Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Seraphina
While I wasn’t back on the stupid fucking cross, this cage was not much better.
The entire thing was made of stellatium, of course, and while Jophielle had given me some strength back, it wasn’t enough to escape the cage waiting for me just outside the doors of Laszlo’s rooms. Plus, according to her, it wasn’t the “right time” to go.
So here I was, a pretty toy to be gawked at.
It almost reminded me of the burlesque club I sang at back in Boston.
Those days seemed a million miles away now.
The dress Laszlo left for me to wear, if these tiny pieces of gold fabric could be called a dress, was meant to tempt.
Showing off my body didn’t bother me. My curves and toned muscles were something I prided myself on.
Hours and hours spent at the gym to get this fucking figure meant I would absolutely show it off.
If he thought dressing me like a high-class whore was going to add to my humiliation, he was sorely mistaken.
What did surprise me was the second dress laid out for me.
It was just as slutty, but more dazzling, with silky black fabric that dipped low in the front and back.
My initial reaction was to go for the black, until my fingers traced a tiny silver B on the curve of fabric that would cover my breast. Belial was still playing games, and I needed to be clever about which devil to anger in this moment.
Being that the eldest Ormaenus brother was new to me, I chose Laszlo’s dress.
My cage was lifted into the air via some creature’s power and slowly moved about the massive ballroom.
There were hundreds of daemons and lumens in the room, and I wasn’t the only one in a cage.
Unfortunately, the other caged creatures were having less fun.
While I seemed to be off-limits to touch, they were not.
Males and females were stripped of clothing, poked with knives, groped, and assaulted in various horrible ways.
Some took the abuse without responding, while others snarled and tried to fight back.
The fighters were quickly brought to heel with pain, and tortured screams filled the giant ballroom throughout the night.
And no one batted an eye. It seemed the sounds of torture were common.
I scanned the room for Belial, but he hadn’t arrived yet.
Laszlo was also missing. Perhaps they were killing each other.
A horn blared, announcing the arrival of the Obscuritas Kings, and my hopes and dreams of Laszlo’s demise turned to ash.
He walked in with added arrogance, and to my great disappointment, Samuel was at his side.
The memory of stabbing him over and over would hold a special place in my heart. Hopefully, I’d be doing it again soon.
Samuel’s eyes darted to my cage, and the hesitation I saw in his gaze brought a smile to my face.
I gave him a little wave, and he huffed, turning away.
It seemed the memory was on his mind as well.
Laszlo narrowed his eyes at me, and I gave him a thumbs-up.
His eye twitched in what I hoped was severe irritation as he made his way to a dais.
My own gaze followed his path as he stopped just to the left of the singular throne.
Before I could think better of it, I cupped my hands around my lips and shouted at him. “Did your new bestie forget to make you a fancy chair, oh mighty cult leader?”
The room went silent at my outburst, and I glared at all of them, enjoying their discomfort. Sure, most of them just looked mildly curious, but a few uncomfy looks gave me some satisfaction.
Laszlo ignored me, his head held high, but that wouldn’t do, so I sang out a few bars to one of my favorite Rhianna songs. “You look so dumb right now…”
Several people snickered, and Laszlo’s eyes narrowed on me. Before I could goad him further, the damn horn blared again, announcing the arrival of Belial, eldest of the Ormaenus brothers. Phenex, the youngest, belonged to me. And Morax, the middle son, was mated to my sister.
Phenex was my mate, but it didn’t quite feel the way it should.
At least, it seemed like our connection was missing something.
Watching my sister and Morax, I knew this was true.
Sure, we fucked like horny devils, and the greatest fuck fest of my life included him and my princes, but there was still…
something missing. Phen’s confidence in us, in the bond between the six of us, gave me confidence as well.
Whatever that thing was, we would find it, together.
The thread connecting my soul to Phen’s pulsed with life, tugging gently. I closed my eyes, feeling him, feeling them, buried beneath Laszlo and that fucking blood oath. They were still with me, even now.
“Come find me, my princes.” I whispered the plea to the universe, hoping somehow, wherever they were, they would hear me.
It didn’t take long for Belial to release me from the cage, his eyes flicking over my body and the dress that wasn’t his.
“The black would have suited you better,” he murmured, forcefully guiding me to the open dance floor.
He was, unfortunately, quite handsome. Belial shared the same sharp jawline as his brothers, but with a long, slightly hooked nose.
