The Inferno

Chapter 41 The Discovery

A flicker of grey flashes over his onyx stare at my response and the barest, quickest, twitch pulls at his lips.

“This.” He gestures around us, mimicking my own action with his finger. “Isn’t me.”

I mentally fumble, then try to regain the burning frustration, abhorrent feelings and dire injustice previously igniting every nerve.

But this realm is so quiet , calming, it seems to caress me in cool touches. The utter darkness eases my own, settling the coils previously encircling Kane even when I try to refuse.

“You do have some control,” Kane states, his voice echoes here and I hate that I enjoy it. “The realm only appears when you call to it or when you need it. If you don’t belong, it will kill you, if you do, it will heal you.”

I finally tear my sight from Kane and see Ezekial’s room drenched in a dark veil, I also see Ezekial and Julien who haven’t even tried to enter watching cautiously instead.

“You didn’t bring them,” Kane explains, and I turn back to him. “Even subconsciously, you knew you were losing control and you created what you needed to regain it.”

We’re close enough that I can see more wisps of grey within his inky gaze.

I note my coils still eagerly clinging to him, no longer in anger but need, being soothed, smothered by the darkness here and… Kane.

“You’re not afraid of me,” he repeats, not a single inflection in his tone as his gaze studies me.

“ Why do you make that sound like a challenge?” I ask nervously, a sensation unfurling in my stomach I can’t quite place, or one I’m unwilling to name…

When the smallest slice of his teeth is revealed as his lips form a smile, the weightless sensation doubles and my breathing stops.

It’s a terrifying expression because it ignites feelings, feelings I know I shouldn’t—can’t, be feeling.

“You think I’m a coward?”

The whiplash of this question sinks my body into a sudden numbness. His voice is the softest I’ve ever heard it, making my entire body unclench.

I feel the tension drain away and my power completely dissolves from around him.

He doesn’t sound hurt but I have the innate urge to reassure him somehow.

“I think.” I pause, searching his face tentatively as his expression becomes blank once more. “I think, sometimes, you walk away from things rather than face them.”

I’m not sure how he takes my response but his face remains calm and his eyes continue to study me.

“I think you’re afraid of me.” I’m waiting for him to emit some type of sound or expression to prove how ridiculous my notion is.But before he can, I add, “I think I’m a coward too.”

“You’re not a coward.” The sincerity of his words makes my chest ache, I look up at him and there’s a slight lift to one corner of his mouth again.

It entrances me more than I’d like to admit.

“You are stubborn though.”

I huff, the sound is nearly a laugh as I try to hide my smile.“Says king stubborn.”

“And a brat.”

My mouth drops open as he adds that on but his barely-there smirk is still in place and I nearly drop to the ground in shock when I realise he’s teasing me.

Kane is teasing me.

The demon enforcer who wanted me dead.

We’re having a light-hearted conversation that isn’t focused on death.

Kinda.

Is this the Dark Realm or an alternative universe?

And when his eyes flicker to my finger, the one still lingering upon his chest, I nearly collapse. I snatch it back hastily, desperate to create more space, to escape the shadowy prison I’d created.

It seems the realm does listen as it immediately begins to slip away and blinding light permeates the room again.

“The distraction skills of an assassin.” Ezekial’s voice washes over me, I turn to see his soft smile and my heart races in reaction to his subtle compliment.

“Sorry about... that.” I awkwardly smile, clasping and wringing my hands together. “Now all that burning anger has somewhat dissolved…” I say, catching each of their eyes once more and realising they’ve all returned to their captivating hues.

I find it difficult to stare at any for too long.

“ Please , can reconsider killing the boy? ”

“Manipulative too, notice how she keeps referring to him as a child?” Julien adds, strolling over to me with a devilish smile before taking a seat upon the large, leather armchair nestled in the corner by an ornate fireplace.

“He is a child,” I repeat, catching each of their gazes again. “Especially in comparison to you guys.”

That causes a mixture of laughter, even a small one from Kane which has my power humming with enjoyment. My entire body stills at the reaction and my mind races.

“I couldn’t even guess their ages.”

I have no idea if that thought leaked through as I take a small step away from Kane, away from the comforting cold I was becoming too happy with, and move towards the armchair. I lean against the arm to readjust my heel that did not need readjusting whatsoever.

