Sleeping Redemption (Feathers of Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

A fucking charred body. Wolff had been mine, and now he was nothing but a smoldering mess stinking up my bathroom. This was exactly why he should have never left the safety of my ownership. My sweet boy deserved better.

“Get the fuck off me, Atlas!” I shouted in his face while being nearly nose-to-nose with him while his hands cradled my face.

“Angel, you need to settle down.” His voice was calm, like I was upset over something as trivial as pestilence. His cloudy grey eyes pleaded with me, and I couldn’t bring myself to give a damn.

Didn’t he realize that the demon hadn’t even burned the body properly? The temptation to show the asshole how it was done boiled up inside of me.

If your pet had to suffer, everyone else should know your pain.

I was in agreement with the Devil on this one.

Even standing there in the hallway with Atlas, I could still smell the crispy remains combined with the stench of suffering. As I breathed it in through my nose, it seeped into my body through my lungs until my blood carried it to all the fibers of my being. There wasn’t any part of me that didn’t burn along with it.

Atlas gave my head a firm shake between his hands to pull my attention back to him.

“Breathe. Just breathe,” he repeated to me several times.

My eyes darkened as I inhaled each sickening pocket of air and let it merge with my soul. My psyche vibrated with sick pleasure in picking apart each nuance of the air I sucked in through my nostrils. The accelerant, the singed hair, the caramelized blood, the ashen bones, and even the morbid fragrance of fear that bound it all together.

A dark giggle escaped my lips as I looked deep into my guardian angel’s eyes. His hands loosened on my face at the unexpected sound that I made.

I tilted my head slightly to one side as my eyes shifted into a predatory gaze. “Ahh, I feel much better now,” I said with such an eerie calmness that it could draw a shiver out of a snowman.

It took little effort to break free from Atlas’s hold on my face. In retaliation, I slammed my hands against his chest with enough force that he went flying back into the wall behind him. He stumbled forward after the impact, revealing the massive dent his body made in the drywall.

An odd thought came to me, drawing an amused smirk onto my face.

“I bet your wings would leave such a pretty imprint on my walls,” I mused.

At first, Atlas looked shaken by my sudden shift in demeanor, but it quickly shifted into an expression of concern. His hand stretched out toward me like he was trying to settle down a goddamn velociraptor. Fun fact: those little assholes made great hellhound treats.

“Kinley.” He said my name as though it would command my attention and focus on what else he was about to say to me. “I know you are upset, angel. I hurt for you.”

I bitterly laughed. “Do you, now? I don’t think you do, but I can help make you feel a fraction of my pain.”

His words grew wary as his eyes remained on me. “Go on, share your pain with me. Let me soak up some of the burden.”

Dramatically, I sighed and shook my head. I wasn’t going to play games with a goody-two-shoes angel sent to save me from myself. I didn’t need pity sent from up above. I needed to unleash the urges churning deep inside my body.

One step forward, and I could already see the tension building inside my sweet Atlassian. He was just absolutely adorable when he didn’t have any of the answers.

“Pain is only considered a burden to the weak.” I took another step closer. “Pain is my blessing.”

With Atlas’s eyes transfixed on mine, he didn’t dare move a muscle.

“You know that’s not true, Kinley. Deep down, I know you know this, and I can help you find that part of you.” His voice was still wary and nearly irritating with the urge to find a solution to all my problems I didn’t need fixed. It was goddamn infuriating.

I observed him, my morbid curiosity tickling my immorality. A smirk appeared across my lips before I spoke with a calmer tone. “Let me see your pretty white feathers.”

The command seemed to throw him off guard as a puzzled expression washed over his face.

“Oh, c’mon, Atlas. I will show you mine if you show me yours. Let me see if they are the same shade of white as the snow on St. Cassius.”

He straightened up, his face tightening to conceal his thoughts.

Without a word, he pushed his shoulders back, and I heard the ruffling behind him. With a whoosh , his unsullied feathers stretched out to their full sixteen-foot wingspan. He gave them a ruffled shake before folding them into a relaxed position at his back.

What a shame that the back of his shirt was now in tatters, it was one of my favorites.

Every feather was perfectly positioned and the most brilliant of whites. Even the brightest and purest stars couldn’t compare to how clean his wings looked. They reminded me of how my own looked once upon a time ago.

