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

“Why do women always take so long in the bathroom?” Ronan whines while we wait by the lockers across from the bathroom door.

“Beats me,” Alaric replies, watching a girl walk past in a short skirt that sways around her smooth thighs.

Dragging my eyes away from the door, I spare the girl a brief glance but look away just as quickly. Ever since the new girl unfolded her wings, it’s all I’ve been thinking about. I’ve never seen such big wings on a female angel, and it’s fucking impossible to ignore the urge inside me that wants to dominate her.

That’s why I’m here now, when we should be in the cafeteria.

My curiosity is a restless beast.

“Why would my uncle take her in?”

Ronan stops whining and looks at me. “Who?”

“The new girl.” My eyes are back on the door. The moment it opens, I’ll be on her.

“Your uncle doesn’t have a kind bone in his body,” Alaric points out.

It’s true. He’s ruthless in his pursuit of the throne, and this sudden act of kindness reeks of something I can’t put my finger on.

“Maybe his plan is to use her against you?” Alaric says, confirming my suspicion.

I rub my bottom lip with my thumb before uncrossing my feet and straightening up. “It would be too obvious, don’t you think? She lives with him, for fuck’s sake. He must know that raises suspicion.”

“Sometimes the best thing is to hide in plain sight. It’s a genius plan because it’s so obvious.”

I’m only listening with half an ear, when the door opens and she walks out, unaware of the wolves lying in wait.

My feet move before my brain has had a chance to catch up.

“What are you doing?” the new girl protests as I drag her into the nearest empty classroom and shove her inside. Alaric and Ronan follow behind, the latter shutting the door softly behind us and flipping the lock. The sound is ominous in the quiet room.

Like a sudden gunshot.

It makes her flinch, and the hungry, restless beast inside me likes the sight a little too much.

She backs away, colliding with a desk, as I near.

I like her uncomfortable and uncertain.

No, that’s not right… I like her scared. The slight hitch in her breath when I shove a desk out of the way instead of walking around it in my pursuit of getting to her.

“What is my uncle planning?” My voice is a low, threatening rumble.

Her wide eyes flit to Alaric and Ronan behind me. If she thinks they’ll come to her rescue, she’s wrong. If anything, they’ll feed on her corpse once I’m done with her.

“There’s nowhere left to run,” I whisper darkly as I corner her against a desk near the window.

Her wide, anxious eyes peer up at me, and her breath stutters when I trace my finger over her fluttering pulse point.

“What is my uncle planning?”

“Wh-what?”

“Don’t play shy now, sweetheart. We both know he’s planning something, and you’re helping him. Let me guess”—I grip her by the side of the neck—”he wants you to seduce me. Make me territorial, so I’ll break the treaty.”

Her brows pull down low, as if she’s confused. I’ll give it to my uncle; she’s a good actress. “You think I’m helping Amenadiel?”

I like the sound of her feminine voice. It’s stronger now and less breathy than before. She was scared and now she’s taken aback.

“Is that it? You think he’s using me to manipulate you?”

Her pulse thunders beneath my fingertips, and my eyes snag on her slender neck before I meet her fiery, chocolate-brown eyes. “It won’t work.”

She flinches again, and that’s how I know I’ve got her sussed out. My uncle thought he was so clever. The old man thought he could get to me through pussy. Surely, he must know how many girls throw themselves at me every day. His power-hungry mind has gotten over his head if he thinks this pussy will be different from all the rest.

“You’re just a girl,” I whisper slowly. “You’re nothing special.”

A muscle tics in her cheek before she looks away, her eyes pooling with tears.

At first, I think they’re sad tears, but I realize they’re tears of anger when she meets my gaze again.

Fury sparkles in her brown depths as she shoves me back a step. “And you think you’re special? You’re no one, Daemon.” Then her smile takes on a cruel edge, and she steps closer. “You’re nothing more than a spoiled little rich boy who thinks he’s all that because of his powerful daddy. Newsflash, you’re a brat, and your uncle is twice the man you are. If anything, he’s smarter. I don’t want anything to do with you, and nothing can convince me to try to seduce you. Don’t flatter yourself.”

She tries to sidestep me, but I seize her arm and shove her back. “I’m not fucking done with you.”

Now she snorts and folds her arms over her chest. Her eyes peer past me, as if I’m not worthy of her attention, and it pisses me the fuck off. The urge to shake her makes my fingertips tingle, but I fist my hands and count to ten. “You will not leave until I tell you that you can leave. Is that understood?”

Alaric and Ronan shift behind me, hungry for blood and chaos. They, too, can sense the tension crackling in the air.

The girl is still not looking at me, so I pinch her chin between my thumb and finger and force her eyes to mine. “Is that understood?”

“Fuck you!” she snarls, baring her sharp teeth with a snarl.

