Page 57 of Cursed
Back in the safety of my home, I willed my armor away and closed my eyes, offering a silent prayer to Lucian. After Malachi’s last visit, I’d set wards around the cave and immediate area so he’d never surprise me again.
I let my stare rove Phoebe’s mask, slipping it upwards to drink in the curling eyelashes resting against her cheeks, her smooth brow, her tempting lips. Gently, I rubbed my thumb across her eyebrow, reveling in the joy of feeling her skin without having to worry about my touch causing her death. How I longed to feel her mouth on mine, to taste her lips and every other part of her body.
The need shook me to my core. Never had I longed for another woman like I did her. Despite what the Bible stated, there’d been other people living in Nod, it was just that God favored my father over the others. To find the truth in the black book took much sorting and discarding of the stories told for political gain at the time the words were written.
I’d dallied with other women before my curse and enjoyed the pleasure of the flesh, yet since I’d been marked, sex had been out of the question. One press of my body against a human’s naked skin cut the fun short. I’d found this out the hard way.
And most of the Chosen would’ve rather cut off their wings than have any type of relationship with me—a human.
Loneliness had been my constant friend throughout my existence, yet in my arms lay another possibility, an unassuming woman who could withstand my curse and give me something I’d thought lost forever. Companionship.
And how could a relationship with her ever align with becoming an angel and making Father pay?A heavy ball of disappointment settled in the pit of my gut.It would never align.
I wanted to laugh at the bitter irony of my situation, but my actions tonight disturbed and confused me. Why had I felt such a strong need to protect her from Brian, and then from Malachi?
I carried Phoebe through the living area and study, kicked open my bedroom door, and laid her on the top of my bed, trying not to jostle her too much.
“Cain?” she whispered as a line furrowed her brow. Shakily, she lifted her hand, but then it flopped back to the mattress.
I mentally commanded her to sleep a bit longer because I needed more time to gather my thoughts and settle my emotions.
What am I doing, bringing her here and treating her as a guest?Wasn’t the plan to pump her for info and get her out of my hair? Why did I stop a room full of madness—which I normally enjoyed—then whisk her away from Malachi’s cruel intentions like a fucked-up hero?
A dark chuckle slipped out of me. “A hero I’m not.” The things I’d done in my past would never be considered heroic, and I was okay with that. I knew who I fought for and regretted nothing.
Except this gods-damned assignment.
Swiping a lock of pinkish-red hair from her cheek, I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. “What are you doing to me, Precious?” I sat on the edge of the bed and mentally powered the lamp on the nightstand. “I’ve never been so torn with indecision in my entire existence.”
My gaze roved her mouth, dredging up the memory of our second kiss. She’d given as much as she’d taken. The way she’d curled herself against my body, as if she trusted me with her life, had been as intoxicating as the kiss itself.
I’d always used my power to destroy, to maim, to kill. How would it feel to use the same gift to protect, cherish, and restore?
Don’t be stupid. You’re one step from being a Chosen.I tried to ignore the internal voice which had recently sprung into existence as I questioned my life choices.A Chosen does not protect. They do not cherish or restore. They use their powers for whatever Lucian commands. And for vengeance. Have you so easily forgotten what your father and his God did to you?
No, I would never forget. Never.
I caressed the strange pendant resting against Phoebe’s throat.What’s so special about this, about her, though?And what the hell had happened with Malachi? After only a few seconds of contact with Phoebe, his angelic flesh had burned.Strange.Yet I’d touched her and suffered no injuries.
Another mystery, and one I won’t have time to solve.Only a few more days before she was due in Hell. How would I keep her safe from Malachi during this time? And to make things worse, Lucian had commanded me to call upon Malachi to transport us to Hell.
My stomach heaved at the thought of asking Malachi for anything, especially if it entailed him standing anywhere near Phoebe.
Need to find someone else who’ll take me to Lucian. Maybe Asmodeus? Or Mephisto?They were both cruel, but as far as I knew, they’d never had it in for me like Malachi.
“You’ve brought such turmoil and strife into my heart.” I slipped a hand under the back of her skull and gently pulled the elastic over her head so it didn’t snap against her skin. In repose, her calm, pleasant face soothed the roiling frustration eating at me.
Phoebe did carry an unseen purity, a warmth beckoning me to plumb its depths to see how far her light went and if it could be tainted. Hot, acrid bile shot up my esophagus, and I swallowed. The thought of corrupting such a pure soul didn’t feel as good as it should have.
“I’m a fool.” I stood and released the sleep command. “There’s only one way into Heaven, and I’m holding the key. I mustn’t think like a human.”
Malachi, the evil son of a bitch, had been right. The last vestiges of humanity clung to me, becoming a suffocating cancer, and how I hungered for the cure.