His black hair was twice as long as Phen’s and braided down his back.
He wore an all-black ensemble, with a silver tie that matched the beading on the dress he’d chosen for me.
Everything about him oozed power and lethal grace, but his eyes gave him away.
This monster cared for nothing and no one, only power.
And even glowing red as they did now, there was no light, no spark of feeling.
Belial was a walking plague, a bringer of death.
How these people could willingly follow him, I couldn’t understand.
He pulled me into his arms as the song changed and led us into a slow dance around the room. I could feel Laszlo’s greedy eyes on me from his position near the throne.
“Laszlo’s oath compelled me to please him, so I wore his dress of choice,” I responded, gauging his reactions.
Belial’s face remained bored. “Do you enjoy being leashed? I would’ve thought the heir of the Valdis line would prefer a bit more freedom. More power.”
“Just because a man holds a leash, doesn’t make him a master.”
He spun me out and back into his arms.
“True power comes from those who kneel willingly. And that, I will never do.”
Belial’s mouth twitched, but in irritation or amusement, I wasn’t sure. “Have you not bowed for my brother, then? I sense him, but the connection is weak. Perhaps he isn’t enough for you?”
“Perhaps,” I murmured, staring into his eyes.
The elder prince stumbled a single step, recovering quickly, but we both noted it. He expected my devotion to the princes, but I wanted to see what he would do with a different response.
“So, you’re succumbing to the blood oath then? Or are you ready to break your bonds and join me?” Belial purred, his voice deep and deadly, meant to entice.
I could not be seduced by him or anyone else, but he didn’t need to know that. “If I did break my bonds, how would I do it? Would they need to die?”
Belial smirked, squeezing my waist. “Breaking a mate bond often sends the mated pair to their death, the pain is excruciating, but I’m certain you could handle it.”
My own smirk mirrored his. “Oh, I’m sure of it.”
The song ended, and a single bell rang out, gathering the attention of the room. Laszlo was clearly feeling left out. He stepped up on the dias, directly in front of the throne. Belial tensed at my side.
“Come to me, Seraphina,” Laszlo commanded.
As much as I didn’t want to, the call of my blood oath forced me toward my captor. His smile was incredibly unsettling as I walked stiffly to his side.
“While you may know her as a powerful member of the Valdis family, she is nothing more than a pawn, a toy to please and serve me.” Laszlo’s words grated against my soul, and my fingers itched for a dagger.
“And my dear friend Belial, when I allow it.” He spoke with effortless calm, staring out into the room of creatures.
As a human, he was severely outnumbered and outgunned.
“Belial, I have a gift for you.” Laszlo’s tone shifted to something sinister and raised the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.
The crowd parted as two men wheeled in a massive glass frame, like a shadow box of sorts. When the murmurs began. I craned my neck to see what was causing the stir. Wings.
My heart cracked, a piece falling away and turning to ash.
I’d never seen her wings, or at least, didn’t remember seeing them, until now.
They were Lailah’s. A memory flashed through my mind of Joseph rushing Michaela and I away from the scene of her death.
Lailah’s wings lay beside her, crudely cut from her body.
And now they were here, in the hands of my enemies.
A whisper of power caressed my skin, and I closed my eyes. Seraphina.
Tears threatened to fall at the sound of my name on her lips.
Laszlo’s voice brought my attention back to the room. “Lailah Valdis was meant to be yours, but her soul was stolen from your grasp,” Laszlo drawled. “I give you her wings, wrenched from her body just before her death.”
Belial tapped a clawed hand against the glass, greedy eyes roaming over the bright white wings. “There is power in a lumen’s wings. I can almost taste it. These will look beautiful above my throne.”
The devil wasn’t kind enough to offer a thank you, but his pleasure in the gift was obvious. My vision blurred as rage bubbled out of me. I was seconds away from running at him. I’d claw and bite and punch him to death with my bare hands if I had to.
Laszlo’s strong hand was suddenly around my throat. He stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Lailah’s wings. “Now, now, my little toy,” he cooed. “Calm down. Don’t ruin the party. It would please me greatly to hear you sing for everyone.”
The blood oath pounded in my veins at his words, urging me to obey. A microphone was suddenly brought out and passed to me. Laszlo caressed my cheek before stepping away and pulled a young female into his arms, forcing her to the dance floor.
A simple melody began to play while I stood there, watching. He didn’t specify what song I had to sing, and that was his mistake.