In all my years, no one has ever dared to bare their incisors at me. It’s fucking intriguing. My reflex is to grab her face and dig my fingers into her cheeks. And the satisfaction I feel when her eyes widen has my cock hardening in my jeans. It certainly likes her defiance. It’s refreshing, if not a little annoying. “I’m gonna turn your invitation down, little whore. I don’t fuck brats,” I say, repeating her word choice from earlier.

This time when she snarls, I smirk.

Behind me, Alaric and Ronan chuckle.

This girl has fire in her eyes, attitude at her fingertips, and defiance on her lips.

“Fuck off,” she growls, fighting me, or trying to. It takes me no effort at all to subdue her pathetic attempts at freeing herself.

I like the feel of her in my arms—her fragility, like a petal I could crush beneath my boots. It’s tempting too, to break her for the sake of it. Just to cement to her that she stands no chance against me.

My chest vibrates with a deep chuckle as I taunt, “So angry.”

“Let me go!”

“I don’t think so, little whore. Not until you get one thing straight.”

“Yeah, what’s that?” she spits, wriggling in my arms.

“Maybe it’s true that Heaven kicked you out, but this is my kingdom, and that makes you mine by default.”

The face she pulls is nothing short of repulsed, and my ego smartens at the look of disgust in her big eyes. “Get one thing through your thick skull, crown boy. I. Am. Not. Yours.” Then she shoves me off with surprising strength, as if she was pretending to be weak earlier. Like a soldier who hides their tactics on the battlefield until the right moment to strike.

Walking out, she slams the door shut behind her.

“Well,” Ronan starts, but he soon shuts up when he spots my glare.

“Not a fucking word,” I growl, storming past him.

Alaric, however, doesn’t even attempt to stifle his laughter. And when I glower at him too, he laughs harder. “Just admit that it was amusing, Daemon. Come on, when was the last time a girl gave you a run for your money?”

My response is an arched eyebrow.

“She’s a firecracker.”

“More like a pain in my ass.” I shoulder past him and exit the room.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Dariana asks, her hand on her hip as she joins us.

“Lover boy here thought he would teach the new girl a lesson but ended up crashing and burning instead. You should have seen it.”

“I didn’t crash and burn,” I growl, stalking toward the cafeteria. I need to tear into some flesh to calm this raging storm inside me. Who cares if I kill the lunch menu? I’m restless, and it’s annoying.

“The new girl?” Dariana asks, flicking her raven hair. “Do you really think she was kicked out of Eden?”

“Only one way to find out. We’ll pay my uncle a little visit.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” she asks uncertainly.

I side-eye her before opening the door to the cafeteria. “I need to find out everything I can before my father gets wind of this.”

“You should befriend her,” Alaric suggests, and Dariana pulls an offended look.

“Why the fuck would I do that?” she asks.

“Get her on our good side.” He winks, stepping through the door. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Ever heard of that saying?”

“Of course. It’s second nature to me. Everyone except for you three is my enemy.”

Alaric slaps a hand to his chest while Ronan slings his arm around her shoulder. “I’m touched.”

We come to a halt as one, and Alaric lets out a breathy chuckle. “Would you look at that?”

My teeth gnash when the new girl leans in close to Dmitriy and laughs at something he says. What’s so fucking funny about my cousin? He’s an asshole with an inferiority problem who likes to ride my trail dust.

As if the little angel can sense my dark thoughts, she stiffens before looking in my direction, her brown eyes widening.

With a sneer, Dariana walks up to one of the poles, and Alaric calls out behind her, “I asked you to befriend her, not frighten her off.”

“Something tells me it’ll take a lot more to frighten her off,” chuckles Ronan as he steps past me to find his own meal.

Meanwhile, I stay locked in a battle of wills with the new girl. She refuses to look away first, and fuck if it’s not alluring. Other girls blush on the rare occasion I look at them with the full force of my gaze. Not only does the new girl not blush, but she also meets it head-on with a quirk of her perfectly arched brow. Why is she constantly challenging me? Does she not know what’s good for her? Antagonizing me won’t end well for anyone.

Just then, a slender hand lands on my stomach and travels up my chest. It’s followed by the stench of flowery perfume and desperation.

“Hello, Daemon.”

It’s Anya, a girl I have fucked once or twice who still keeps trying her luck. If I remember correctly, she’s bad at oral but has a nice and tight fuckable ass.

I break eye contact with the annoying brat to look down at Anya and finger a strand of her raven hair. It’s smooth and slightly wavy, even more so when I twirl it around my finger and pull. “You gonna let me fuck that sweet ass?”

Of course, she nods, stopping short of panting like an eager dog. “Anything you want, Daemon.”

I’m already bored, and that’s the problem. Nothing is a challenge anymore. Anya will let me drag her into the nearest bathroom, and then she’ll flip her skirt up before pulling her ass cheeks apart and offering me her asshole on a silver platter. It’s as exciting as algebra.

