Touched by Darkness: (Sins of The Fallen Book 2)
Touched by Darkness: Chapter 11

I throw open the door to the living room and enter with a dramatic flair. “I deserve a reward for my performance.”

Daemon lifts his head off the couch, then looks at me from beneath his dark lashes. That cold, detached look in his eyes could scare off a grown man, but I’ve known Daemon my whole life. He’s all bark and no bite. At least where I’m concerned.

When it comes to others, he’s as ruthless as his father.

“What are you talking about?” Ronan chimes in from the opposite couch, where he sits with a girl on his lap.

Alaric, sprawled on the floor with his arm slung over his eyes, pays us no attention.

“I befriended her like you asked.”

Daemon straightens, but before he can say a word, Ronan laughs. “How did you pull that off? You don’t have a kind bone in your body. I’ve only ever seen you sneer at other girls.”

“I can be nice when I need to, dickhead.”

“And?” Daemon drawls, his legs spread obnoxiously wide. “What did you replace out?”

My wings flex behind me as I walk up to Daemon’s armchair and sit down on the armrest. “She thinks she was almost attacked in the library. Apparently, a robed man with a knife chased her.”

Daemon stares at my face for an unnervingly long time. It’s nothing new. He rarely talks without first dissecting you to pieces. “A robed man chased her with a knife?”

“That’s what she claimed.”

“Probably someone playing a prank on the new girl,” Alaric says, his arm still slung over his eyes.

“No one messes with newbies without my permission.” Daemon’s voice is deep and drawn out. He likes to be in control, and the academy is his kingdom. Crossing him results in serious consequences.

“She also wouldn’t give me a straight answer when I asked her if she’s your enemy.”

“Gutsy,” chuckles Ronan.

“So, when are you braiding each other’s hair?” Alaric taunts, and I flip him off.

Not that he can see when his arm covers his eyes.

“The thought makes me hard.” Ronan’s smile is too wide. I’d love nothing more than to punch it off his face.

Instead, I slide my fingers through Daemon’s silky hair. “I don’t trust her.”

“You don’t trust anyone,” he points out in that smoky voice of his before pulling me onto his lap and spreading me open, his fingers digging into my hips.

“She lives with your uncle.”

“I can handle the old man.”

“She’s probably fucking Dmitriy.”

“I have a bigger cock. She won’t be thinking of that loser when I tear into her cunt and stuff it with my cum.”

Ronan’s amused laughter drifts over to us. “I didn’t realize you were so familiar with your cousin’s anatomy.”

“We shared a girl once.”

“Nothing beats a bit of family bonding,” Ronan quips.

Daemon’s shoulders rise and fall in a lazy shrug. “It was Uncle’s birthday. You know my father still insists we celebrate together despite their millennia-long rift. Blood runs thicker than water.”

Alaric snorts. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Invite her into the fold,” Daemon says to me, and I rear back.

“Why the fuck would I do that? Charity isn’t my forte.”

“Because I’m gonna destroy her, and I need her to feel like she has someone on her side. Otherwise, she’ll cry on Dmitriy’s shoulder.”

“Your plan is riddled with more holes than the Titanic.”

“It’s lucky we don’t live in the human world then.”

Alaric sits up, grabs a joint from the coffee table, and lights up, then looks at me. “You don’t think you can get her to trust you?”

Folding my arms over my chest while looking at him over my shoulder, I give him an unimpressed look. “I know I can get her to trust me. Are you questioning my abilities?”

“Maybe.”

Daemon’s chest vibrates with amused chuckles. Of course, he knows I can’t help but rise to the challenge.

“Trust me, Alaric. I’ll have her spill all her secrets to me in no time.”

Daemon trails his fingers down my arm. “Meanwhile, she’ll be sucking on my dick.”

I whirl around and glare at him. “You think I’m doing this for you, so you can amuse yourself with another plaything until you’re bored?”

“I think you talk too much,” he drawls, a tinge of laughter lingering at the edges of his voice. “Why don’t you put that pretty mouth to better use?”

With a slap on my ass, he orders me to kneel between his legs, and I go willingly because this is Daemon, the next heir to the throne. He’s not a man you deny.