No one speaks for a moment, allowing the intensity previously engulfing the room to fade as I watch Kane move to stand beside his brother. They share a look, possibly a few words, before turning to glance at the ominous office doors.

“Guess, Little Empath. I dare you.” Julien’s internal murmur instantly re-heats my blood. His sensual tone always catching me off guard.

I don’t dare peer at him but I nearly jolt when I feel his knuckles skim my hip.

“Why, so you can kill me if I get it wrong?” At my sarcastic remark, Julien grins and slightly shakes his head in disbelief. It makes me a little breathless.

His knuckles brush against me once more. “ Guess.”

“And if I guess correctly?”

Julien's gaze darkens so quickly I’m uncertain it ever happened.

“Guys, are we seriously having a re-vote over this little fuck?” Sai’s frustrated voice shouts from the phone which had been abandoned on Ezekial’s desk.

But before anyone can argue, or return to their ‘Let’s burn the world’ phase, I reply, loudly enough for Sai to hear, “Yep!”

I feel all their eyes back on me but I stare at the phone as though Sai can see me.

“And I just wanted to remind you Sai, before you give your vote, that you’re currently on top. ”

There's a pause.

During which, I can clearly picture Sai. I imagine the fury in his gaze flickering and cracking with intense strikes of blue. A flicker of that smirk I was beginning to enjoy fracturing his previous rage.

Finally, he calmly replies, “I’m going to need you to repeat that, Red.”

I smirk. Bingo. “I said, currently, you’re at the very top,” I repeat. “But it’s a very perilous position and could very, very easily be seized.”

“What is she talking about?” Ezekial's voice overlaps mine in a confused murmur, his eyes darting between Kane and Julien.

I’m grinning now, for once enjoying having the upper hand. It feels incredibly good.

“She’s playing dirty,” Sai replies, his words filled with mirth and teasing insinuation. “And us against each other.” Then he laughs, it's a soft laugh which sends a pleasant crackle along my skin.

I hold my hands up in mock innocence. “It wasn’t my idea, you told me I should have an enforcer rating system. So, I have, and you’re currently at the top.”

“Where am I?” Julien almost whispers. I suppress my shiver and peer over my shoulder at him, fluttering my eyelashes. "And how is Sai in first place?"

“That would be telling," I answer both of his questions with an impish smile.

“I agree with Red,” Sai suddenly blurts. I nearly chuckle at his enthusiasm. “We speak to the kid, see what he says, then we reconsider.”

“Agreed,” Julien immediately responds, knuckles, hidden from view, caressing my hip again.

I desperately try to hide my arrogant smile, enjoying the way Sai and Julien are competing in my little game.

“Idiots,” Kane murmurs. I have to pull in my lips to stop my snicker at his response whilst I eagerly await the final votes.

Kane and Ezekial are surrounded by a buzz which indicates another silent conversation. Both of their expressions are stern, until the tension is broken by Ezekial.

“We’ll go with the majority, for now.” His metallic eyes catch mine and my heart pounds in realisation.

“Really?” I ask. My head twists from Ezekial, to Julien, to Kane and back. “This leaderboard thing really works,” I whisper to myself, forgetting for a moment who is sat beside me, his soft chuckle being his only response.

“Great!” Sai calls out. “Now I’ve maintained my position at the apex, you guys good without me?” There’s some crackling down the line and the faintest sound of a pained groan.

“Let me know what you get out of him.” Kane is still facing his brother but his demand is clearly for Sai.

“Aye, aye, captain. I’ll catch you losers later and, remember, Friday. We all agreed. No exceptions.” Sai says, his voice sounds more distant as though he’s walking away. “Text me, Red.”

The line abruptly ends and immediately, the office doors swing open with the flick of Ezekial’s wrist.

Before I can ask about Friday, my curiosity eating away at me, my gaze is drawn to a slender woman who quickly appears at the threshold. A formal, black dress clads her body, ending just above her knees and her thick, blonde hair is held back tightly by a bronze clip.

“My lord.” She bows, her eyes staring only at the floor. Even then, I can appreciate her delicate beauty and a bite of jealously slices into me.

I quickly erase it.

“Send them in.” She nods at Ezekial’s command, stepping backwards whilst never turning her back on him and without once looking up. My power hums in approval, seeming to like her submissiveness.

