CHAPTER NINE
Isabelle watched him leave, her body still tingling from his touch. God, what had happened? One second she was waking from that dream and the next she was giving herself to a demon, craving his touch like the oxygen she needed to breathe.
She moved over to the bed. Sinking down onto the mattress, and covered her face with her hands. The pure exhilaration of being able to touch someone and not retch in pain had been liberating. But was this all it was? Something inside her heart told her no, this was more. He reacted to her as well, almost to the point of insanity.
She flopped back against the covers. The mingled scent of them saturated the bedding. This was crazy! This whole fucked up situation was unbelievable. Shit like this didn’t happen to boring nerdy women like her. She was destined to grow old alone and have way too many cats!
There wasn’t supposed to be a sinfully sexy demon in her future who could set her body on fire with just a look. She wasn’t supposed to be a woman with powers meant to balance the world! Grabbing a pillow, she covered her face and let out a scream. Though the pillow muffled the noise, screaming didn’t help.
A soft knock at the door had her flushing with embarrassment again. She knew just from the damn knock it wouldn’t be Greed. He was a—enter the room without permission—kinda guy. When she didn’t answer, she heard the door open. Refusing to remove the pillow from her face, she just lay on the bed, hoping the earth would swallow her up to save her from having to face those other men she knew also lived here.
“You have no need to feel any shame, Isabelle. No one here will judge you. Besides, that’s the first time I have seen my brother with a guilty, sheepish look on his face since…well let’s just say a long time.” She felt the bed sink beside her. A warm chuckle filled the room. She knew that voice. It belonged to Mr. Silver-Eyes.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I have ever seen him not take something he wants. The Sin of Greed you understand? My name is Ze, Sin of Envy.” Isabelle couldn’t breathe under the pillow, but she wasn’t coming out. She wasn’t going to answer him, so he could just damn well leave. Wait, he stopped talking. Why had he stopped talking?
“I thought it best to bring you some food, considering you’ve been sleeping most of the day. Oh, just to let you know, Greed will be reprimanded for what he did to you. It is unacceptable…” He what? Ripping the pillow from her face, she scowled at the silver-haired demon.
“What do you mean reprimanded? For what exactly?” The clearly over confident ass hid a smile running a hand through his shimmering hair, trying to look contrite. He wasn’t succeeding, Isabelle concluded. His pathetic attempt wasn’t even close.
“Well, he was warned not to touch you. Clearly he ignored our leader. He will be punished accordingly.”
Isabelle moved from the bed, standing before the demon, pillow in one hand, the other on her hip. The fact she was dressed only in an oversized shirt seemed to have been forgotten in her ire. She stared him down, her eyes narrowing.
“He didn’t do anything to me I didn’t want him to! Where do you get off punishing him for that? You take me to see this so-called leader of yours. I won’t have Greed hurt because of something I wanted as much as him!” She felt herself flushing and realized she had been shouting. She blushed furiously and looked at the floor.
Ze had his hands up in defense, a smile on his lips. “Easy love, I was just messing with you.”
Her eyes snapped up to his with a glare. Isabelle considered all her options. One: ranting, two: ignoring him or three: stomping off. Okay option four: she settled for smacking him square in the face with the pillow. With a muffled grunt, he began to laugh in earnest, falling back on the bed. Isabelle hated she’d just been played by him, damn it, and she was blushing again!
“Demons are so infuriating!” Turning on her heel, Isabelle stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, but the sound of Ze’s laughter followed her. Stupid demon!
Ze dropped the pillow on the bed. This was an auspicious turn of events. His damaged brother had attracted one hellcat of a human. One who didn’t seem to care one iota she was in the presence of demons, that fact alone bought a smile to his face. He left her to shower and entered the large open plan living area, his eyes scanning the room. Tanus and Belor were still absent. God he hoped they were just keeping some ladies company and not wallowing in a police cell somewhere. Again.
Greed was nowhere to be seen, he couldn’t blame him. He had just been interrupted with his woman. His remaining brothers were all waiting for him to speak. With a sigh he smiled and clapped his hands together.
