Page 42 of To Crave Darkly
Alec let out a low whistle pulling me from the dark depths of Fenris’ eyes. “You’ve met one of Lucifer’s inner circle? Christ, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
I got the impression Alec had met one too. Were Hell Hounds actually from Hell? I went to ask Alec the question but something in his eyes stopped me. Seemed like he had a story he didn’t want to share with the rest of the team. I could respect that, but Iwascurious. I narrowed my eyes at him. A silent warning that this conversation wasn’t over. I wanted to pick his brains about Lucifer and his personal demons to see if I could get any more information on them.
“So, what exactly is a Morta?” I asked and Alec shot me a grateful look for changing the subject.
Saskia’s voice dropped to a whisper. “They’re basically a harbinger of death, destruction and chaos.”
I gulped. That didn’t sound pleasant at all.
I looked at the three of them. “And you think this Morta is part of the trio in the prophecy?”
“There are loads of theories but nothing concrete. I mean, a Morta is heralded as more like omen rather than a being or actual creature. It could be anything. And there hasn’t been a Sin Reaper topside for centuries,” Fenris uttered.
“Topside?”
Fenris smiled down at me. “Sorry, I forgot you’re new to this. I mean on the mortal plane. Sin Reapers usually reside in Hell and rarely venture in the land of the living. They have access to all the Sinners they could need down there so mingling with people who are actually alive seems unnecessary.”
I fell back against this sofa with a thud. What the Hell was I? I had so many questions. The more information I got, the more questions I seemed to have. I had no idea what I was capable of and that was fucking scary.
I needed a distraction. “How about a tour?”
Saskia jumped up and clapped her hands. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. How on earth had I ever thought this woman was dainty? She was a firecracker and larger than life. I looked down at the guys hoping that they would tag along as some sort of buffer, but I wasn’t going to be that lucky.
Before I could even ask, Saskia swept me out of the room dragging me behind her. As the door closed behind me the sound of the guys laughing reached my ears. It was comforting to think there was at least some happiness in this place.
Even if it was a little twisted.
Chapter 18
LORI
The base was massive. It went on for miles. Saskia took me round the entire place including all the units outside. There was on-site housing for the other teams; only the Alpha team resided in the mansion. They also had their own training facilities including various obstacle courses, some of which looked like fun, a vehicle training course, and on the other side of the woods was a small airfield. My ears had pricked over the vehicle training course and I had asked Saskia about it. She said it was more like a glorified racetrack and that if I had a thing for cars, I should talk to Alec. She’d shown me the garage and all the field vehicles. They seemed pretty standard issue for a special tactic unit. Jeeps, motorbikes and machines built for speed and handling, but my curiosity had been piqued by the locked door in the garage. Saskia had said that area was off limits, like Cassian’s basement and Jasper’s tower, that was Alec’s space and I could only go in there with his invitation.
Wow, these guys had some secrets. But I guess I could understand that. After all, it seemed I had my own to contend with. My problem was that I just didn’t know what they were.
The fact that Jasper had a secret tower made me chuckle. His private quarters were up there as well, far away from everyone else. Seemed he liked to keep a physical distance from people as well as an emotional one. At least I would know where to find him if I needed him, a thought which was oddly comforting. I hadn’t seen Jasper for a few hours now and I realised that I missed him. We still hadn’t had a conversation about what was really going on between us. I thought back to the moment in Levi’s lab when my mind had decided that Jasper was mine. What was that about? Was it a vampire thing? Was it because we had exchanged blood? Or was it a demon thing? That thought terrified me every time it popped into my mind.
I wasn’t human. I was a demon. And a powerful one at that.
Boy, did I need to get my shit together. My thoughts and emotions were all over the place. They were at the point where I was riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty. I had never felt like this before. I had no idea what was happening to me, no idea what or who I was any more and no idea what my purpose was. And as I lay there, staring at the ceiling in my new indefinite home, the only thing comforting me was the warm presence in my chest from a demon who had coerced me into some sort of bond. I didn’t want to find it comforting, I wanted to hate it. But knowing that someone was with me all the time, through all the good and the bad, gave me a sense of hope that I might be ok. I just didn’t know if I could trust it.
A soft knock on my bedroom door pulled me from my tumultuous thoughts. I knew it was Jasper. It was like my body could sense him on the other side of the door.
“Come in,” I called.
Jasper walked in and desire simmered through me at the sight of him. How could I forget how hot he was? As he stood there, it was like seeing him again for the first time. He was all sharp lines and lethal muscle. I wanted to run my hands over his taut abs, lick my tongue over his neck and sink my teeth into the curve of his shoulder. My entire body clenched with sudden need.
“Lori,” Jasper whispered painfully. His mouth set in a tight line as he clamped down on his own desire. I couldn’t take much more of this. I was going to explode. But I also knew that whatever was happening between us went deeper than mere lust. I wanted to make sure I knew all the facts before I walked myself into something else I couldn’t undo. So, I swallowed my desire and asked him what he wanted.
“Our presence has been requested by de Santis. We must go now.”
I groaned. I really didn’t like the self-proclaimed King of the Vampires, but I also knew he had some answers to whatever was going on here. It was a tough decision: should I wallow in my own self-pity or go listen to an egotistical narcissist? Decisions, decisions…
My curiosity won the toss. I was going to get some answers and besides, I might get an opportunity to knock him down a peg or two. Unlikely, but hey, a girl can dream.
“Come on then, big guy. Take me to your leader.” The warning look Jasper gave me had me laughing as I brushed past him and out the room. I never thought I’d ever be in a situation to ever use those words. I heard Jasper muttering behind me, something about being impossible and why he was the one who got stuck with me probably.
