.”
My fingers tighten against my arm and I step closer. There’s no ignoring it now. Something is definitely wrong with him, even more so now than he was before he teleported me. His power is only half its former self now, and I can feel it dwindling down, wasting away. The fact that he’s panting now doesn’t make the situation look any better.
I approach the bed, watching the quick rise and fall of his bare chest. His eyes are closed, hand grasping the sheets. “You’re hurt.”
His eyes pry open, the movement appearing much more painful than it should have. “I am.”
“Is it because of the demon attack?” I quickly scan his body as best as I can but I don’t spot any blood or open wounds.
He closes his eyes again. Alarm seize
s my body when I notice the light sheen of sweat on his face. “It’s a lot of things. That attack didn’t make it any better.”
“Go to the infirmary, then.”
He chuckles lightly. “The infirmary won’t help me. I’ve expended too much energy. And I haven’t fed in weeks.”
Fed. My blood runs cold at that one word.
As if sensing my reaction, Lucifer looks at me again, searching. If he is looking for horror and disgust, he’ll find it. “I can’t help it, Melody. It’s who I am.”
“It’s sick, is what it is.”
He sighs, nodding. I really don’t like when he does that. It makes him appear too normal, too mundane. Nothing like the ruthless King of Demons, but more like a man plagued with a conscience he shouldn’t have. “I’m well aware what other demons do once in the presence of humans. They lose all self-control. They can’t contain themselves. The scent of humanity is much too irresistible and, they aren’t confined by basic moral reasoning as you humans are. It isn’t excusable, but it’s understandable.”
“And I assume you’re going to tell me you’re different?”
“May sound unbelievable seeing who I am.” He laughs again. “I know what you humans say about me. The tales you tell. As intriguing and humorous as they are, they aren’t all true.”
“Which means some are.”
“Some. And I am still a demon, no matter what my status is. And as a demon, I need to feed or else I’m reduced to a state like this.”
Panting, breathless and weak. It isn’t befitting for the King of Demons.
I swallow the words, eyeing him warily. “Then you’re just like the rest of them.”
“I aspire not to be, Melody. I’ve learnt how to control my urges, and curb them until it’s time to feed.” A smile flits across his face. “I have a few humans I can turn to whenever I feed.”
Realization dawns on me. “Satanic cults.”
He nods. “Another misconception you humans have. They’ve merely seen the good in me and my men. We feed on them because they want us to. We feed on them because they allow us to. There isn’t a damn thing wrong with that.”
“You brainwashed them.”
He shakes his head, sweat now lining his face. “They have as much willpower as we do. We haven’t forced them to do anything they don’t want to do. And, if done the right way, a night’s rest is all they need to recover.”
“If that’s the case then why don’t you make that a rule among all the demons in Hell?”
“That’s easier said in theory than reality. I may be King, but Hell cannot run under one thumb. I cannot, nor do I really have the desire to, control their actions. We are demons. Demonic nature cannot thrive under the worldly limitations I chose to abide by.”
“So, you just let them cause havoc on my world.”
“The lion and the gazelle, Melody.”
I snort. The sound makes him laugh, wheezing slightly. “If you’re so weak, why don’t you go get one of your human meals, then?”
“I would if I could. But I’m much too weak to teleport again.”
I cock my chin a bit higher. “I’m not letting you feed on me.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“You’re dying.”
“Demons don’t die, Melody. And certainly not the King.”
I’m still not convinced. He doesn’t sound very convinced, either. “None of this would have happened if you had just let me stay and fight.”
“This would have happened sooner or later, even if you managed to cut down on some of the numbers we were faced with.”
“You don’t know.”
“I’ve been a demon a long time, Melody. I know.”
Which makes me wonder how old he really is. And how he even came about. I know demons may be born from a myriad of things, such as soul deals gone wrong, but I’ve never heard of the creation of Lucifer. Other than the standard Christian explanation, of course.
“I would be happy to tell you one day,” he murmurs softly, having read my thoughts.
This time, I don’t chastise him for entering my mind without permission. “If you don’t die tonight,” I say, though the sound comes out as more of a whisper.
He smiles softly. “Yes, only if.”
Fuck it.
Without stopping to think, I sit beside him on the bed and stick out my wrist. “Take some before I change my mind.”
His brow raises delicately. “I must be seeing things.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not the perpetual bitch you thought I am.”
“Never thought that for a second.” He struggles to sit up, more sweat dotting his forehead. “Is that where you want me to feed?”
