Cigarette smoke fills the room, and the patio door is slightly ajar to let in the smell of fresh rain outside. We’re in the living room downstairs. Dark, gray walls and large leather sofas spread out messily. On the back wall behind me is a bookshelf lined with human skulls. The coffee table in front of me is only there to rest your feet on—no other reason.
The human girl between my spread legs blinks up at me. Unlike the humans tied to the poles, she’s not scared, although she should be. If all goes according to plan, she’ll awaken the monster I know slumbers inside of my little angel.
“What’s your name?” I ask her to put her at ease more than anything. I don’t give a shit what her name is as long as she serves a purpose here tonight. I need Angel to feed after I almost drained her and if she doesn’t feed willingly, I’ll force her hand.
“Natalia.”
Ronan smirks at me through the cloud of smoke and takes another deep pull on the joint pinched between his fingers. This human girl is one of the academy’s pets. She’s here because she hopes to gain immortality, and her foolish heart believes one of the fallen angels will grant it to her one day. We’re not fucking vampires.
“Just drain a human and feed the blood to the little angel in a glass, like mulled wine,” Alaric suggests, taking the joint from Ronan.
I twirl the girl’s dark hair around my finger, shaking my head. “I want to topple her queen. She thinks she’s so fucking pure. I know she’s not. I don’t care what it takes.” I cup the girl’s jaw, bringing her brown eyes to mine. “I will break her if it’s the last thing I do.”
Alaric squints at me through the cloud of smoke, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You’re both as fucking stubborn as each other.”
I tsk. “She’ll dance to my tune by the end of the night.”
“She’s weak,” Ronan comments, sinking down further on the couch, his legs spread obnoxiously wide.
“No thanks to you, Daemon,” laughs Alaric.
Smirking, I stare down at the girl’s face. “What can I say? I like to break pretty things.” I jostle the girl’s chin. “Or, in this case, I like to watch pretty things destroy weakness.”
It’s the first time I’ve had anything to do with a human pet. The other angels play with them, but I have no interest in humans besides draining them dry. But for what I have planned tonight, this girl will do just fine. Jealousy is a dragon everyone here has had years to learn how to ride. My sweet angel has not. She’s far off becoming a dragon slayer, and I count on it to get my way tonight.
“There’s only one problem with your plan.” Ronan chuckles amusedly.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
He gestures to the girl. “Last time you tried to fuck a human girl, you failed. How do you plan on making Angel jealous when you can’t even touch the human sexually?”
“Who says I have to touch her?”
Ronan and Alaric exchange an amused look. They think I’m full of shit. That this won’t work.
“You saw her incisors elongate. The monster inside her is slowly awakening from its slumber. I intend to poke it with a stick.”
“Poke it with a stick.” Ronan shakes his head, but he’s laughing, too. “What’s taking her so long anyway?”
I trail my fingers over the girl’s mouth. Her lips are soft and plump, but the blue tinge at their corners tells the true story. Like all humans in our world, subjected to regular feedings, she’s anemic and not the ideal food for our angel. But short of snatching a human from the human world, she’s the next best thing. If she’s crying and screaming, this won’t work. No, I need her to be a willing participant. And right now—on her knees between my legs—she has stars in her eyes. She knows who I am and will do anything to please me.
“Let’s see if we can tempt our angel’s monster to come out and play.”
AURELIA.
I wake up alone in my bed with a pounding headache, and when I try to sit up, the room spins. I’m still weak after Daemon almost drained me last night in his bid to dominate me and force me to feed on that poor girl.
As I recall the humans shackled to the wooden poles, I shiver. At first, I couldn’t make sense of why they call this Hell. Now I’m slowly starting to understand. Desire and hunger are rampant here. Lust and longing. Jealousy and bitterness.
It’s raining outside, and the soft patter on the window draws my attention. I slowly climb out of bed and walk over. I’m in a clean dress. This one is a shimmering black and falls halfway down my thighs. I’ve never worn anything this short or revealing before. I’ve also never seen rain.
I stand there, watching the raindrops on the window slide down the glass in a race toward the bottom. Curiosity has me reaching out to open it. Before I can unlatch the hook and slide it open, I hear voices downstairs. The beat of base, and deep muffled laughter.
