Sleeping Redemption (Feathers of Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

H e may as well have ejaculated a tracker in my uterus; he probably even had an app on his phone for Pinpoint This Pussy. That was what I got for fucking around with business associates. I sighed, still pissed that Rook had succeeded in making me fall victim to his goddamn antics. All of that only solidified my thought that ever since my meeting with Alex, everything just felt… off .

After a shower to rinse away the oil residue and leftover feeling of demon jizz on me, I tugged on a pair of boy shorts and a bralette—no sense in not being comfortable in my own home despite the human company I kept.

The small but trusted mortal staff I kept on hand to deal with my indiscretions and menial tasks of housekeeping had gotten used to me ignoring they existed until they fucked up. They all may have been under my persuasive charms, but it didn’t prevent them from being idiotic at times.

My house was considerably larger than I needed for just myself, but SIN’s business was doing well, so why not flaunt it? I liked a good shopping spree as much as the next girl, and being in existence since damn near forever meant I had accumulated a lot of crap.

In the corner of my farmhouse chic living room, I curled up in a cushioned papasan chair with my large glass of Chambourcin in my hand. The television was on, but I couldn’t have told you what was reflected on the screen besides some trashy reality show. There was only one thing missing right now, and that was my favorite dark chocolate truffles. They always put me in a good mood. However, a trip over to Belgium wasn’t in the cards for today.

The wine began to relax my body, trying to coax me back into my carefree state. There were still a few hours before Alex would pick me up, and I would return to my mission to extract his secrets from him. Perhaps I would test out my theory on human pain tolerance when pitted against one of those cheese graters they use in Italian restaurants. A tiny giggle erupted from my throat at which body part I’d start with first. Penile alfredo actually sounded pretty tasty.

My cell phone was tucked next to me in the plump navy cushion of the chair, and when it gave a small chirp, I dug down to retrieve it. Seeing the name on the notification screen prompted a truly happy smile from me, a feeling that was much needed.

Friends in my line of work were few and far between. Being Lucifer’s next in command either made people cower in your presence or kiss the ground you walked on. Neither of those things lent itself to making actual friends. Zorah was the exception.

Kinley, you don’t need friends. All you need is power.

There was his voice again. It seemed that even when I thought I was alone, the Devil was never far from my shoulder, whispering in my ear.

Z – as I had come to call her – and I had become friends after meeting at a bar where I had been toying with a few biker types around a pool table. She asked to join in on the fun, and the rest was history. Using her demon abilities of manipulation and amplification of emotions, she proved to be quite the entertaining companion for girls’ nights out. Those poor bikers, I wonder if anyone ever did make sense of the violent and obscenely naked fight that broke out amongst them that night.

I looked down at the message that had just come in from my partner in depravity.

Z

Everything ok, Lee-Lee?

Anytime she used her nickname for me, it made me smile at how innocent and unassuming it sounded. I was the furthest thing from innocent and sure as hell not unassuming even on my dullest days.

Kinley

Relaxing before a date later. Why?

Z

Just got a feeling I needed to check on you.

Z

A date-date or a play-date?

Kinley

Haven’t decided yet. Can’t it be both?

Z

One of these usually ends in sex and the other usually ends up with death.

Kinley

It totally can be both.

It all just depended on my mood. After promising I would give all the delectable or gory details tomorrow, Z sent me a slew of emojis including the kissy-face, eggplant, knife, and multiple blood drops. It seemed she was rooting for a particular outcome since she didn’t care for eggplants; she was more of a taco girl.

That begged the question... what if Alex couldn’t have his free will bent? Was he worth keeping locked away in the basement until I could figure out how to solve him like a Rubik’s Cube in pretty packaging?

“Christina!” I shouted for my house manager, my voice carrying throughout the large expanse of my home.

Very quickly, a small set of footsteps could be heard approaching as a woman in her mid-thirties walked at a fast clip in my direction.

When she stopped before me, she tried to even out her heavy breaths from her quick response time. Small brown tendrils had escaped her neat ponytail, falling around the frame of her round face. Her bright green eyes were wide and focused.

With a timid voice, she finally spoke. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Be a doll, and make sure the basement is in pristine condition before tonight.”

The poor thing looked nervous; I hoped the rumors of her predecessor weren’t worrying her. The old Christina was a bothersome little nitwit, always swallowing her saliva too loudly.

This new human was proving to be proficient at following directions without asking silly questions. Christina nodded obediently. “Yes, Ms. Ward. I will be sure it is done before I leave for the evening. Anything else? More wine?”

I thought it over for a moment before responding, “Actually, I will need you to cease your breathing for the next thirty minutes.”

Her face paled, and panic flooded those sweet evergreen eyes of hers.

Breaking the tension, I smiled and laughed. “I’m just kidding! Relax. You humans and your lacking sense of humor, sheesh.”

A nervous giggle escaped her as she tried to reflect a smile right back at me.

Drawing another sip of wine from my glass, my hand waved her off. I liked this one, always willing to help out. She was far more useful than the fifteen prior Christinas I had hired and subsequently disposed of.

