Sleeping Redemption (Feathers of Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

T he tropically-scented air in the bathroom was thick with heat and practically suffocating humidity as steam seeped from the glass-encased shower stall. At the bottom of the shower, tainted water circled the stainless-steel drain. You could almost call it a work of fucking art as the diluted blood swirled in senseless patterns.

The water was no longer as sullied as it had been when I first stepped underneath the showerhead. Instead, the ribbons of blood had watered down within minutes.

I allowed the continuous cascade of scalding water to hit my scalp and pour down over my pale blonde tresses laying over top a curtain of raven locks, both layers saturated with more liquid than they could hold.

Most people I encountered thought my hair was a product of a talented stylist working a magical blend of chemicals to create such a striking opposition of colors. While unapologetically vain and able to afford a stylist to the stars to work their hair voodoo, I didn’t need to. What most people didn’t know was that my tresses were naturally the purest shade of blonde and slowly began taking on a pitch-black hue over the past few decades. The blonde still mostly masked the raven locks, only becoming more visible when I pulled my hair into a ponytail.

Call it a hunch, but it was doubtful anyone would take me seriously if I educated them on my unique brand of DNA. Silly little human toys couldn’t cope with the idea that an angel could be living right next door, fallen from grace, and filled with nightmarish darkness. It wasn’t my fault that angels have a reputation amongst gullible mortals for singing stupid songs, spreading goodwill, and all that crap. I traded in my harp and halo a very long time ago.

Still standing in the shower, the rest of my petite figure had been fully cleansed over twenty minutes ago, but paranoia tapped me on the shoulder asking if I had gotten all the blood off.

I’m clean, right? Dammit …

Another round of using an overpriced loofah against my skin and I had to call it good enough; I didn’t want to scrub my skin raw. It was considerably impressive timing for a shower after a long night’s work, and yet a voice whispered in the back of my mind.

The voice wished there had been more blood to wash away. It told me the thick and warm fluid would have felt smooth against my fair skin, and it would have carried an intoxicating scent that would make me feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside.

Oh right, that voice whispering inside of my head belonged to him – it was all the Devil.

Ever since I chose a side in the Great Divide, declaring Hell my sanctuary, I had been proving my devout loyalty. It wasn’t easy, but I’d worked to become Lucifer’s highly-respected second in command.

I was stationed here on Earth to keep the lower ranks in line. As much as I would like to take credit for all the world’s problems, there were many underlings responsible for spreading evil, one sin at a time.

That was where I came in. It was my responsibility to make sure Hell’s demons were meeting quotas. We wouldn’t want any of our winged counterparts upstairs thinking they had it easy. Those goody-two-shoe motherfuckers deserved to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to instill their oh-so-holy virtues in humanity. I may have been biased, but I thought I was doing a damn fine job of upholding Lucifer’s vision for the future.

My job was made easier by the very basic and very real part of my instincts that relished in violence against humans in a twisted and manipulative game where I was always the apex predator. No big deal, little dolls. You could trust me, pinky promise.

Turning off the water, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a swath of warmth around my body in the form of a towel. Securing it in place at the top, I walked over to the foggy mirror behind my sink. My hand gave a single swipe, creating a path of clarity across the glass.

I stared at my reflection. My pale blue eyes looked as empty as they had ever been.

This night had gone like so many before it, and the nights to follow would be no different. In the darkest hours of the morning, I delighted in desire, destruction, and death. It felt like I’d seen more nights like this than there were days in a millennium. It had gotten much more frequent ever since... that day .

There wasn’t much to talk about regarding what transpired on a snowy cliff centuries ago. Shit happens, even to celestial beings. No matter what anyone tells you, angels and demons aren’t infallible. We can die just like any other beings—it just takes a more thorough effort. We can be killed just like that human girl was tonight. Her death wasn’t in vain though, it served a purpose.

“Baby, your tears taste so fucking good,” I crooned as my tongue dragged over the drunk girl’s cheek. The saltiness prickled over my tastebuds, leaving them buzzing with excitement.

She lay in her bed, shaking like a leaf and whimpering between her broken sobs. “Please, no more,” she begged. It seemed she didn’t care for my knife flicking at her skin as I tested the validity of the idiom of death by a thousand cuts.

I pouted at how easily she had given up fighting. There was no doubt that my angelic strength overwhelmed her fragile body, but at least she could have clung to useless hope a little longer. She hadn’t even begged God for mercy in a desperate prayer.

Stupid human.

Should I have used my abilities to lull her under my spell so she could be blissfully unaware? Maybe. But where was the fun in bending the free human spirit when you could outright snap it in half?

