Chapter 6
Dante
WAS I HANGING OUT WITH Serenity just to see my plan of ruining Bradley’s life come to fruition? Yes.
But did I also find the human woman interesting? Hell, yeah.
Especially after this morning.
When I’d woken up to that video, I’d damn-near ruined my bed sheets from the mere sight alone.
The sight of her sweet pussy spread open with her finger sliding through the wetness was the sweetest kind of sin.
I couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with her, not as a hidden entity in the shadows but real skin against skin.
This morning’s meet up had also been a coincidence. When I saw her in her car at the coffee shop, I was stunned. While I’d planned on visiting her today, I’d intended to do it later in the evening. But why wait when the gift had been presented to me on a silver platter?
I watched the human practically run away from the library, and amusement pricked at my insides, making it impossible to fight my grin. I thought about giving chase, but after checking the time on my phone again, I realized it was just past 11 a.m.
Zagan would be leaving everything we’d worked for behind today because of the stupid sacrifice he was determined to make for his human.
I wasn’t sure if the deed was already done, but I figured I’d pop in to see.
Maybe Babette would be dragging the fucker off the moment I appeared, and I could stand there and say, “I told you so.”
I jogged back to my car down the road to drop my new books in the passenger seat before stepping into an alleyway. Shadows erupted around me. I walked amid the darkness and appeared in the foyer of Zagan’s gothic home, nearly smacking into Iyla’s back.
“Coldin!” Zagan’s human bond screamed, oblivious to my sudden presence.
Her desperate plea echoed through the empty mansion, and I took the frantic tone to mean Babette had already come and taken Zagan away.
Iyla clearly thought Coldin was still here and could offer some sort of help.
Little did she know he was at my place, and even if he was here, the Letum demon wouldn’t help her.
Iyla’s little sister had apparently been dying, and because Zagan thought he loved this human, he’d decided to make a deal with Babette, a Bargainer demon. He’d offered himself up as Babette’s own personal sex doll in exchange for her saving Iyla’s sister.
Fucking moron.
Now Iyla was running toward the stairs, her brown hair flying behind her as she continued shouting, “Coldin, are you here? Please, Coldin. If you’re here, come out.”
“He’s not,” I announced, crossing my arms and scowling at her back.
The brunette whipped around with a gasp. She froze on the steps and stared at me with panicked brown eyes. I wasn’t sure if the fear I saw there was because of whatever had happened when Babette came for Zagan, or if it was because she was alone with me.
Admittedly, I’d never been friendly to the human woman. Perseus and Xander teased her and found her fun to poke at. Coldin … well, was Coldin. He didn’t care about anyone. Zagan was fucking hooked on her. She couldn’t fool me, though.
I’d learned long ago to never trust humans.
I knew what she’d done. She’d tricked my best friend into a bond, something that occurred when an Incubi like me, Zagan, or Perseus slept with a virgin.
We got tied to them via a demonic contract and were unable to have sex with anyone else, which was how we fed.
In other words, they controlled our food and, in turn, us.
Now the leader of my band and closest friend was a slave to another demon.
The glare I fixed on Iyla deepened as my irritation spiked. “I already took him back to my place since Zagan decided to be a fucking idiot and turn into a servant to that woman. All for you.”
She swallowed hard but plowed on. “We need to bring Zagan back.”
I scoffed at the suggestion. We. As if she and I were a fucking team.
“No,” I replied cooly. “The dumbass knew what bargaining with Babette would mean. He made his bed. Now he has to lie in it.”
Her face fell, and she reached out to grab my crossed arms. “Please! Please, Dante. I-I have to save him. Help me.”
I glowered down at her, and despite my frustration with this human, Zagan, and the entire situation, a part of me wondered why.
Why was this human so desperate to get him back?
She got what she wanted. Her sister was saved, and Zagan literally left her everything—this house, his money, everything he owned.
What more could she want from him? Her bond with him had been an act on her end, so why wasn’t she moving on?
How far was she willing to go to get him when she’d never truly cared about him?