But because I can feel a certain someone burning a hole in the side of my face—and because I like it a little too much—I wrap my arm around Anya’s waist. I lead her back outside while reveling in the lick of fire that travels down my back.

No sooner has the door shut than Anya starts talking. Now I remember why I give her a wide berth.

“So my friends are, like, totally jealous right now. You rarely go back for seconds unless it’s Dariana, so I must be special. Oh, my God.” She giggles when I grip the back of her neck. “You’re so bad and so kinky.”

“Shut up,” I growl, shoving her into the janitor’s closet and shutting her inside. “I need you to stay in there for the next half an hour. That’s an order. Leave early and I’ll have no choice but to hurt you, understood?”

I walk off before she can respond. She won’t leave. In fact, she’ll stay an extra ten minutes so as not to piss me off.

I’d rather fuck my own hand than her.

Not only is she immensely boring, but she’s also predictable. Where’s the challenge when, with a click of my fingers, she’ll drop to her knees anywhere? I know, because I once made a girl blow me during class while the flustered teacher loosened his tie. I’m Lucifer’s son, so it’s not like anyone can stop me. And that free pass is what makes life so endlessly monotonous.

“Boys,” Amenadiel beams when we enter his office, “what a pleasure to see you.”

Ronan shuts the door, and Alaric takes a seat on the armchair across from the desk. I remain standing with my feet planted and my arms crossed. “Cut the crap.”

“What?” Amenadiel’s smile is too wide and too smug. “Can an uncle not be pleased to see his nephew?”

“Not in this case,” Alaric drawls, and Amenadiel cuts him a dark look.

“Who is she?” I ask, straight to the point.

My uncle rises to his feet and straightens up a pile of papers. “I knew you’d come to me sooner or later, but this sure is sooner than I thought.”

I remain silent, not in the mood to play his mind games.

“What information would you like, nephew?”

“She claims to have been kicked out of Eden.”

The sparkle in my uncle’s eye is one I’m too familiar with. He’s two steps ahead of me, planning his next strategic move, while I’m still trying to figure out what board we’re on. Is it chess or scrabble? “Yes, she was.”

My eyes narrow. “Why did you take her in?”

“I can’t leave a lost angel without a roof over her head, now can I?”

The air reeks of deceit, lies, and manipulation. “If you’re planning on using her against me, it won’t work.”

“You have such little faith in me. Why would I use an innocent angel against my own nephew?”

Behind me, Ronan snorts.

Alaric kicks his muddy shoes up on my uncle’s desk. “We see right through you, old man.”

“You’ve always coveted my father’s crown,” I point out, and my uncle’s disapproving eyes look up from Alaric’s feet.

“The battles between your father and me don’t involve young girls.”

“Okay, let me ask you this…” I plant my feet and peer out through the window at the silvery moon in the sky. Then I look back at my uncle and see the crow’s feet lining his dark eyes. “No one has left Eden since you, my dad, and five other angels rebelled. Why this girl? And why now?”

“Maybe you should ask her these questions.” He rounds the table and walks up to me. “I’m sure she can answer them herself.”

“Whatever you’re planning, drop it. I’m warning you now, you don’t want to mess with me.”

Reaching out, he pats my shoulder once, twice, then grips it. “Relax, nephew. I mean you or your dad no harm.”

“Bullshit,” coughs Ronan.

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimes loudly while we remain locked in a war of wills. We only break apart when the front door opens and the new girl’s feminine voice calls out, “Amenadiel, are you home? You won’t believe the day I’ve ha…” she drifts off when she walks into the office, her eyes growing wide.

Turning fully and raising my brows, I shove my hands into my pockets. My stance is relaxed, but my shoulders are tense, and my lips remain in a thin line. “Little angel.”

She looks at Amenadiel before narrowing her eyes at me. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m visiting my uncle.” I watch her closely, waiting for her to show a flicker of surprise.

She doesn’t.

“Interesting,” I muse, stepping closer, and she backs away out of instinct.

“What is?”

Alaric rises from his chair and steps up behind her, but her gaze remains locked on me until she collides with his hard chest.

Her small gasp is audible in the quiet room.

“You didn’t react when I mentioned I was visiting my uncle. As if you knew…”

Her head starts to shake, but I hold my finger up, and she stops.

“You knew the man you’re living with is my uncle, and that’s why you threw the football at my head. It was an attempt on your part to get my attention. You’re working with him.” Leaning in close, I growl, “A scheming little witch.”

She snaps her head to the side, refusing to look at me. Her jaw is tense, and her eyes burn with defiance.

The kind of defiance I itch to spank out of her. Because I will spank her ass for trying to entrap me in her games with my uncle. She wanted my attention, and now she has it. Let’s see how long it takes until she regrets it.

“I’ll see you at school, little witch.”

Alaric steps around her, and we walk back out.

Before I leave the room, I point my finger at my uncle. “Drop it, Amenadiel. I’m serious.”