Page 42 of The Devil of London

“Rough night?”

“Nah, it was amazing.” I scoffed. “Yours?”

“Are those bolt heads protruding from your body?” His expression wavered when I opened my coat. “Fuck. You need a medic or a hospital.”

“No, I just pissed off some bees with really large stingers,” I uttered with a shrug, which caused tears to prick my eyes. “Just another fucked-up day in the neighborhood.”

The slight jostle of the car stopping almost made me lose my footing, and I cursed myself for not changing my shoes. Though, considering I’d had more than a dozen bodies littering my lawn, I’d figured it was a better idea to head to Nasir’s before more hunters showed up. Entering the chamber leading to the main room of the ninth level of hell, I dragged my feet and ignored the rattling that had started in my chest. Luckily, I would not make it long enough for madness to set in.

Once the toxins reached the mind, it was game over. I’d be forced into stasis until I’d overcome the madness. If I couldn’t overcome it, I’d be sealed in a casket, placed beneath the ground, and guarded by the strongest immortals in existence. Sadly, it sounded like a vacation I needed, and I didn’t hate the thought of spending the rest of eternity in the catacombs of Paris with the thousands of other insane immortals.

I paused as Khaos, who was seated with the blonde from the pictures, came into view. Their heads were bowed in conversation, which looked innocent enough. Khaos’s head lifted, giving me a better view of the smile planted on his generous mouth. My heart twisted at the sight of it. He lifted their linked hands, kissing her knuckles before lowering them to rest on the table between them. A server delivered champagne and strawberries, and he immediately plucked a berry up, dipped it into cream, and offered it to her.

My insides twisted until I felt as if I’d be torn asunder. For a moment, I stood at the threshold, watching him feed her berries, and hating the way she licked his fingers clean after each one. The way he touched her was gentle, loving. His eyes sparkled with love, which they’d never done when they’d gazed at me. Despair settled inside me, unpacking as it moved into the ruins of my soul. I fought against the tears closing my throat while I grieved the death of what I’d felt for him, but then I started forward.

People moved out of my way while glancing curiously at the bags I dragged behind me. The moment I reached their table, Khaos’s face, shimmering with murderous rage. Nothing but disdain and contempt remained on his face while he glowered. I was glad I’d concealed the injuries since Vanessa was the vision of every man’s dream girl, and I looked like shit she’d wiped off her expensive shoes.

“I warned you, Aderyn.” The threat underlining his words did little to still my reply.

“There was a problem.”

“I don’t give a fuck what problem you had. I told you not to come here.”

“Who is this, darling?” Vanessa asked.

“No one worth introducing you to, love.” His flippant response made my heart wither and die. Fighting the tears threatening to fall, I shook my head. “She’s leaving. Isn’t that right?”

“Khaos,” I whispered as the bullet moved again inside me, and I nearly blacked out from the pain.

“You heard my fiancé. Leave,” Glamour Barbie said. I ground my teeth together as I dropped my hold on the bag and began fishing through my pocket for the hand I’d taken from the Herne Knight. “Are you daft, bitch?”

“Don’t make this worse than you already have. Turn around and leave.” Khaos began to slide from the rounded booth.

“Did you hear him? Do you have any idea who he is, bitch?” Vanessa snarled.

“Unfortunately, I know exactly who he is,” I muttered. “Now, if you’d shut the fuck up, I’m trying to have a conversation here.”

“Aderyn.” My name from his lips had never sounded more like a curse than it did at that moment.

“Leave, you stupid slut!”

“Look, shut the fuck up. I googled ‘who gave a fuck’, and my name wasn’t on that list. If you’d be so kind as to seal your over-filled lips, I’ll say what I came to say and be gone. Forever.” At the last word, Khaos’s anger became palpable. The moment I’d placed the severed hand on the table, the room spun around me as Khaos jerked his chin at someone behind me.

“Take the trash out, Merikh,” Vanessa pouted. “She is ruining our night. How can we plan our wedding with something so worthless and bothersome interrupting us? You should’ve stopped her at the door. We don’t need nor want this garbage inside the venue.”

“Take the bags and Aderyn to the holding cell. Leave her there until I can deal with her in the morning.”

“What? No, K-bear. I want her gone or dead. Daddy said you had a whore who I’d need to rid you of. If this is her, I want her gone. I want it to hurt, baby.” Vanessa smiled, but her eyes were cold as Khaos turned and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“She’s useful, and I wouldn’t touch her with someone else’s cock, love.”

My heart shattered into a thousand tiny, broken shards of useless pieces. A blush of shame stained my cheeks as Ryat picked up one of the garbage bags, which tore. Severed heads thudded to the ground and then scattered over the floor. Pain drained the color from my face as I turned, drifting away, as the people gasped in horror at the heads and backed away. Misery finally broke the control I’d held over my emotions, stealing a sob from my lungs.

“What the actual fuck, Aderyn?” Ryat’s voice carried above the panic of the crowd. “Oh, my gods. Nasir, look.”

Ignoring them all, I stumbled toward the exit. The room of people parted like the Red Sea as I tripped, barely managing not to land on my face. Then a large hand landed on my chest, forcing me to stop.

“Little bird, you’re wounded.” Merikh stated as if I weren’t already aware.

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