The lady behind the reception staples a stack of papers together, her eyes falling up and down my body, before she hands me the paperwork. “Sign these. Your class schedule is there, too. You have been assigned a locker, which Dariana kindly offered to show you.”
As if summoned by magic, Dariana’s high heels click on the floor. Her black dress is short and hugs her curves to perfection. It’s hard not to gawk and even harder not to blush. She takes the paperwork from the lady behind the counter and walks off, calling out over her shoulder, “Are you coming or not?”
I shake myself off and hurry after her. Students stare as we pass. I don’t blame them; we look like an odd pair. Yin and Yang.
“Where are your keepers?” she asks, barely sparing me a glance.
It’s hard to keep up with her. She’s too fast, weaving through bodies like she knows that everyone will step aside for her.
And they do.
“I don’t know,” I reply.
This morning, they took off and left me alone at the reception. I think I stood there blinking for ten minutes before the lady behind the reception cleared her throat. I feel lost. I’m so used to them hovering over me at every turn.
“They trust you not to run away now.”
“I guess so,” I reply.
They have something I want, and they know it. I won’t leave here until I have mastered flying—a chance I know I won’t get offered in Eden.
“Why are you volunteering to show me to my locker?”
Her eyes briefly meet mine before she focuses her gaze forward. “Why not?”
“You’re being kind. It’s weird.”
She snorts.
“It is!”
We pass a corner, and she pulls me to a stop next to a set of lockers. “This is yours. And these here,” she gestures to the lockers surrounding it, “belong to Daemon, Alaric, and Ronan. Your leash is stretchy, but make no mistake, you’re still leashed.”
“Oh.”
She gives me a bemused look, leaning her shoulder on the locker next to mine while I open it to peek inside. “What do I do with it?”
Her eyebrows fly up. “You put things in it.”
My ears heat. “I’m sorry. Things are different here in Hell.”
Dariana eyes me for a moment before slamming my locker shut. “Follow me.”
I try, but it’s not easy. She knows these hallways like the back of her hand, and I don’t.
“Where are we going?”
“Away from here.”
“But the lesson?”
“Can wait.” Her small hand finds mine as we step outside into the dark.
Lanterns light the path, their flames surrounded by countless moths. We cut across the damp grass, and she guides me deep into the surrounding woods. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls as sticks break beneath my bare feet.
Dariana soon grows fed up with her tall heels sinking into the ground, so she removes them and carries them in one hand. There’s a break in the trees, and I gasp as we step out into an open field. The sky is lit up with stars. Too many to count.
“It’s beautiful here,” I whisper, turning in a circle, eyes on the sky.
“Yes,” she says, and something dark and delicious in her voice makes me pause.
I tear my gaze away from the blanket of burning lights above.
Discarding her shoes, her feet sink into the grass, carrying her closer. “Spread your wings.”
I gulp, trapped in her gaze.
“Do it.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” I admit, slowly letting my wings unfold behind me.
Dariana’s eyes follow their movement, trailing over my white feathers before settling on my face. Her own wings spread out behind her, black as night. “You’re wise. The moment you trust, you’ll get your heart torn out.”
“I’ve been kidnapped and stolen away to another realm. How much worse can it get?”
She steps closer, the air thickening with something electric and dangerous. “You left Eden, little angel. Monsters lurk in the woods. Don’t tell me the elders didn’t warn you.”
They did, but it only made me more curious. Dariana sees the truth in my eyes, and the smirk on her lips steals the breath from my lungs. “Monsters are dangerous. You should have listened to your elders.”
“What are you doing?” I whisper when she slides her fingers over my eyes to close them.
“It’s time to fly.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Yes, you do,” she replies softly, tapping my temple. “It’s in here.” The warmth of her smooth palm seeps into my skin when she places her hand over my heart. “And it’s in here. The color of your wings doesn’t matter. You were created to fly. All you need to do is trust.”
“You told me not to trust.”
“In others. You can always trust in yourself.”
I can’t think when she’s this close. The memory of how she made my body sing lingers in my mind like an expensive perfume. I open my eyes.