“She’s Ezekial’s assistant,” Julien quietly adds, his soothing voice easing me further.

Shortly after, the sound of footsteps and shuffling is heard before the three, young enforcers enter. Only now do I realise the sight they have before them.

Ezekial and Kane glaring down at them, in all their terrifying glory.

Dark, fallen angels preparing to judge.

Palpable fear rushes through from the threshold, the abrupt chilling sensation racing over me like a roaring wave.

I try to still myself from the pain due to the sudden intensity, when I’m suddenly tugged off the arm I was resting upon and onto Julien's lap. The immediate warmth emitting from him travels along my body, soothing the chilling terror as I feel his large hand mould around my waist.

When they fully enter, their fear is so intense it becomes a magnetic force and my muscles tense in preparation to feed. Julien is the only thing keeping me physically grounded, his single hand enough to engulf half my stomach and stopping me from moving, stopping the innate urge to rip away the terror desperately pummelling me.

To feed, to leave them with nothing…

“I have you.” Julien's grip tightens as though he can sense my control slipping. It’s a much needed reminder of his presence and I feel my restraint returning whilst his heat continues to permeate my bones.

Without moving, my gaze seeks them out and I see the three terrified enforcers staring intensely at the ground. Waves of terror plume around them.

“P-permission to speak, sir,” the girl, Tes, stutters. Her hands shake in fists by her side.

At first, I think they’re addressing Ezekial, until Kane steps forward. “Speak.”

I frown, wondering why they would seek out Kane, when Julien answers, “He is the lead instructor for enforcers in training.”

“He’s a teacher?!” I can’t hide my shock and I feel the rumble of Julien's quiet laughter.

“Kane is very skilled at giving orders, keeping people in line." His fingers brush my ribs. "But I’m sure you already know this, mon envie. It’s one of the reasons you get under his skin so easily.”

“Silas is a member of our unit; therefore, please may we request any punishment dealt to him be bestowed upon us all,” the tall boy, Aro, requests. His voice holds the edge of a tremor but his posture remains strong.

Silas is in visible pain. His face is scrunched tightly, his legs barely able to hold him upright as his peers grasp him beneath his arms. Guilt for my previous actions begins to form and I use the sensation to ease some of his discomfort.

“Request denied,” Kane states, the monotonous, glacial tone one I knew well as his words echo loudly. “You’re dismissed.”

The two young enforcers are instantly repelled by an invisible force, the hard thud of the doors is the only sound as they slam behind them. Leaving only one.

Silas slumps onto the ground, onto his knees, and I continue to quietly provide him some pain relief. His brows unhunch slowly as he responds to my power, head titling slightly in my direction as though sensing the route .

“Do. Not. Look at her.” Ezekial’s low, oppressive voice drips with a deep-rooted rage. It causes Silas to drop onto his hands, his head hanging down.

“Look. At. Me .” The pure power of each word becomes a physical pressure and as Silas attempts to follow Kane’s order, his body is simply forced lower and lower until his injured chin kisses the floor.

“Go to the realm.” On Kane’s command, Julien slips us into the shadow world, making us invisible to Silas and somewhat easing the heavy emotions he was emitting.

Ezekial and Kane continue to tower over the boy, their auras expanding and growing as they feed their darkness and I watch, entranced, as their eyes change into obsidian glowers.

Silas’ fear no longer drowns me now that we’re resting in the realm’s shadows, but it’s still palpable. I can taste the burnt, acrid emotion as his body shakes under the brothers’ powers.

Warm fingers stroke my side and I jolt, instinctively placing my hands down upon Julien's thighs to push against him. Only now realising where I’m sat.

“Why the hell am I on your lap?!” I quietly shout, uncertain what sounds will escape from this realm. “Are you insane? Kane and Ezekial are right there!”

I frantically try to escape but his grip is hot steel around me, one arm now fully encasing my stomach, and a hand upon my hip keep me rooted to him.

“I’m helping to ground you,” he soothes, his fingers continuing to tease my side, his touch seems to burn through the fabric as he brushes them up and down. “They can’t see or hear us now. S e détendre .” His silky voice, mixed with the French words I do not understand, work their magic by rushing all over me, through me, leaving a pleasant warmth beneath my skin.