“She’s fine, more than fine I would say. She has spirit.” Ze grinned at Lucifer, who looked like he had been struck by lightning and the storm was threatening to break again. His arms were crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. His gaze shimmered red in barely contained rage. It didn’t bode well for Mammon. It looked like Ze had to diffuse the damn situation as usual, before Lucifer lost it.
“We’re lucky Asmodeus sensed the lust in the air and stopped him before he went too far!” Lucifer sounded calm, his voice controlled, but Ze could see a red haze hovering over his skin. He was enraged. Lucifer losing his temper was a very, very bad thing for all of them. Ze winced a little.
“Is it such a bad thing? This is the most emotion I have seen him display since his release. It’s not like she’s not willing.” Abbadon spoke from the couch, looking over the back, his dark, almost gunmetal grey eyes focusing on his leader. Lucifer pinned his brother with a red glare and curled his lip. Abbadon just stared right back.
“That’s not the point, Abbadon. She’s a Seer. A maiden of the gods. Women like her are not meant for demons such as us. I am trying to prevent him getting into more trouble over this. Do you think Father will allow the Seer to remain with him?” Abbadon moved to sit up, a scowl darkening his features, his steel eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“What the hell does it matter what the old bastard says or does? He has no direct control over us anymore. It means we’re free to live how we choose. So how is Mammon claiming a female, Seer or not, going to affect any of us?”
“I’m with Abbadon on this one Lu. Sorry.” Ze leaned against the couch, looking at Lucifer. Beside him the shimmering golden mist of Asmodeus sighed.
Asmodeus’s form began to coalesce, slowly solidifying into the last face he took, a buxom blond female with green eyes. He looked at Abbadon, Ze, and Lucifer.
“What I felt was true desire, no outside influence was upon them. They truly wanted one another. I feel like a bastard for interrupting them, truth be told. No doubt one thing Mammon needs is a good lay.” Asmodeus pushed away from the wall, his/her hips swaying as he did. Lucifer watched him leave with a growl. Asmodeus released the form, his body dissolving into a golden mist.
“I think you need to get with the modern age, Lu. Maiden of the gods? Hardly a noteworthy title anymore. You know half the gods we once knew are working part time at Burger Shack. Hardly anyone remembers their names anymore.” Abbadon shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, his metal eyes never leaving his brother.
“Treating her like she is some perfect little maiden doll who must be locked away and protected will only piss her off and make her run. We’re going to protect her, right? The fact she is still here attests to that. So why not just let them enjoy one another? It’s the least we can do after letting that bastard lock him away.” Ze regretted his words straight away, it hadn’t been fair of him.
Ze couldn’t help but notice Lucifer didn’t justify his last remark with an answer. He simply turned and paced away from them. Shit it wasn’t like they hadn’t searched for Mammon. But the location of the Pit always changed. Not to mention they had Hades watching over their shoulders every moment. If they could have found a way to release their youngest sibling Lucifer would have been first through the door of that prison.
“He deserves this more than any of us. I think we should just leave them be.” Ze added as Lucifer turned to face him.
“The Seer is too good for this! For us!” His roar shook the room. The demon who literally prided himself on his control snapped, flames of red licking over his skin. Shadows gathered around him, eagerly waiting for his command. The very air in the room darkened Lucifer didn’t lose his temper often, but when he did, even the other Sins worried. Abbadon and Ze moved into a more defensive stance. It had been a while since Lucifer had shown his flames.
“Why doesn’t SHE decide what’s good for her?”
The feminine voice cut through the air like a knife, and the shadows vanished as if switched off. Lucifer blinked, utter confusion showing on his face.
All eyes turned to the woman, who was wearing a hugely oversized robe and not much else. Lucifer’s eyes went wide and a blush crept up his cheeks. Isabelle just stared at the blond Adonis. No doubt he was embarrassed as hell at being caught in a childish temper tantrum. Served him right.
“You three are out here talking about me as if I were some possession or rare object to be locked away.” The demons at least had the decency to look sheepish, all three dropping their eyes.
“Four…there are four of us in the room.” A voice—neither male nor female—emerged from a floating mist at the far side of the room. Isabelle blinked, her mouth dropping open.