For a moment, my heart swelled with an unexpected emotion that I wasn’t sure I even recognized. I shoved that pesky sensation to the side as I drew upon the lingering memory of Wolff’s torture and death.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small silver lighter. My thumb flicked the top open as the small orange flame came dancing to life.

Stepping toward Atlas, dark intentions flickered in my eyes and the reflection of the flame’s promise in them. “These wings of yours are the perfect blank canvas for my pain.” A dangerous smile spread over my lips. “You sure you want to share it?”

His feet planted firmly, his face betrayed not even the slightest hint of emotion or fear. It was no fun when they weren’t scared.

I felt a slight gust of wind at my back, and a strong hand curled around my throat from behind.The lightly sweet scent of demon blood wafted up from the split knuckles.

“Easy, love,” whispered the British-accented trickster I had claimed as my own. His lips grazed over the shell of my ear as he released a hungry growl.

Rook dragged his tongue along the sensitive skin of my neck until his mouth hovered again at my ear. He purred, but not like that of a house cat. It was the throaty purr of a naughty puma.

His other hand firmly grabbed my hip, steadying me where I stood. “Pain may be your blessing, but pleasure is mine.”

My eyes were cemented on Atlas, who shook off the tension inside him while damn near preening his wings like a duck flicking water off its feathers. Those innocently-white wings slowly absorbed into his back until they were no longer visible.

With Rook’s chin resting on my shoulder, his hand slid over my hip to the waist of my jeans. His hand flattened against my stomach before dipping inside the front of my pants.

“Be a good girl and apologize to our dear Atlassian, hm?” The demon spoke in a hushed tone.

Delving deeper into my pants, his fingers slid beneath the mesh fabric of my panties until he stopped right at my slit.

A familiar ache stirred in me as I stood there, unwilling to pull away from Rook’s touch.

Atlas finally spoke up as he closed the distance between us. “I don’t want her apology.” His hand pulled the lighter still aflame from my hand. After flipping the top closed and extinguishing the flame, he pocketed the small rectangular object.

There was a huskiness to Atlas’s voice as his eyes grew dark with other intentions. He leaned in close to me so that all I had to do was slip my tongue past my lips if I wanted a taste of him.

Atlas lifted his hand, and his fingers trailed over the side of my face in a feather-light caress.

His eyes didn’t stray from mine. “You know what I want, angel?”

Leaning in toward the ear opposite of where Rook was, he whispered his desire. “I want to hear your pretty little moan.”

With that simple statement, he firmly grabbed Rook’s forearm and forced the demon’s hand further down between my legs.

Rook’s fingertips wasted no time in stroking my clit, drawing out the first jolt of pleasure. My lips parted as a breathy moan came from me.

A smile of satisfaction appeared on my guardian angel’s face, one that reached his perfectly stormy grey eyes.

My body began to forget about the pain it had been harboring and instead hungered for something else to sate it.

There was Rook’s deep chuckle against the side of my neck, his touch circling over my sensitive bud and my body responding eagerly. “That’s it, love. We will take good care of you,” he reassured me as he nipped at my ear with a gentle tug.

Each moment of contact he made with me had me squirming for more. My hips pressed backward against him, feeling the hard bulge of his cock against my ass despite the layers of clothing between us.

“ Fuck ,” I exhaled the word out of me on the tail of another moan.

Atlas stood there, watching as Rook played my pleasure like the devil’s fiddle. One corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk as he leaned forward and brushed his lips over mine in a kiss that seemed too gentle.

“Here’s what is going to happen, Kinley,” Atlas said with a firm tone. “You’re going to make sure your pussy is nice and wet. Rook is going to help you, but you’re not going to come for him before I say so.”

I whimpered as Rook teased my clit with faster strokes, his other hand still wrapped around my throat.

“Please, Atl—” He cut me off, his lips pressing to mine in a commanding kiss. The connection stole my breath, along with my unspoken plea. His hand came underneath my chin, securing it in his grasp.

The heat of his mouth melted even more of my body’s tension and anger until the only fire left in my veins was that of lust’s smoldering embrace.

“Mate, I think the situation warrants a trip down to the basement.” Rook’s gravelly voice spoke up, interrupting the kiss Atlas and I were caught up in.

I nearly melted at the thought of having my two guys trapped in my playroom that takes up the entirety of my basement.

Atlas’s intrigue at Rook’s suggestion was evident in the way his thumb stroked over my bottom lip before pushing it into my mouth. His eyes watched me intently as I gladly accepted the tip of his thumb, lightly sucking on the tip. Playfully, I grazed my teeth against it while my tongue flicked at the rough pad, all while my eyes met his.