“S e détendre.” His fingers gently scoop my hair together before placing it over one shoulder, revealing one side of my neck to him. “I have you.”

Knowing my attempts to escape are futile— and absolutely nothing to do with the fact I’m enjoying how his touch and voice make me feel— I take a calming breath and relax my hands, crossing them under my breasts in what I hope is a defiant action. Julien's whispered chuckle tells me otherwise .

“Watch,” he instructs, his lips almost touching my ear. Even without his order, my eyes are drawn back to Ezekial and Kane.

The two brothers are in full interrogation mode, firing question after incessant question at the poor boy who is barely pushing through the pain to remain conscious. I’m still healing him, watching my invisible coils feed into him, and I have a feeling they all know it, but no one stops me.

“Highest ranking you say, brother?” Ezekial repeats, the mockery in his voice and wide, all-teeth grin utterly terrifying.

“It seems I was grossly misinformed,” Kane replies, titling his head at the boy as though he was an insect under his shoe, his sardonic stare one of utter boredom. “Compulsion desensitisation is a first year skill.”

“First year you say?”

Kane nods. “Pathetic.”

“An embarrassment.”

As their verbal onslaught continues, Julien's hand dips from my hip to my knee, to the part my skirt doesn’t quite cover, his fingers skimming my skin.

“Speak up, boy.”

“I-I didn’t know…could use compulsion, sh-she.” He gasps for air, tears stream down his face. “She’s…She’s…”

“Can’t even give us a name.”

“How could you ever become an enforcer when you’ve been misled so easily?” Ezekial questions, the vile mockery never leaving him. “How could you ever protect others if you can’t even protect yourself? A first year skill and you’re what?”

“A third year, brother.”

“ Third year?”

“Useless.”

“Pitiful.”

Horrified. That’s how I should feel. But I watch the entire humiliating massacre utterly and completely… entranced.

Rather than be disgusted or repelled by the way they verbally destroy this boy, my darkness thrives on it. Without realising, I’ve begun leaning forward, desperate to capture every syllable from the brothers’ deadly lips and every miniscule reaction of fear from the boy .

“Do you see how they balance each other?” Julien murmurs, his fingers brushing my knee, then skimming the hem of my skirt. “When they want something, they’re relentless, insatiable. Merciless.”

My teeth sink into my lower lip, my eyes eagerly flickering from the boy suffering upon the ground to my enforcers. Ezekial is crouched now, resting his arms upon his knees, allowing me to see his bare forearms which are tense, his dark tattoos outlining his veins.

Kane remains stood, arms crossed, head tilted, staring with utter, unmasked distaste.

“Imagine what your family will say.” Ezekial’s words are a low, vile sound which crawls all over me. It causes the boy to shudder against the floor. “You’ll bring dishonour to all mages of the light.”

“Your unit will also be removed.”

At this, Silas attempts to move his head, but the darkness surrounding him makes it agony to even try.

“No,” he splutters, that one syllable drenching his body in another round of pain, he groans in agony.

“You’re diseased.” Kane slowly, purposefully, drops into the same position as his brother, copying his posture and matching the same low volume. I desperately lean forward to hear him. “And the only way to stop your poison from spreading to my trainees, is to remove the root and any infections.”

Julien's fingers have continued their gentle touches, shifting ever so slightly higher, brushing the edge of my skirt up even further. My thighs are tightly clenched together, feeling a burning ache being ignited by the horrific scene and my body’s instinctive reaction to it.

“This is an interesting discovery,” Julien murmurs, this time his lips touch the skin just beneath my ear, upon my throat.

Without hesitation, without thought, I lean back into Julien and his chest seems to purr beneath me.

“You like it. The humiliation, the deprecation, the degradation.” The words are all vile whispers which make me squirm in his lap and push my thighs even harder together.

The grip around my stomach drops and then I feel both his hands slide down and over the tops of my thighs before his fingers slip between them, coaxing them apart with hardly any force.

“Keep watching,” he rasps, placing his lips against my throat once more .

My gaze never leaves the brothers even as Julien's touches trail higher, caressing the sensitive skin between my thighs in painfully teasing touches, only adding to the ache I feel in the pit of my stomach.