“Okay. Talking floaty misty thing, so not able to deal with that right now.” Her eyes rolled to the ceiling as a soft laugh reached her from the floating mist.
“Asmodeus, Sin of Lust. Nice to meet you properly Seer.” Isabelle looked at him/her, err it. As she watched, she could see forms vaguely appearing in the mist before swirling into another vague form. Not a single one had a true face. A pang of pity stabbed her heart. If this was his form, how did he do anything? How did he live?
Ze stepped forward and gave her a smile, his eyes genuinely warm. “He takes the form of someone’s greatest lust. If they desire Brad Pitt, for example, he can become him for them. It is one of the ways he harvests lust-corrupted souls.” Isabelle lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes.
“Okay, I have pretty much stepped into the Twilight Zone. The scary thing is, I believe you. How messed up is this? I am expecting to wake up, restrained, in a padded room somewhere.”
“I purified a soul once, and that was his fantasy. Being punished while in a strait jacket. It was disturbing, even for me.” Asmodeus chuckled at the look of shock on her face.
Abbadon groaned at his brother’s clearly questionable form of humor and came forward, offering his hand to the Seer. Isabelle took it, and he smiled wide she couldn’t help it she liked him immediately. “Abbadon, Sloth. Please don’t let my sin lead you to believe I am lazy or anything.”
Ze snorted loudly drawing a glare from his sibling. “Dude you’re the laziest person I know. You won’t even get up to open the microwave when you’re the one who put food in it. More than once I’ve come home to find pizza rolls or popcorn just left inside.”
“Those were extenuating circumstances. Something more important needed my attention.” Abbadon dismissed his own laziness with a matter of fact nod.
“Yeah as if catching the latest episode of Game of Thrones counts as extenuating circumstances.” Ze rolled his eyes as Abbadon glared daggers at him.
“Oh and I suppose waiting in line at two o’clock in the morning for the latest iPhone is considered ‘hip’. You do realize it’s no different from the last one?” Abbadon stared Ze down.
“Oh, you did not just go there! It was a system upgrade, you technological heathen. How about you get your ass off the couch for five minutes and go outside into the world for once?” Ze was almost nose to nose with Abbadon now. Isabelle heard the angry blond Adonis groan behind her.
She had to smile, she couldn’t help it. So far these demons acted no differently from anyone else. Other than them being demons and the floating golden mist, this appeared to be a normal family.
“I am siding with Abbadon. Game of Thrones does warrant one’s utmost attention.” Her voice rang into the debate.
Ze moaned tragically, falling to his knees and knee-walking to her, beseeching her with forlorn eyes. “Please, no! Don’t tell me you’re…” He paused for dramatic effect, his voice pained. “…a nerd. No, say it isn’t so!” He stood, covering his heart with his hand. “I am afraid there is no help for you, no cure for this illness!”
Isabelle laughed. The man was just silly. Totally and utterly charming. Isabelle found she liked him very much. He had a way of breaking the tension in the room.
“He doesn’t get it. We connoisseurs of true brilliance must pity those lower creatures who don’t feel our joy.” Abbadon winked at Isabelle, and she felt her smile widen. “We will be inseparable, my dear! This calls for a Game of Thrones marathon!”
“I would love to, really I would, but I have to get back. My roommate will be worried, and I have a paper due on Monday…” Isabelle’s voice faded off as she realized the air of fun had vanished from the room. All eyes were on her again. Well, the golden smog ball may have been looking at her—she wasn’t entirely sure on that.
“What? I am thankful for all you’ve done for me, but I can’t remain here.” She looked at the one with red eyes who had yet to even utter a word. He appeared to be the serious one of the group, when he wasn’t shouting. Finally he spoke his voice chilling the air with its intensity.
“I’m Lucifer, Sin of Pride. I lead my brothers in our appointed duty to protect the balance of sin.” He pushed off the wall, his eyes never leaving hers. Arms still crossed over his chest he moved towards her. “You, Isabelle, are a Seer. A woman with power bestowed by the gods. As such, you will never be safe out there. If it’s not people's fear of something new and unknown, it will be their desire to possess your gift. Humans, demons and gods alike will hunt you. It’s our duty to bring you into our care, keep you safe from those that desire your power.” Okay, he could have been a little more sensitive broaching the subject. Ass.