I withdraw my wrist. “I don’t know how this works.”
“You? Supreme hunter?” Mirth plays at his lips. “Say it ain’t so.”
I roll my eyes, suppressing the smile. “Just hurry it up before I decide to knock you out and just take off instead.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Before I can stop to think, he leans forward. His hand grasps the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. And even if my mind wouldn’t have allowed it, my body takes precedence, moving toward him as though being close to him is too hard to resist. As though I could survive off his touch and nothing else.
His breath is suddenly on my neck and I place a hand on his muscular chest, denying my body the one thing it’s begging for – to be closer to him. I can feel his heartbeat, dim, barely there. I slump.
Reaching a hand forward, Lucifer tips my chin up, his eyes focused on mine the entire time.
“Say yes,” Melody, he whispers.
I nod.
“I need to hear you say it.”
My heart feels as though it’s about to explode in my chest. “Yes,” I say and almost choke at the fact that it sounds more like a plea.
His fingers now tangled in my hair, Lucifer moves my head back, so the full length of my neck is his for the taking. Slowly, carefully, as though unravelling a flower, he strokes his strong fingers down my neck. His head dips forward and at the feel of his breath on my skin, my eyes fall closed. The short seconds that it takes for him to press his lips against me, feel like forever and eternity.
My nails dig into the sheet below me, high on something I have no right to be hypnotized by.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel it instantly - that surge of desire enveloping my body, washing me in such heat I melt in his arms. I feel my body grow limp, my forehead resting against his shoulder as my defenses lower and I’m craving more of his touch, more of him. I want him, not just on my neck, but lower. So much lower. Pushing further into me, Lucifer doesn’t stop until my back is flat against the bed. His body, muscled and powerful towers over me and his movements become more frantic. He sucks and he teases, licking and sucking and taking more from me than I should have ever been willing to give. More than I think it’s possible to give. But here I am, wanting him to take more. Willing him to take more. His hands roam, just that much lower, until he’s at my hips. It’s only when he forces my body back down that I realize I’d bucked my hips, crashing them against the hardness at his center.
When he releases the suction on my neck something rushes out of me, leaving me weak and breathless, then as it slowly drains out, I can feel the heat grow in the pit of my stomach, the wetness pooling in that tender part of myself I don’t think about. I don’t know what it is he’s doing to me exactly, but I can’t find it within myself to hate it. In fact, the only thought I have is pinning him to the bed and tearing the rest of his clothes off, demon be damned.
“Melody,” he whispers, no longer frantic in his movements. I know what’s coming and I can already feel my body craving him. There’s a part of me that wants to hold on to him, to take from him, something I should, by no means, want to have. When my hands reach up touch him, he counters the action, trapping my hands above my head with a firm grip around my wrist. He pulls away, licking his lips. The sweat is gone and
his breathing has returned to normal, as well as his heartbeat.
I, on the other hand, am a sweating, winded mess.
I scurry away from him as fast as I can but I don’t get very far. “What the hell was that?” I say, defensively, while struggling to stack my barrier back up, brick by brick.
He’s staring, more curious than I ever saw him. “Your reaction is not what I expected.”
“What the hell did you do to me?”
“I merely fed off your energy, Melody. But your reaction, that shouldn’t have happened. That’s never happened before.”
“You felt that too?”
“As intensely as you did.”
Hard to believe seeing that he’s looks as cool as a cucumber while I look as if I just ran around the world carrying an entire herd of cattle on my shoulders. “We’re not doing that ever again.”
He takes a second too long to shrug. “Fine with me. That should be able to hold me until this is all over.”
“It better.” I get up. My legs are weak but I have to get away from him. That feeling hasn’t completely gone away as yet and I don’t like what it’s doing to my common sense.
“You’re going to feel tired, Melody. You shouldn’t be moving. I brought you here to rest, actually.”
“Yeah?” I look at him then look away. I hate how on edge I am now but I can’t help it. If I stare too long, I might do something I regret. “Funny how that worked out for you, huh?”
“I wasn’t trying to trick or seduce you, Melody.”
“Maybe, but you’re a fucking demon. I shouldn’t ever believe what you say.” And most of all, I shouldn’t want you to seduce me, I think, but don’t say.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then he rises. I keep my back to him, but I watch him in my peripherals, watching him come closer and feeling every instinct in me begging me to run. I stay rooted to the spot.
He stops right behind me. “Get some rest, Melody.” Then he disappears in a wink.
Hunting Darkness Page 10