“Follow my lead.” She moves her wings slowly up and down in long sweeps that shift the cool air. “What are you waiting for?” Her warm hands slide lower, over my breasts, before gripping my waist.
Locked in her gaze, I move my wings while drowning in her brown mocha.
“Faster,” she coaxes, her breath dancing over my lips. “That’s it, good girl. Feel the wind and the freedom.”
She gives a powerful flap of her wings, and I follow her lead, despite the ache in my shoulders from the weight.
Leaning in, she brushes her lips over mine. “Don’t stop. Keep moving them no matter what.
“I’m scared,” I admit.
Scared of her, of how she makes me feel, and of the confusing mix of emotions inside me.
“Fear is good. It’s how you know you’re alive. If you didn’t fear, it wouldn’t feel this good.”
“What wouldn’t?”
“This,” she replies, plunging her hot tongue into my mouth. We’re a clash of lips and teeth, roaming hands, and wings that slice through the air. My fingers tangle in her soft, silky hair, and hers in mine. Our chests touch with every rapid breath, every soft whimper, and bite of teeth. Dariana tastes of all the things my elders warned me about. Before her, I had never looked at a woman this way, and now I can’t imagine never touching one again. She’s so soft and smooth.
“Open your eyes.”
I blink them open and gasp.
Below us, the school sits nestled amongst the trees. Above us, billions of stars flicker, guiding the way. My eyes come back to Dariana’s, and I couldn’t look away if I tried.
“I’m flying.”
“You are,” she confirms before letting go. When I begin to panic, her head shakes. “Stop thinking.”
I drop. Not by much. But enough to make my heart leap to my throat. “I can’t just stop thinking.”
“Let me show you something.” She entwines her fingers with mine, and we fly higher and higher. Up here, the air is cooler.
She’s beside me now, holding her hand over my eyes. “Are you ready?”
I’ll never be ready. Not for her, not for this world, but I whisper yes. She removes her hand. Far away in the distance, tall walls rise up into the sky, and the golden gates shimmer in the sunlight. It pours from the heavens like a sunbeam and lights up Eden and everyone within it.
My home.
Freya…
“Just like you gazed out over the walls, curious about what lay on the other side, we fly up here and look back at your world, wondering what lies behind those tall walls. Why God’s light shines upon your lands but not ours.”
Homesickness clogs my chest and throat as tears well in my eyes. The urge to fly back and beg for forgiveness is overwhelming. Deep down, I know they’ll never let me back in. I’m tainted, spoiled by desire, and no longer pure. My white wings will never fool anyone in their world. Not now, when they’re dipped in ink.
“What did we do to deserve to dwell in the dark?” She’s behind me now, her voice thick with envy and bitterness. Emotions I couldn’t place before now.
“Is it so bad to feel pleasure?” she asks, blocking out the view of my home. The soft brush of her thumb over my lips makes my lashes flutter and my breath hitch as my body comes alive.
We slowly descend and our feet sink into the damp grass. Dariana guides me down on the ground, shielding me from the world with her dark hair. It falls around us like a curtain as she says, “Tell me, little angel, did you ever feel pleasure behind those gates? Did anyone ever touch your pale skin or whisper sweet nothings in your ear?” Sliding my skirt up my thighs, she snakes her hand beneath the fabric. “Did anyone ever make you sigh their name in pleasure and beg for more?” Her plump lips skim over my jaw and then down my neck, chasing my racing pulse. I’m drunk on her and the smell of damp grass.
“Did you ever,” she whispers seductively, hooking her fingers in the thin fabric of my panties and pulling them aside, “get taken so completely that you would die a thousand deaths to feel their touch again?” She shoves two fingers inside me and steals my surprised cry from my lips with her hungry mouth. “You won’t look at that place with such longing in your eyes by the time we’re done with you.” Her words are a promise and a threat. “You won’t shimmer in the fucking darkness at the thought of returning.” Diving down, she sinks her teeth into my neck while snarling like an animal. The pain is so sharp that I cry out. She fucks me through it, her thumb flicking my swollen clit as she thrusts and thrusts and thrusts.
