Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I t had been weeks since I had been out of the loft. All the guys had been incredibly patient with me, prompting a level of guilt that clung to my soul because I hadn’t made more progress. When Atlas suggested we go out to dinner, the four of us, I reluctantly obliged. Even Z had agreed to meet us after her date wrapped up.
It was all a step towards something resembling normalcy and routine. I knew they were all worried about me; I was worried about me. The mix of emotions inside me was unsettled, like the eye of a storm where you just waited for any shift in the winds.
An anxiety thrummed inside me like a livewire, knowing Nico had once again left my life in upheaval without consequence. Instead of paying the piper, he was out there somewhere, inhabiting a weakling of a human. The coward had taken a piece of me that I had considered untouchable.
Now, every human I crossed reminded me of him, reminded me of how accessible I was, and how easy I had made it for him. By opening myself up to Rook, Atlas, and Sy, I had allowed this to happen. I had grown too soft to fulfill my duties and uphold my ranking as Lucifer’s Second in Command.
All these thoughts circled through my brain as I sat there at the table inside the gastropub, and there was an alarming numbness at the base of my spirit as I stared at the short-rib macaroni and cheese in front of me.
Looking across the table, Rook sat across from me, taking a massive bite into his peanut butter and jelly burger. His slow chews seemed to be thoughtful and deliberate. Finally, he gave a hum before speaking up. “It’s missing something.”
That prompted an eye roll from Sylas before he looked over at me and nodded at the bowl of untouched food sitting in front of me.
“Your food okay, Kin? It looks like you’ve barely touched it.” His stoic demeanor was set on his face, but the concern was an undercurrent in his eyes.
Nodding, I picked up my fork and pushed around some of the elbow-shaped pasta. “I was just waiting for it to cool off.” In truth, I had been too lost in my head to recognize it had been sitting there cooled down to an appropriate temperature for several minutes.
Sy cast a look over at Atlas and Rook. Catching the silent communication, I slammed my fork into the center of the cheesy pile of carbs. Irritation coursed through me that they sat there expecting me to be someone I no longer was. I shoved the dish away from me, a sign of my waning appetite.
Silence hung heavy over our table like a thundercloud prepared to unleash a flood of biblical proportions.
Slowly, Rook put his burger down. “Love…”
“Don’t.” The word came flying out in a harsher bite than I had intended. Taking a moment to dial down my tone, I muttered slightly softer, “Stupid fucking humans made it with elbow macaroni.” Everyone knew that bowtie pasta was the superior choice for any type of macaroni and cheese.
Atlas leaned over, and his hand gently rested on my thigh. “Angel, if you want something else, we can get you whatever you’re feeling like.” He was ever my problem-solver, looking to fix anything that plagued me. But he couldn’t fix this ; he couldn’t fix me .
I shook my head and reached for my water. As I raised it to my lips, something caught my eye over the edge of the glass. A couple walked by, the man staring at me as he passed. His eyes filled with the same evil my body recognized as the hateful demon who had broken me in more ways than one.
It’s him. He’s here for you. Mocking your pain. Look how smug he looks, knowing he’s broken you.
Even the Devil recognized the snake in the garden.
My eyes followed the couple as they headed for the front of the restaurant.
“I need to use the restroom.” I bluntly stated my false excuse before I set my water down and pushed my chair back as I rose to my feet. Atlas’s hand fell away from my leg in the process.
All the guys stilled in their seats as three sets of eyes zeroed in on me.
I presented them with a reassurance. “I’ll be back.” Failing to meet their gazes, I stepped away from the table to navigate to the front of the restaurant where the bathrooms were located.
Not for a single second did my eyes leave the couple I had spotted. I predatorily stalked behind them, and anger rolled through me as my focus narrowed on my target. Barely registering my feet moving beneath me, I let my rage guide my steps.
The couple sauntered out, chatting and laughing like they were in a goddamn Hallmark movie. Keeping my distance at first, I followed them out of the establishment. My steps were sure and determined as my inner turmoil continued to ramp up. I refused to allow him to make a mockery of my pain. I wouldn’t let him continue to relish in the wreckage of my spirit.
As I quickened my steps, I reached out to sink my fingers into the man’s shoulder, but then I saw the darkest of evils flee from his body. His host continued to stroll along with his date like he hadn’t just been inhabited by the foulest of demons.
It should have given me pause when that gleeful motherfucker of a human didn’t drop dead from the demon’s exodus as he should have, but it didn’t even register in my mind. Instead, my focus remained on exacting my revenge and serving up a bitter dose of karma to the entity plaguing my mind.
I stopped short in my tracks and watched the shadow dance through the air and slip into a woman entering a seedy nightclub.
A sense of desperation washed over me; I needed to put an end to Nicodemus. I couldn’t let him continue to taunt me and flee without retribution. I followed the woman into the packed building. Walking through the doors, the only thing breaking up the darkness was the strobing lights and the dim bulbs hanging above the bar. So many bodies were packed into this tight space.