After the shakeup to my confidence from my failed powers of persuasion with Alex earlier that day, I needed something to give me a mental boost. Tonight’s date required pulling out one of my favorite dresses, so I opted for the skin-tight black mini with an open back. Streaks of dark crimson slashed across the front of the thin-strapped outfit, giving the illusion of claw marks. The length of the dress was nearly too short for the small slit at the right thigh, but it did a magnificent job of showcasing my toned legs. If Z was there, she would have smacked my ass and told me that I looked good enough even for her to eat.

My long locks of platinum blonde with raven shades peeking through were left pin-straight past my shoulders and stopped just above my waist.

With the backs of my red heels hanging from my fingertips, I padded down the stairs barefoot.

It was almost seven, and I expected Alex would be here any minute to pick me up for our evening out. I had sent a note to his email address on file, alerting him of my chosen restaurant so he could make the appropriate reservations. If he wanted a date, he was going to have to do the work for it.

I grabbed onto the banister at the bottom of the steps while balancing on one foot to put on the first heel followed by the other.

The slightest of drafts tickled across my skin, barely enough to shift a strand of hair.

“Your timing is impeccable,” I stated about the holy presence suddenly at my back. From the tone of my voice, I made it clear that this was hardly a compliment.

Sylas spoke up, his husky voice unapologetic, “Nice to see you, too, Kinley.”

Could he have had worse timing? There were more important things on my agenda this evening than arguing with an archangel prepared to lecture me on the error of my ways.

Spinning around, I placed a hand on my hip and rested my elbow against the banister. “I heard you were going to come around. Decided you wanted a taste of the dark side?” I smirked at him.

He stood tall, shoulders squared in his typical holier-than-thou stance. He was solidly built like Heaven’s finest warrior, with a body that made me question how many sins could be acted upon it. Sy kept his light brown hair short, except for the top which was left stylishly longer by an inch or two.

Piercing blue eyes greeted me but without so much as a polite smile accompanying them.

“I’m not here for banter. I’m here on business.” His expression remained unchanged from its uptight and usual grumpy demeanor.

Stepping forward, I ran my hands down over the front of his gray tee, feeling the hard set of muscles of his chest and stomach set just underneath. My pools of sapphire remained gazing up at him. “I could give you pleasure with your business.” The sultry lull of my voice added to the proposition.

There was hesitation at first, then his hands trailed over my shoulders, descending to my hips. Did he finally decide that things were more fun when you broke the rules?

“I’m serious,” he firmly stated. He set his mouth in a hard line, adding, “I’m not fucking around.”

When was he not serious? Also, did he ever fuck around?

I gave a playful pout. “You can always come fuck around with me. Maybe it will help loosen you up a little.”

Excitement pooled between my legs at the thought that maybe Sylas was considering straying from his morals. I leaned into him, inhaling deeply as the scent of paradise itself still clung to him. He must have made the trip home recently, transporting another deceased soul beyond the clouds for final judgment.

Heaven leaves its taste on you, and fuck if it wasn’t the most intoxicating thing to consume; the scent of sun, exotic flowers, and fruits at the peak of ripeness. It nearly made me crave to be back home, even after all this time.

My hand dipped further down his body, over the front of his black pants which led to quite a surprising handful. I grinned deviously as my palm rubbed over the bulge of his partial erection, which if it was anything to go by, would be quite the sizable treat in its full state.

“Ooh, it seems you do pack quite the weapon, Sylas. Maybe you should smite me with it,” I teased.

A partial growl escaped past his lips before he forced me back against a wall there in the foyer. My body slammed against the drywall roughly, knocking my hand away from him.

The strength of his body pushed up against mine, pinning me between him and the wall. It was a position that I was hardly sad about; I even tried to encourage him by letting out a faint moan of approval.

His hand came up to the side of my face, tracing a finger over my cheekbone. A softness overcame his eyes as he murmured, “You used to be so beautiful, Kinley. You should have never left home.”

Talk about ruining a good high. I scoffed and shoved his hand away from my face.

I left home because I hated feeling repressed and taking orders. It was boring as fuck. Lucifer offered a life away from that, a life which I didn’t regret in the least.

“I mean it, Kin. Look at what he’s done to you. Look at what you’ve become. The darkness is swallowing up your light.” His fingers found a lock of my black hair tucked behind my ear and examined it before letting it fall free.

Brushing off his observation, I didn’t see anything wrong with what I’d become. “Maybe you picked the wrong team; you should have joined me. Think of all the fun we could have been having together all this time.”

He sighed knowingly. “I’ve cleaned up your messes, they don’t look like fun to me.”

“Guess you had to be there.” I rolled my eyes.

Sy stepped back from me, prompting my lips to be drawn down into a frown of disappointment.

“The scales have been tipping, and you know exactly what happens when the balance is off between the light and the dark. Tell Lucifer’s lackeys to ease up.”

This was news to me, and raising both brows at him in surprise, I shook my head. “It’s not us. It’s been a relatively slow month on our end, numbers have been down.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Kinley, I’ve personally escorted more souls than I ever have in such a short period of time. Don’t tell me that you all have been on your best behavior.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Best is a bit subjective, don’t you think?” My chuckle that followed may have been inappropriate, but if he wanted to see my best behavior, the entire planet would be in the shitter.

Opening his mouth to respond, the sound of the doorbell interrupted him.