I know that.

Everyone in this kingdom knows that.

The sound of his belt buckle being undone rings out in the room while I wait, not-so patiently. I’ve always liked Daemon’s dick. It’s thick, long, and decorated with purple veins that beg for a flattened tongue.

What I don’t like is how bored Daemon looks.

Bored with me. Life. Himself.

Every-fucking-thing.

His fingers tangle in my long hair as I take him as deep as I can, servicing his needs like the true royal he is.

And maybe, just maybe, I’m a little bit bored, too.

With him. Life. Myself.

Everything.

Maybe I’m strangely intrigued by the new girl, after all, and the challenge I saw in her eyes when she said, “That’s for me to know and for you to replace out.”

I’m not of royal blood like Daemon, but I’ve always existed in his orbit. I’ve witnessed firsthand how others want a piece of him purely to satisfy their need for fame, status, and financial security.

I’m no better, sucking him off because he clicked his fingers, but this is us.

We use each other to fill the void that no amount of blood, revenge, or chaos can fill.

With a deep grunt, his seed fills my mouth, and I swallow it all until he shoves me away.

“My turn,” Alaric jests, holding out his joint for me.

I flip him off, then snatch the joint. “Not fucking happening. The day I suck your dick is a cold day in hell.”

AURELIA

“What did I specifically say last night before I left?” Amenadiel asks when he opens the door to my room the following morning.

I’m curled up naked next to the deceased body of the human man, covered in dried blood, pieces of flesh, and innards. He has long since grown cold and stiff. His eyes are gone. So are his heart and most of his organs.

I slowly sit up, gazing at Amenadiel through a haze of foggy memories. My mouth tastes of copper and regret.

The man in question shuts my door, steps deeper into the room, and scans his eyes over the blood splatter on the walls.

He even kicks a severed foot out of the way.

Then he cups my cheek and brings my eyes up to his. “You have been a very bad girl, Angel.”

I bare my bloodied teeth and hiss at him, but he digs his fingers into my jaw until I fall silent.

“I do not tolerate disobedience in my house.” He flares his wings in a display of dominance before softening his voice. “But I’m proud of you for indulging in darkness.

Leaning down, he whispers in my ear, “Did he beg for his life when you fucked him?”

A snarl rips from my throat, and Amenadiel pats my cheek, pleased that I’m more animal than angel in this moment. “Good angel.”

This time, when I bare my teeth and stare at him through a red mist, he simply chuckles. Then he uses his sheer power to flip me over on my front and grind his hard cock into my ass. “When the darkness has its hold on you, all morals disappear until you learn to wrangle it into submission. Right now, you’re a savage creature of the night. And I can do anything I want with you, and you’ll love every second of it.”

There’s a note of longing in his voice, as if he enjoys my fierce snarls and red eyes.

“I’m gonna fuck you, Angel. Stretch this tight cunt before Daemon falls for you again.”

He grips my hair, crusty with dried blood, and pulls it sharply until my head is bent at a weird angle. “Remember when I told you I craved blood and sex? I’m fucking starved. But not for humans, or even angels, but for a true monster.” His voice drops even lower, dripping with dangerous intent. “Like you are now.”

Amenadiel breathes into my ear as he unzips his pants and shoves down the front. He strokes his cock and lines it up with my dripping cunt.

“Such a good little whore,” he breathes out, forcing my cheek down on the mattress, his big palm splaying over most of my face. “Look at the destruction you caused last night as you tortured that man for hours on end. I bet you loved every second of his anguished screams.”

I snarl, growl, and snap my teeth, sounding like a vicious animal. But Amenadiel subdues me with ease, using his sheer strength to pin me to the bed with my ass in the air.

He’s just about to drive into me when one of his guards knocks on the door, followed by the very distinct feminine voice of Dariana.

“You will let me in this instant, or Lucifer will see that you’re fired.”

Amenadiel shoves off me with a loud curse, then hurriedly tucks himself away just as the door opens.

“What the fuck?” Dariana says, taking in the scene with wide eyes.

Daemon shoulders past the guard before he too comes to an abrupt halt.

Ronan and Alaric look equally alarmed.