Humming another moan of pleasure from Rook’s continued efforts in taunting and teasing my body, I allowed my cerulean eyes to convey how much fun I’d like to have downstairs.

Leaning in, Atlas spoke quietly into my ear. “What my angel wants, my angel gets.”

Both men drew their hands away from my body, and I was momentarily disappointed at the ebb of pleasure at the loss.

Behind me, I could hear light suckling sounds as Rook cleansed the taste of my excitement from his fingers.

I smirked at them both, my mind thoroughly distracted by the thought of screaming each of their names.

Wasting no time, I led them downstairs and to the basement door just around the corner from the office. Each step closer to my sinful playground lit my body up with anticipatory tingling sensations.

After Atlas hit the final stair, I immediately turned to face them both and couldn't help but giggle at them as they stood side by side.

They shared a curious look with one another before looking back to me for an explanation.

“What an iconic sight before me.” Smiling with amusement, I gestured to Atlas with one hand. “My conscience-invoking angel on one shoulder, and—” I motioned to Rook with my other hand, “—my incorrigible demon of temptation on the other.”

“Love, I can think of better places to be than your shoulder,” Rook mused.

Atlas chimed in, “That’s right, angel. Although, I could be convinced to return to my wicked ways.” That boyish smirk of his had a delicious shiver rolling down my spine.

Then, between us appears the mood killer himself—Sylas.

A collective mix of sighs and groans erupts between Atlas, Rook, and me.

Sy raises a judgmental brow at us as he inspects our surroundings. The floggers and paddles lining the walls, the swings and frames in the room’s corners, and various accoutrements of the kinky persuasion—including a dog crate large enough to fit a grown man.

He cleared his throat before casting a hard look at Atlas. “You’re needed to report in.”

“Now?” The irritation was heavy in Atlas’s voice that the timing was shit.

Sylas curtly nodded with a rough hum of confirmation.

A deep inhale filled Atlas’s chest before he blew it out forcefully. He glanced over to me with the softness of an unspoken apology. “I’ll return as soon as I can.” And with that, he was out of sight to report back beyond the Pearly Gates.

Frustration mounted up inside me at an increasingly fast rate. I sauntered over to a fancy-looking chaise lounge with its polished wood frame and plump cushioning and laid myself down on it.

“Way to cock block, Sy,” I grumbled as I tucked an arm behind my head and glared at him.

Rook grunts as he visibly adjusts what remains of his erection.

Mr. High-and-Mighty ran a hand over his face, clearly trying to rein in his temper before he placed both hands on his hips. “Kin, the way things are going right now, your sex life is at the bottom of my list.”

I huffed in annoyance, not giving a shit about his goddamn list. I cared about becoming a trembling, undone mess with my brain floating amongst the stars after multiple orgasms. The way my pussy nearly cried at the thought of having Rook and Atlas to myself, I was fairly certain she felt the same way about Sy’s priorities as I did.

Taking a gander at Rook, I noticed a peculiar look in his hazel eyes, the green in them nearly popping with mischief. Whatever he was thinking, he gave Sylas a look that made me think he was up to no good.

“Ah, damn,” Rook finally spoke up with a hint of forced disappointment in his tone. “I nearly forgot, I have to cast my vote for the centennial Most Efficiently Innovative Demon award.”

Sy cast a hard look of disbelief at the demon. I couldn’t blame him; even I didn’t buy Rook’s bullshit excuse. Everybody knew that particular contest was rigged. Belphegor, the demon of sloth, always won.

“Good luck, mate. If she gets,” he made a swirling motion with his finger next to his temple, “you know, just…” His voice trailed off.

Rook merely gave a harsh double pat on the back of Sy’s shoulder before he was gone.

Ignoring Sy’s less-than-pleased demeanor, I focused on solving my current predicament.

Deciding to lounge on the blue velvet chaise in my playroom, I scrolled through my phone, tapping away on the food delivery app.

“One of these… and one of these,” I murmured to myself quietly.

After I had ordered food from thirteen different establishments, I eagerly awaited my new toys. My mouth watered at the prospect of thirteen delivery drivers arriving at the door, ready for me to spin my charm on them. I’d keep the ones who pleased me and burn the ones who didn’t. It seemed an appropriate tradeoff.

Too bad there wasn’t a Most Efficiently Innovative Fallen Angel award.