Chapter 27 #2
Selene hummed. “I’m not sure.”
“You could go back home.”
She scoffed. “No.” Her jaw tightened. “Dimitri told me that winning would take me somewhere better than Hell. And my home is not better than this place.”
That was it. No elaboration.
I hesitated, watching her, but her expression had already shuttered again.
Selene sighed, her gaze drifting past me, out towards the bustling party. The masquerade guests swayed and twirled, shadows flickering in candlelight, silk and temptation woven together in an intoxicating blur.
Something in her jaw tightened. “This place triggers me,” she murmured, almost too low for me to hear.
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected her to say, but not that.
The words sat between us for a moment, heavier than they should have been. I wanted to ask. I tried to tell her I understood, because this place made me feel something, too. Something I didn’t have words for.
But before I could speak, Selene let out a breath and straightened. Shutting herself off.
“Well,” she murmured, the tension slipping from her tone, replaced by something smooth, detached. “It’s been nice chatting.”
Her lips quivered upward, almost teasing. “Maybe at least one of us should be closer to getting a relic tonight.”
I smirked. “Is that your way of telling me to stop hiding at the bar?”
“It’s my way of saying, game on.” She pushed off from the bar and disappeared into the crowd.
I turned my attention to the masquerade, watching as the revelry unfolded before me. Dancers pressed too close, and laughter spilt into the air.
I spotted Felix wrapped up with a tall and broad man. They swayed together, locked in a close and intimate embrace. A whispered exchange, a lingering touch, fingers curled around Felix’s wrist, leading him to the edge of the hall and straight through a red leather door.
I’d not noticed the door until now. What was behind it?
I had no reason to follow, but curiosity itched at the edges of my thoughts. This whole place was a puzzle, layers of secrets stitched together, and I was supposed to pretend it didn’t matter?
“I saw you talking to Selene.”
I jumped at the voice, turning my head to find Dominik standing beside me. His silver mask covered most of his face, but his floppy hair and brown eyes gave him away.
I arched a brow at him. “And?”
“You shouldn’t trust her,” he said, looking around, checking to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
“Funny. She said the same thing about the demons.”
Dominik let out a low chuckle. “She’s right. You can’t trust any of them.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” I said. “I don’t like the idea that we would betray one another at the drop of a hat.”
His voice dipped lower. “I get it, but we’re in Hell. Selene, the other souls, and the demons. They’re all here for a reason.”
“So, what did we do to wind up here?” I stared up into his face, but he refused to look me in the eye.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember,” he admitted, though it looked as though he was ashamed to say it.
I nodded. “I can’t remember either. And neither can Selene. The demons are manipulating us.”
I could already hear Tobias in my head. “Help those who need it.”
“I’m going to get back to the party,” Dominik said, then hesitated before he continued, “Got to get that relic.”
He smiled with a frown. He was acknowledging he was competition.
I nodded and smiled as he vanished in the crowd.
And yet, standing there in the heat of the hall, with Dominik’s voice feeding doubts into my mind, maybe my brother wouldn’t have helped anyone if he were in my shoes.
I let out a slow breath, rolling my shoulders, trying to shake the unease settling deep in my bones. The heavy press of the ballroom remained, the music swelling, laughter spinning through the air like silk and sin.
A crash cut through the noise. The room stilled, heads turning towards the source. Near the far end of the hall, a table had been overturned, goblets spilling dark red liquid like blood across the marble. At the centre of it were two figures locked in a violent struggle.
One was Ronan, and the other was Jules.
Ronan had Jules pinned against the overturned table, and I could see in his eyes that he wanted to do it. To spill Jules’s blood. To see the destruction of another soul.
The onlookers didn’t move. Some watched with detached amusement, others with quiet curiosity, waiting to see if the blade would fall. No one was intervening.
Then I felt myself leave my glass, and I stormed over.
“That’s enough.”
Ronan smirked, not looking up. “Just having a bit of fun.”
My gaze darkened. “Drop the knife, Ronan.”
For a moment, Ronan held still, the tension thrumming, stretching, his knuckles whitening around the dagger’s hilt. He let it clatter to the ground. From the corner of my eye, I saw Leander with a smile plastered on his face. He was enjoying this.
Ronan was unbothered. “What? Worried I’ll make a mess?”
I didn’t blink. “Yes, actually. And I don’t want this to get in the way of me getting the relic.”
Ronan grinned.
“You’re making it pretty easy for the rest of us,” I said.
“You can’t really believe that you could win The Cycle—”
Leander swooped in. “I believe this dance is mine,” he said smoothly, his eyes fixed on Ronan.
Ronan narrowed his eyes, but decided better of it, and scooted away. Leander extended his hand to me, a calm and commanding presence. I hesitated, but I took it. There was nowhere else to go at that moment.
His touch was warm, steady and far too intimate, as he led me to the centre of the ballroom.
As we began to move, the room seemed to fade. The crowd, the music and the golden light all blurred, leaving only the two of us.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “He was getting close to securing my relic.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “He gave in to the temptation to unleash his temper. To seek out violence.”
“And you were happy for him to take it out on Jules?”
“Souls can heal.”
I shook my head, wondering how I ever thought that Leander was only human. No, he was more. Or he was less. Either way, he was not wholly human. He was the Demon of Temptation.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Leander murmured. “Not enjoying yourself?”