I was always down to watch humans get trapped in their own games. Now was a chance to at least get some amusement out of the shitty situation.
“You want him back so badly?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Fine. You go get him.”
I expected her to jerk back with hands held up in surrender. I waited for her to laugh and admit that she didn’t actually want Zagan anymore. After all, going to get him meant going to Hell, and no human would be willing to do that for some demon they merely wanted to use.
But instead of either of those things, her face lit up with hope. “Okay! Yes. I’ll go. Just tell me how I get to him and how I break his contract with Babette.”
Her determination annoyed me to no end, because it confused the fuck out of me. I shook off her hand and begrudgingly explained how she could summon Babette and challenge her for Zagan’s return. All the while, I was in my own head, trying to crack this sudden great mystery.
Iyla really wanted to do this? She wanted to summon a trickster demon like Babette, risk her life—her soul—for a demon? It made no sense. Every answer I came up with as to her potential reasoning for doing this seemed wrong.
All of them except one—the one that couldn’t be true, because love wasn’t real, especially between a human and a demon.
You’re a demon and a stain upon the world. A spawn of Hell deserves this much. You’re a monster, and no one could ever really love a monster.
My jaw clenched, and I forced myself to focus on the white pentagram Iyla was drawing. I couldn’t go there. I couldn’t go to that memory. I wouldn’t.
Iyla stood next to the completed summoning circle. She gripped a kitchen knife firmly in her hand, and her face hardened in determination. She was really intent on seeing this through and bringing Zagan home. She brought the knife to her palm.
“Remember,” I suddenly interrupted, making her pause to look over at me.
I had to give one final push to see if she’d back out, because surely she would.
There was no way she’d actually do this.
Right? “Summon her, challenge her to a game, and win. If you don’t, Zagan’s sacrifice will have been for fucking nothing. ”
She nodded, that confident resolve only intensifying in her gaze. “I will.”
My brow furrowed. It wasn’t what I’d expected. She should’ve been tucking her tail and running. That’s what humans did when staring unnecessary danger in the face. But she was an unshaken statue, strong and sure in her decision.
Without another word, I stepped through shadows, reappearing in the alleyway by the coffee shop downtown. I breathed deeply, hoping the crisp winter air would dispel my lingering disbelief.
She really loved Zagan.
A human loved a demon.
At least, she thought she did.
It was the only explanation for why she’d go to such lengths to get him back when she had everything she’d ever need with him gone. The realization blew my mind while simultaneously leaving a sour taste in my mouth. It couldn’t be true. If love was real, why …
Maybe you’re the problem.
I closed my eyes and tipped my head up to blow out a harsh puff of air, hoping the thoughts and memories would leave me on that white cloud of breath.
I shook my head and went to my car. My mind went blank as I drove home.
The tension in my shoulders only eased when I pulled into the long driveway, my new place coming into view.
The light blue Victorian house was nestled in the middle of pine trees, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the grand splendor of it, as I did every time I returned home since buying the estate recently.
I’d lived in countless homes and apartments throughout my many years, but even after the couple of months in which I’d called this one home, there was no doubt in my mind that it was my favorite.
With its tall towers, dark wood flooring and paneling, and high ceilings in each room, it was a home befitting a king.
Was I a king? No.
But I was a demon, which was close enough.
I got out and reached back into my car to grab the books I’d checked out from the library. I waltzed through the entryway of my home and toward the double doors off the left-hand side. I pushed the thick doors open and stepped into my very own piece of Heaven.
Ceiling-high shelves spanned every inch of wallspace, and books filled all of them.
I passed an appreciative glance around the library, admiring my massive collection.
I had books from every era, and the smell of old and new pages mingled in the large room to create the most calming smell.
With a flick of my hand, fire ignited with a loud pop in the stone fireplace.
I sat my new books down on the mahogany coffee table, which I’d arranged between the fireplace and a trio of cushioned couches.
The warm glow of the fireplace lit my path to the circular tower in the corner of the room, and I pulled the heavy red curtains back from the span of windows.
The winter sun offered the cozy library more light as I went back to the couch.