Isabelle’s hand reflexively went to her throat, and she backed up a step, feeling panic rising in her chest. This couldn’t be happening to her. All she wanted to do was finish school, go to Greece, and work in some remote location, touching history lost to time. That didn’t involve demons, or gods, or superpowers and definitely didn’t include being hunted! Shaking her head, she backed further away from them, her eyes flicking between the Sins of Envy, Sloth, Lust, and Pride.
The weight of her situation suddenly hit her. The dream hadn’t just been a dream. She was in a room with real demons, and people actually wanted to use her for her powers. Her hand closed into a fist, and she stared the men down.
“I don’t care who you are, I’m not a prisoner. I have spent my life living with this…this curse! Everyday feeling the emotions of others cutting into my brain like razors. No one hunted me then, no one is going to hunt me now!” Remain calm, Isabelle. They can’t do anything to you. This is the twenty-first century. Natalie would have called the police by now, right?
“Before, your power was just a small part of you. Now, I feel it. We all feel it. It’s like a blazing beacon of light. For those such as us, shrouded in darkness, your light is extremely tempting.” Isabella's eyes widened at his words. Hell, not just his words but the intensity in his gaze. She felt him in that moment, the Sin that lay hidden just under his pristine shell. He looked at her and it saw something to fight for, something to win, Pride. Ze’s voice broke through the spell woven by Lucifer’s words.
“What my brother is not so eloquently trying to say, Isabelle, is before, your power was hidden. Now it’s free and expanding. When I look at you, I see a woman who is imbued with an inner light it brightens all it touches.” Ze offered his hand to her. “Touch me and see for yourself.”
Isabelle looked between the men, her hand still at her throat. If her power had become stronger, how was she going to live? It had been bad before. Any stronger and she would be crippled. Fear threaded through her veins as she took another step back. This wasn’t what her life was supposed to be. She just wanted to be left alone. She shook her head back and forth, her mind rebelling against the direction fate was taking her.
She turned to run but smacked hard into a six foot plus body and almost fell on her ass. Strong hands grabbed her. Then, as if a cool breeze washed over her, the panic vanished. She found herself gazing up into Greed’s green gaze. He studied her, as if searching for something, then glared at his brothers, automatically pulling her into his protective embrace.
“I felt her panic from the roof. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Isabelle kept her ear against his chest, feeling the rumble of his voice. She concentrated on the beat of his heart, almost meditative, allowing her to clear her mind, to think again. His scent wrapped around her, and she closed her eyes, just breathing in that spice.
In his arms, the world around her didn’t seem to matter. His warmth seeped into her skin, a sense of security surrounding her. His very presence bolstered her will, giving her strength. She could hear voices at the edge of her mind, shouted voices, and she slowly blinked back the haze of protection. She shook off her paralysis and spoke over them.
“They didn’t do anything, Greed. It was all me.” Her voice brought silence to the room. The demon held her away from him long enough so he could see her face. “This is…this is too big for me. I’m just a cursed Greek Mythology major. I hide away in my dorm so I don’t have to go outside and feel the emotions ripping into my brain. Every day is a fight. I don’t know if I can fight for something else…” Her words were silenced by the warm touch of his fingers on her lips. She fought the desire to touch her tongue to them, just to see what he would do.
“We can help you with your ability. If you don’t trust them, then trust me.” She was locked into his gaze. She felt a small flicker of hope maybe someone could help her. If he could teach her how to control this never-ending exposure, maybe she could live a real life, but he was asking so much. Did he not realize this?
She could feel his hands gently gripping her upper arms, his eyes intense as he waited for her answer. If she concentrated, she could feel a trickle of his emotion. He was scared, fearful she would leave. It made her breath catch. He seemed to realize what she had seen inside him, and the trickle of emotions ceased abruptly.
“Don’t stay because of me Isabelle. Stay because you want to.” He released her and turned to leave the room. Instantly, she felt bereft of his touch. His mere presence was a balm to her mind.