“Dariana,” I moan, arching my neck to give her better access while she drinks from me in long pulls, rubbing her fingers against my inner walls.
And when she’s done, she grabs my jaw, snarling like an animal, “I get to feed on you whenever I want, understood?”
I nod, spreading my legs wider as her sweet assault on my pussy takes me higher and higher.
Pleased with my response, she presses down on my clit with her thumb. Her blood-stained teeth and her dark eyes are all I can see. “Don’t get any ideas, little angel. We will come for you if you try to fly back home to your precious little Eden.”
She’s so rough. Almost as much as the boys.
“And we won’t be so nice.”
“Oh, fuck,” I whimper, hovering right at the edge. All it will take is one more flick, and the world will fall away.
“Tell me you understand!”
“Dariana, please,” I whimper. “I need to come.”
“And you will,” she says with a dark smile. “When you deserve it.”
My lips part on a soundless cry. It’s hell to hover so close but not be allowed to jump when I want nothing more than to free fall into her depths.
Taking pity on me, she flicks my clit and clamps her hand over my mouth to muffle my loud cries as I come. “That’s it,” she breathes, rubbing me through my orgasm and ignoring my attempts to close my legs when the pleasure becomes too much. “That’s my innocent little angel. Keep those pretty thighs spread for me.”
Before I can regain my breath, she slides her skirt up and straddles my face. She’s not wearing underwear, so when she sits down and orders me to lick, her sweet taste explodes on my tongue. It’s too late anyway—I’m drugged on her scent as she rolls her hips and grinds herself against me.
“Fuck, Angel,” she moans, biting down on her plump lip. “Hell, that feels so good!”
My own skirt lies pooled around my waist, my panties hanging off my ankle as the cool night air licks at my damp, puffy cunt. Twigs snap underfoot, and deep, masculine chuckles announce their arrival before I see them.
“Fuck, Dari. I should have known we would find you here, riding the little angel’s face.”
Unbothered, she flips Daemon off and orders me to continue. Hard boots kick my ankles apart, baring me to their hungry eyes while they circle us like vultures that lie in wait for the lion to finish feasting so they can move in.
“Do you like her taste, little angel?” Alaric asks. “I bet she tastes fucking sweet, huh?”
“I know she does,” chuckles Daemon. “Pussy is addictive, Angel. Once you’ve had a taste of those sweet juices, you’ll come to crave it.”
I pump my tongue in and out of her tight heat, my cheeks smeared with her desire. Daemon is right, this is a drug.
“Shut up,” Dari snarls, “I’m trying to get off here.”
Someone pries my legs open, and then a warm mouth descends on my slick folds, making me see fucking stars.
“Hell…” Dariana moans, shuddering. “Fuck, I’m so close…”
Boots appear on either side of my head. Daemon tips Dari’s chin up. “You fed on her again.”
She bares her teeth when he grips her harder, growling, “Don’t you fucking dare hiss at me. I’m more powerful than you!”
Skilled fingers fill me up, and I gasp beneath Dariana’s dripping pussy.
“Did I say you could feed on her?”
I moan, rocking back against the mouth on my cunt.
“No, you didn’t.”
Daemon drags her off, tossing her to the ground. “If you want to use our Angel—our belonging—you ask for permission first. Understood?”
She’s up on her knees, glaring at him, her cheeks flushed with anger and arousal. “Fuck you!”
Daemon’s deep chuckle could make a grown man fear for his life, but Dariana bares her teeth again, earning her a hair pull.
Daemon is a dick.
A delicious, fucking dick.
“Defy me again, and I’ll make you regret it.”
As he strides over to me, he orders Alaric to hold her down. Ronan retreats, and then Daemon flips me over on my belly and smacks my ass before unbuckling his belt. “I know you like her, Dari, but you’ll have to find your own toy. This one is mine.” With a fierce hold on my blonde hair, he yanks my head back, leaning down and whispering against my temple, “This will hurt.”
