Chapter 9
DAMIEN
I thought I’d have more time.
Maybe I should be calling myself Bambi for my complete and utter naivety but I thought it would be longer before they noticed the extra presence on the estate, and came crawling out of their damp little cave to come and check.
I stepped in front of Stella the tiniest bit more, knowing I was already pushing my luck with how much I’d touched her. The moment my hand grazed her chin, I’d wanted more. I’d wanted to trace the outline of her jaw, weaving my fingers into her dark hair.
I’d wanted to breathe my commands across her lips, featherlight, until out of desperation, she’d close the distance and press her mouth to mine.
I wanted a lot of things, but I learned a long time ago that wanting things and getting things were two entirely separate lessons.
As for right now, I needed to banish the thoughts of how soft her skin was from my head, and turn my energy to how the fuck I was going to get out of this mess. I could almost hear Agatha screaming, I told you so, knowing I’d acted on impulse instead of following the rules.
But really, where had the rules ever gotten me besides a massive empty mansion, and the entirety of Hell to oversee?
Their footsteps drew closer. I had only moments to figure out how to play this situation.
I could go with the sex-slave scenario, but after reassuring Stella yesterday that wasn’t my intention, it felt wrong to make her go along with that, especially when her brain had to be spiraling.
I’d basically frightened her and then expected her to trust me.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The first of them turned into my office, a too-wide smile spread across her face. Not that I trusted it. The Council was more manipulative and conniving than even I could be. Then again, I guessed you’d have to be to keep the Devil in line.
‘Damien,’ she greeted me, smoothing back her already impeccable blonde hair. ‘It’s so good to see you. It’s been far too long.’
‘And you, Clarissa. To what do I owe this honor?’ I wanted the tightness to leave my voice, and the trembling to leave my hands. I wasn’t afraid of them, but you wouldn’t know it from how my body reacted.
I wasn’t afraid of them. I was afraid of what they’d do to Stella if I fucked this up.
Damn it, Agatha was right. I should’ve done this the right way, and not acted like the animal I was.
‘Now, Damien, do I really need a reason to visit an old friend?’ Her smile widened, perfectly white teeth in a perfect smile.
Clarissa had been obsessed with the human standards of beauty for as long as I’d known her.
From first glance, she was utterly indistinguishable from a supermodel, until you started to notice the cracks in her disguise.
Eyes that shone red, a hair too far apart.
Nails the slightest bit too long to be real.
She was a caricature of the real thing. I also knew the amount of magic it took her to maintain the appearance.
‘Lars. Silas.’ I nodded to the two men who filed in behind her, her lackeys she never seemed to go anywhere without.
They nodded back, but didn’t speak. Not that I expected them to. They never did. Clarissa did more than enough talking for all of them.
Silas also stood as a human like us, but with claws and a tail proudly on display. Lars was the most stereotypical ‘demon’, a sullen-faced being of dark rock and ash.
The woman in question clasped her hands together, her smile tightening to the point of pain, stretching grotesquely across her face.
‘Imagine my surprise when we received a report last night that a new soul had joined you here. Without any forewarning or knowledge on our part!’ She laughed, a sound better suited to nails on a chalkboard than humor.
‘Ah, yes. I didn’t want to bother you with the last-minute addition. It was quite late when we made it back, you see. And when Agatha joined me, it was several months before you had time to do your inspection. I figured the same rules would apply.’
Stella sucked in a breath behind me, and I so badly wanted to turn around, to pull her face to me until I was the only thing she could see and tell her it was all going to be okay.
Unfortunately, that would be a lie. And right now, I was doing my best not to lie to Stella. For as long as possible anyway.
Something twisted in my chest, pulling me apart. You’re too concerned about her feelings.
I knew that.
It’s going to get you both killed.
I knew that, too. The twist sharpened, and I wanted to gasp. Instead, I forced myself to smirk at Clarissa, floundering at how best to spin this. ‘Have the rules changed without my knowledge, then?’ She would find the smallest chink in my armor and exploit it.
Clarissa pressed her lips into a flat line, and I didn’t miss the way her nails dug into the opposite palm.
‘No. Of course, not. However, you must admit, this is a different situation. Bringing a soul into this space long-term requires prior approval – which you received for Agatha. I heard nothing about this one. Unless… she’s not meant to be long-term?