“This isn’t a party,” I said.
“You should try to have fun. What else do you want to do with your afterlife?”
“Like you and Elise? Are you two a thing?”
He grinned wide enough that I could see all his pearly white teeth. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, little Champion.”
“Get over yourself,” I snapped.
He leaned closer, his breath brushing my ear. “You did say you wanted to take me on a date.”
My cheeks flushed. “I was delirious.”
“I think you were being honest.”
I stepped back, my chest heaving as I fought the pull of his words. “Tell me what happens to those who lose themselves in Temptation.”
“They stay,” he said, his voice softening. “Their fantasies become their prison.”
“Then why invite me?” I demanded.
“To see if you can resist,” he replied, his smile fading. “And because I enjoy watching you work out a puzzle.”
“I want your relic,” I said. “Why not tell me how to get it? Don’t you want me to win? I am your Champion, you know.”
“That would be against the rules.”
“Can’t you just show me how to win it? Or at least give me a head start? Some tips? Anything.”
“Follow me.” Leander guided me towards that bright red door. The same one Felix had wandered through.
“Welcome to the Red Wing,” he said.
A deep crimson sheer fabric hung from the ceiling, framing each alcove that lined both sides of the long chamber, which curved into an oval at the far end.
The pockets of space were small, private nooks, but the fabric was too sheer to hide everything.
The red gauze blurred the finer details, but it didn’t hide the shape of bodies that writhed together in every alcove.
I could see the arch of a back, the tilt of a head mid-ecstasy, twisted limbs entwined together in the flickering candlelight.
Moans and cries of pleasure filled the chamber, rising from the tangled couples and interlocked groups.
My gaze caught on Amabel lounging on a bed of pillows in the centre, surrounded by other souls. She was sipping a green liquid from a delicate glass flute, her eyes rolling back in her head.
I knew it was her by the broad smile that showed every one of her teeth.
Her mask was elaborate, all gold leaves and dangling tassels that looked too heavy on her face.
Her ink-black dress clung and hugged every curve.
Her blonde hair spilt over her bare shoulders in loose, luxurious waves.
She swayed with the rhythm of her own intoxication, the drink apparently doing its work.
A lazy, dreamy sort of bliss lit her eyes right before she tipped backwards into the pillows, lost to it.
Leander took my hand and guided me deeper into the Red Wing. His grip was steady, confident.
Heat rose to my cheeks, and lower, blooming deep in my stomach like a fire. My pulse stuttered, caught between anticipation and something I couldn’t quite name. I didn’t speak. Couldn’t. I just let him lead me.
“So, this is where you come when you need . . . a time out?”
“We all need to relax sometimes. Or do you deny yourself that?”
Everywhere I looked, bodies twined together in quiet, glimmering chaos.
Then, just ahead, Leander paused.
He reached for a length of sheer crimson fabric and pulled it aside, revealing the alcove beyond.
And my stomach flipped.
Dominik lay sprawled across a bed of silk, his shirt undone, his chest rising with uneven breath.
Straddling him was a figure.
She wore my face.
I stumbled back as Dominik’s eyes met mine, confusion and then shame flickering across his expression.
Leander chuckled beside me. “Temptation reflects what is most tempestuous within you. The question is, do you embrace it, or run?”
Without another word, I turned and fled from the rooms and back to the grand hall.
I didn’t have time to catch my breath before I slammed into someone. A firm grip caught my elbow, keeping me upright. The touch lingered just a fraction too long, and as I looked up, my stomach dropped.
Ronan.
Of all the people in this gods-forsaken place, it had to be him. I wrenched my arm free.
“Watch where you’re going,” Ronan snarled.
I was already done with this conversation before it started, but then I sucked in my pride because I needed him.
He was the Champion of Torment.
I clenched my jaw. I hated this. Hated having to ask him for anything. But I couldn’t afford to walk into another demon’s domain blind. I couldn’t afford to lose any more relics. The image of Tobias flickered in my mind. I wouldn’t waste any more time. And I needed to win the relic from Torment.
I squared my shoulders. “You owe me.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing.”
“Wrong,” I said. “You’d be dead if it weren’t for me.”
He leaned in, lowering his voice. “See, that’s where you and I have very different perspectives.”
“I don’t have time for this. I need information. About the Domain of Torment.”
That got his attention. “Trade me for it.”
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice tight.
He grinned. “A debt.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Be specific.”
“That ruins the fun.”
“I’m not making a blind deal with you, Ronan.”
“Then don’t. But good luck in Torment.”
I clenched my fists. He was enjoying this. Enjoying the way I had to bite my tongue. But he was right. I couldn’t afford to walk away.
“What else do you want?”
Ronan grinned. “Meet me in the Heart of Hell tomorrow night. Tell the others to come. We’re going to have a feast like you’ve never seen.”
I fought back the urge to punch him in the face.
“Fine,” I snapped.
He exhaled, stretching as if he had all the time in the world. “Torment,” he mused. “It’s worse than the others I’ve seen so far. No rules, no structure. Just pain.” He was smirking, as if the sheer concept of the domain he’d fallen into made him cheerful.
“How do I get through it?” I said.
“Take weapons with you. As many as you can carry. You’re going to need them.”