Page 48 of Capturing Sin

I pushed shakily up to sitting, and the demon blurred as I manoeuvred to press my back against a workbench leg, hugging my knees to my chest for support.

My hand shook as I pulled my wire-rimmed glasses off, noting the small crack spidering through the edge of one lens.

A low groan escaped my lips. There was no way I could afford a replacement pair.

“Poison… What the fuck was that?” the demon growled, chest heaving so deeply his shoulder spikes gouged the air.

I blinked at him, sliding my broken glasses back onto my face to bring all seven feet of pissed-off male back into focus. My chest burned oddly, like a hot coal sat beneath my sternum.

I swallowed thickly, trying to make sense of why I’d suddenly found myself on the floor. The throb in the back of my skull was a pretty big clue.

“I…passed out.” I shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

The demon snarled, slamming his fist into the glass hard enough to rattle it. His spiked knuckles left four perfect indents into what should have been unbreakable, reinforced bullet-proof glass.

My every muscle tensed, but it held under his anger.

Why was he so pissed? I was the one who’d almost bashed their head in.

I eyed the corner of the stainless steel bench. If I’d have smacked my head just right, I wouldn’t have been getting back up.

I pursed my lips at Sin and climbed to my feet. Clutching the edge of the table, I waited to see if weakness would surge through me once more.

The demon swallowed, tendons popping along the column of his throat as he seemed to restrain himself. “Fucking obviously,” the demon snarled. “Why?” His question was a demand, filled with as much venom as his bite.

I huffed. “Don’t worry, if I’m taken out by a rogue counter-top, I’m sure someone else will come in to feed you.”

“That’s not…” His expression shuttered. Every line of his exposed muscle had tensed, etching severe dips and valleys across his exposed upper body.

“I’m just hungry is all.” I cleared my throat, flashing him an awkward smile. “Let’s try that again, shall we?”

“If you inject that shit into your veins, I will rip out every artery in your wrist so fast you won’t get a chance to press your little remote.” He jabbed a pearly claw towards my face, scratching the glass between us.

I threw my hands up. “What the fuck do you want from me, demon?”

“Among other things, I want you to live, Liliana.” Glowing silver eyes narrowed. “Apparently I’m the only one.”

His words sliced down to my soul.

Ironically, he probably was the only one. Once again, my enemies cared more for my welfare than my family.

I felt a detached sort of pity for myself.

But that was why I saved up, even though it was starving me. Because in a matter of weeks, I’d have enough to disappear from my uncle’s grasp. Forever. I could start a new life. With non-violent friends and a less hostile work environment.

I’d take up a gentle hobby, like crochet, and start a book club that involved too much wine and the smutty kind of story that would make me blush.

A girl could dream.

I crossed my arms, feeling too exposed. More so than when he’d ripped my panties off with his tail during the hate-blow-job incident.

“I thought you wanted to escape and snap my tiny neck?” I did my best impression of his mocking rumble.

“Well, I can’t do that if you die from your own stupidity, can I?” His familiar sneer was back.

I rolled my eyes, but the movement triggered another wave of dizziness. I rasped in a harsh breath and grabbed the table, bracing to kiss the floor again.

“Poison,” he barked. “Go. Eat something. Or you can tickle me with this collar all you want; I won’t bite you.”

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