Page 72 of Make Me A Sinner
“I have several more brothers, but yes, Whiro, Ares, and Phro are like me.”
“So Phro’s your sister, huh?” she asks, and I feel a trace of reproach in her voice. “At first I thought she was an ex or something. And you didn’t exactly rush to correct me on that.”
“I’ve told you—I’m not that piece of shit Nick. I’d never flaunt an ex in front of you. Phro is blood. She just loves stirring shit up, making everyone jealous of her beauty. But watching that tension in your eyes? Now, that was hilarious. I love your jealousy. Makes you more passionate.”
I frown. “Makes everyone jealous with her beauty.” Serena repeats my words. “Phro,” she continues, but pauses shortly after. “Phro as in Aphrodite?”
“Yeah, she likes that name the most. The ancient Greeks used to call her that. Couldn’t stop worshiping her beauty.”
I see Serena panicking a little. Meeting all these gods all at once is probably a bit overwhelming for her. Still, that doesn’t stop her questioning. “So that’s why you can’t have children?”
Didn’t see that coming.
“Who told you I can’t have children?” I ask, my tone heavier than earlier.
“I thought that since you… you—”
“Came inside you?” I offer, sparing her the trouble. Though come to think about it, I should’ve let her say the words. I love watching her squirm.
“Yes… you told me not to worry.”
“And you shouldn’t. But when the time comes, I’ll ask my father to grant us this gift. He’ll agree.” I smirk, imagining the day her belly will be swollen with my children. “You see, needinghis permission is part of keeping the balance. Imagine the Earth crawling with little devils.”
“Devils,” she repeats, her voice shaking now. The thought of a mortal carrying a demon child... that’s definitely nightmare fuel.
“I ama devil, Serena. And yet, you’re still standing.” I try to fake a smile, hoping to comfort her, but the darkness inside is still burning from within.
“You’re a devil, but... I can also feel the good in you.”
Her statement makes me turn to face her. She couldn’t be more wrong. “This is what I feared most. I’m not here to defend humanity. I’m only here to keep it from self-destructing. I don’t need you to romanticize me. I’m not some tortured antihero from your favorite novel. I’m the motherfucking son of the Devil. His direct descendant. I’m no good, I assure you... ButI’ll be good to you.”
It’s then when I hear it—her deepest desires sank into confusion. So many thoughts, spinning through her head that she doesn’t know what to believe anymore.
“You need time to think things through,” I say, my voice softening. “We can do this another day. I can hear how confused you are about everything.”
“You can hear?” she asks, as if she’s having a revelation. “You mean, you can really hear what I’m thinking?” There’s a sudden flush on her face as shame swipes over her, and it almost makes me laugh.
I could mess with her and pretend I know every dark fantasy running through her mind, but I’m not in the mood for jokes. Not now, when one word could change everything. “I can hear a person’s strongest desires. It’s the one power my father allowed me to keep.” Her face flushes even deeper—if that’s even possible. “But not yours. At least not all the time. The closer I am to someone, the harder it is to connect to their thoughts.”
By now, she looks like she might pass out. “I was certainly not prepared for this. I thought you were messing with me.”
“Well, I’m not. I could hear you that night. When I first fucked you. You wanted it so badly,” I smirk, unable to keep myself from toying with her head.
She shifts from one foot to the other, like she’s one second from bolting. But instead, she takes a sharp breath and tries to change the subject, “Is that how you found me at Chen’s?”
“No. You’d have to be close to me to hear your deepest wishes and desires.”
“Then how?” she asks, arching an eyebrow, feeling there’s more than what I’m saying.
“You have a tracker,” I snap, sharply, hoping that’ll be enough.
She fixes me with a sharp glare. “You think I’d run away again?”
“No. It’s for situations like this. I need to know you’re safe at all times. When my plane landed, I checked your location—saw you weren’t at the hotel. So I drove straight to the tracker ping.”
“How is that possible? I dropped my phone when they grabbed me.” She asks, her glare still pointed at me
“It’s not in your phone,” I reply, locking eyes with her.