I pad barefoot down the stairs, careful not to step where it creaks, and pause outside the door to the living room. Ronan chuckles. Alaric is in there too, but I can’t make out what he’s saying.
Swaying on my feet, I grip the handle. The door creaks open and I peer inside. The air is thick with marijuana smoke, a black fabric L-shaped sofa sits pushed up against the back wall, and large windows line the left side of the room. Tall doors open up to a patio area.
Beside the sofa, on a second settee to the right, Alaric and Ronan sit spread out. Their dark eyes spark with humor when I walk in. I get the sense they’ve been expecting me.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
I pad deeper into the room, unable to look away from Daemon, who is seated like a king in front of me on the L-shaped couch. Between his legs, on her knees, is a human girl with stars in her eyes. Daemon doesn’t look up at me as he tips her chin with his fingers and brings the joint to his lips with his other hand.
Ronan explains, “Don’t worry, little angel. This young girl is here in our world of her own free will. She hopes to be offered immortality.”
I gnash my teeth as something dark and ugly stirs inside me.
“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” Daemon asks, watching me through lowered lashes, before tipping his head back and blowing out a cloud of smoke. Nausea swirls inside me. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m so lightheaded and weak or if it’s the girl between his legs.
“Why don’t you join us?” Ronan suggests, patting his thigh. The smirk on his lips is cruel.
I struggle to think coherently. Everything is a haze, but I get the distinct feeling they’re toying with me. The human girl in the room is not the prey the lions lie in wait to attack.
I am.
I rub a hand over my face and blink to clear the haze, but nothing seems to work.
“Have a seat,” Daemon orders, sounding far away. To the girl, he says, “Unzip me.”
She must be excited, because she sets to work on his belt with eager fingers. On the other sofa, Alaric and Ronan chuckle. I don’t know what they find so amusing.
Ronan asks, “Struggling there, brother?”
Daemon shoots him a glare while grinding his teeth so hard that it looks like they might pulverize. The sound of a zipper being undone somewhat clears the haze. My heart is racing too fast. Beside me, the rain comes down harder on the window, soaking the floor where the patio door is ajar to let in the damp air.
The human girl slides her hand over his impressive length and something inside me breaks. Daemon looks tortured behind the mask he wears so well. His eyes stay glued to mine when she leans in and takes him in her mouth.
“Are you comfortable sitting on your hands?” laughs Alaric, his body shaking with chuckles.
“Shut the fuck up,” Daemon barks, his forehead damp with sweat. He closes his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose as he leans back against the couch. Meanwhile, pain lances through my chest at the sight of the girl pleasuring him so fucking willingly. My skin crawls with unfamiliar emotions. I feel territorial. My incisors ache and throb as my wings unfold behind me.
As if he can sense the shift in the air, Daemon slowly opens his eyes and smirks at me. What are you going to do?
The girl moans and something inside me snaps. I’m on her before I know what’s happening, tearing into her flesh with my sharp teeth. Her loud screams only spur me on more. Coaxing the beast with glowing eyes, to step out from the shadows. I snarl like an animal and sink my teeth in further. I drink and drink and keep drinking until her heart slows before ceasing to beat.
As silence falls over the room, I throw her off and wipe my bloodied mouth with the back of my hand. Energy surges through me. My veins tingle and spark with a strength I’ve never felt before. The world is a red haze as I look back at Daemon, who chuckles when I bare my teeth and flare my white wings. Then he shoots up in a blur of movement and fists my hair. It hurts so fucking good.
“What have I said about baring your teeth at me, little angel? You’re not in charge here. I am.”
A fierce snarl rips from my lips, and I shove him with such force that he flies back and collides with the back wall. On the couch, Alaric and Ronan stare with their mouths hanging open before collapsing into laughter. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
There’s a dent in the wall and the couch is upturned. But Daemon, he’s in front of me with my throat clasped tightly in his big hand. “You’re in big fucking trouble now.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss, then knee him in the balls and throw myself at him. I should run in the opposite direction, but something inside me—something dark and dangerous—is set on dominating him.
