Page 5 of Burn in Ruin
Orion had finally buckled and left me alone with the only psychotic angel that was capable of putting a dent in my metaphorical armor.
Azrael.
His gaze slowly shifted to me, his lips wide in a fucking sadistic grin, and I didn’t even need my super hearing to know what he and Orion had just agreed to.
Playtime was over.
“Listen up! Tonight’s torture is over.” Orion shouted as the crowd began to hum with disapproval. He held up a hand. “Lucifer will be pleased by your progress.”
I sputtered what was my attempt at a laugh. Instead, blood bubbled from my throat with a guttural sound.
Orion ignored me. “Go enjoy yourself with the women offerings.” He glowed for a moment, releasing his God-of-Sex energy that would make the irresistible to their targets. Apparently these Fallen Angels were just as good at getting laid as they were torturing demons. “Now go, before I change my mind.”
That seemed to satisfy them. The Fallen Angels filtered out of the chamber, giving me glares at they went—although, they kept a wide berth around Azrael.
I was their training, their little toy, and they didn’t want to fail or leave me to their better. I saw the way that they looked at Azra. They feared him.
If I had to guess, it was because he’d been the one to torture them in Purgatory. Why else would they flinch every time he moved?
They were grown-ass Fallen angels. They were supernatural beings of pure, divine power, who had fallen from the grips of authority and now walked their own path.
In some ways, they had it better than demons.
I had envied them—or theideaof them—before these past few days.
Before I had been captured. I should have known that something was wrong when Raze had crossed the barrier unannounced.
He’d been either corrupted by Calamity or blackmailed to betray us.
I deserved every moment of pain that Azra and the others could extract from me for failing to see it so spectacularly.
Because now Hendrik and Dante were dead.
My black heart twisted and broke at that thought and I released a groan of pure agony. It was so much worse than anything that pathetic Fallen Angel had done to me.
The torture had left something to be desired, thus far.
But based on the way Azra was looking at me, I had a feeling he was going to challenge my definition of pain.
When the last of the Fallen Angels had gone, Orion gave Azrael a nod. “Have your fun, then.” He held up a finger and the air around him trembled and glowed. The air misted with heat as if the sun had settled inside of him and burned out the oxygenall around us. “But if you even think of fucking this up, you know what’ll happen.”
Azrael wave a hand in dismissal. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll lock me in a teeny-tiny cell and throw away the key.”
Orion’s heat strengthened. “That’s right. Just like your brother.”
Azra wasn’t facing Orion, but I spotted the streak of rage that crossed his violet irises.
Hm. Interesting. I hadn’t known that Samuel was imprisoned here.
Maybe I could…
I sank into my restraints and forced the train of thought to cease.
False hope was worse than dismal reality.
I couldn’t save Samuel.
Just like I couldn’t save Dante or Hendrik.