“We’ll have to interrogate them first, brother,” Ezekial calmly adds, and finally, the boy is able to lift his head just enough to meet their gaze. Ezekial glowers at him but smiles whilst saying, “Imagine what will happen when I trap them in their minds, the trauma they’ve been through… their lives were nothing like yours, were they?”

“Especially the girl’s.”

“They’d become shells, living in their nightmares for the rest of their—”

“Gloria!” The name is a gargled scream from the boy’s lips.

The second the word is released into the air, something happens. Silas’ body begins to convulse and his agony is intensified to the point that Julien has to grip my thighs beneath his hands to stop my body from shivering at the sudden sensation.

I’m about to force myself towards him, already wrapping coils around my fingers ready to send to Silas, when Ezekial touches the boy’s forehead and all shaking stops.

Silence.

Silas’ pain is instantly eradicated, my body uncoils, and his eyes stare up in a haze at Ezekial.

“Well done,” he softly praises Silas. Kane is immediately on his phone and the office doors swing open to reveal a man dressed in white scrubs. “You did well.”

Silas’ body slumps upon the ground, his cheek nestled against the cold floor and his cloudy eyes staring in my direction, but seeing nothing; feeling nothing. Whatever Ezekial did was a similar reaction to when Kane touches me and my body relaxes completely back into Julien.

But I have to dig my nails into my palms when I become fixated upon Ezekial’s continued soft utterances to the boy. The way he gently praises him after verbally ripping him to pieces makes a very deep, dark part of me swirl with anticipation, with a need I’m terrified to admit.

Julien fingers slide back between my legs, resting inside my thighs just below my skirt, just too close to that ache but not close enough.

“Without years of intensive training, compulsions are nearly impossible to break,” Julien explains, his voice still soft, his lips still tickling the nape of my neck and pushing me further into my dark thoughts. “They had to break him, push him mentally, in order for him to find the strength to break it himself.”

“They weren’t going to touch his unit, were they?” I ask, the rasp of my voice surprising me.

“Do you care?” Julien asks, genuinely curious as his fingers continue to stroke my sensitive skin, carefully pulling to create more space between my thighs which allow his fingers to crawl higher. Now they touch the bare skin at the very top of my thighs. He’s even closer to where I really needed him. “You seemed to be enjoying the show.”

Was it that obvious?

When the tip of his thumbs brush under the edge of my skirt, his other fingers sink deeper, spreading out and engulfing both insides of my thighs in his large, warm hands.

“Is that what you desire, mon envie ?” His nose runs along the length of my throat and his lips follow, the sensitive touches enough to make my breathing completely halt. “Do you wish that was you?”

I feel his head tilt into mine, reinforcing what I’m already staring attentively at. I watch as Ezekial continues to speak to the boy still paralysed but content from his soft touch and praise.

Julien's fingers never stop as he continues to murmur darkly in my ear, “Are you imagining how it would be? Being degraded in such a way only to be rewarded for it afterwards?”

Kane would be brutal. He’d utter insults in his cold, stoic tone whilst towering above me, his gaze glancing over my body in a disgusted flicker yet his pupils would flare and darken, revealing the tiniest snippet of his desperation.

Ezekial would be more… physical. Using his touch as a punishment, gripping my chin between his fingers as he tugs it up, forcing me to stare into his molten mercury gaze whilst telling me, “That pretty mouth is only good for one thing…”

My eyes dart between the brothers as I picture just that. It’s a dangerous, vile, shameful thought but with Julien's hands sliding higher, his thumbs almost reaching the juncture of my thighs, and his lips now skimming my jaw, it’s all I can see.

“You have no idea the power you have over me. Us. ” Julien removes one hand from my thigh and immediately wraps it around my throat instead.

I gasp but the sound is filled with pleasure as his other fingers grip the fabric of my skirt, slowly scrunching it up.

My eyes frantically race to the brothers who are still engrossed in their own conversation.

At some point, a healer left with the boy but that thought is eradicated when the tips of Julien's fingers skim over the front of my underwear and I nearly moan.

My hand rushes to his, clamping over his fingers now resting beneath my skirt, resting right over my underwear. Right over my clit.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” I growl quietly, attempting to catch his gaze when I twist.