In which case, her soul should be prepared to be held in stasis in Hell. ’
I didn’t need to see behind me to know Stella had tensed, shifting closer to me, whether she realized it or not. If I could dream, I imagined I’d dream about ripping Clarissa’s smug face off, leaving her body behind for Luna.
But I couldn’t dream, and Clarissa was a problem best dealt with politically instead of physically.
I steadied myself, counting backward in my head.
She wouldn’t instigate me. Not today. ‘Stella will be here for the foreseeable future. I am sorry I didn’t request the prior approvals, but the situation required me to move quickly.
I assumed you’d understand that, especially considering your own situation, no?
’ I smiled, letting the expression slither across my face.
Pleasure bloomed through my chest when Clarissa blanched. ‘Of course,’ she spat.
I’d been just as shocked as Stella to discover that Hell had a Council. Checks and balances. They made sure I didn’t burn down the world, and I vetoed any of their inane suggestions.
They could also remove me from power, if they chose to do so.
Right now, I was safe from that fate. As much as Clarissa couldn’t stand me, replacing me would mean a lot more work for the two quiet demons standing behind her.
Someone would have to retrieve the souls and transport them to Hell.
No one enjoyed the travel between realms. The Fringe required a devil to remain standing, and Hell required the Fringe.
‘Besides,’ I continued sweetly, ‘surely, we have more than enough souls to keep the Balance right now. One shouldn’t make a difference.’
‘You know as well as I do that our laws are sacred! One missed soul could mean the end of us,’ Clarissa snarled.
Yes. The end of us. How tragic. Not that we all hadn’t lived for far too long already.
Sometimes, I wondered how much of Hell was keeping the Balance and how much was for a small group of people’s selfish pleasure.
Without an excess of souls to power our magic, how would Clarissa maintain her appearance?
I waited for Clarissa’s breathing to level out, anticipating the way her sharp eyes turned on Stella. ‘And your name would be?’
I locked gazes with Stella over my shoulder, giving her a brief nod. Please, for her sake, let her remember not to give them any ammo.
Stella chewed on her lip, and sidestepped me. Every cell in my body demanded I step in front of her again, to protect her from this potential threat, but I shoved it down. Getting possessive would only make this situation worse. Clarissa would clock my behavior in an instant.
‘Stella,’ she said, her voice strong and sure. ‘My name is Stella.’
‘And do you know where you are?’ Clarissa was a snake, a winding, twisting thing who I doubted had a soul even before she was a demon.
There was no way she had ever been good.
Stella shrugged. ‘Not on Earth, and not in Hell. An in-between place, I guess. Damien called it the Fringe.’
Clarissa nodded. ‘Correct. I’m assuming Damien explained to you that only certain kinds of people are allowed to exist in the Fringe?’ Her voice lilted, soft and charming.
It only fueled my anger. Fuck. I hated her. I shot a quick glance at Stella, who frowned. Don’t say more than you have to. Don’t give them anything.
Nothing was free in Hell. And in a place where there was very little that was truly yours to give, information was the most valuable thing.
The silence stretched before us. I couldn’t do this. I spoke up before Stella could. ‘She only arrived last night. I haven’t had time to explain everything to her.’ Nor did I have any plan to, because those rules didn’t apply to Stella.
I’d make sure of it, one way or another.
Clarissa glared at me. Her appearance flickered briefly with her annoyance, the mask fading away for a brief moment, dark scales exposing themselves across her skin. ‘I wasn’t asking you, Damien. I was asking Stella. Please refrain from putting words in your guest’s mouth.’
I didn’t like the way she rolled the word guest around.
When Stella looked over at me again, unsure, I nodded.
I could take the three of them, if it came to it, but the mess it would leave would be more than just blood. I wasn’t prepared for the aftermath of it. Yet.
‘He said I wouldn’t age?’ Stella offered in a quiet voice. ‘He said things move differently here.’
‘They do. But it’s for a specific reason.’ Clarissa smiled, showing far too many teeth. The skin on her cheeks stretched too thin, showing bone that deserved to remain hidden.
I should’ve told her. I should’ve fucking explained everything to her before they showed up.