“I swear I won’t tell anyone,” she whisperednaivelyin hopes that it would appeal to a part of me that didn’t exist.

“Sshh, sshh, sshh…” Placing a finger to her lips tenderly, I merely wanted her to shut the fuck up. I dragged the tip of my bloodied knife across her skin, outlining the curve of her breasts. Fear and pain had the full mounds rising and falling rapidly with her breaths.

Whimpers continued to weigh on the air around the two of us, especially as my dagger slid lower to her bare thigh. Leaning over, I sharply inhaled the scent of her skin. It was somewhere between roses and peonies, both of which were saturated in tequila.

Grabbing her leg with one hand like it was a fucking drumstick off the Thanksgiving turkey, I pierced the tip of my knife into her flesh and dragged it over where her femoral artery ran, being sure to open that sucker up.

With all the booze in her system and terror pushing her heart to its limit, the beautiful crimson began to pour from the wound. I leaned over and sucked up a mouthful of it. The tang of the copper coated my tongue, and the blood-alcohol carried an additional hint of flavor.

Scrunching up my face, I spat out the lingering fluid from my mouth, the spray of blood and saliva dotting the girl’s paling body. “Nope, still don’t like tequila.”

The good ol’ Pearly Gates were far beyond me in the distance of my morality’s rearview mirror, and I had no intention of turning this car around.

Leaving the master bathroom, I dropped my towel onto my bedroom floor before crawling into bed naked. I shimmied underneath the pure white sheets and closed my eyes. Allowing the silence to fill my mind, I didn’t give the frightened screams in my head any more credence.

The cool fabric lying over the top of my body contrasted with the warmth I suddenly felt between my thighs. Tonight had left me all worked up.

My hand dipped down until my fingertips caressed the arousal already present along my crease.

“Mmm…” The first inkling of pleasure pulsed in my core as I found my clit.

I deserve this after a hard night at work.

“That’s right, you do, Kinley.” A deep voice spoke from the shadows, reading my thoughts.

Opening my eyes, my hand stopped its beginning strokes as I let out a harsh sigh. “I should have known you would be here.” Lucifer was never far away, especially in this city, where there was direct access to Hell itself.

He chuckled, remaining in the darkest corner of my room. “My offer always remains on the table. I am more than happy to reward those who are most loyal. You do remember what that was like, don’t you?”

How could anyone forget fucking Satan’s forked cock?

Propping myself up on my elbows, I looked in the direction of where his voice emanated from. “Other than suffering from a hard dick, why are you here?”

The disappointment of me turning him down – again – hung heavy in the air. There was a time when I wrapped myself up in the sins of his body more frequently than I cared to admit. Those days, I’d grown bored, but I didn’t dare tell him as much. He was a one-trick pony show.

“There’s been a shift in the balances.” The tone of his voice indicated it wasn’t one in his favor. “Keep an ear to the ground, I don’t want this to be the start of another wave of born-again Christians.”

“Murder and mayhem shall ensue, got it. Anything else?” He was keeping me from getting my beauty rest, and I had a meeting to get to in the morning.

A breeze swept through the air, and following the movement, I turned my head to the opposite corner of my bedroom where his voice now spoke from. “Darling Kinley, I need more than souls being sent my way. If I’m going to keep the lights on in Hell, I need irreparable discord.”

In a singsong voice, I teased him. “Irreparable discord.” I dropped the tone before continuing. “If you want that, let me unleash the newest litter of hellhound pups in downtown Chicago. Now that would be irreparable discord.”

A smile spread across my face even thinking about the horror and violence. I imagined myself sitting in the middle of it all, snuggling with the cutest little puppies ever. They are good dogs, I swear, just misunderstood.

There was a suffocating flash of heat in the room that carried the faint scent of brimstone before his voice boomed, “Do not fucking mock me, Kinley! You know precisely what happens to those who dare cross my final nerve!”

Good news? My hair was no longer damp after that blast of warmth, albeit a little frizzy. Bad news? Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood for my snark and shenanigans tonight.

I frowned apologetically. “Sorry…It won’t happen again.” At least for another week.

Lucifer’s growl simmered down into a grumble as his temper began to subside. “If you hear of anything unusual happening, I want to know about it. Understood?”

I nodded.

Finally leaving the corner of my room, he approached my bedside. I could only make out his faint outline, but his hands came to my shoulders guiding me back to lie down again. After he tucked the sheet in around me, he lightly patted the top of my head. “Good girl. Now, get some sleep.”

My eyes slowly fell closed as I got comfortable, letting sleep lure me under after his departure.

Lucifer always pushed for one step further than the best; always wanted to raise the minimum standards. It was a good thing that he had come to the right angel for the job.