“Quiet,” he whispers and I feel the smile of his lips when he kisses my neck. When I feel the slightest twitch of his fingers, just the barest touch directly over my clit, my mouth parts in a soft whine. “You can be quiet for me, can’t you? You be can be my good empath and keep those pretty sounds from spilling out, right? Or do you need help? Do I need to make you quiet? Do I need to fill that sweet mouth of yours?”

Holy fuck.

I should be terrified at what we’re doing, I should be using my power to bat his hand away, leave the realm, swing my head back and crack his nose. The number of lines we’re crossing, burning, right now is unfathomable, but the thrill …

This time, when Julien's fingers barely skim over my aching clit, I don’t even try to stop him.

“Fuck.” My soft utterance replicates my resolve which completely obliterates when Julien moves his grasp upwards and pushes his thumb into my mouth.

“Bad empath,” he chastises, his lips scaling the edge of my jaw until he twists my face towards him.

His eyes are pitch back, not a single speck of crimson remains as he devours my flushed skin and hooded gaze. I’m so far gone I swear I can see my own desire reflected in his eyes.

“Do you want me to punish you? Is that what you want? To teach you how to behave? To be our little slut? Is that what you need?”

Fuck yes.

As his words sink into me, all my common sense eradicates. I want all of those things, I want to be put in my place, I need to be. I think I make another sound, a needy, whiny sound but it’s muffled around his thumb .

“Show me you can be good.” Whilst maintaining eye contact, his fingers finally continue their teasing assault and I have to bite his thumb to stop any further sounds escaping. His eyes lock onto that action, which only makes me bite harder.

“Maybe I should show them.” He nods his head in the direction of the brothers. I’m instantly flooded with a mixture of embarrassment and shame but also desire . “Should I? Should I show them what a needy, little thing you really are? See who breaks first? Who kneels first?”

My head is slowly shaking, a hard task with his grip around my throat and thumb in my mouth. My body shudders with need.

He smiles at my response, how wide my eyes have become at the thought of him revealing me to them, at the terrifying realisation I want exactly that. I want them to see me, I want them to watch as whilst Julien touches me and they—

“Julien.” Kane’s voice shatters everything.

I flinch, feeling my eyes return and my heated imaginings burst as Julien's teasing fingers halt.

My gaze frantically darts back to the brothers. Kane is talking into his phone, then to his brother and back to his phone, all the while their backs remain facing us as though he hadn’t just addressed Julien.

I quietly thank the Goddess neither brother is looking at me right now, with Julien's hand still between my legs, thumb slowly retreating from my lips, and my violently flushing skin providing too much evidence.

“I need you in the HR department, 4 th floor,” Kane states, slicing the lustful haze even more.

Julien releases a deep, deep sigh. “You’re making me reconsider all of my precedences.” Julien squeezes my thigh with one big hand and I’m transfixed by the soft indents his fingers create.

The sudden urge to make them permanent jolts me and that one thought and touch brings all the intensity back, a sudden rush of heat courses through me, painting my skin in an almost unbearable fire.

“What do you want, mon envie ?” He uses his grip upon my throat to turn me again, forcing me to face him. My eyes spend a moment admiring his plush lips until his soft chuckle pulls me to his gaze, one filled with deep red spikes contrasting with black. “To flit us back to the house? To keep touching you? Make Sai beg to join? ”

What the fuck.

I can feel myself being pulled under again, our desires are suffocating the air around us and every breath I take makes it harder to resurface. When he mentioned Sai, a heavenly crackle ran over my spine and nearly made me come on the spot.

“Just say the word.” Julien studies me, his hand pulsing softly around my throat, and a wicked smile in place as he watches me struggle.

I close my eyes.

I try to ignore his dirty, tantalising words and the need, the burning ache , rattling through my bones. I try to remember we’re not alone in this room, only a few feet away from the brothers inside the fucking council building.

What am I doing?

What the fuck am I doing?

Before I even speak, Julien has already sensed the change in me. His grasp falls from my throat.

“You need to go.” I can barely say the words, can hardly look at him. I bite the inside of my cheek and force myself to regain control, to push away the hot need surrounding us, to stop my own hands sliding back over his and pushing them up and up…

“If that’s what you wish.”

I don’t, can’t, open my eyes. Even when I feel him place the softest kiss to my lips, I keep them closed.