“Fuck,” he growls when I sink my teeth into his neck.
We collide with the upturned couch, toppling to the floor. Alaric and Ronan continue laughing as Daemon tries to fight me off.
“You fucking…” he grunts, getting the upper hand. Tossing me onto my back, he straddles me and pins my arms to the floor with his knees. Blood trickles from bite wounds on his neck, soaking the front of his T-shirt. He’s so angry that his sharp incisors sink into his bottom lip.
Daemon grabs me by the throat and squeezes. “You submit to me.”
My pussy throbs with need. I’ve never felt more alive and more in my body than I do right now. Power thrums in my veins, heady and addictive. My wings push up against Ronan and Alaric’s feet as I spread them beneath me. I refuse to submit to Daemon. He lifts his chin to Alaric, who jumps up and disappears from the room.
“You want to play games, sweetheart?” Daemon’s voice is dark with promise. “I’ll play.”
Alaric returns with a knife and hands it to Daemon before walking back to Ronan, careful not to step on my wing. Cold, sharp metal presses up against my neck.
“If you don’t retract your teeth and close your wings, I’ll cut you.”
The red haze is slowly fading, but I don’t retract my teeth. Instead, I lift my head off the floor, snarling at him. His deep, cruel, and humorless chuckle makes me tingle between my thighs.
“Such a naughty girl,” he purrs, nicking my pulse point with the knife. A single trail of blood runs down, soaking into the wooden floor. Daemon shifts on top of me and the heat of his warm mouth on my neck makes me arch my back. He holds himself just out of reach so I can’t feel the press of his body on top of me. His tongue drags over my skin and he laps up the blood. It feels so fucking good.
“Now,” he says, cutting my dress open down the middle to free my swollen breasts. They spill out, heavy and achy. My pink nipples are hard peaks that beg for his warm mouth. He grants me no release, and when he grabs my chin and sinks his sharp teeth into my neck, I don’t fight him. Heavy footsteps thud on the floor, and I hiss in pain when teeth pierce either wrist. Daemon grinds his hard cock against me, sending sparks of desire straight to my core. I cry out, yielding to them, offering myself up as a sacrifice. They don’t drink me dry. They take only enough to make their point. I’m their submissive. Their plaything.
Theirs…
Then they rise to their feet, staring down at me with bloodied teeth, spread wings, and dark, bottomless eyes. My legs fall open and I slide my hand between my thighs to tease my wet opening.
“Please,” I whimper, my pussy throbbing. It won’t take much at all.
“Good girls get rewarded, but you, little angel, have been a very fucking bad girl again.”
They sit down, Ronan and Alaric on the couch to the left. Daemon kicks the dead girl out of the way and rights the upturned armchair before dropping down onto it and putting his ankle on his knee. With a snap of his fingers, he brings a flame to life and plays with it while he watches me.
Shifting onto my knees, I skate my eyes between them as my nipples tingle in the breeze that’s coming from the open patio door. “Okay, you win. You’re the big, bad alpha, and I’m just the weak little angel.”
Daemon’s jeans are still unbuckled. I can see the outline of him straining against the fabric. “You’re learning,” he drawls, the flame dancing across his fingers. “You can fight me, but I’ll always win.”
My wings itch to unfold, but I keep them closed.
“Checkmate,” he says with a smirk as his eyes travel down to my hard nipples.
My breaths come quicker.
“Remove your dress.”
It hangs off me in tatters. I slide it down the rest of the way and it soon pools around my knees. Three hungry eyes fall to my bare pussy.
“What do you say?” Alaric lifts his chin toward Ronan and Daemon. “Shall we go and find us some good girls to fuck? Girls that don’t behave like fucking brats?”
As one, they rise to their feet and walk out, leaving me kneeling.
Again.
But this time, I don’t intend to wait here while they fuck other angels. They wanted my beast to come out to play. Well, she’s out, ready to tear into hearts. It’s true what they say—sometimes you should be careful what you wish for. I’m not one of their groupies. I have no intention of pleasing them. If they want to fuck other girls, I’ll awaken the beast in them. I know just the person to help me.
