Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nina
I’d fallen asleep in front of the fire in my chambers, but I got a rude awakening because I had an unwanted guest . . . again.
I need a sign on the door that says trespassers will be burned upon entry.
Leander faced the fire, draped in shadow. Even with his back turned, I could sense the tension rolling off of him. This wasn’t the Leander I had trained with in the courtyard, or the one who had smirked through our first meeting, half amused, half mysterious.
No. This was the Demon of Temptation. And he was dressed for the part in perfectly tailored attire that hinted at opulence without trying.
He wore a crimson shirt beneath his black waistcoat, open at the collar to reveal the prominent lines of his collarbone.
He looked effortless, dangerous, untouchable.
“What are you doing here?” I breathed.
“Have you been avoiding me?”
“Of course not.”
I had of course been avoiding him. After the face to face meeting in the bathhouse, I’d stayed in my chamber for what felt like three days willing the next Hellish invitation to appear.
I refused to enter the courtyard. I couldn’t allow myself to get sucked into Leander’s seductive web. I needed to keep focused on The Cycle.
“I have an offer for you.”
“Yeah, well, knock first. You can’t just barge into my room and watch me sleep.”
“This is my palace. I can do what I want.”
“So, you were watching me sleep then?”
He turned to me with a small smile.
“I don’t care if this is your palace,” I growled. “Next time, knock. I shouldn’t have to ask for common courtesy.”
He nodded, his expression composed and lost of its usual playfulness. He flicked his fingers, and a glass materialised in his hand. He sat in the other armchair, sipped on his drink, and looked at me. “I would like to offer you a bargain.”
“If I had a magic wand every time a demon has offered me a bargain—”
“Do you want to reunite with your brother?”
I sighed. “You know I do.”
“Then accept my bargain,” he said. “Bind yourself to my domain. In return, I will ensure your reunion with him.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
“That’s what I said.” I imagined my own drink, a goblet of wine, and it appeared beside me.
Leander breathed in heavily, his eyes suddenly heavy.
Was he feeding on me? On my use of his magic?
“I intend to win The Cycle.”
He narrowed his eyes on me.
“Surely you want that too? You’d rule Hell.”
“It can’t be done.”
“Are you too weak to even try?”
“You have only completed two domains,” he said. “Are you that certain you can complete the last four?”
“I would rather try than give up on my brother.”
“So be it.” With a flick of his wrist, a piece of parchment materialised. He held the invitation out between two fingers. “I have my own summons to give you then.”
I hesitated but reached for the parchment anyway. A slow warmth curled around my arm as I took it. It held the same message as the others before it:
Champion, you are hereby summoned to face an infernal trial in the Domain of Temptation.
Leander watched my reaction with mild interest. “It is a masquerade ball,” he said simply.
Leander strode to the door. Just before he passed over the threshold, he turned to me. “I’ll see you tonight. Don’t keep me waiting.” Then he left.
I stared at the invitation still warm in my palm.
So, I had to face Leander next – the Demon of Temptation. Whatever his domain was ready to make me do, I was going to win his relic.
***
The grand hall had transformed. Gone was the long banquet table and flickering candlelight from the feast. Instead, polished marble twinkled beneath my feet, reflecting the golden glow of chandeliers overhead.
Crimson and gold drapes lined the towering walls, framing the vast ballroom, and around me, souls moved through the space.
A soft melody drifted from the musicians on a raised platform at the centre of the room.
The hypnotic tune had souls swaying to its lazy rhythm.
A hushed, slightly slurred voice threaded through the acoustic strumming, every note dripping with a sensual allure.
The rhythm pulsed, each beat drawing people closer, coaxing movement.
A curl of laughter rippled through the hall, blending with the low notes of the music. I stood at the threshold, my fingers tightening around the handle of my mask. The warmth of too many bodies, the flash of silk and gold. It was too much and too suffocating.
I exhaled, forcing my shoulders back. Just get through it. Get in, get what you need, and get out. I adjusted my grip on my mask, my knuckles whitening around the delicate handle. I had no choice.
My gaze cut through the sea of masks, searching for the only one who mattered. And then, at the far end of the hall, I found him. He was the only one not wearing a mask.
Leander was clad in a deep red silk shirt, open wide at the neck, and a matching coat. Embellishments covered the cuffs, and it reminded me of the dress I had conjured from the fabric of Temptation. Here he was, standing in something that could have matched my outfit.
