Page 36 of Capturing Sin

I glanced at the demon, watching him with narrowed eyes as I slowed, letting him descend a step in front so I could watch both his claws and spiked tail.

We were alone, and he was uncaged.

If I was going to murder my captor and make a break for it, now would be a great time.

Sure, I had the remote for his choking collar and he was trapped underground behind the reinforced, heavily guarded door. But he was fast, and could disappear down here to bide his time, rushing the door when they least expected it.

The demon took in my positioning over his shoulder décor with a smirk. “Nervous, poison?”

I snorted, bluffing a confidence that could save my life. “Of a demon with more blood outside than in? Besides, I have a little backup.” I waved the remote at him with a sarcastic smile.

Cruel laughter filled the stairwell, bouncing off the concrete walls to echo loudly. “All this blood isn’t mine, poison. Your friends pit me against quite a few other captives and frail blood bags before you showed up to rescue your demon.”

Of course the bastard had heard me call him “my demon” as I’d stepped up to the ring to get him.

I grimaced at what Leo had put him through, hating the needless violence. Another reason I’d be leaving as soon as I could get everything into place. After I did this one good thing—finding a way to protect humans from blood demons like this one.

A tense hush fell as I led the predator into my lab, scanning my pass and gesturing him in. The monster ducked inside, curved ivory horns grazing the doorway with a harsh scrape.

I could feel his curious gaze roaming everything as we went. No doubt mapping his future escape route.

My mind shied away from the brutal reality that he’d never leave. Not alive, anyway.

The guilt that always lingered just below the surface rose to choke me, even though I knew what I was doing would save lives. I’d seen him stomp a person to death just minutes ago. He wasn’t exactly innocent.

Neither was I.

“Take a seat,” I blurted.

My cheeks flamed as the demon cocked a brow, shifting the mini horns lurking at its outer edge.

I clenched the remote tighter in my palm but gestured to his body. “I can treat the worst of your wounds.”

He smirked. “A doctor as well as a mad scientist. Such a smart cookie.”

Irritation surged at his mocking, but I’d already offered, so I reached under the counter to grab the first aid kit, flashing him a too-bright grin. “Actually, being frugal has taught me many skills. I’m sure your corpse-like skin will sew up just as easily as a split seam.”

Fishing out the needle and medical thread, I prepped it with one eye on the demon.

I didn’t mention that I had ample experience sewing up actual flesh. I used to just stitch my own, but nowadays I spent more time operating on wounded test subjects. Much to my colleagues’ bafflement.

The demon’s skin was an intriguing charcoal shade, dark and smooth. Accented with intricate tribal lines, white tattoos blended with a multitude of scars. He almost had as many marks as I did, a lifetime of violence exposed in the flesh.

Inked linework ran from his wrists up to his shoulders, slicing over his chest and running down his ribs. A sun took up one shoulder, and a moon took position on the other, both formed from the negative space of his tattoos. A spiked star wrapped one-half of his neck, reminding me of the celestial shape in the blackness of his eyes, haloing his pupils to glow through the sclera.

Cursive script curved over the muscle of one pectoral, and I hated that a part of me was so curious for a closer look.

The demon grunted, sliding onto the island in the centre of the cramped room. He was so tall, it was like watching a normal person sit on a chair.

I pinned him with a hard stare. “Try to hurt me while I’m stitching you up, and I’ll have you gasping on the floor. Again.” I flashed a vicious grin. “Then I’ll activate the collar.”

He chuckled, widening his legs and leaning forward to plant his palms either side of his spread knees on the table. “Come closer, poison, I won’t bite.”

“If only.” I huffed, but stepped between his knees anyway, placing the kit within easy reach beside him, careful not to graze myself on the short horns topping each of his knuckles.

It was insanity to get this close to a monster, but something about him drew me in beyond logic. He was like the biblical myth of a demon, coaxing me to give into my reckless impulses.

I set the needle into the deepest cut on his chest, a ragged line topping his firm pec. With my skinny frame, the demon would probably fill out a bra better than I could.

---