“What are you doing here, nephew? That’s twice in two days I’ve been graced by your presence. However, I’m a little busy, as you can see.”

“What the hell have you done to her?” Dariana blurts, then hurries up to me and drops to her knees.

Soft fingers brush my hair away from my bloodied face and cup my chin. “Her eyes are red.”

“I’ve heard of this,” Alaric whispers, cogs turning in his brain. “After the fall, some of the angels were unable to handle the darkness. They lost themselves to it, and it eventually consumed them.” His eyes dance over the torso on the bed, the half-severed head, and the scattered body parts on the floor. He pins his gaze on Amenadiel. “What exactly are you trying to achieve here?”

I’m scooped up, naked and shivering, and cradled against a hard chest. “Just wait until my father hears about this.”

“You kids are blowing this way out of proportion. She fed last night and now she was horny and begged me to fuck her. You know how it is after a satisfying feed.”

“A feed?” Dariana sounds horrified. “Look around, grandad. This is a fucking massacre!”

We’re on the move. Daemon carries me down the hallway and through another room, before exiting an open patio door.

Stars twinkle up ahead through the red haze that clings to my vision. I snuggle closer, inhaling the familiar scent, unable to make sense of the situation, but feeling safer than I have in a long time.

“What the fuck was that? What’s wrong with her?” Daemon growls, not slowing his stride.

Alaric’s voice rings out behind us. “I could go into details, but I’ll keep it simple for you. She’s not used to the darkness. She was born of the light, then became a fallen angel. After the original fall, the angels had to slowly acquaint themselves with the dark. Those that didn’t got devoured by it.”

“I don’t fucking get it,” Daemon growls.

“Okay, let’s simplify it more. Your uncle knows that too much darkness too soon could consume her and create a monster. Why do you think he locked her in a room with a bleeding human?”

“It’s probably not the first time he’s put her in dangerous situations. But why?”

There’s a sudden shift in the air.

We’re flying.

I’m floating.

Cocooned.

“He was about to fuck her when we entered the room.”

“She’s completely out of it.”

“Not completely,” Alaric points out. “She has basic instincts. An animal in its truest sense.”

“So, he wanted to do what? Create a monster?”

“A weapon,” Dariana speaks up.

“Subject a true angel to too much darkness too soon, and she loses all emotional capabilities. We like to think we don’t have morals, but I have heard stories about the angels that didn’t make it. It’s something straight out of a nightmare.”

“Where are they now?”

“Locked up in the dark where they belong,” Daemon says in a cold, detached voice. “They can’t ever be let loose on the world.”

We fly in silence, and I drift in and out of a dreamless sleep until we land outside their property. I haven’t been back here since my return, and the sight of the sprawling mansion is enough to make me lift my head and gaze around. The red mist is fading, slowly but surely.

We’re on the move again.

“I don’t trust her, Daemon. We need to keep a close eye on her.”

Dariana’s voice.

“And we will. Whatever my uncle has planned, we’ll figure it out.”

“Maybe he’s just a horny old fucker who likes helpless girls who snap their teeth and snarl at him.”

“Maybe she refused to fuck him in her normal state, and he jumped at the opportunity to get his dick wet when she didn’t know what she was doing.”

Yes…

“Or maybe we should stop discussing theories and just kill him.”

Daemon places me on a soft bed, and I snuggle deeper into the pillow.

“She needs a bath and some clothes.”

“Yes,” Daemon replies, pulling the sheet up to my neck. “But first, she needs rest.”

“You’re not leaving her unsupervised in here, are you?” Dariana sounds incredulous.

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor fills the room. “No, I’ll stay right here. You guys should go.”

“What if she attacks you?”

Daemon’s deep drawl licks my skin. “I can handle her.”

“She doesn’t have control over her darkness yet,” Alaric tells him, sounding unsure.

“Good.”

“Good?” Dariana almost shrieks as Ronan wrestles her out of the room. “Until she learns to master the darkness without the light inside her, she’ll be unpredictable.”

Daemon says nothing, but I can sense him. Even with my eyes closed.

His attention burns into me and plows through every wall I’ve erected. He’s a man on a mission, with piqued interest and a restless mind. His dark eyes assess and cut me open, a skilled surgeon hunting for weaknesses to remove.