I moved my mask to the side and stared at the demon.
And those piercing cobalt eyes were already on me. He tipped a goblet of wine upwards, his lips curving into that infuriating smirk.
The music softened, and above it, Leander’s voice boomed through the space.
“Welcome, my souls, and Champions,” he said as a hush fell over the crowd.
“Tonight, the Domain of Temptation opens its arms to you. Feast, dance, indulge, if you dare.” His gaze swept across the ballroom, lingering on me just a second too long.
That flicker of amusement at the corner of his mouth made my stomach twist. “Some of you may even leave with the relics you desire.”
I took that moment as my chance and strode towards Leander. But he wasn’t alone.
Elise appeared, her arm weaving through the demon’s.
The gold of her gown stood out in contrast to her dark curls, and she leaned in, whispering against the shell of his ear.
With the glint in his eyes and the lazy tilt of his head, he clearly enjoyed whatever Elise told him.
As if she had known I was watching, Elise turned, and her gaze locked onto mine.
A smile bloomed on her lips.
I clenched my jaw, forcing my expression to remain neutral. I refused to let her get under my skin. Whatever game she thought she was playing, I wasn’t interested in losing.
Turning away, I pushed through the throng of bodies, ignoring the flicker of jealousy in my stomach.
This was Hell. Nothing here was real – not the people, the touches or the words whispered behind masks.
And Leander was the bloody Demon of Temptation. I shouldn’t care who he spoke to, even if it was Elise.
But, for some reason, it still stung.
I exhaled, my fingers tightening around the stem of my mask. I needed to focus. Not on Leander. Not on Elise. I needed to win his relic and get out.
I had barely taken another step before a familiar presence materialised in my path.
Two, actually. The souls from my bedchambers, the ones who had received a different memo the first day I arrived, came to me.
Their masks were intricate silver laces that framed their eyes.
“Hello, Champion,” the man murmured, stepping into my space. “You look exquisite tonight.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, they had found me again. The game had begun, and Leander was dangling temptation right before me.
“Not interested,” I said, already stepping past them.
The woman grinned and called after me, “But you’re missing out on all the fun.”
I didn’t respond, and I swerved away, their voices disappearing into the noise, but I could feel their eyes lingering on me as I slipped into the crowd. The souls of Temptation.
I breathed out and rolled my shoulders to shake off the unwanted attention.
I need a drink.
The bar stood at the far end of the hall.
The bottles behind the counter glowed, and various liquids gleamed in their crystal decanters.
One soul was staring at me grinning. Tolliver – the soul who Leander had warned me to avoid.
I trusted him in that at least, and quickly slipped to the right where I found another familiar face: Selene, nursing a drink.
I slipped onto the empty stool beside her. “You look like you hate this as much as I do.”
Selene didn’t even glance at me. “That obvious?” She sipped on her drink.
A soul with hair cut short to their head, and glitter eyeshadow that made their eyes pop, arrived in front of me, handing over a glass of fizzy purple liquid. I smiled and thanked them, and joined Selene, drowning our sorrows.
“So,” she murmured, “have you met your demon yet?”
My fingers drummed against the bar. “Yeah. Apparently, I already knew him. I just didn’t know it.”
Selene turned to me, arching a brow. “You’re joking. He pretended to be someone else?”
“Yeah, and here I was thinking he was the closest thing to a friend I had in this place.” I snorted. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
“Demons have a talent for lying.”
I nodded and took a swig of my drink. It tasted like sparkling blackberries and something else I’d never had before. I didn’t even know if there was a word for it.
Selene continued, “It makes sense why they’re here and rule entire domains. But why am I here? I can’t even remember what I did.”
I frowned. “You’ve got no memories?”
“Flashes and feelings.” She sighed. “But the specifics?” She shook her head. “Gone.”
“Strange,” I said. “I have the exact same thing.”
She glanced at me. “That would make sense.”
My brows knitted together. “Does it?”
“They want us blind to our true nature. The less we know, the easier it is for us to be manipulated.”
A chill curled down my spine. “Even if that’s true, I still don’t trust the reasons why we’re here. I mean . . . I wasn’t a bad person before.”
“That’s denial talking.”
I had no answer for that. Maybe she was right. I shifted in my seat. “What do you want if you win The Cycle?”