Page 25 of Possess Us
He needs a fucking bell around his neck.
‘Ready?’ he says. In his other hand, he holds the lantern and a red envelope. ‘Come.’
None of me is ready or willing to voluntarily step back inside that building. I have tried my best to forget every day I spent there.
It was two weeks of hell.
But I know if I refuse to go in there now, Lust will show me what real Hell is like.
I take his hand, and he eases me out of the car. I adjust my ridiculously short skirt and look at the writhing couple thoroughly fucking on the hood of Tyler’s precious car.
They’re dressed as a dead bride and groom, so that’s good. It’s a costumed theme event. Otherwise, we may stick out. It’s usually a black tie with black masks to maintain anonymity.
‘We’ve got you,’ he assures me, kissing my knuckles. He smiles up at me, looking deadly and delicious all at once.
‘Only marked souls, yes?’ I ask. ‘The people in cages, can they go free?’
‘If there are innocents in there, they will not be affected. You have my word.’ He lifts the lantern and gently blows on the candle inside it. The dead wick erupts in flame.
‘Hmmm. The word of a demon. Not sure that’s something I can trust.’
‘But what other choice do you have, Little Soul?’ he teases. ‘Put on your mask. Come with me into that house of pain, and let’s show them what real suffering is.’
We approach the door. Lust knocks three times, then twice, then once more.
He’s still smiling as he waits.
A small latch opens, and Lust seamlessly provides the envelope. The latch slams shut, making me flinch.
I’m about to say it hasn’t worked. Oh well, what a shame. We should probably go. Before I can even open my mouth, he squeezes my hand hard and holds his calm smile, waiting silently.
So I face the large metal door and wait, just as he is.
My heart hammers in my throat, and panic fills me as the heavy clunk of a bolt slides across the door. It’s about to open. I’m going to step foot inside this place again.
Lust slides his fingers through mine and tugs me closer. We face one another. My head tilts all the way back as he looks down at me, our hands entwined.
‘Do not be afraid. Remember my vow to you.’
His vow.
He leans in and whispers it into my ear.
‘My hand will never strike you, little soul. It will never hurt you. But it will drip red with the blood of any mortal who dares lay their hands on you again.’ He tilts my chin so he can look me in the eye. ‘Or who has ever hurt you in the past,’ he adds, a dark promise in his soft words. ‘Walk like you belong here. Like you own everyone and everything in here. Because you do.’
With a rusty groan, the door opens. His additional promise to make those who have ever hurt me in the past makes my stomach flip.
Not in a bad way, but an excitedly apprehensive way.
I never wanted to return here. I remember sitting in the cages below, watching others be led out to auction. I remember hearing screams through the walls and air vents. I remember the blood-spattered clothes of my handlers and the laughs as they discussed the various methods of death the clients had come up with.
I was a big-ticket item. A conduit. Seven other devil-worshipping assholes bid on me, but Xion won. A sweet thirteen million pounds he paid for me.
Bet he’ll regret that when he sees me next. He paid for his own demise, and I can not wait to be his executioner.
I know what lies inside. What the people here are capable of. They are all killers. And they love their work. If any group of people deserve to die, these people do. I saw what Lust did all alone to a mansion full of people. I was doubtful if they deserved the fate I brought to them when I turned up at the party. But the people here deserve a swift and painful exit from their mortal coil.
I stand tall, hand in hand with Lust, and face the doorman.