“Greed? Teach me please?” She watched the muscles playing under his shirt as he appeared to battle with himself, his hands tightening into fists. Then he tilted his head, giving her just a glimpse of a smile and a flash of those emerald eyes.
“As you wish, Minx, but I won’t go easy on you.” His low tone promised a lot more than his words let on. Damn it, they had her hormones doing a happy dance. “Abbadon, could you please escort Isabelle to her dorm to pick up a few things? She may be here a while.”
With that he left the room. Was it just her imagination, or were his steps surer? It was decided then. She was going to remain here, even if it drove her further into insanity—this need to have him. Isabelle wondered if she had just offered herself up to the demon on a silver platter, and the very idea of it sent heat coursing through her veins.
Keeping her here was crazy. Why had he even suggested it? Greed paced back and forth in his room, a room filled with her scent. It curled around him, leaving him in an eternally hard state of arousal. He should have just sent her away, but the very thought made him skirt the edge of madness. One little human female had sunk her nails into his soul. By the gods, he could not, would not, let her go. He was damned, and he knew it. She was going to stay, as crazy as it was. He felt something akin to happiness at the idea.
Gripping his hair with his hands, he sat back on the bed, a fresh wave of her scent reaching him. Adjusting his hard on, he uttered a pained groan. How was he supposed to continue to function with her here? She should be sent somewhere safe, away from him, away from his darkness. Yet her mere presence calmed the writhing black of his soul, smoothed out the rough, torn edges, making him believe, if only for a moment, maybe he could find light in the darkness.
She was light and soft, pure innocence. The incessant craving to touch her, taste her lips, and claim her, beat at his control. She wasn’t meant for a being such as him. The darkness hovered too close to the surface. He feared he would snuff out her spark. What was worse is he knew she would let him. She would willingly follow him into the void.
Memories of the Pit rushed up on him, hard and fast, the infinite darkness that sucked him into the abyss. The first day had been the worst. They left him hanging in the blackness. The shadows that had once been comforting to him were like needles pricking into his skin, causing small rivulets of blood to run down his bare body. Over and over those needles pierced his flesh. His body healed the small holes easily, which just meant more holes. After a time, the pain dulled, and he didn’t feel the small pricks any more. Then they arrived.
Their scent—he would always remember it until his life was stripped from him—rotting flesh and corruption. These were the souls Hades created to punish the worst of the evils of man. Blind and faceless, they moved as if controlled by gears and wires. White bulbous heads tilted this way and that as their ice-cold fingertips brushed over him.
It took his brain a second to realize the pain. Their touch burned through his skin, layer by layer, leaving trails of blood as his flesh was cut away. They started with his chest, slicing long strips of flesh that they laid out on a table, filled with glittering instruments of torture. Sometimes he could hear them chewing noisily, the slapping of lips and teeth, and he knew they were eating his flesh.
His demon body tried to heal, tried to repair, which meant they started all over again. Legs, arms, back, shoulders. Their visits sometimes lasted days, an eternity, a few hours. It didn’t matter. They would carve hard and deep, tearing into his soul. The pain was so fierce, it robbed him of his sanity, corrupting his reality so he came to crave it.
Days passed into years, years into centuries. Sometimes he would be left alone for the longest time, floating somewhere within his mind, remembering a pair of violet eyes, a soft smile and a warm touch. Then they would return, after his skin was healed and fresh to begin again. Those who cut him had always been faceless, their chattering teeth and icy touch would never be gone from his memory.
When freedom was finally granted, the demon who emerged from that prison wasn’t the same one who went in. The world had become a nightmare for him. Too much noise, too much everything. Craving oblivion had become a daily seduction, calling him back to the abyss.
Then she came, a shining light in the void, the same eyes… What was her name? The woman who had been the catalyst for his torment? He could almost picture her: shy, demure, yet a hidden fire contained in her eyes.
Kathrine. The name floated through his mind. The woman he now craved wasn’t her faded face. But her eyes…she had the same eyes. Had Kathrine been reborn? Was Isabelle sent by fate to condemn him once more to darkness? Or to pull him, kicking and screaming, into the blinding light? What would she think when his soul was laid bare before her? When the scars of his soul were as exposed as those on his body?