Daemon takes me with one powerful thrust, burying himself to the hilt. My shrill, pained cry bounces off the nearby trees.
It hurts.
Oh, God, it hurts.
He’s so big!
“Your virginity, like you, is mine, little angel. I want your blood smeared over my dick.”
He doesn’t wait for me to adjust. There are no candles, no rose petals, and no sweet touches. My hands slide in the damp grass, dirt clogs my nails, and my scalp burns with pain. Tears pour freely down my cheeks and my soft cries turn him on more. My pussy stings like it’s on fire, but I don’t beg him to stop. Despite this fucked up mess, I don’t want him to.
Dari’s eyes hold mine while Daemon stakes his claim beneath the star-filled sky.
“So fucking tight, sweet angel.”
“You’re fucking ruthless,” I bite back.
He slides all the way out, then slams back in. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Ronan crouches down in front of me and cups my chin with a sinful smirk on his lips. “Don’t feel sorry for Dari. This is Hell. Morals have no place here. You take what you want, little angel. Right now, you want Daemon to hurt you with his dick.”
I snarl at him, and Daemon yanks my head back further. “Teach her a lesson, Ronan.”
Shifting up on his knees, Ronan unbuckles his jeans, lowers his zipper, and slides his fingers into my hair, then pulls on the strands until I wince. “You’ve been a bad girl tonight.”
My mouth waters when he pushes his jeans and boxers down.
“A very fucking bad girl.”
Daemon slaps my ass again. “Don’t be so upset, Dari. I’ll let you play with her again if you ask nicely.”
“Go to hell, Daemon.”
“Look around you,” he says on a powerful thrust. “We’re already here.”
The pain is slowly dissipating, transforming into something mind-blowing. As Ronan slides his dick into my mouth, I arch back against Daemon, silently begging for more.
“Such a good little whore,” he praises, grabbing hold of my wings in an entirely possessive and demeaning way. “If I ever find you pleasuring someone else without my permission again, I won’t be so fucking nice to you, my little angel. Understood? You belong to us, not anyone else. Don’t think you strolled in here of your own free will. No, we saw you, we took you, and until we grow bored of you, little angel, you’ll do as we say.”
Tears stream down my cheeks while Ronan fucks my throat. It’s brutal but, at the same time, worshipping. They want me to know I belong to them, but they also want to get me off. Every slap, every stroke of their fingers, and every hair pull is designed to bring pleasure and soothe the sting of their brutality.
“Fuck, you take our cocks so well,” Ronan praises me, staring down at my face while I gag on him. “I can’t wait until Alaric gets in on the act too, and we take you at the same time.”
“She’s not ready yet,” Daemon states behind me. I want to argue with him, but Ronan’s grip on my hair holds me in place, his cock buried deep in my throat.
Snaking his hand beneath me, Daemon rubs my swollen clit hard and fast until I hurtle over the precipice. My body tenses when every muscle in my body contracts.
“That’s it, baby. Come on my cock. Let me feel you squeeze me.”
These boys will be the death of me. It’s so intense.
They pull out and step behind me as I fight to catch my breath.
Daemon slaps my wings. “Spread them.”
My chest heaves as I do as I’m told. I’m spent and exhausted, tingly and achy everywhere. Daemon’s grip on my hair hurts while they pleasure themselves behind me.
“Are you watching Dari?” Daemon pants, his grip tightening on my hair. “You might think twice next time you’re a bitch and want to steal our angel.” To me, he says, “Keep your wings spread like that, beautiful.”
Then it happens—their release showers over my wings in quick spurts, defiling the pure white feathers. It’s degrading, but the throbbing ache between my legs tells a different story. Strings of white cum coat my wings, beading and trailing down toward my shoulder blades. Daemon tucks himself away before stepping around me and grabbing my chin with his bloodied hand.
My virginity…
“Don’t go behind my back again. It will never end well for you.”
