Page 8 of Burn in Ruin
But I wasn’t going to run.
I deserved whatever was about to happen.
“Do what, exactly?” I asked him, dragging my gaze back to his cruel perfection.
Angels were such peculiar creatures. Azrael, especially, embodied all of the glory and graceful beauty one would expect from a heavenly being.
He wore no shirt, giving me an unimpeded view of his toned, incredible body. Elegant muscles rippled over his abdomen and formed a tight “V” that disappeared beneath his waistband.
I’d seen what was underneath before.
I’d tasted him once.
Being alone with him reminded me of the excitement that had offered.
The allure.
It was part of our bond through Lily that drew us together, but it was also the forbidden aspect of how opposite he was to my demon.
Although, I still wore my mortal form like a shield. It protected me from the worst of his attraction.
If I truly let myself go… I would be utterly consumed.
Forcing my gaze back up to his amethyst eyes, I frowned when he answered my question.
“I need you to talk to me,” he said obscurely. He selected one of the hot pokers and jabbed it into the embers.
His power radiated throughout the room. He was stronger than I remembered, meaning he’d done something to build up his gifts before getting me alone.
Did he really think he would need so much power to break me? This was not going to be a challenge for him, even if that’s what he wanted.
“I am talking to you,” I countered as I sank to the floor. I sat cross-legged and rested my elbows on my thighs. “So I’m not sure what you mean.”
He glowered at me as he twisted the poker in the flames, allowing it to slowly build in heat. “But you aren’t telling me what I need to hear,” he said, never taking his gaze off of mine. “If you want me to kill you, you’re going to have to tell me your secrets, first.”
I lifted an eyebrow. I hadn’t said anything about wanting him to kill me.
But… I had thought it.
He fell silent as he patiently waited for the rod to come to temperature. Azrael didn’t seem like the patient type, but when it came to torture, I had a feeling he knew exactly how to draw it out.
Part of the torture was the wait.
And he made sure I contemplated every agonizing thing he was going to do to me with every silent second that passed by.
After what seemed like an eternity had passed, he drew out the hot poker and admired the molten-hot end. He turned it, then briefly glanced at the camera still placed on the mantle.
“Lucifer wants to know how you resist Calamity. I already have my theories, so we’re going to test them out.” He approached me, then knelt as he drew the hot poker closer to my face. Heat tinged my cheeks, making me stiffen.
I was a demon. Fire shouldn’t bother me, but I realized that Azrael was counting on that.
Because I used my mortal form as a shield and he intended to make me give it up.
True fear spiked through my cold heart. If Azrael intended to force me to bring out my demon in its full capacity, I wasn’t sure what would happen.
I might lose what connected me to Lily, what kept me sane.
What kept me from becoming her worst nightmare.
