Page 78 of Underworld
He flicked one ear, but didn’t look up.
Chapter 23
I opened my eyes to fog.
Cole knew I was here.
His presence lingered around me, the fog licking up my naked calves to caress me with heat.
The sensation reached my lips, leaving a trail of molten desire that played with my succubus side.
I liked it.
Need twisted inside me at the realization that I could drop my guard with Cole, if he passed my test. I could release all of my darkness and clash it against his, my demonic side finally having an outlet to play.
Yes, I needed the angry, asshole rage demon.
But it would be onmyterms, not his.
Tonight, Cole would find out that I wasn’t just a pretty face. I was a monster, just like him.
The fog parted as I walked, closing behind me. The ground under my feet twisted with molten heat, the billows of Hellfire burning from underneath.
I reveled in it, let the dark power sear my skin as black veins threaded across my naked body. I reached my fingers up, finding a crown atop my head.
A true Princess of Hell.
Ahead, a dull light caught my attention, diffused through the fog. I spotted his wings, first, as they flexed. Glorious and deadly in the moonlight.
He faced away from me, his horned head tilted up to view a distant moon that reminded me of the Academy. On the platform, tall pillars jutted into the sky, sporting glowing blood runes carved into each one.
In the middle rested a solid chunk of stone, so black it looked like it swallowed the night. Another blood rune glowed red on its surface, like a jewel against onyx.
That stone made me think of sacrifice and blood.
Just beyond that heavy stone altar, Cole remained with his back to me, wings stretched and open to the night. A pointed tail whipped around his feet.
“You come to me here?” he murmured, turning only his head, giving me a glimpse of his sharp profile.
Something about him felt different. I’d thought the connection through dreams would offer me more protection, but maybe I’d been wrong.
“Where ishere?” I asked.
Smoke drifted around my ankles, making me shiver. Cole’s power worked through his fog, infecting and immersing until the victim realized the entrapment too late.
I probably shouldn’t stay for long.
He turned and tracing a finger along the blood rune. It flared bright with a bloody handprint.
“This is one of the torments I helped build,” he explained, a sense of pride slipping into his voice. “I often visit it when I grow restless. Although, it did a better job when the screams could lull me to sleep. Now, sadly, this torment is unoccupied.”
My gaze flickered over the runes, the bloody handprints. I recalled a lesson at the Academy about this, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. “What made you build it?” I asked, stopping outside the perimeter of the platform. Strange magic hummed here and I sensed I shouldn’t venture any closer.
Cole took note of my hesitation, his gaze drifting to my feet, then he shamelessly ventured his gaze back up my body. “In this case, Blood Witches sold their souls to me. In return, I helped them torment those who still had their souls intact.” He grinned. “The last victims were trapped for a thousand years. I enjoyed every moment of it immensely.”
I didn’t let that affect me. I knew he’d done horrible things. I imagined his victims wouldn’t be entirely innocent if they’d dealt with witches, right?
Lowering his hand, his tail whipped about his feet. “Did you know the last victims were actually guardians of the prior Champion? The second Echo of Calamity, if you're counting. Although, my brother failed to mention that little detail at the time.”