Something dark unfurls inside me. As I peel my lips back, I feel an ache in my incisors. I snarl like an animal, but the sound dies in my throat when he pulls my hair and spreads his wings behind him in a show of dominance.
“Retract your fangs now!”
Fangs? I don’t know how to fucking retract them. All I know is that my thighs are smeared with blood, my wings are covered in cum, and the scent of Dari’s needy pussy tantalizes my senses. I need to get to her so I can finish what I started. I need to taste her cum on my tongue and sink my teeth into her olive skin until my mouth fills with coppery blood. The urge is so fucking sudden that I snap my teeth at him.
It’s the wrong thing to do.
He slaps me before gripping my jaw again and glaring down at me. “Apologize!”
My eyes dance over his raven wings, stretching out behind him. He’s a powerful fallen angel, there’s no doubt about it. But I don’t yield to anyone, especially not him. Not when he stands in my way of the sweetest fucking pussy on this planet.
I unfold my wings behind me, drawing a gasp from Dari’s lips. No one challenges Daemon in this neck of the woods. He’s the ultimate alpha, and I’m lucky to have caught his attention. He likes my defiance as much as he hates it. The urge to dominate me is what drives him to fill my mouth with his bloody fingers until I choke. The games we play are so fucking twisted. But fuck, I never want to lose and I never want to win. If he wants to get to my queen, he’s got a lot of fucking pieces to knock out first. I’m safely guarded in my tower.
“You like it,” he observes, sliding his fingers back out and then thrusting them back in. “Interesting.”
I bite down on him hard enough to notice the tic in his jaw. As soon as I let up, he removes his fingers and pulls me to my feet by my hair.
He towers over me, dark and delicious. “You can fight me all you want. You’ll never win.”
I spit on him and he flicks his gaze down, watching the saliva slide down his black T-shirt. Then he chuckles darkly before grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the school. “Oh, I look forward to breaking you like a wild horse.”
Dariana runs after us. “What are you doing, Daemon?”
“You know fucking well what I’m doing.”
“I should have asked for permission to play with her, okay? It was wrong of me to go behind your back.”
He ignores her, shoving me in front of him. Branches scratch the bare skin on my pale arms and legs, the hem of my dress is dirty, and wet leaves stick to the fabric. My scarlet virginity trails a slow path down my legs. It’s on Daemon’s hands. There’s a streak on his forehead from when he ran the back of his hand over it to wipe off the sweat.
“Daemon, think about this. She’s an angel. She’s not strong like the rest of the girls here.”
“You’re wrong,” he says, pushing me again, and my hair snags on a branch. “She’s stronger than anyone here. We’ve only tapped her potential.”
Alaric chuckles next to me as we emerge from the trees and cut across the grass toward the lit-up lanterns that line the path to the academy. “You’re in deep shit now.”
We ascend the stone steps to the academy, and as we enter, students turn and stare, their eyes widening.
“Move!” Daemon orders me, his fingers circling my arm.
“Let go of me,” I hiss, slapping him, but he doesn’t even notice.
We walk down numerous corridors before entering a spacious room littered with seating areas; plush couches pushed up against damask wallpaper, an open space in the middle with numerous wooden poles, and a pool table off to the side. I can’t look away from the poles. Shackled to them are human girls and boys, their terrified eyes darting around the room.
“See that?” Daemon growls in my ear, steering me over to the nearest pole. “Welcome to the cafeteria.”
I try to fight him off, but he bends down and picks me up, carrying me fireman-style. It’s humiliating. Laughter rings out around me, and he dumps me to my feet beside a human girl and grabs a handful of hair at the nape of my neck. “You want to bare your incisors at me like a fucking brat?! Then put them to good fucking use!”
When I refuse to reply, he jostles me. “Feed on her!”
The loud sounds around me fade into the distance as his words sink in. Beside us, the girl cries quietly. My heart breaks for her. Never have I seen such cruelty before. Hunger didn’t exist behind the gates. In that world, we ate for pleasure, not sustenance. We were always fulfilled. But things are different here.