“I know you can hear me, new girl.”

Tossing off the quilt, I sit up in bed and try to shake my head to clear the last of the red mist, but it’s stubborn, clinging to me with sharp talons.

“Look at me.” His voice is a deep, commanding drawl.

My eyes flick up and lock with his.

He sits with his elbow bent on the armrest, his ankle on his knee, and his full attention on me.

I like it, but I also don’t want him to see me like this, naked and covered in guts and blood, with glowing red eyes.

I’m a monster.

An abomination.

“How long did he keep you locked in that room with the human?”

My voice is hoarse. “All night.”

“Did he give you any instructions?”

“Not to kill him.”

“But you did.”

My lips seal shut, and I lower my head in shame.

“Did I say you could look away?”

I grit my teeth as annoyance flares up inside me. I know from experience that Daemon likes to tell me what to do and assert his power over me, but that doesn’t mean I have learned my lesson yet.

“Look. At. Me.”

I do.

Of course, I do.

I’m weak, and he cradles my heart in the palm of his hand without even realizing it. He could so easily crush it.

“Did you beg him to fuck you?”

My head shakes.

“You have a voice. Use your words.”

“No, I didn’t,” I bite out.

“Then tell me what happened.”

Shifting forward, I reach for the blanket that lies pooled around my waist, but his deep, gravelly voice cracks the air like thunder. “Leave it.”

My nipples are hard, achy peaks, but not because it’s cold.

No, I like the alpha in his voice.

“What happened?” he asks again.

I worry my lip while debating how much to divulge. “He admonished me for not following instructions, and then he praised me for indulging in the darkness.”

“Go on.”

“He used his strength to flip me onto my stomach, pinned me down, and told me that I had no morals left because I was lost to the darkness. And that he could do anything to me, and I would enjoy it because I was a monster at that moment and not an angel.”

“And could he?”

I wince, feeling truly fucking awful. My whispered ‘yes’ is as pathetic as the sob that follows it.

“Did you want to fuck him?”

After wiping beneath my nose with the back of my hand, I reply, “I didn’t want to fuck him. I wanted to fuck. It was a primal need. I didn’t have the cognitive function to make sense of who he was. I wanted to kill, and I wanted to fuck. And not in any particular order.”

“Do you still want to fuck?”

I bare my teeth with a hiss, telling him without words to back off.

It gets his back up, because he sits forward, and his wings erupt behind him in a display of power and dominance. “Bare your teeth at me again, and I’ll make you regret it, understood?”

I do exactly that.

The hiss morphs into an animalistic snarl that intensifies when he shoots to his feet. I sound more like a vicious dog with rabies than a fallen angel.

Daemon has a wish for violence by approaching me right now. His cold, night-sky eyes pin me in place as he takes calculative steps closer.

I shift onto my hands and knees in preparation to fight. Every muscle in my body pulls taut, my grip on reality slipping away.

“What did I just say?”

My fangs ache, throbbing painfully.

“I told you not to bare your teeth at me, and yet you’re threatening the heir to the throne on all fours, naked and covered in another man’s blood. Human or not, that’s a little disrespectful, wouldn’t you agree?”

My eyes flash red, the mist intensifying.

“What do you want more, little witch? To kill me, or have me fill you up with my dick?”

He’s so close, and I’m holding on by a thin thread. If I can’t wrangle this darkness, I’ll lose all sense of self and attack hi—

Before I can finish that thought, he pounces.

The ensuing commotion causes Alaric and Ronan to burst into the room, wide-eyed, and with their teeth bared.

“Grab some rope,” Daemon demands, using his body weight to pin me down on the mattress and force my hands behind my back.

Alaric runs back out, then returns with rope. They secure my wrists and ankles to each bedpost, and then Daemon uses another length of rope to tie my wings together so I can’t flare them.

When I continue snarling, he rummages through his chest of drawers, grabs a white T-shirt, and shoves it in my mouth.

They step back as a trio to peruse me on the bed with their heads angled to the side and matching satisfied smirks.

“Looks like we caught an animal.”

“A very horny and vicious little animal.”