He’s toying with you. He wants to flaunt his power. He knows how weak you are.
I gave a low growl of frustration as my eyes scanned the crowd. The bass of the rave music matched the pulsing of my heart and wrath rising inside me. The shadow of evil floated in the air, slipping in and out of the oblivious humans moving their bodies to the beat in a carefree fashion.
Don’t let him get away from you, not this time.
Taking a look over my shoulder at the door at my back, I stared at the lock. He wouldn’t escape what was owed to him. My hand reached for the lock, I summoned my angelic strength, and I jammed the lock into place. The sound it made practically reverberated in my mind as I bent its components to prevent anyone from escaping before I could destroy Nico.
The image of the entity bouncing around like a pinball between mortals drove my spiraling madness further. St. Cassius had been child’s play compared to what I was willing to do to ensure an end to the demon responsible for my torment. Nico had escaped me centuries ago when he had too many exit points in an open village. Tonight would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
The loud banging against the club’s locked door from the outside would go unanswered as people outside attempted to gain entry. The first of the many humans inside the club with me attempted to leave. He was a young man, his cheeks flushed from the rising amount of body heat inside the room from all the moving bodies. His eyes dilated from a combination of alcohol and lack of lighting.
Tilting my head, I observed him with a coldness filling my gaze. It was like watching a rabbit trying to flee the jaws of a hunter’s metal trap. It was so cute, yet so pointlessly sad. As my eyes lingered over his face, I could damn near taste Nico’s essence all over him.
The poor soul tugged on the door handle to no avail. I stepped over to him, my hand trailing down his shoulder as my fingertips danced over his arm. The confusion in his eyes morphed into something I saw as sinister. My hand thrust up to his throat, his pulse erratic against my grip.
Feel his fear? Feels good, doesn’t it? It’s because he knows you’re trying to stop him. Don’t let him be a host.
My hand tightened, my face set in a neutral expression. There was no pity, no empathy, and sure as shit, no love lost for this one. The pulse beneath my grasp slowed, and the man’s hands clawing at my forearm did nothing to break my hold.
As the mortal shell began to falter, the tell-tale tingling between my shoulder blades appeared. My skin split at the two seams that gave way to my wings emerging. The ratio of black to white feathers aligned with my morality and sanity. Each decision turned another feather to an inky color at my back. One more feather darkened as the heartbeat of the man sputtered and then came to a halt in his chest.
A gust of black wind swirled around him and then slithered into the depths of the crowd of clubgoers. Opening my grip, the deceased man dropped to the floor in a heap.
“Ninety-nine humans in a nightclub, ninety-nine humans for me. Pick one out and snuff them out, ninety-eight humans in a nightclub,” I quietly sang in singsong to myself as my eyes began to bleed into onyx pools with only a pinhole of white light in their center.
With one dead body at my feet and my expansive wings on full display, my dramatics began to draw attention. It was quite a sight to watch as a tidal wave of panic crashed over the sea of people.
Extending my hand out in front of me toward the crowd all around me, my energy burned hot in the center of my palm. “Be still, my obedient little toys.” I spoke my demand with enough authority that my powers of persuasion began plucking at the human will of everyone in the room. One person at a time began to fall under my charm, the power I held over them becoming addictive.
Thanks to the intensity of my anger and fierce determination to put an end to Nico, I had enough energy to prevent the humans from behaving like a wild stampede of panicked animals. Holding onto their will was like having a series of tiny puppet strings attached to my fingertips.
Stepping forward through the masses, I slowly advanced to the center of the club, the tips of my wings caressing over a tear- stained cheek or two on the way. As I admired my power over these shells, these potential hosts to Nico’s existence, I examined every set of eyes with intense scrutiny.
One by one, I could see the shadow of Nico’s essence across them. He was here in all of them. Everything in my body told me he had already tainted them all. There was no logic to it. There was nothing telling me I was wrong. My mind was numb from my anger and suffering, numb from my diminished capacity and lacking awareness.
“Oh, you sweet lambs, don’t fear me. Fear him . Fear his corruption. I will set you all free from his hold.” My voice was flat and void of emotion.
Despite the silenced voices around me, the upbeat music continued to play from the speakers, providing a contrasting soundtrack to my motives here. The multi-colored lights flickered in chaotic patterns throughout the space, and soon, I planned to add flickering lights of my own.
“Let us pray.” I slowly sank to my knees, pressing my palms together in front of me as I bowed my head. Closing my eyes, I reached out to the only higher power I answered to. Only Lucifer could bestow upon me the power required to enact my plan to wipe these humans from existence and end Nico’s reign.
I murmured my prayer out loud. “Lucifer, I am but your most loyal servant. I ask that you grant me access to your unholy power to free these souls. Let their curse of mortality be broken in your name.”
My face was solemn as I remained on my knees. I patiently waited for my prayer to be answered. There was a rumbling in my chest as a scorching power began to seep into my fibers. A satisfied smirk pulled at my lips. Ask, and you shall receive.
Let them taste the flames of Hell, my dark little vixen.