“You’ve let Dari feed on you twice. You need to rebuild your strength and fruit isn’t going to cut it. Not anymore.”
Confused, I shove him off and say, “You can’t live on angel blood, so why does your kind feed on angels?”
Ronan and Alaric laugh behind me; my naivety is refreshing to them.
Meanwhile, Daemon levels Dariana with a glare. “Want to explain to our clueless little angel here why you’ve fed on her twice?”
Dariana looks sheepish but covers it well by raising her chin. “You’re too serious, Daemon. Lighten up. I was only playing with her.”
With a snort, he brings his attention to me and grabs me by the throat. “Dominance, sweet angel. Power. She gets off on asserting her power over you. Even more so because her wings are smaller than yours. And you let her play with you like a cat plays with a mouse.”
“You do it too,” I sneer.
He gets in my face. “I am more powerful than you.”
My smile is sugary, laced with poison. I enjoy these games as much as he does. “No, pretty boy, I am more powerful than you.”
“Yeah?” he breathes. “Prove it. Drain the girl.”
I pale, my eyes flicking between his. Do I have it within me to kill a human girl? Sex may be a sin in my world, but killing someone? Taking a life?
His other hand shoots out to grab my chin, his fingers sliding between my lips. He prods my incisor. “Let them out to play.”
It’s instinct to snarl at him. There’s a she-wolf inside me who doesn’t like it when the alpha forces her to submit.
“Don’t touch me,” I growl, batting him away, but he wraps his fingers around the back of my neck. Then he dives down and sinks his teeth into the pulse point at my throat. The sharp sting steals my breath. Daemon isn’t gentle as he tears into me, holding me immobile with his tight grip. There’s nothing sweet or romantic about it. He steals my life essence with deep pulls that leave me weak and trembling. Blood pours down my front, staining my dress. His big hand slides through the warm liquid when he moves his fingers to the front of my throat.
He laps at the incisor wounds before biting down again, causing me to cry out in pain and shame. Daemon was right; this is dominance play. Everyone in here is witness to his power over me. I don’t stand a chance against him.
“Now,” he says, smiling at me through bloodied teeth, chin smeared with scarlet, “drink her dry, or I’ll continue feeding on you for everyone to see.”
“Then you’ll have to kill me,” I hiss, feeling lightheaded. “I refuse to hurt a human girl.”
“The thing is,” he whispers, hooking his finger in the collar of my dress and pulling it away from my skin to peer down at my naked breasts and hard nipples, “I wouldn’t kill you quickly. I’d drag it out, make you beg for death.”
My skin tingles beneath his gaze. I want him to touch me. How fucked up is that?
“I’m not scared of you, Daemon,” I whisper back. I’m so fucking weak.
He hums, steadying me with his hands. “You should be. How about this? I’ll make you a deal. If you feed on her so you can regain your strength, I’ll let her live. If you refuse, I’ll have Dari here kill her. How does that sound?”
“I thought you traveled to the human world to feed.”
“We do,” he confirms, his thumb stroking the side of my throat. “But it’s not always possible to feed that way. The humans here don’t taste as nice because they’re scared and anemic, but they suffice when we can’t get away to hunt. Besides, some angels don’t like to visit the human world to feed. They prefer to do it here.”
“I want to go home,” I whisper. The horror I’ve witnessed here today is a slap in the face. Pain doesn’t exist in Eden. We don’t shackle humans to wooden poles and feed on them. We don’t hurt others.
“That’s a fucking shame,” he growls, grabbing my hair. “You’re not going home, so you better stop that thought.”
“I hate you!” I hiss with the last of my strength. “I wish I had never left Eden.”
He grinds his teeth before stepping back and lifting his chin at Alaric behind me in a silent command. Then he walks away without a backward glance. There’s a weird pang in my chest, which I snuff out as soon as it makes itself known. I refuse to feel bad for spewing poison at him.
I’m too weak, my knees buckling beneath me. Alaric is there to catch me in his arms as the darkness overtakes me.
The last thing I hear is Dariana’s voice. “I told you she wasn’t strong enough.”
